CORPUS CHRISTI — Like others who have tested positive for COVID-19, Nogelia Bradt of Beeville says she was fighting for her life.
“I couldn’t even get up from where I was at, so I called 911," said Beeville resident, Nogelia Bradt. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital.”
Hospitalized for 9 days, she says she was also diagnosed with pneumonia. After being released she went home where she was kept isolated from loved ones.
“It's lonely, it a very lonely time in your life when you have COVID,” she said.
It was during this time, Bradt says she was also dealing with depression and other side effects.
“I would hold clumps of hair that would just fall out while I was brushing my hair,” said Bradt.
Dermatologist Dr.Beverly L. Held says most serious illnesses can cause hair loss but its important for those dealing with it to know it will grow back though, it could take up to a year.
“That hair loss while it may be very frightening and scary when you see a ton of hair in the drain and in your hairbrush it is temporary," said dermatologist Dr.Held.
To help minimize the effect, Dr.Held says people experiencing hair loss after recovering from COVID-19 should consider eating more protein.
“If you can stop stressing about that, that’s the best thing to do,” she said.
Losing some of her long silver hair, Bradt finds comfort knowing she is not alone.
“There's wigs, there’s things that we can put on and just be thankful that I'm here,” says Bradt.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association mentions stress can cause temporary hair-shedding. This can begin two to three months after the stress starts.
Dermatologist Dr.Beverly L. Held suggests patients collect a week of each month of their hair and monitor if the amount of hair they are losing is getting better or worse month after month. Since the body considers the hair expendable, its going to take a few months before it gets around to starting to repair.
