DB on Hair Loss, Centrifuges, & Travel Plans

Before Dr. Beer died, he left a mass of information in the way of written dialogues between himself and patients. In these, we find lots of great advise, that is, if you're a believer in immune issues causing RPL or implantation failure.

So why am I losing hair? Here's what he had to say on the matter for patients in the past:
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Patient: I have moderate to heavy hair loss each day. When I got pg, my hair stopped coming out totaly - not one strand. It hadn't been like that since I was 21. I thought it was because of the pg hormones etc. After the m/c's, my hair started to come out like it did before I was pg - heavy again. I haven't been able to get pg since (over a year) I recently tested + for anticardiolipin and antithyroid antibodies. I am on prednisone and baby aspirin. Since I have been taking the prednisone, there is a major difference in my hair. It comes out much, much less - almost like as if I was pg. No chance of that yet, I'm still waiting to o and we haven't bd'd since my flow started. I'm wondering if there is a link to supressing the immune system and hair loss. Sounds crazy...eh? But I seem to think and feel that there is some connection.

DR. BEER: WOMEN WITH THIS CONDITION HAVE IT BECAUSE OF:

1. ANTITHYROID ANTIBODIES WHICH LEADS TO HYPOTHYROIDISM AND HAIR LOSS
2. ACTIVATED NK CELLS PRODUCE TNF-ALPHA (A CHEMOTHERAPY DRUG) WHICH CAUSES APOPTOSIS OF THE FOLLICLE CELLS (GLUES THE DNA OF THE HAIR SHAFT CELLS) SO THAT THEY CANNOT REGENERATE OR RECYCLE AND HAIR FALLS OUT JUST LIKE IN WOMEN WHO RECEIVE CHEMOTHERAPY. ......

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Patient: I have TONS of hair loss and right before my last IVIg I had TERRIBLE RLS. Did the IVIg and it cured the RLS but now I still have more fevers, body aches and terrbile immune feelings. IS this causing baby B to be smaller?

Dr Beer: You need more IVIG.

Patient: What can we do besides IVIg? Can the IVIg cause my fevers and aches and hair loss?

Dr Beer: No, this is not caused by the IVIg. It is caused by the immune activation.

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Dr. Beer,

I am hoping you can help me understand why I am losing hair daily and most importantly, how to stop the hair loss. It falls out in the shower, when I
brush it, all day long I find it on my clothing, every night my bedding
is covered with hair. I am getting worried about it continuing to fall out and
about why this is happening.

DR. BEER:
LOSS OF HAIR IN MY EXPRIENCE STOPS WHEN THE THYROID CONDITIONS ARE STABILIZED AND THE CATEGORY 5 IMMUNE PROBLEMS SPECIFICALLY THE CD56+ TNF ALPHA PRODUCING CELLS ARE SUBDUED IN TISSUES.

Just so you have an idea of where my immune system is right now, my latest NK Assay was done two weeks ago and is as follows:
50:1 is 5.4 [note: this is LOW, excellent]
25:1 is 3.3
CD3 is 72.5
CD19 is 18.3
CD56 is 4.8
CD19+CD5 is 14.6

DR. BEER:
THESE BLOOD NUMBERS ARE OK. IT IS THE TISSUE-RESIDING NK CELLS THAT I BELIEVE CAUSES THE DAMAGE. WHEN NEW HAIR GROWTH BEGINS AND THE PROBLEM IS CORRECTED THE OLD HAIR SHAFTS ARE RELEASED AND JUST BEFORE THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED, GOBS OF HAIR FALLS OUT. DO NOT DESPAIR. THIS MAY BE A TURNING POINT FOR YOU.

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So either I should be having an immune flare of NKs (which secrete TNF-A) ...or.. my thyoid has gone haywire. I actually have symptoms of hyperthyroidism, not hypothyroidism...and I doubt that I have ATAs as we've tested for those.

That first girl said that taking dexamethasone seemed to (anecdotally) help her problem. Hmm...I've got loads of dex laying about the house.

Centrifuges:
I unpacked the last two centrifuges that showed up on my doorstep in the last few days. They're both Sorvalls, but one is a HPC-1, and the other is a HPC-2 model. Both have the nifth HL-4 rotor, interchangeable between centrifuges, that accepts the horizontal buckets that the LIT protocol demands. I quickly grabbed one of each variety of tube I plan to use in them: a 4cc draw serum separator, a 15cc conical centrifuge tube. All fit perfectly. So the plan is to use two buckets in one for the small tubes, and two buckets in the other centrifuge for the conical ones. The first centrifuge, a meager $75 purchase including shipping (score!), is something I'm not sure if I'll have a use for...so it'll either go back onto ebay or become a donation for Dr. S (my ex the chem teacher, not DB's replacement).

Sadly, one of the centrifuges sustained some damage when shipped via FedEx ground, so I will have to put in a claim to see if there is something that can be done. The item was only insured up to $100, and I paid $150, so they might make me a cash settlement. These things are as rare as hen's teeth, so I doubt they'd be able to do anything except a cash settlement. (A repair would honestly be preferable tho...I can't even imagine what it would cost to repair such an item).

I'll try to get the other items ordered by Monday night. I'm still hoping to escape to parts "far away", departing Tuesday or Wednesday, but my travel companion, who is already at said destination, hasn't confirmed enough for my sensibilities that it is 100% okay to visit her. So I'll wait a bit longer and hope that the airfare that I've found will still be there when she does get back to me.