kazgorat

I agree with Rooster. The shots are really the only uncomfortable part. My pain tolerance is also low. There is no pain whatsoever when the grafts are being planted. To be honest, I thought having to sit in a chair for that long was more uncomfortable than the actual surgery.

How far along are you? I had bumpiness after my last HT. In my case, most if not all of it has since returned to normal. As far as shock loss goes, most of it should grow back in about the same time as your grafted hairs begin to grow in. Some shock loss, however, may be permanent. Everyone is different.

I experienced considerable numbness after my last transplant as well. Most of it was gone within three months, but I had this one spot that continued to stay numb until about the 4 1/2 month mark. I was actually quite concerned about it. At five months now it feels fine.

I really don't think you need to wait 3 months. I would wait at least a month, and then when you do return to lifting, start by using light weights and high reps so that you can at least maintain your current level of fitness. I found situps to cause the most pull on the donor scar so you might want to wait a little longer for these. Arfy also brought up an interesting point about how multi-joint exercises such as the leg press can cause a spike in blood pressure, and I tend to agree with him. Reducing the intesity i.e. weight being moved can help lessen it.

It took me until about the 4 month mark before things finally started getting back to normal. It should get a little better each week. As far as the fiber gum, usually at 2 months post op you can pretty much use any products that you could before your HT, but if you're not sure you should consult with your doctor.

You can get minoxidil in a spray bottle. Then you just spray on the recommended dosage (sprays) in the proper area(s). If you're using minoxidil to accelerate HT growth, the spray bottle is probably ideal in that you'll be applying it over a larger area than if you were just trying to promote growth in the crown area.

There are a lot of people here who got screwed over by hairmills like Bosley and MHR (there are actually a few patients from MHR and they don't have kind things to say about them). I really hope yours works out for ya...who knows, maybe your doctor is a little more skilled than some of the others. The real bummer though is that you live in Minneapolis. You have one of the top five HT surgeons (Shapiro) right in your back yard. Anyway good luck and keep us posted.

I wouldn't go to Bosley or MHR. If you do a search on either group here you will no doubt find countless horror stories on the two of them. From what I gather, Shapiro in Minnesota is a class act and would probably be considered on anyone's top 5 list.

For me personally, my donor area (and the surrounding areas i.e. above it) was still sore long after the recipient area ceased to be tight/sore. If your concerned, though, you should probably give your doctor a call. Most of this tighness and soreness went away after the 3 month mark for me, but everyone is different.

I waited 3 weeks after my surgery, just like the doctor said. I was healing great up until then, no bleeding whatsoever. The very first week of going back to the gym, I came home from working out one day and I had a small amount of blood around an area of my donor scar. There is no way that a strip scar incision has healed enough for serious weightlifting after only 2 or 3 weeks.

I agree...I, like you, started working out about 1 week after getting my stitches removed. My scar also stretched. After about 3 months I no longer felt tightness in the donor area after workouts. Best of luck with your next HT!

I think we all have had tightness/soreness to some degree. I would expect it should begin fading shortly. At 3.5 months I don't have any tightness anymore. When I was at 2 months, though, I believe it was still sore and tight in the recipient area.

I started going to the gym 3 weeks after my strip HT and I felt it was way too soon. after working out one day, i noticed a little blood in one small part of my donor area. It wasn't dripping or anything, but considering I was healing fine up until that point, I was concerned. You definitely want to avoid situps as they put a lot of stress on the donor area. I found that using less weight and increasing the reps was sufficient to maintain my current muscle mass while still taking it easy on the donor area. Also concentrate on isolating your movements to the specific muscle group your working (which you should be doing anyway) and make a conscious effort not to tense up your head or neck too much.

I've read that minoxidil can speed up the growth of new transplanted hairs. Dr. Feller says he has observed this in his patients. I've been using it and I think it is helping.

The cheapest I have found minoxidil is at Meijers, where you can get a 90 day supply of either the 2% or the 5% for $29.99

Dr. Feller recommended using minoxidil on the recipient area to accelerate growth. I have been using it for about a month. It's really hard to tell if its helping because you don't have anything to compare it to. There is an interesting article about using minoxidil to stimulate HT growth on the ISHRS website. Dr. Feller has been recommending it to his patients and indicates that it has been sucessful accelerating growth in his patients who have used it.

Very impressive. It's amazing how much change there was during the 3 to 5 month period. It also seems as though your scalp has pretty much lost its pinkish color and has pretty much returned to its normal pigmentation.

In one of Mahair's earlier posts he refers to them as "Sneaky Steve" and "Butcher Bill". Do a search on the net for MHR Boston (where Mahair says he went), go to their website, and you'll be able to figure out the rest [This message was edited by kazgorat on January 03, 2004 at 10:22 PM.]

Sorry Shed...I must have been half asleep when I was reading your post. Thanks for sayin' it again

Is the cost similar to other shampoos or is there a premium to be paid?

Although I haven't smoked in over 2 years, I was still smoking when I had my first HT done. I smoked immediately after surgery and didn't have any problems.

What in the heck is the tennis headband for...to hide the donor area? After three days I wore a baseball cap. I just made sure that it wasn't tight against the donor area or the recipient area (with a little bit of adjusting it is possible!) I was therefore able to cover up both areas. Another piece of advice: remember the best lie is a simple one. Your story is starting stretch a little if you know what I mean. Throw in the fact that you're parading around town in a tennis headband and a goofy hat and it won't take long before people (including your wife) begin to ask questions. The itching is completely normal and will continue for several weeks. With regards to the donor area, at 3 months post op mine is still a little pink, and i also suffered some shock loss in the donor area which still hasn't grown back. Whatever you do, DO NOT CUT THE BACK OF YOUR HAIR SHORT, or you'll have a lot of explaining to do. When you do get your hair cut, I would definitely explain about the scar and tell him if it shows after he cuts your hair that you will not pay him for his work...lol Good luck to you.

It's perfectly normal for hairs to come out when your scabs fall off. I've had two HTs and this happened both times. I assure you that they do grow back, although it may take 3 to 4 months for them to do so. At seven days post op, the grafts are securely in place.

If you scroll down to postings on December 3rd, you can read the responses two doctors gave me regarding tanning/uv exposure on the recipient area under the post "doctors, how long before tanning?" Hope that helps!

If you're that unhappy about your first HT with Jones, I would NOT be going back. I think that someone else on this site also had a problem with Dr. Jones (a very large donor scar if I recall). The fact that they didn't even use up all the grafts/hairs they removed should be causing red lights and sirens to be going off in your head. Your donor hair is limited...do you really want them to waste more? Out of curiosity, how many grafts were they supposed to do, over what area, and how long are the transplanted hairs that have grown? With a little length and training, you may be able to get those hairs to go in the direction you want.