thinkingaboutit

I know that it has been a while since I have posted an update. As I monitored this site before my 1600 graft HT on 3/31/06,I noticed that often times posters would stop posting after they had received their transplant procedures. I was curious about that and wondered if that was a good or bad sign. Did it mean that they were dissatisfied and did not want to look the fool by admitting a mistake or was it that they had become comfortable and no longer felt the need to post? In my cae, it is because of the former, but, this site was so helpful to me in helping me make a decision that I feel a bit responsible to continue to make some posts on my post-op progress. I apologize that I do not have pictures of the progress. ( I still do not have a digital camera.) I can say that not much has changed over the past month. I still have lingering redness in the recipient area that is especially bright if I have been exercising or have been in the sun. ( I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, but there are times during the day when it is unavoidable and I am not in a a position to wear a hat during those times.) All the transplanted grafts shed but I have had no shockloss. I am grateful for that as it was a big concern of mine. As near as I can tell, noone has noticed that I had a procedure performed. I am in a very social environment where tactfulness is rarely a quality aspired to.If someone had noticed, I would know. I am anxious for hair to start growing. I wont be in a position to truly judge the quality of the results for most likely another 4 months, but, based on the reports of others, I expect to begin seeing some growth within another 5 weeks. At this stage I am very satisfied with my progress an glad that I had this procedure done and chose Dr. Cooley and his staff to perform it.

I am either going to slow down the fingers on the keyboard, or start using spell check. I promise.

I just want to add a quick update at 18 days post op. I returned back to work today for the first time and no one noticed anything. I am really amazed at that. It is an active place where I come in contact with hundreds of people daily.Of course upon closer inspection, things would be much more obvious, but I am able to hind with existing coverage and healing seems to be occurring far better than I expected. Most of the transplanted hair has fallen out with I estimate about 10-15% remaining. (hopefully they will stay and continue to grow.) The tricho closure scar seems to be healing nicely, but I am not as certain about it as I am ab out the recipient area. There is a noticeable 'ledge' at the scar when zi run my finger tips over it,..but it seems to be subduing and becoming less pronounced daily. There is some mild residual discomfort along some sections of the donor scar. It is not so much ' painful' as just a bit uncomfortable at times. I wish it would go away though. In the recipient area there is some patchy, lingering darkness. Really not dark, but darker than surrounding areas. Much, much, much lighter than a coupledays post op though. If 2 days post op was a 10 on 1-10 scale, remaining darkness would be a 2-3. At this point I am extremely gratified that I have undergone the procedure.Shock loss is still a fear, though I have not experienced any as of yet. I apologize that I do not have recent pictures to post.I may be the last person on the face of the earth without a digital camera or a cell phone.

It is normal to feel anxious,depressed and question your decision post-op. MHR does noy have the best reputation here, but it is too early to judge results. Freaking out will only make the situation worse. Be sure that you are doing your part to insure success now.Follow Dr. orders, eat healthy, take vitamins, propecia, do light aerobic exercise when you can do so without risk to grafts or scar. You have a long wait ahead of you. Accept it. Do the things that you can personally do now to insure a healthy environment for best success. If the results are not all that you had hoped for, do not despair.Their are several surgeons recommended on this site that can turn a poor result into a good one. It is too soon to judge your results.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I didn't realize how helpful simple, supportive comments like that can be untill I found myself in this situation. I am very happy still, having gonr through the procedure. I was concerned that there might be a period of doubt and depression that often occurs pot-op, but that has not happened. The wisest choice I made was in the surgeon who performed the procedure.ZDr. Cooley. I have my sutures removed next Friday in Charlotte. I'm sure that I will have more photos taken then and I will post the progress next weekend. Thanks again for the kind words of support. This site is an excellent resource and its members are great.

huge improvement in just one month. Looks good. Congratulations.

laughter, I am a great believer in paying attention to your ' senses'. Though Dr. Shapiro has a reputation of being one of the best of the best,...maybe the time just wasn't right for you or there could be other unrecognized phenomena that would make having this procedure at this time not a wise move. It certainly is natural to be nervous, though.

Much of it depends on the individual,the amount of hair that you have to cover ,...and the skill of the surgeon. That was one of my biggest concerns.Ihave 2 weeks off work, so I can stay out of the public eye for the most part, but I am finishing up my Masters Degree and can't really afford to miss any classes. Last night I was able to attend class, only 5 days post op, and no one demonstrated the least amount of ' looks' that indicated they suspected that I had something done. I attribute this to the condition that I still have enough coverage to camoflouge AND that I had the procedure performed by an exceptionally talented surgeon, Dr. Cooley.

I am a strong believer in vitamins and nutritionally rich foods. Don't put garbage into your body. Live a healthy lifestyle, almost to the point of fanatacism.that means good, regular cardiovascular exercise as well. That is just my opinion. Also check out propecia. The good news for someone your age, you can expect great progress in the treatment of the follicular-challenged over the next 10 years. Think of the progress in the field just over the past 5 years. I truly believe great breakthroughs will happen over the course of the next 2 decades. Do yourself a favor by beginning a very healthy lifestyle now.

Thanks for the comments. I feel very good about the procedure and I am still 'actively' convalescing by doing vitamins, spraying and soaking the area ect,...taking it easy. All the kudos go to Dr. Cooley and his staff. I also owe thanks to the posters on this board who share so much personal information to help others become informed consumers. What a difference that makes. And thanks as well to Robert who took the time to meet me when I first consulted with Dr. Cooley and was so helpful with information that guided me in my decision.

Here is a before and immediately post op photo from my procedure w/Dr. Cooley on 3/31. I will post more photos as they become available.

I had my first HT on 3/31 with Dr. Cooley. I will have some photos in the near future but I wanted to relay my exprience while it is still fresh in my mind. I have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Cooley, his staff and the entire experience. I had gone in for a 1500 graft procedure to the tempoaral recesses and to the top. I ended up with around 1650. I have researched in depth this process for well over a year, have been on propecia for 9 months and went on several consultations with prominent doctors.I am absolutely confident with the choice I made in surgeons.I know that there are a handful of superior practitioners out there, and I feel that I made the best choice for myself.I have high praise for Dr. Cooley and his staff. I was apprehensive about persuing this type of procedure for the longest time. I had many, many questions and concerns. ( I want to also thank the members of this board for all of their insight,..for sharing both positive and negative experiences.It helped me become better aware of the limitations and possible complications from this procedure.) I won't, at least at this time, relate all of the play by plays of the day because they closely mirror those of other patients,and those stories are abundant on this site.Thankfully.But there are characteristics of my experience with Dr. Cooley that might be unique. First, I had some concern based on recent discussion of just who places the majority of the grafts.In my situation, Dr. Cooley was in the room the entire time.Though he had assistance placing some of the grafts, he closely monitored her during the entire procedure.Her touch by the way, was very gentle.I am very confident that the grafts that by both Dr. Cooley and his assistant Brandy placed will be very successful. I had NO swelling,..very very little scabbing. My recipient area is still rather dark red.But after all, this only the second day post op. Dr. Cooley's clinic is about 500 miles from my home. I drove home by myself today and got in about an hour ago.IT was an uneventful trip except for the wonderful scenery of the mountains on a beautiful day. I approached this trip with the full knowledge that it would be one of those rare weeks in a person's life that can have profound impact on the direction of that life. So far, it has been nothing but positive and at this time I am filled with optimism for the future.I will use this post-op time of about 6 months to try to make comprehnsive changes in the direction I want my life to take. This HT procedure for me was not just about adding more follicles to my head,but an integral part in a process of life changes I seek to accomplish. I was very very hesitant to commit myself to this surgery, but at the moment I am very glad that I did and am confident that I placed myself in the best possible hands to perform it. I know it is too early to judge results.The next few weeks could be an emotional mania. However, I am very confident that I personally did my homework, prepared myself in all the ways that I could imagine for this surgery and had the good fortune of having surgeon in whom I could have no greater confidence perform it. BY the way, I think Dr. Cooley went above and beyond what other surgeons might do. I am not at liberty to discuss those things now. BUT I can echo the remarks of Robert, Nasville and others that Dr. Cooley is the consumate professional.

I had my first HT on 3/31 with Dr. Cooley. I will have some photos in the near future but I wanted to relay my exprience while it is still fresh in my mind. I have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Cooley, his staff and the entire experience. I had gone in for a 1500 graft procedure to the tempoaral recesses and to the top. I ended up with around 1650. I have researched in depth this process for well over a year, have been on propecia for 9 months and went on several consultations with prominent doctors.I am absolutely confident with the choice I made in surgeons.I know that there are a handful of superior practitioners out there, and I feel that I made the best choice for myself.I have high praise for Dr. Cooley and his staff. I was apprehensive about persuing this type of procedure for the longest time. I had many, many questions and concerns. ( I want to also thank the members of this board for all of their insight,..for sharing both positive and negative experiences.It helped me become better aware of the limitations and possible complications from this procedure.) I won't, at least at this time, relate all of the play by plays of the day because they closely mirror those of other patients,and those stories are abundant on this site.Thankfully.But there are characteristics of my experience with Dr. Cooley that might be unique. First, I had some concern based on recent discussion of just who places the majority of the grafts.In my situation, Dr. Cooley was in the room the entire time.Though he had assistance placing some of the grafts, he closely monitored her during the entire procedure.Her touch by the way, was very gentle.I am very confident that the grafts that by both Dr. Cooley and his assistant Brandy placed will be very successful. I had NO swelling,..very very little scabbing. My recipient area is still rather dark red.But after all, this only the second day post op. Dr. Cooley's clinic is about 500 miles from my home. I drove home by myself today and got in about an hour ago.IT was an uneventful trip except for the wonderful scenery of the mountains on a beautiful day. I approached this trip with the full knowledge that it would be one of those rare weeks in a person's life that can have profound impact on the direction of that life. So far, it has been nothing but positive and at this time I am filled with optimism for the future.I will use this post-op time of about 6 months to try to make comprehnsive changes in the direction I want my life to take. This HT procedure for me was not just about adding more follicles to my head,but an integral part in a process of life changes I seek to accomplish. I was very very hesitant to commit myself to this surgery, but at the moment I am very glad that I did and am confident that I placed myself in the best possible hands to perform it. I know it is too early to judge results.The next few weeks could be an emotional mania. However, I am very confident that I personally did my homework, prepared myself in all the ways that I could imagine for this surgery and had the good fortune of having surgeon in whom I could have no greater confidence perform it. BY the way, I think Dr. Cooley went above and beyond what other surgeons might do. I am not at liberty to discuss those things now. BUT I can echo the remarks of Robert, Nasville and others that Dr. Cooley is the consumate professional.

How wide of an area is shaved for extraction of the donor area for 1500 grafts? How wide of a shaved area remains after it is sutured up? For someone with relatively long (3-5") hair in the back and good density, will there be difficulty hiding the area for the first month post op?

How wide of an area is shaved for extraction of the donor area for 1500 grafts? How wide of a shaved area remains after it is sutured up? For someone with relatively long (3-5") hair in the back and good density, will there be difficulty hiding the area for the first month post op?

Thanks for posting those pictures. Your 12 day pic looks outstanding. In about 12 days I am going to have my first procedure. If I look that good 12 days post op I will be very satisfied. Any suggestions that you might share or things you would do differently?

If some of the better doctors profess to doing only one surgery a day, where are they during the long periods when grafts are being placed? I understand that technicians can be very qualified and capable, but where is the doctor?

By the way, at just 2 months out your results are spectacular. Its amazing the amount of growth that you have gotten from the meds and the non-issue the donor scar is. Good Luck.

Thanks for the update. With just under 3 weeks to go before I have a 1500 graft procedure w/ Dr. Cooley, I am especially grateful for a progress report. I am looking forward to the date but a bit apprehensive about what to expect the first few weeks post op. I have just over 2 weeks off after the procedure before I return to work and I hope that I am not being naive in thinking that I can return to work with no one being the wiser. I plan to rest for 2 days post op in a hotel in Charlotte then drive to the South Carolina shore to collect a few gallons of ocean salt water to hopefully speed up the healing process.Does that sound ridiculous? All opinions and advice are welcome.

I have to commend Pat on taking the stance that he did. It took courage and I'm sure a lot of thought. I believe the actions he has taken are in the best interest of this community as well as all individuals out there who are seeking a source for unbiased and accurate information. I can understand the unfortunate situation of Dr. Williams as well. This puts him in an unwinning position. It is too bad that the inconsistent work of an assistant can bring such hardship to so many people. I certainly can empathise with embarrassed's situation also. As someone who has done extensive research and is about to have his first procedure, I am a bit nervous knowing that there are still unknowns that can complicate and seriously undermine, even ruin the quality of life that we are seeking to improve.I have to thank embarrassed for bringing this matter to public attention. We are all better served because of it. From all this mess, I believe that PAT was most impressive.

I am curious about the 'ocean water'. I have heard about some doctors using it in some fashion. I am schedules to have a HT on 3/31 in Charlotte.Is it OK to go into the ocean a few days post op, before the stitches come out? What is the ocean water suppose to do exactly?

I wonder if BEGINNING the use of propecia, minoxodil or finasteride shortly before (up to 2-3 months prior ) or immediately afterward, actually AGGRAVATE the incidence of shock-loss. Simce those medicines can cause some shedding shortly after beginning their use, I wonder if timing might be of an issue. I wonder if someone who has been on a regimen of any or all of those medicines for an extended period of time prior to the procedure might have less of a chance of experiencing shock loss.

I am going with Dr. Cooley. It was a difficult choice between he and Dr. Shapiro. I had a consult w/ Dr. Shapiro and I really liked him and I was impressed by his clinic.I was reluctant to post who the Dr. I decided on is because I have such high regard for Dr. Shapiro and feel a little guilty not having the procedure performed by him. I was however, equally impressed with Dr, Cooley and there were just a few subtle differences and logistical factors that tilted me towards him.

I have a 1500 graft FUT scheduled for 3/31 w/ a Top Doc. I am curious about a few things so I welcome replies. The donor area. After the scar has healed, a few months + after the procedure,...does the back of your head feel odd to your own sense of touch? Thinner maybe or just somehow peculiar? Are there any suggestions for a pre-op regimen to best prepare myself for the surgery? I am currently on propecia and mega doses of Vitamin C.

I have a 1500 graft FUT scheduled for 3/31 w/ a Top Doc. I am curious about a few things so I welcome replies. The donor area. After the scar has healed, a few months + after the procedure,...does the back of your head feel odd to your own sense of touch? Thinner maybe or just somehow peculiar? Are there any suggestions for a pre-op regimen to best prepare myself for the surgery? I am currently on propecia and mega doses of Vitamin C.