Hi
Background
After many years lurking around this (and other) forums, I thought it only right "to give something back"! I am 26 years old and first notice I was receeding at 20 and like most people I FREAKED out! Well the good news to all those young hairloss victims out there - life moves on and its very possible to keep what hair you have!
I have been on Fin since 2005 and it has slowed my hairloss right down but despite this I made the decision to get a small amount of work done. I obviously did my research and I decided that for me, FUE was the way forward. Once I decided on this, only a few doctors remained which I would consider (which is annoying as I am UK based) - when I emailed Spex (and he replied the sameday) it was clear in my mind that Feller was for me.
Pre-Op
So Spex very kindly reserved me a date and held it whilst I got approval from work (Oil companies are not known for quick responses ) and then I paid the deposit. Obviously, not having met either the doctor or Spex (though I'm sure I could have if I had wanted to) this is a pretty daunting process...! Having said that, Spex did say that I could have a chat with the doctor beforehand if this would put my mind at rest - so all in all no problems from me. I then did the relevant blood work and paid the balance. No problems whatsoever with communications (I add this due to recent posts) and all staff were very helpful.
Day of Op
So after staying in the Ramada (one of a number of hotels recommended) I made my way to my 8am appointment with a nervous but reassuring girlfriend in tow! I met the doctor and was immediately put at ease - he is just a decent guy, no BS and explained the day ahead. I then signed the disclaimer...I wasn't aware I needed to sign one as it hadn't been mentioned beforehand but it all seemed fair enough. At this point I should mention that he was very open and honest to me about FUE yields potentially being less then FUT and how it isn't for everyone. Nothing I didn't already know, but it was almost reassuring that he didn't try and "spin" me a line!
He also said that my hair was in great shape (not too much further thinning and good donor characteristics) and it may well be the case that I wouldn't need further work done (he couldn't see me becoming an advanced NW). I was asked what I thought of the hairline and if I wanted it lower (he could still make out the original hairline), but seeing as he is the master at this sort of stuff I said I would go with what he thought.
So....I made it into the doctors chair to receive the "dreaded injections" - which didn't hurt at all really! I then placed my head through a hole of a chair similar to one you would receive a massage and the work began....
I'm not going to lie to you this is an uncomfortable experience..your jaw aches after about 15 mins and I was in the chair for 3 hours! That said, I felt no pain whatsoever in the donor region (the Doc lept checking I was ok)...in fact I fell asleep so it can't have been all bad.... The doctor works in "rounds", so he will score around a load of individual FU's and then he will call the nurses in to extract them (there were 5 rounds in total). In between each round I was able to stretch out my neck and jaw.
Once this was done I then had my head shaved (this is optional but I went for a #1 all over to help blend it in) and the nurses went about putting the graphs in with Doc supervising throughout. The nurses were lovely, so kind to me and kept checking how I was and finding out about me (similar to if you go to a decent barbers!). After another 1-2 hours I was all done! I went out to see the girlfriend who was suitably shocked at my shaved and blooded appearance!
A nurse gave myself and my girlfriend some lunch and explained what would happen post-op. I was then invited to ask the Doc any further questions before they ordered us a cab and we were on our way! On the way back my girlfriend told me all about how nice Dr Feller and all his staff were to her (esp the receptionist Sharon) by keeping her up-to date on how I was, reassuring her that it was going well and I was an "ideal" patient...they even put a blanket over her when she fell asleep! This sort of thing means a great deal to me and really put her mind at rest.
So that's it really...no pain afterwards really with the exception of sleeping upright for a few days. As you may tell, I literally couldn't be happier with the experience..who knows how the Op will turn out but I am confident I couldn't have been in better hands.
