Well the die is cast and I have made an appointment for a HT at the Farjo Clinic in Manchester on the 16th of November 2011. I have paid my £2,000 deposit and have the rest of the money lined up.
It has taken me some time to get to this point and a lot of soul searching. Would it work, was I too old, was it too expensive, what would friends and other people think if they found out?
I had my consultation last December and it has taken nearly a year for me to convince myself that it was the right thing to do.
I am now a month away from my surgery and I feel a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I spend nearly every night on the computer reading blogs about other peoples' experiences and looking at before and after pictures. I am satisfied that I have made the right decision not only about the procedure but also about the surgeon I have chosen.
I plan to fly to Spain a couple of days after the procedure ( I have an apartment there) to recover and hope that my head will have healed sufficiently so that I will not have to wear a hat when I return home.
Wish me luck !!!!!
It is now eight weeks since my procedure.
It was not at all what I had expected. There was little or no pain involved (more going to the dentist) and, in fact I fell asleep in the chair for a couple of hours. The whole thing took around eight hours during which I received 2,500 grafts.
I was able to go out to a restaurant afterwards for something to eat although I had to wear a hat to hide the redness. I stayed in Manchester overnight and the next day went back to the Clinic for a check up. On the morning that I flew to Spain I went in again to have my hair washed and styled and, although I wore a wooley hat on the flight, no one seemed to notice.
I spent two weeks in Spain following the instructions to the letter and suffered very little discomfort, only slight pain around the donor scar. By the time I got home all the crusts had come away along with most of the hair shafts so it was as if I had not had the procedure. Unlike some my scalp had returned to its normal colour and shows no sign of redness.
At present I am waiting for the new hair to grow in and I find the waiting the most difficult. My wife keeps saying that I have wasted my money as she thinks I should have more hair by now than I currently have. In fact I probably have a little less as I think I have suffered some shock loss. I keep telling her that by Easter I will be so good looking that I will be away with another bird. More to follow ......................
I went for a consultation to the Farjo Clinic last December. I was very impressed with Dr Farjo who pronounced me suitable for a HT. However the price was a bit higher than I had expected so I have still have not gone for the operation. Not only can I not find the courage to do so but I also feel I am perhaps too old for the treatment. However I have been reading Brian Beacom's book lately on his trasplant experience and this has rekindled my interest. I rang the Farjo Clinic today to talk to Michael McHugh but he was away on business. I may speak to him next week. Will keep you posted.