What happened.

[laughter's medicine]

I didn't know if this forum is where this belongs but here goes.

 

Well, I went I saw, and I backed out. I knew I was gun shy, but really didn't understand how nervous and uncomfortable I was with it until it really came down to the wire. One of my major down falls, I believe I researched and read a little too much (it is possible) and it gave me an overload, sort to speak. I am still leery of some things and it caused a lot of anxiety thus causing my apprehension and ultimately my decision to back out. I have very rarely in my life made a such a major life changing decision and turned around and choose another path, whether long term or briefly.

 

Productive trip anyway, you betcha. I truly believe this procedure is something that will help me, but I also know I need to come to terms with a few things before actually doing it. I do believe this is something I will and need to do.

 

How did it all go down you ask, well here is the jest of it. I went in early the day of the scheduled procedure, after talking to Matt the day before to meet with Doc Shapiro to discuss my anxieties. My wife and little girl did accompany me to the clinic (they were going to drop me off and come pick me up later, afterwards); she was a part of the discussion. Ron could tell I was extremely nervous (I said something plus it was obvious)and asked why. We discussed my apprehensions in great detail and he addressed all of them in great detail, and with a lot of compassion. He stated several times how he understood why I was nervous, but did let me know he had done cases similar to mine many times over the years with positive successes. During our discussion he stated several times that he believed a person should have a certain level of comfort with the procedure or they should not do it. He made me feel extremely comfortable and said whether I went through with the procedure now or not he would understand my decision. He even put me at ease and said if it made me feel any better he would find other things to do and not to worry about anything. He never once, not once tried to persuade me to do it; he only tried to address my concerns and tried to alliviate my anxieties. Ron Shapiro truly is a compassionate doctor and with out a doubt cares more for the patient then the almighty dollar. Any one who ever says differently is obviously not right or talked to a different Ron Shapiro. I can't say enough positive things about Ron Shapiro and or his clinic.

 

A person considering a HT could not do any better then to have a consultation with Ron Shapiro, not only because of his skill but his compassion for the patient. This is just my opinion, but I truly believe this to be a fact, period!

 

One thing I forgot to mention, I do have faith in the SMG and their results.

[laughter's medicine]

I didn't know if this forum is where this belongs but here goes.

 

Well, I went I saw, and I backed out. I knew I was gun shy, but really didn't understand how nervous and uncomfortable I was with it until it really came down to the wire. One of my major down falls, I believe I researched and read a little too much (it is possible) and it gave me an overload, sort to speak. I am still leery of some things and it caused a lot of anxiety thus causing my apprehension and ultimately my decision to back out. I have very rarely in my life made a such a major life changing decision and turned around and choose another path, whether long term or briefly.

 

Productive trip anyway, you betcha. I truly believe this procedure is something that will help me, but I also know I need to come to terms with a few things before actually doing it. I do believe this is something I will and need to do.

 

How did it all go down you ask, well here is the jest of it. I went in early the day of the scheduled procedure, after talking to Matt the day before to meet with Doc Shapiro to discuss my anxieties. My wife and little girl did accompany me to the clinic (they were going to drop me off and come pick me up later, afterwards); she was a part of the discussion. Ron could tell I was extremely nervous (I said something plus it was obvious)and asked why. We discussed my apprehensions in great detail and he addressed all of them in great detail, and with a lot of compassion. He stated several times how he understood why I was nervous, but did let me know he had done cases similar to mine many times over the years with positive successes. During our discussion he stated several times that he believed a person should have a certain level of comfort with the procedure or they should not do it. He made me feel extremely comfortable and said whether I went through with the procedure now or not he would understand my decision. He even put me at ease and said if it made me feel any better he would find other things to do and not to worry about anything. He never once, not once tried to persuade me to do it; he only tried to address my concerns and tried to alliviate my anxieties. Ron Shapiro truly is a compassionate doctor and with out a doubt cares more for the patient then the almighty dollar. Any one who ever says differently is obviously not right or talked to a different Ron Shapiro. I can't say enough positive things about Ron Shapiro and or his clinic.

 

A person considering a HT could not do any better then to have a consultation with Ron Shapiro, not only because of his skill but his compassion for the patient. This is just my opinion, but I truly believe this to be a fact, period!

 

One thing I forgot to mention, I do have faith in the SMG and their results.

[thinkingaboutit]

laughter,

I am a great believer in paying attention to your ' senses'. Though Dr. Shapiro has a reputation of being one of the best of the best,...maybe the time just wasn't right for you or there could be other unrecognized phenomena that would make having this procedure at this time not a wise move.

 

It certainly is natural to be nervous, though.

[the B spot]

LM, my situation mirrored yours--- I came in for surgery, and I simply could not pull the trigger. Ron spent 3 hours with my brother and I, until I got over my fears. At that point he offered to refund my deposit to let me think about it. He earned my trust right there on the spot, and reaffirmed it when he opened up a day off 1 month later to fit me into his schedule. When I arrived at the second surgery date, I was more comfortable and ready to jump into the chair. Although I am no where near the end of this journey, I have to say that my experience has been life changing to say the least. I am not where I want to be, but I look 29 now instead of 35. (that's very positive ) Dr. Shapiro has designed a plan of attack for me that will probably take 3 surgeries to complete. After that I will be a hairy beast (hopefully!!!) Once you justify your fears, SMG practices and procedures will certainly meet or exceed your expectations. Good Luck and feel free to PM me anytime if you want!!!

[Hoping]

The same thing happened to me in about 1985. I was still in my twenties at the time and was sitting in the chair of a dermatologist who had a good reputation for doing hair transplants. This doctor to his credit recognized my reservations and suggested I think about it. I did and only went back in October 2005, this time to Doctor Jeff Epstein. I lost a lot of hair between now and then, but wonder what I would have looked like with all of those old style plugs. I do know that I never once regretted not having gone through with it, and now realizing what the likely results would have been, I am awfully glad I waited.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

This has been an interesting topic. Thanks for everyones input.

 

When one looks at how hair transplants are marketed on TV its clear that the emphasis is on the life style change, with little actual technical info - either pro or con. I suspect that many people who see these TV ads sign up like they are making a dentist appointment.

 

The forums on the other hand are so detailed that this some times does lead to the classic "paralysis of analysis".

 

As they say - no one would eat sausage if they saw it being made (forgive the bad analogy :-)

 

But I think those on this forum would agree that full and open disclosure certainly beats sugar coated slick TV ads.

 

I'm glad to hear about how the Shapiro Medical Group handled this situation. I hope and expect that all other clinics presented on this site would do like wise.

 

Laughter's medicine thanks for sharing your experience and best wishes for what ever you choose to do or not do.

[laughter's medicine]

Thanks for all the replies and words, I felt like I was the only one who did something like that. I do feel I will eventually go through with it once I clear my head and get some things straightened out. This sight is the best for sharing experiences and getting feed back, honest feedback. I realize there are a lot of opinions and realities, some clouded some not and all of them have a place. Again thanks for everything and you will continue to hear my "Laughter", but I need to take break from all the info.

 

I do want to reiterate my feelings as far as having no doubt about the integrity and quality of the Shapiro group.

[laughter's medicine]

B-spot i sent you a PM.

[FacelessMan]

"Laughter,"

 

I understand...I also opted out of an HT, the first time I gave it serious thought. In part, it was due to not getting, basically, the "vibes" I needed, during my consultations, to feel ready. In larger part, I think, it had nothing fundamentally to do with my hair; I was feeling generally non-confident at the time (nearly two years ago) due to a variety of things and was putting too much hope in, stupid though this may sound, a physical improvement as a way of feeling more confident, happier, whatever.

 

I will say that, as good as I felt about going with Dr. Feller (and as happy as I am, now, that I did so), I was nervous (and excited) up to, the day of, and during the procedure...not in any way because of him or his staff, who went out of their way to be compassionate and professional, but because, hey, it's surgery! And by that time, I had done so much research that I had vivid pictures of what was going on while I was sitting there

 

The bottom line, as the saying goes, is that ideally, when and if you feel it's right for you to make the move, you'll know. And in the mean time, feel free to avail yourself of all the generous people on sites like this who have done it themselves; that was certainly a huge help to me.

 

Regards,

 

Benjamin

[Mark H]

Did I speedread through it Laughter, or did you fail to mention just exactly what you were nervous about?

 

needles, knives, meds, doctor's offices? Post surgery ridicule?

 

What ever it is, I can appreciate it, even though I don't have any of it. You see, I'm 52.

 

You must still be a young guy. Wait until life has kicked the crap out of you for a few more decades. Your nervousness will go away, and in its place will be a certain level of numbness.

 

I'm not saying its a good trade, but it may happen.

 

mark h

[Bushy]

LM, what an unusual post! I commend you for not going forward in light of your doubts, and Dr. Shapiro for recognizing that you were not ready.

 

I, too, walked away from surgery just before it was scheduled. My story was quite different, though. I was going to Bosley in NYC! For me, it was the combination of bad vibes and visions of a horrible "showcase" rep I had seen the day prior (whose work looked like a bad hairpiece) that caused me to rethink things just before I left home that almost-fateful morning, and left me searching the net. Fortunately, the first site that came up was this one, where a quick search on Bosley revealed that I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

 

The one thing we may have had in common, however, may have been our unreadiness. Clearly, you were in the office of one of the greats (unlike my situation). However, perhaps you need more time to consider the various aspects of the surgery, whether it's pain, growth, shockloss, etc. (and I'm not referring to looking beyond Dr. Shapiro, as it doesn't get much better).

 

My point is: Pat yourself on the back for having the insight and fortitude to say "something doesn't feel right and I'm not doing it." I hope you keep reading and asking questions, and ultimately make a decision that brings you happiness when you are good and ready. Bravo!

[laughter's medicine]

Thanks for the replies, bottom line I can compare pre-op feelings to sky diving for the first time standing on the edge of the plane door at an altitude that would scare the sense out of anyone. Your waiting to jump, just looking while grasping the door with everything you've got and trying to just let go. You know your safe because the company your jumping with (research) has an outstanding reputation as well as put skydiving on the map. You know your jumping with a company that truly cares about your safety now and in the future (Shapiro medical is top notice, no doubts about that) but you still have reservations such as what if this or what if that, the unknowns that still have the possibility of happening, even if it's just 1 in a million (just throwing up a figure). Now imagine a stranger shows up standing behind you with a body cast yelling, not whispering, in your ear "IT'S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE, DON'T DO IT! (Keep in mind they were doing what they wished someone had done to them before they went to a quack, IMO) Even with a strong disposition this could and probably would cause some people even with a rock iron stomach to turn and want to run. Now granted not everything in this analogy is spot on, but it should give you some ideas. Over all my feelings are better stated verbally and not on a screen.

 

Faceless man; I agree with your statement and thanks for the words.

 

Mark H to answer why, no I didn't mention specifics; it's a little of this and a little of that and constantly thinking about it, looking at facts (some real facts and other misguided, with good intentions) and debating about it to the point of an over load. By the way I am 35 and have been kicked a few good times already, some deserved and some not so much.

 

Bushy; Thanks and I agree this is a life saving site.

 

B-SPOT; I got your PM and I'll be in touch, thanks!

[Mark H]

Let me get this straight, you SKY DIVE, and HT surgery has you spooked????

 

As I write this I have gigantic cartoon question marks coming out of my head, and I'm about to run screaming into a tunnel that Wiley Cayote has just painted on the side of a mountain.

 

I wouldn't jump out of a plane for any amount of money! You're braver than me!

 

Hmmmm....Upon reflection though, if I somehow got a full head of hair upon landing I might reconsider.

 

mark h