WAY OT!!! My son lost his eye lashes???update child abuse!!!!!

[nicknamy1996]

Yes, to the friend who threw the "C" word out there... hopefully they had more information than the rest of us. I am not a doctor and won't claim to know a lot (so I won't by any stretch say it's impossible that some form does cause hair loss) but in my experience it's the treatment, not the cancer that causes hair loss.

 

[ElizaB39]

My daughter has trichotillomania as one poster described earlier. She pulls eyebrows and eyelashes.

Here is a link to their website.

http://www.trich.org/index.asp

Pullers are also called trichsters (ch = hark k sound).

They will grow back, my daugher's did. I would talk to your son and see if he is unconsciously pulling at school or when he is watching TV, keep an eye on him when his hands are not busy, give him things to fiddle with when he has downtime.
Good Luck.

 

[PrincessButtercup]

I would suggest a trip to the Opthamologist. Blepharitis is most common in Irish descent. Its sort of like dandruff of the eyelashes, which can clog up the follicle. Also, this goes with the dry eye. The eye produces almost an oil that breaks down the tear film faster than average. Some doctors will recommend washing the eyelid with Selsun Blue.

Good luck! Hope thats all it is!

 

[ElizaB39]

My sister has blepheritis and I asked her about losing her eyelashes. She said sometimes yes, but usually due to scrubbing hard to wash the gunk off.

 

[mrsmiller]

Now that I think about it when my son was 2 he had Blepharitis but did not lost his lashes I remember that the treatment was selsum blue , he did have inflamation in the eyelids and the gunk but this time he has no discharge or inflamations that we could see.

I called the doctor this morning and asked him for a blood test he was not too happy, but I had to remind him that when my son complained of pain when he walked he paid no mind it got worse and I took him to the foot doctor who told me he has some minor heel spurs , the plate in his foot was inflamated and we had to get him orthotics that cost me 400.00 plus the doctor's fee...
he did agree and my husband took him for the blood test and I told him to ask the doctor for a referral to the opthamologist .

My son does suffers from asthma and he is taking albuterol, singulair and pulmocort and has some high blood pressure that we are keeping an eye on (his last reading was 173/73)
Thanks for all the advise....
Linnette

 

[luvtogo12]

Just wanted to offer you some . Please keep us posted.

 

[LoriKutchey]

Probably going to an opthamologist would be the best. Try not to worry about cancer ( I know that's easy for me to say) but that's such a far stretch of the imagination, It's probably just an allergy or an eye infection of some sort.
Keep us posted!

 

[kangareaux]

My son does suffers from asthma and he is taking albuterol, singulair and pulmocort and has some high blood pressure that we are keeping an eye on (his last reading was 173/73)
Thanks for all the advise....
Linnette

Don't know if this will help, but our doctor said that albuterol is bad for your eyes. That if we could schedule breathing treatments so more fell when DS was asleep, then it would be better. (He was a 2 year old at the time so that was possible then. ) Is his albuterol oral or inhaled?

And not to sound snarky, but if my DS was taking so many strong drugs and coming down with more problems (The HBP) and his doctor had done the things you just said your DS's doctor did, I'd be looking for a new doctor ASAP. With Asthma and/or High Blood Pressure, things can go south REALLY FAST if they are *overlooked*. And it doesn't seem that your DS's Doc is very attentive.

Giving you some and hoping you find someone who can give you some answers.

~T

 

[Microcell]

thanks for your replies...

I am really worried because a friend of mine told me that It could be cancer...
and I spent hours in the internet and did not find any information
so thanks
mrsklamc for the link I feel much better knowing that he is not alone,
when I took him to the doctor he only looked at his eyes and did an eye test but did not order any blood test he did tell me that maybe it was because of the video games and not to let him play for more than an hour a week so you can imagine how upset my son is. I will call him in the morning an I hope that he will order blood test for him

I would go to another doctor, perhaps an Ophthalmologist, they are MD's that deal with anything concerning the eye. I have worked for one for 8 years and never heard of that as a symptom of anything, all of them coming off spontaneously that is.

That seems highly implausable that it is video games.

BTW, water in the bath should be sufficient to wash his eyes, the less chemicals the better is what my boss says, especially concerning kids.

 

[suzct]

I'd like to chime in here since I am an Oprometrist. First of all, cancer is extremely unlikely. There would certainly be more obvious things going on if there was any hint of a worry about that. ie wierd eyelid lumps and bumps. Blepharitis is definitely a possibility. Any eye doctor (Optometrist or Ophthalmologist) could diagnose this in a minute with looking at the eyelids under a slit lamp (microscope). You might notice crusting on the lid margins or reddened eye lid margins if this was the case. Treament for bleph is usually warm compresses followed by lid scrubs. Run a facecloth under very warm water and hold on the closed eyes for 5 min. Reheating the facecloth as necessary. Lid scrubs is making a solution of warm water and baby shampoo. Say 2 drops of shampoo in a dixie cup of water. Mix it with a q-tip and then gently rub the area on the lid where the lashes grow out. Sorry, but I've never heard of using selsun blue! Too harsh. You can also put in artificial tears up to 4 times a day or even more if you get the unpreserved type. If this regimen doesn't work then an ointment can be prescribed for short term.
Definitely get him to an eye doctor to rule out bleph, dry eye, allergies etc and if the exam is normal prepare yourself as those before have said that it is actually a "nervous habit" type of thing. Parents love when we tell that!, but I have seen it as well as frequent blinking and that was the only answer.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

She went home and they put her on Zoloft and all sorts of other weird meds.

Zoloft and other anti-depressants are not "weird meds," they are widely accepted treatments for a serious disease.

 

[kimmtd]

Just wanted to drop in my 2 cents...
I have trichotillomania, and I've pulled my lashes and brows since about 12/13. I'm now 35, still pulling, and luckly, the lashes keep coming back. I moved onward (and upward) and now pull from the front of my scalp as well.

My mom was very wierded out by all of this, and we didn't know about OCD or trich until I was 17. She would tell me to just stop!
Yah, that worked

If your son has this, it can be treated with drugs (i didn't like them, nor them me, and have accepted me for what I am). Some have had luck with drugs, or"alternative methods"> herbal supplements, Hypnosis. It is classified as an OCD, and has has no real "cure". My comments would be to let him know that he is OK, and be supportive. I pull the worst when I'm stresses, but I pull whenever!

I agree with earlier post, you are his mother, follow your instinct. The drs try to be right, but never forgo your mommy-vive! There are number of reasons this cold be happening. My thoughts are with you and your son

 

[zuzu310]

I too have had trichotillomania since I was 3 or 4 and pull eyebrows and eyelashes out. My mom found me one day and they were all gone. Most times I don't realize I am doing it. My mom was really freaked out because no one had even heard of this condition and she wanted to send me to a psychologist. As posters said earlier there is no cure but mine always have grown back. I would say that it is something to check into at least. Stress and boredom cause my problem to be worse. I would say try to be supportive. Most people don't understand that those afflicted cannot just stop pulling.

 

[UMTerp]

Yes! Same thing happened to my son last year! I was freaked out to say the least. Doc said same as suzct! Wash with warm water and baby shampoo on a q-tip. Worked well for us. It did take some time for them to grow back in.

Good luck!

UMTerp

 

[2Pirates_1Princess]

the only thing is that I have never seen him pulling on his lashes, but will keep an eye and see
Linnette

My son plucks. He pulls his eyelashes, eyebrows and even leg hair out. He has OCD and some other anxiety issues. I find that my son plucks in private most of the time. I didn't realize what he was doing until it became very obvious that his eyebrows were thin to gone. My son plucks during times of anxiety and at night. He has problems sleeping and will pluck all night long sometimes. You might try web MD. You can enter symptoms and get more information that way. Also try keeping an eye on him at night. Chances are if your son is plucking he won't even realize that he is doing it. I hope you get an answer to your problem and want to encourage you to keep up the fight. Don't let your doctor dismiss your concern when you feel there is a problem.

 

[storybookstory]

Zoloft and other anti-depressants are not "weird meds," they are widely accepted treatments for a serious disease.

I think she meant weird as in a weird treatment for the symptoms being presented.

 

[Mono~rail]

My DD14 has trichotillomania. When she was in 3rd grade, the fighting between me and her dad was at it's peak. One day when I picked her up from school all of her eyelashes were gone except for a few on the edges. Her teacher pulled me to the side and told me she had been pulling them out all day and she couldn't get her to stop. Immediately, I took her to our pediatrician, and she diagnosed her with trich. I tried taking her to counseling, but her dad didn't want her to go. That was about 6 years ago, and her eyelashes have NOT grown back.

I have a form of trich too. I don't pull out my hair, but I pick my skin when I'm nervous. I don't even realize I'm doing it until it is too late and I have a huge nasty sore on my arm. When I was in nursing school, it was horrible. One day I was taking a really hard test, and I picked a huge hole in my arm.

 

[mommanne]

I'm seeing an eye doctor next week. I've been losing my eyelashes for almost a year and wondered why. All of my symptoms lead to blepharitis.

Good luck OP!

 

[mike&amy1508]

Now that I think about it when my son was 2 he had Blepharitis but did not lost his lashes I remember that the treatment was selsum blue , he did have inflamation in the eyelids and the gunk but this time he has no discharge or inflamations that we could see.

I called the doctor this morning and asked him for a blood test he was not too happy, but I had to remind him that when my son complained of pain when he walked he paid no mind it got worse and I took him to the foot doctor who told me he has some minor heel spurs , the plate in his foot was inflamated and we had to get him orthotics that cost me 400.00 plus the doctor's fee...
he did agree and my husband took him for the blood test and I told him to ask the doctor for a referral to the opthamologist .

My son does suffers from asthma and he is taking albuterol, singulair and pulmocort and has some high blood pressure that we are keeping an eye on (his last reading was 173/73)
Thanks for all the advise....
Linnette

I'm sorry, but I have to ask....why are you still going to this doctor????

I hope everything works out ok!!

 

[Pixieshouse]

I had blepharitis as a child and suffered exactly the same symptoms as OP's son. Before you panic, take him to an opthamologist who can make a proper diagnosis. As I recall, mine gave me some type of oinment to apply to the lids. Mind you that was back in the early 1960's, so things may have changed.

I had blepharitis recently. It didn't cause my eyelashes to fall out, but boy did my eyes itch! I went in and was given an ointment as well that I used at night before bed and it cleared right up. Also when I feel it starting to come on I have these little cloths that you clean your eyelid and lashes with. It really helps.

Good luck