Hair Raising Stories

 Hair- Raising Stories.

Hair on Head is sign of beauty for both Males and Females.
Hairloss is a big concern today.
So many Advertisements made to show how to prevent and control Hairloss.
A patch of hairloss is matter of anxiety.
But for Anaesthesiologist, long hair and long beard is big anxiety....
Long thick hair interferes in  Intubation.
Long untied hair or beard gives lot of problems during surgery.
Once a Girl from African continent was posted for Laparoscopic Surgery.
Her thick curly hair were long upto her knees.They were braided with beads.
We couldn't tied them up.Leaving them untied was interfering in Intubation and also positioning of her head during Surgery.
So What to do?
I gathered her braided beaded locks in a bedsheet. Tied up the bedsheet. Left it hanging down the Operation Table.
Another incident was of a patient very old and from a community which had the men not cut their beard at all.So he had knee length long beard.
I got the beard braided and rolled up before surgery.
Sometimes,patient comes with no hair ....
Patches of Aloepecia.
A lady came with bald patch over front of head and around her ears.
Very funny type of Aloepecia.
She was posted for Anaesthesia for Modified ECT as she had attempted suicide.
On detailed history taking in course of treatment over days,...we were shocked to hear her Hair story which Raised our Eyebrow.
This lady had 3 consecutive girl children. So her husband and mother in law would keep verbally abusing her for not bearing a Male child.
The daily torture gave her so much anxiety that she would pluck out the hair on her scalp.
In course of time,this disorder led to the bald Aloepecia patches over her head.
The Anxiety led to Severe Depression which led her to attempt suicide.
This anxiety disorder is Trichotillomania.
I have witnessed similar anxiety issues in teens too.
A Teen preparing for her NEET Premedical enterance Exams was found one fine day with no eyebrows at all.
She would pluck her eyebrows during her exams in stress.
Once,I had given Anaesthesia to a 21yr old girl who came with Vomiting uncontrollable.
We were aghast to see her stomach have a ball of hair.
Trichobezoar is hairball in stomach causing obstruction which leads to vomiting.
Some people have Trichophagia- Anxiety disorder which forces person to swallow hair...lots of hair.
Hair - Raising stories indeed.

- Dr Tripti Milind Galgali
Anaesthesiologist, Hubli.