3500 Dr. Rahal Jan 12 09

[canadian_buba]

Hello Everyone

 

Im very nervous and excited for my Hair Transplant. The strip removal and scar healing scare me the most. I would imagine that the drugs Dr. Rahal will give me will help with the pain.

 

I wanted to take a minute to thank all the members for your posts and pictures. They have helped me along the way.

 

Please check out my pictures and let me know what you think.

 

Cheers

[canadian_buba]

Hello Everyone

 

Im very nervous and excited for my Hair Transplant. The strip removal and scar healing scare me the most. I would imagine that the drugs Dr. Rahal will give me will help with the pain.

 

I wanted to take a minute to thank all the members for your posts and pictures. They have helped me along the way.

 

Please check out my pictures and let me know what you think.

 

Cheers

[DeDom]

Transplant. The strip removal and scar healing scare me the most. I would imagine that the drugs Dr. Rahal will give me will help with the pain.

 

I wanted to take a minute to thank all the members for your posts and pictures. They have helped me along the way.

 

 

Please check out my pictures and let me know what you think.

 

Cheers

 

Canadian_buba

3500 Grafts

Dr. Rahal

Jan 12 09

 

 

Don't worry! You are in the best hands. There will be no pain at all while Dr. Rahal is removing your strip. Congrats! Great Choice!

[tommyf]

you are in the best of hands, relax, you will do great!!!!

 

tommy

[canadian_buba]

DEDOM & TommyF

 

Thanks so much for your replys. It seems as though you are both very happy with Dr. Rahal. I look forward to much of the same!

 

I will try my best to relax during the procedure and will keep you posted.

 

How much ahead of time do they five you the meds to relax you prior to the surgery?

 

Was there much pain with the initial needle in the back of the head?

[DeDom]

No, as Tommy told you, just relax. From my point of view, it's easier than going to the dentist. If you feel some pain while the techs are implanting the grafts, you'll get some painkillers. No problem. Don't care about that. Keep us posted!

[Eman]

DeDom- if I had to sit in the dentist's chair for ten hours, I would lose my mind!!

 

Canadian- The pain meds are given right before the surgery starts. Think of the needle like a couple of small stings and then you do not feel anything. To be honest, I do not even remember the strip area being sewn back up...strong pain meds I guess. The day flies by and before you know it, you are back in the hotel asking yourself "what did I just do??"

[canadian_buba]

DEDOM and EMAN

 

Thanks for your imput. It doesnt sound that bad, I guess I have been working my self up by over thinking the whole process!

 

Im off to my pre op today! Should have a ton of questions for Dr. Rahal!

 

Thanks again!

[Eman]

I would wish you luck, but you do not need it. Safe travels, ask tons of questions and simply relax. Have a good dinner and solid breakfast, wear a button down shirt, get a couple of extra pillows in the hotel to sleep upright, drink tons of fluids, and you will be set.

 

See you on the other side!!

[canadian_buba]

Eman

 

Thanks again! You rock! I live in Ottawa so there will be no travel required which is sweet!

 

The pre- op was great today. We went over all my questons and concerns. Rahal took some pictures and gave me the post op instructions to review.

 

Now Im just waiting for the big day!

 

I will keep you posted. Thanks for your help

[Eman]

You took away two of the concerns of many...hotel and flights out of the equation!!

 

Have fun tomorrow, choose some good movies and enjoy the ride.

[OttawaGrrl]

I'll just echo everyone else's assurances Buba. You're in terrific hands with Dr. Rahal and his staff. Pain control won't be a concern, but if you happen to have a high tolerance for codeine meds (Tylenol 3) as I did (due to using it for a few years for electrolysis and laser facial hair removal) then discuss that with Dr. Rahal. But unless you have an unusual tolerance like I had/have, you'll be prescribed a dosage appropriate to control any pain. And though I can't recall just how much prior to the painkillers and local anaesthetics it was (10-15 mins?), they gave me some Valium well enough ahead of time to make me very relaxed and comfy well ahead of the first needle.

 

Here are some tips in addition to those others have given: wear extra-warm and dry socks to keep your feet warm given being immobile for quite awhile can make one chilly in the extremities, wear loose and cozy sweatpants or yoga pants or the like, for comfort and lack of seams to dig into you over time spent in the chair, and in my opinion, definitely go buy one of those U-shaped travel pillows that people use when flying (they sell them at Canadian Tire and I think The Bay, not just at the airport.) That pillow will help make you even more comfy while sleeping upright post-op, as it keeps the donor area from touching anything while you sleep (don't bring it to the surgery, it's for after.) But Dr. Rahal may well have already suggested that, of course.

 

All the best! Just relax, settle in and let the pros do their job. And...big shout out to you, from one Ottawan to another.

[canadian_buba]

Eman - Once again thank you for your support. I will keep eveyone updated.

 

OttawaGrrl- Thanks for the tips and advice. I will be picking up some pillows and neck travel pillow tomorrow. Thank you also for answering my questions about the pain medication that has been something I have been very focused on. I will bust out the lulu lemon pants for the procedure lol

 

Im looking forward to joining in the happiness of all the other Rahal patients.

 

Thanks

[its752]

canadian_bubba, I'm reading all the replys to you and even though having a successful HT myself, I wish I could go through it all again!!! The pre-planning and money worries are really the adventure. I look forward to going through it again so try to savor every step of the way!!

[canadian_buba]

its752,

 

Interesting comment. At this point Im looking forward to being all healed up! Im a bit of a wimp when it comes to medical procedures. I dont really see myself savoring every step lol.

However the big day is not until next week, so my nerve levels are very high!I have the cash and dont need to travel as I live in Ottawa where Dr. Rahal practices. I will keep you posted. Thank

[wantego]

Canadian I wanted to wish you the best of luck with your HT. I used Dr Rahal as well for my HT. It is great that you live in the area so you do not have to mess with flights, hotels, etc. As far as being a wimp with medical procedures goes the doctor will give you some pain medication so do not worry about that. If you have any last minute questions feel free to ask anything at any time.

[canadian_buba]

Wantego,

 

If I can get the results you have I will be a very happy man!

 

I have a few questions:

 

How was your pain from day 1-5?

 

Did you feel any of the donor strip removal?

 

Any tips for during and after the procedure?

 

Do you experience swelling? If so for how long?

 

Did you tell many people about your HT?

 

Overall how happy are you from 1-10 (10 being very happy)

 

Thanks for your help! Im really looking forward to Monday morning!

[will27]

just wanted to wish you the best of luck with your surgery. I am going for a consult with Dr. Rahal and from what I can see you are in perfect hands.

[Eman]

Canadian-

 

I will answer some of the questions that you have for wantego as I also went to Rahal:

 

1. Pain- I simly did not have any due to the drugs taken. I took percocet the night after the procedure that eliminated any possibility of pain and got a couple extra for the trip home the next day. If there were no drugs, the donor would be quite sore the night after. After the first 24-hours, it was just tightness in both the donor and recipient area.

 

2. No, you don't feel the donor strip removal just a little tugging.

 

3. Tips: I bought a bunch of Propel, which is fortified water with vitamins and minerals. Stay hydrated.

 

4. I had zero swelling. Not sure why, but attribute it to a healthy diet and staying hydrated.

 

5. I told my girlfriend and two balding buddies who knew I was looking to do it. If you tell one person even if you trust them, it will get out. My girlfriend told her mom, who told her sister...you get my drift. Limit who you tell unless you do not care.

 

6. Happy- When I get to 1-year I will answer that question. Otherwise I am beginning to see sprouties which makes me super happy!

 

Eman

[wantego]

Canadian Buba thanks for the kind words. I'm glad to see you asking so many good questions.

 

 

How was your pain from day 1-5?

Day 1 night I had some pain until the pain killers kicked in. It was not anything drastic. The pain killers took care of the pain the first 1-3 days and then it was gone. The pain should not be a major worry in my opinion.

Did you feel any of the donor strip removal?

I have a pretty good pain tolerance. With that combined with the numbing injections I did not feel the actual strip removal as far as I can remember.

Any tips for during and after the procedure?

I would just ask the Dr every question you have before the surgery and try to be clear with him about what you want. During the procedure maybe bring your own dvd movies so you are not bored. It is a long day. After the procedure just becareful not to bend so you protect the sutures in back of your head. Follow the doctors instructions 100%.

Do you experience swelling? If so for how long?

I definitely experienced swelling. You can see it in my pictures. I believe it lasted 3-4 days. I think the 2nd day was the most significant swelling. I did not feel the swelling but I saw it in the mirror and pictures. It is expected so dont let it worry you. The doctor instructs you to stay at a 45 degree angle so that is what I did and the swelling soon went away.

Did you tell many people about your HT?

I only told 2 people. A friend of mine and my mom.

Overall how happy are you from 1-10 (10 being very happy)

This is a great question but a hard question for me to answer via number right now. It is a 12-18 month process. I just passed my 6th month. I'm 100% about the final result. So its like looking at a cake that takes 60 minutes to bake and asking what you think after only 30 minutes. I will tell you at 6 months I'm very optimistic about things so far. I now go outside and to stores without my hat. I cant tell you how many years it has been since I did that!

 

I'm a very conservative person when answering questions. I believe getting a HT is a huge decision for most people. I see some people really try to push HTs or certain doctors. I do not like that and I never want to be that guy. I want people to know what ever I tell them I lean on the side of being conservative/cautious with my answers/posts so they can have faith that my answers/posts are my unbiased honest opinion.

[canadian_buba]

Wantego,

 

Thank you very much for your honest answers.

At this stage in the game I wish I could have the surgery tomorrow lol!

 

Tonight I will be getting the house ready for me to go into hiding for 2 weeks (thsts the plan).

 

I will keep you posted and look forward to monitoring your "so far" fantastic results!

 

Thanks again!

[canadian_buba]

Hey everyone

 

I am 1 day post-op. We tried for 3500 and ended up with 3054. Dr. Rahal stated that my donor hair is very thick and there were mostly 2's and 3's. Dr. Rahal offered to take another donor strip afer the final count, however I opted not to do it as the originally we were going for 2800 and then I wanted a more drastic result so we targeted 3500. I am fine with 3054.

 

It was a very interesting experience. I got to Dr. Rahals office for 630AM and my wife picked me up at 330pm.

 

The whole experience was virtually pain free, if I ever felt anything I asked for a top up of the pain meds and Dr. Rahal had no problems with that. I also have a very low pain tolerance.

 

When I got home in the evening the pain meds didnt seem to do anything for about 4 hours which was pretty bad, however the rest of the night was fine. I slept on the couch with pillows and the travel neck pillow. I did need to take 1 T3 every 4 hours.

 

Today I pretty much spent the day in bed and on the couch at the 45 degree angel. Then went in for my post op meeting with Rahal. Today I had lots of swelling at the sides of my head (lots), however he said this is normal. The fact I have been at the 45 degree angel most og the time as helped it not build up in my eyes rather the sides of my head by my ears.

 

This evening I washed both areas for the first time. Very gently. The pain has gone down a lot and I am taking the pain meds just to help my sleep and relax.

 

I have taken day 1 pics and will update my blog.

 

I should not fail to mention that Dr. Rahal and his staff are fantastic! Adrian is a wealthy of knowledge and Dr. Rahal is nothing but the best! He takes it very serious, and is very soft spoken and caring in his approach. All the ladies in the room were great! The lunch was fresh and the movies passed the time! Overall it was a good experience. Now for the swelling to go down and the healing!

 

Cheers

[Eman]

Congrats Canadian_buba!!

 

You chose a great doc and the easy part is now out of the way.

 

Have fun hiding for the next few weeks!! Catch up on movies, books, mags, and surfing the web...you WILL reach the end of the internet by the time you leave the doldrum stage! Oh, and like I tell everyone, stay hydrated. Drink lots of fluids especially in this dry winter time.

[canadian_buba]

Thanks Eman

 

Ya your right, im pretty much i hiding for the next few weeks! I have been watching lots of hockey and today plan on getting into some movies I have not seen yet!

 

It is some what nice to relax and have a little down time as long as I can continue to think of things to do!

 

I have been drinking gatorade like its going out of style! Im hoping for the swelling to go down in the next few days!

 

I will keep you posted.

 

Cheers and thanks again!

[Mr. GQ]

canadian_buba,

 

as a fellow canadian i gotta congratulate you on taking the plunge and picking one of the best docs in the world. time to just relax for a while now and enjoy the free time. don't be watching sens too much because of your team's suckness level this year and therefore your grafts might come under some kind of stress hindering the process .

 

but seriously happy growing and looking forward to your progress!

 

GQ