So, I have a question that pertains mostly to the guys in the forum. I don’t mean to exclude our female T1D’s, but this question is something that really, only guys in the room can answer. If you’re thinking, “Oh yeah! sex questions!”, you’re gonna be sorely disappointed…
Backstory. Since probably October of last year, I have been wearing sweat pants to the gym. I have been wearing sweat pants to the gym in winter months for years now and have never encountered this issue. I usually convert back to shorts at the gym right around this time every year. This past Saturday I did just that. Everything was as it should be until my workout partner blurts out, “Dude…are you shaving your legs?”
It appears my lower leg hair has taken a vacation. On top of that, it also appears that the remaining hair has changed texture and become soft and wispy (two words that violate the terms of my “Man Card”)
On top of that, my wife has been making comments about how soft the hair on my head has become. My hair has looked and felt like like brown velcro since about 1972. It too, seems to have changed in the last couple of years. I’ve noticed it no longer “crunches” when I lay down on a pillow and I can actually run a comb thru it.
I guess I could throw this question out to the ladies also, but I don’t think many of you outside of post- Soviet Bloc eastern European countries would be able to offer much advice on leg hair issues.
Could this possible be diabetes related? Has any other guy noticed anything similar? Am I turning into a 14 year old girl?
@AJZimmerman hey Andy, funny, but actually no, I was cringing and hoping it wasn’t a sex question.
I think you might want to get your thyroid checked… and yes, lots of newly diagnosed people have hair issues, usually with it thinning and falling out.
The thing that ate our insulin producing beta cells will also eat your thyroid producing cells: same disease. synthetic thyroid is easy compared with synthetic insulin.
go and check in with your doctor, 'cause I am a mechanic and not a physician. I will never quite be able to get the thought of you as a 14 year old girl outa my head - thanks for that!
Sadly, my wife LOVES my new hair. “I’ve waited 33 years to run my fingers through your hair…now, I can!!!”
Looking back, I always kinda felt like my hair was changing prior to my official T1 diagnosis. It just felt different. Hard to explain. Kinda like a dead, matted, chalky thing on top of my head. All those textural components are gone and it now feels normal, just not what I remember.
Why do I feel like a 14 year old girl? I spent some time Saturday night getting ready to go out to a party and I’ve never really had to “spend some time” getting ready for anything. My hair always just “Art Garfunkeled” naturally. These days, it looks like the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Definitely get your thyroid checked! Could be related and your endo should be able to run the test for you. There’s a crazy long list of symptoms that can happen if it’s out of whack and like joe said, T1D and thyroid conditions go hand in hand.