Senior Member kg007 Posted February 24, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted February 24, 2006 Hello guys - I have question for the ones who already had HT procedure done. As you all know, you have to be very careful when sleeping for several days after the procedure making sure there's no pressure on the grafts. Now I have the hardest time sleeping sitting up. I just can't fall asleep sitting up, so I just 3 pillows to sleep at 45 degree angle. But last night, I was so tired that I just fell asleep on my stomach all night. I don't think I put any pressure on my grafts or donor area. But I am still little paranoid.. Do I need to be worried about anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted February 24, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted February 24, 2006 Hello guys - I have question for the ones who already had HT procedure done. As you all know, you have to be very careful when sleeping for several days after the procedure making sure there's no pressure on the grafts. Now I have the hardest time sleeping sitting up. I just can't fall asleep sitting up, so I just 3 pillows to sleep at 45 degree angle. But last night, I was so tired that I just fell asleep on my stomach all night. I don't think I put any pressure on my grafts or donor area. But I am still little paranoid.. Do I need to be worried about anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairbank Posted February 24, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted February 24, 2006 If you didn't sleep "on" the grafts I'll bet you're fine. I only slept elevated the first night, then just avoided sleeping on the grafts for about the first 5 or 6 days. I, too, have a tough time sleeping in an elevated position and slept on my stomach to avoid the grafts and donor area until taking out the staples. Did you have any bleeding, swelling or other? If you have concerns you might check with Dr. Wong to be sure. Good luck with recovery! I just took my staples out yesterday after the 8th day and feel great. The scar is so thin it's amazing. Hairbank 1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's 2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong 3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day My Hair Loss Weblog Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member UGLY MAN 4 LIFE Posted February 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted February 25, 2006 Try and get a travellers pillow. They're usually inflatable and they stop your head from falling on its side when you're lying on your back. Good luck to both of you guys (kg007 and hairbank) and please keep us all updated. I really appreciate both of your efforts as there aren't as many Dr. Wong patients posting online as I'd like to see. Cheers guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Doc Patient Posted February 25, 2006 Regular Member Share Posted February 25, 2006 Originally posted by kg007:Hello guys - I have question for the ones who already had HT procedure done. As you all know, you have to be very careful when sleeping for several days after the procedure making sure there's no pressure on the grafts. Now I have the hardest time sleeping sitting up. I just can't fall asleep sitting up, so I just 3 pillows to sleep at 45 degree angle. But last night, I was so tired that I just fell asleep on my stomach all night. I don't think I put any pressure on my grafts or donor area. But I am still little paranoid.. Do I need to be worried about anything? kg007, That was the hardest thing for me with both of my HT procedures - sleeping with head elevated that is. I'm a side sleeper and sleeping on my back just doesn't come naturally. I bought a backjack and used an inflatable travellers pillow (like ugly man 4 life) and got through like that for the first week. After 7 nights I went back to sleeping on my side normally without any apparent adverse effects. Part of the rational for sleeping with head elevated is not just the avoid pressure on the grafts but also to minimize the edema (swelling). Sleeping flat will definitely increase the potential for swelling. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted February 26, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted February 26, 2006 Thanks guys. I am not really worried about the Swelling, because I didn't experience much of it. I had some in donor area for couple of days. But what I am concerned about is that since I sleep on my stomach with my face resting on my hand, I sometimes get this weird pressure feeling in my crown (where I got some transplants). so I get up, and that pressure goes away in 10 minutes or so. Do you guys know what I am talking about? My donor is still tender, so I can understand the aching and everything, but what about the pressure that I feel on top of my head (transplanted areas) when I wake up in the morning?? Do you guys experience that?? should I do anything different??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Gorpy Posted February 26, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted February 26, 2006 Sleep on a couch with your head propped up with pillows. Not really comfortable, but the couch somewhat prevents you from turning. ____________ 2700 Total Grafts w/ Keene 9/28/05 663 one's = 663 1116 two's = 2232 721 three's = 2163 200 four's = 800 Hair Count = 5858 1000 Total Grafts w/Keene 2/08/07 Mostly combined FU's for 2600+ hairs My Photo Album See me at Dr. Keene's Gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Doc Patient Posted February 26, 2006 Regular Member Share Posted February 26, 2006 KG007, I do understand your situation. I was a stomach sleeper for many years. Once I learned that this is the most unhealthy sleep posture, I took some measures to change. This was about a year and half prior to my first HT. I converted into a side sleeper by using lots of pillows in bed and keeping a pillow between my knees while sleeping on my side. My advice is to you now is to use this as an opportunity for change - and make it a long term change at that. Start sleeping on your side (head higher than hips) in the immediate postop period. Once you are more than one week postop, continue sleeping on your side, but head can now be at same level as hips. Your spine will be grateful in the long run, since stomach sleeping is really unhealthy in the long run - really bad for cervical spine and the lumbar spine too. Supposedly sleeping on the back is the most healthy sleep posture - I've not been able to do this successully though. Side sleeping is second best to back sleeping. Stomach sleeping takes last place for health. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted February 26, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted February 26, 2006 I normally don't sleep on my stomach, I only do so rightnow because of the procedure. Sleeping on side really hurts my head due to staples in my head. Rightnow the most confortable position for me is on my stomach, everything else puts too much pressure on tender donor area. And that's why I haven't been sleeping too well for past few days. But my main concern is that for past two days, I have been sleeping on my stomach and I felt pressure on top of my head(transplanted area) when i woke up in the morning. Should I be worried about it? I didn't see any grafts come out, but does the pressure on grafts have any negative effect on growth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted February 26, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted February 26, 2006 Look man, the first week post op was awful for sleep. I probably got 5-6 hours a night, at best. Once your staples come out, you'll be fine. The best thing to do is just try to get so tired that you can just fall asleep while sitting up. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Gorpy Posted February 26, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted February 26, 2006 kg, that's difficult to answer. I don't think anyone on this board would really know the answer to that. My suggestion is to bite the bullet, sleep with your head propped up on pillows, take your pain pills which allow you to sleep (at least for a while). Do this for the first week or so and your grafts should be fine. ____________ 2700 Total Grafts w/ Keene 9/28/05 663 one's = 663 1116 two's = 2232 721 three's = 2163 200 four's = 800 Hair Count = 5858 1000 Total Grafts w/Keene 2/08/07 Mostly combined FU's for 2600+ hairs My Photo Album See me at Dr. Keene's Gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted February 27, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted February 27, 2006 These staples are bitches!!!! I am having such a hard time... It's really painful sometimes... I tell you sutures are way better!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted March 4, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 4, 2006 Hey guys - Finally my staples came out couple of days ago. I really hated staples, specially last few days before they came out. It was so annoying, I was starting to regret it. But once they came out of my head, it was the best feeling. Actually I think it bothered me more than it normally does, because one of the staples was not full inserted. I think it was fully inserted at the time of surgery, but then one of two sides of this staple came out. This staple was right in the center of the donor line, so everytime I tried falling a sleep or something touched it, it hurt so much!!! But now that they're out of my head and I am almost 2 weeks post-op, I say the staples is a way to go because my scar is so thin and undetectable that I can't believe it. First time I had sutures and it left a really thin scar, but I always had this bump that you could feel if you run your fingers thru the donor, but now with the staples it's amazing. I wonder what it would like 3-6 months from now. Also I have absolutely no numbness or tightness in the donor area (compared to numbness that I felt after the 1st procedure which lasted for like 6 months). I think this is due to the scalp exercise that I did for 3-4 months prior to the procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 yes, kgOO7, those staples can really freak you out and made me feel like a frankenstein for a short while. As for sleeping Post OP, my best friend was AMBIEN. It was the only way I could get to sleep for the first 3 or 4 days. Good luck on your recovery, and thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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