I Did it

[thinkingaboutit]

I had my first HT on 3/31 with Dr. Cooley. I will have some photos in the near future but I wanted to relay my exprience while it is still fresh in my mind.

 

I have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Cooley, his staff and the entire experience.

 

I had gone in for a 1500 graft procedure to the tempoaral recesses and to the top. I ended up with around 1650.

 

I have researched in depth this process for well over a year, have been on propecia for 9 months and went on several consultations with prominent doctors.I am absolutely confident with the choice I made in surgeons.I know that there are a handful of superior practitioners out there, and I feel that I made the best choice for myself.I have high praise for Dr. Cooley and his staff.

 

I was apprehensive about persuing this type of procedure for the longest time. I had many, many questions and concerns. ( I want to also thank the members of this board for all of their insight,..for sharing both positive and negative experiences.It helped me become better aware of the limitations and possible complications from this procedure.)

 

I won't, at least at this time, relate all of the play by plays of the day because they closely mirror those of other patients,and those stories are abundant on this site.Thankfully.But there are characteristics of my experience with Dr. Cooley that might be unique.

 

First, I had some concern based on recent discussion of just who places the majority of the grafts.In my situation, Dr. Cooley was in the room the entire time.Though he had assistance placing some of the grafts, he closely monitored her during the entire procedure.Her touch by the way, was very gentle.I am very confident that the grafts that by both Dr. Cooley and his assistant Brandy placed will be very successful.

 

I had NO swelling,..very very little scabbing.

 

My recipient area is still rather dark red.But after all, this only the second day post op.

 

Dr. Cooley's clinic is about 500 miles from my home. I drove home by myself today and got in about an hour ago.IT was an uneventful trip except for the wonderful scenery of the mountains on a beautiful day.

 

I approached this trip with the full knowledge that it would be one of those rare weeks in a person's life that can have profound impact on the direction of that life. So far, it has been nothing but positive and at this time I am filled with optimism for the future.I will use this post-op time of about 6 months to try to make comprehnsive changes in the direction I want my life to take. This HT procedure for me was not just about adding more follicles to my head,but an integral part in a process of life changes I seek to accomplish.

 

I was very very hesitant to commit myself to this surgery, but at the moment I am very glad that I did and am confident that I placed myself in the best possible hands to perform it.

 

I know it is too early to judge results.The next few weeks could be an emotional mania.

 

However, I am very confident that I personally did my homework, prepared myself in all the ways that I could imagine for this surgery and had the good fortune of having surgeon in whom I could have no greater confidence perform it.

 

BY the way, I think Dr. Cooley went above and beyond what other surgeons might do. I am not at liberty to discuss those things now. BUT I can echo the remarks of Robert, Nasville and others that Dr. Cooley is the consumate professional.

[thinkingaboutit]

I had my first HT on 3/31 with Dr. Cooley. I will have some photos in the near future but I wanted to relay my exprience while it is still fresh in my mind.

 

I have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Cooley, his staff and the entire experience.

 

I had gone in for a 1500 graft procedure to the tempoaral recesses and to the top. I ended up with around 1650.

 

I have researched in depth this process for well over a year, have been on propecia for 9 months and went on several consultations with prominent doctors.I am absolutely confident with the choice I made in surgeons.I know that there are a handful of superior practitioners out there, and I feel that I made the best choice for myself.I have high praise for Dr. Cooley and his staff.

 

I was apprehensive about persuing this type of procedure for the longest time. I had many, many questions and concerns. ( I want to also thank the members of this board for all of their insight,..for sharing both positive and negative experiences.It helped me become better aware of the limitations and possible complications from this procedure.)

 

I won't, at least at this time, relate all of the play by plays of the day because they closely mirror those of other patients,and those stories are abundant on this site.Thankfully.But there are characteristics of my experience with Dr. Cooley that might be unique.

 

First, I had some concern based on recent discussion of just who places the majority of the grafts.In my situation, Dr. Cooley was in the room the entire time.Though he had assistance placing some of the grafts, he closely monitored her during the entire procedure.Her touch by the way, was very gentle.I am very confident that the grafts that by both Dr. Cooley and his assistant Brandy placed will be very successful.

 

I had NO swelling,..very very little scabbing.

 

My recipient area is still rather dark red.But after all, this only the second day post op.

 

Dr. Cooley's clinic is about 500 miles from my home. I drove home by myself today and got in about an hour ago.IT was an uneventful trip except for the wonderful scenery of the mountains on a beautiful day.

 

I approached this trip with the full knowledge that it would be one of those rare weeks in a person's life that can have profound impact on the direction of that life. So far, it has been nothing but positive and at this time I am filled with optimism for the future.I will use this post-op time of about 6 months to try to make comprehnsive changes in the direction I want my life to take. This HT procedure for me was not just about adding more follicles to my head,but an integral part in a process of life changes I seek to accomplish.

 

I was very very hesitant to commit myself to this surgery, but at the moment I am very glad that I did and am confident that I placed myself in the best possible hands to perform it.

 

I know it is too early to judge results.The next few weeks could be an emotional mania.

 

However, I am very confident that I personally did my homework, prepared myself in all the ways that I could imagine for this surgery and had the good fortune of having surgeon in whom I could have no greater confidence perform it.

 

BY the way, I think Dr. Cooley went above and beyond what other surgeons might do. I am not at liberty to discuss those things now. BUT I can echo the remarks of Robert, Nasville and others that Dr. Cooley is the consumate professional.

[Gorpy]

Congratulations! I know you have literally been "thinking about it" for quite a while. I too think you made the correct choice. Now just be prepared for the long, long wait.

[bezane]

Hey Gorp, I go next week. You must be showing signs of some serious hair by now.

[Gorpy]

Yep, I've just updated my photo album. Check it out.

 

Good luck next week.

[Robert_]

A great post from a great guy. After all your careful deliberation I'm glad (though certainly not surprised) that your experience was so positive. After seeing the graft placement in your temples, I have no doubt that in 6 months time you won't be "thinking about" your receded hair line anymore! It really looks immaculate, clean, and precise.

 

Thanks for sharing, thinking. As I said in the other thread, I'm looking forward to following your progress as you grow in.

 

-Robert

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Thinkingaboutit,

 

Congratulation on going from thinking about it to doing it! As you well know, you were in great hands, as your photo album also reveals. To see this photo album, click here.

 

I hope you think about also creating a weblog to document your progess. The instructions are at http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f...6060861/m/1901082912

 

Best wishes for an excellent new hairline.

[thinkingaboutit]

I just want to add a quick update at 18 days post op.

 

I returned back to work today for the first time and no one noticed anything. I am really amazed at that. It is an active place where I come in contact with hundreds of people daily.Of course upon closer inspection, things would be much more obvious, but I am able to hind with existing coverage and healing seems to be occurring far better than I expected.

 

Most of the transplanted hair has fallen out with I estimate about 10-15% remaining. (hopefully they will stay and continue to grow.)

 

The tricho closure scar seems to be healing nicely, but I am not as certain about it as I am ab out the recipient area.

 

There is a noticeable 'ledge' at the scar when zi run my finger tips over it,..but it seems to be subduing and becoming less pronounced daily.

 

There is some mild residual discomfort along some sections of the donor scar. It is not so much ' painful' as just a bit uncomfortable at times. I wish it would go away though.

 

In the recipient area there is some patchy, lingering darkness. Really not dark, but darker than surrounding areas. Much, much, much lighter than a coupledays post op though. If 2 days post op was a 10 on 1-10 scale, remaining darkness would be a 2-3.

 

At this point I am extremely gratified that I have undergone the procedure.Shock loss is still a fear, though I have not experienced any as of yet.

 

I apologize that I do not have recent pictures to post.I may be the last person on the face of the earth without a digital camera or a cell phone.

[thinkingaboutit]

I am either going to slow down the fingers on the keyboard, or start using spell check. I promise.

[domie]

hey think, im 18 days post op as well. congratulations. it seems we've had similar shedding. was it impossible to not play with it before the shedding for you too?! i buzzed mine right after the staples were removed and couldnt stop rubbing the crop!

 

it seems we have the same tenderness on our scars as well. my scar is pretty smooth and mostly undetectable to the touch (besides some remaining tenderness). i am experiencing some numbness in the donor/recipient area, but thats to be expected, taking a B-complex to help the nerve regeneration. redness see,s the same as well, i can still see some of the graft placement, but it seems to be fading away. as far as the ledge goes, i would not worry about it. ive seen some post op pics where the scar had similar characteristics to yours and turned out amazingly well. it gets better every day.