Few days away! excited, nervous...advice?

[Acer007]

I wanted to thank all those who take time out of their day to contribute to this great forum. I have found it helpful and especially informative.

 

My journey has brought me to Dr. Konior who will be performing a 1600 to 1700 graft procedure in a few days. I found his reputation to be outstanding and after communicating with him frequently decided he was a great option. Any advice on expectations, pre, and post op would be great. I am nervous which I understand is natural as it is a procedure on my head and permanent. Any advice from people who have had an HT procedure in general or one performed by Dr. Konior would be great. I have read some of the tips on this sites forum but again any advice would be great. Thanks again for all those who have replied through the forum posts and PM, especially Please Grow Please, it has been a great help.

[Acer007]

I wanted to thank all those who take time out of their day to contribute to this great forum. I have found it helpful and especially informative.

 

My journey has brought me to Dr. Konior who will be performing a 1600 to 1700 graft procedure in a few days. I found his reputation to be outstanding and after communicating with him frequently decided he was a great option. Any advice on expectations, pre, and post op would be great. I am nervous which I understand is natural as it is a procedure on my head and permanent. Any advice from people who have had an HT procedure in general or one performed by Dr. Konior would be great. I have read some of the tips on this sites forum but again any advice would be great. Thanks again for all those who have replied through the forum posts and PM, especially Please Grow Please, it has been a great help.

[Forrest Gump]

Follow the pre and post-op advice given by Dr Konior, very religiously.

 

You won't feel much during the the actual surgery. At the most, there might be a pinching sensation when the local anaesthesia is injected.

 

I think the most important thing to keep in mind post-op is never to dislodge or damage the transplated grafts.

 

Good luck!

[Irish-1]

Take it easy after the procedure, you will have some uncomfortable times after the procedure, take the pain meds before it starts to hurt.. Ice packs as often as possible to the forehead area etc.. not on the graphs! Take a deep breath!

[mgem]

Good luck you've selected a great doc so you will be ok, like forrest and tos say follow the post op instructions, plenty of rest and try to avoid the curse of the mirror haha

[Acrobaz]

Dr Konior is a quality surgeon - a real class act. You are in safe hands.

 

Just try to sit back and relax as best you can during the day. Watch a film, listen to music. Get ready for the possibility of some post-op swelling. Drink plenty of water - avoid caffeine and obviously alcohol. Follow all the doc's instructions and you won't go wrong.

 

Good luck!

[aaron1234]

I'd say good luck, but you don't need it. You're with Dr. Konior. Nuff said.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Hey thanks for the thanks.

Another guy from my state that has been kept away from the Chicago hacks out here.

There are about 20 clinics around here that are bogus as hell and you decided on a really good one.

Good luck

[Reverse the Curse]

BEFORE HT

 

1. Get a massage the night before. It's good for the mind & the back the will be sitting for hours & hours. You must remain very still for a very long period. This is my #1 tip.

2. Get a travel pillow for flight & sleeping; it's a must even if you don't travel. It will keep your head elevated from pillow while grafts are at a unsettled stage. Do a search on Google. Many airports sell them but try to get in advance.

3. Buy whatever you need before going for ht. You will not want to shop with a swollen face. The clerks may throw the milk & eggs at your 'bigface' in fear.

4. Take a sleeping pill the night before to get a good night's sleep. Your mind will not let you sleep & will be filled with many thoughts & anxieties.

5. If you can have a friend or loved one with you. It's an exhausting day & you will be better off with some to watch over you or run errands.

6. Bring a loose hat or bandana or 2 with you as spares. They could get bloody. Make sure they are new or washed you do not want to get infected.

7. See the doctor the day before surgery if possible to go over what will be done. It gives you time to think about suggestions & may save you from a hasty decision.

8. Have doctor's office wash your hair every day you are still in town. They do it best & will also see any problems that can be nipped in the bud.

9. Think of how you will be hiding ht or telling everyone about it. Have a plan for both ways as you may change your mind after procedure. I did.

10. Trim your nails before ht &/or wear socks over your hands to keep from scratching at night. i did this for about a week after surgery.

11. Make sure you get Lidocaine or something to numb for staple removal day before you leave doctors office. The only thing I could buy over the counter was very ineffective for pain.

12. Buy a soft toothbrush to keep area around staples clean. Gently get rid of any blood buildup, which will help with staple removal.

13. Do scalp exercises if you are sure you are getting HT. Start as early as possible even months in advance. Every minute you do them might mean more grafts & less tightness after surgery.

14. Keep a hat or bandana on doorknob. Nothing more embarrassing then answering the door naked headed & getting weird look from the UPS guy.

15. Get a buzzcut and/or start wearing a hat weeks before surgery. You will get all those stares & questions answered while not acting so nervous. After HT someone may pick up your body language real easy & know something is up

 

More tips to come as I think of them.

[kaounis]

Sit back and enjoy the ride...........

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[MRingler72]

I had my procedure last Friday and I concur with Kaounis! Valium, warm blankets and soft music make the time go by very quickly. My nose started itching so they gave me a benadryl tablet which helped even more. Stay at the Comfort Suites, ask Tom to pick you up and drop you back off. Then do nothing for a week. DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE VICODIN every 4-6 hours. I felt fine so I went to bed, then woke up in throbbing pain at midnight. My bad!!