My experience with Dr. Keene

[finnari]

I had a 1500 graft HT done with Dr. Keene is Tuscon AZ yesterday. Initially in the process we did have some bad feelings exchanged in terms of payment (paying for my transplant completely 2 weeks before hand). For that see the question and answer segment.

 

I did go in with some trepedation considering the previous bad feelings but I am a positive person and brought good energy in that morning. This was my second transplant I had one with Dr. Hitzig 10 years previous. The most important thing about HT is the result so dont take everything I say about the surgical experience as the complete picture. It is only reflecting the actual experience. The way the hair grows in will be the ultimate judgement on Dr. Keene and I will keep everyone posted.

 

Upon arrival I was brought back to meet the two tech's one who I remember as Ann. They were both very enthusiastic and particularily Ann was great. She apparently is Dr. Keene's first assistant. My hair was washed in a very antiquated chair with no head rest and I must say it was very awkward for both of us trying to get it done. My neck got really sore from trying to hold it in place.

 

Next I was brought into the operating room where I finally for the first time met Dr. Keene. She didnt have a whole lot to say and made outlines where she was going to be placing the grafts and then explained what types she was going to fill in. In all she probably spoke a couple of hundred words during the entire procedure. Not a criticism but Dr. Hitzig definatly was more gabby and enthusiastic.

 

The numbing of the back of my skull was done by a male tech I cant remember his name but he did an outstanding job. Compared to the previous transplant it was night and day. Full marks for the lad for sure. Next they took the graft site and went to work splitting it up. I noticed I believe up to five tech's in the room behind a curtain. They offered my a small t.v. with a somewhat poor selection of video's. I choose Seinfeld.

 

Next Ann the MT numbed the top of my head and full marks to her too. She was by far the most enthusiastic member of the team and made the experience very good. I should note some valium was given to me before the first numbing but it would have been more feasable to give it too me a half hour before so it kicks in. The valium during the procedure is very helpful overall.

 

ONce the grafts were seperated Dr. Keene and her assistant went to work on me. I must admit I felt more comfortable with Dr. Keene working on my hairline. The question begs: if the Dr. doesnt place the grafts or do the numbing what the hell is the point of the Dr. during the procedure except to supervise. Where is the skill of the surgeon being utilized? I must also note the chair she had me in was substandard. It fit a guy around 5 foot 10. At 6 foot 4 like I am their was no support for my lower back. Being on all that valium helped but I wish she had a top of the line chair that would adjust to taller people.

 

The surgery took until 5 p.m. so for 1500 grafts I thought that was very impressive.

 

I was given some post op instructions and off to the hotel I went. Dr. Keene stated its important to take the pain meds to minimize a rise in blood pressure which could cause excessive bleeding. But her Darvocet order was for one pill every 6 hours. Now I am an ICU nurse and I can tell you we give little old ladies 2 darvocets every 4 hours. That proves she is a bit too gun shy about pain narcotics which some doctors are notorious for. So what did I do. I took 2 a soon as I got to the hotel and 2 more 4 hours later when I went to bed. I got a wonderful nights rest propped up on my pillows.

 

The next morning I went in and got spray bottled over the grafts and off I went. I did not see Dr. Keene the next day which also would have been nice.

 

overall a pretty good experience but more importantly here: What will I look like in 8-12 months?

[finnari]

I had a 1500 graft HT done with Dr. Keene is Tuscon AZ yesterday. Initially in the process we did have some bad feelings exchanged in terms of payment (paying for my transplant completely 2 weeks before hand). For that see the question and answer segment.

 

I did go in with some trepedation considering the previous bad feelings but I am a positive person and brought good energy in that morning. This was my second transplant I had one with Dr. Hitzig 10 years previous. The most important thing about HT is the result so dont take everything I say about the surgical experience as the complete picture. It is only reflecting the actual experience. The way the hair grows in will be the ultimate judgement on Dr. Keene and I will keep everyone posted.

 

Upon arrival I was brought back to meet the two tech's one who I remember as Ann. They were both very enthusiastic and particularily Ann was great. She apparently is Dr. Keene's first assistant. My hair was washed in a very antiquated chair with no head rest and I must say it was very awkward for both of us trying to get it done. My neck got really sore from trying to hold it in place.

 

Next I was brought into the operating room where I finally for the first time met Dr. Keene. She didnt have a whole lot to say and made outlines where she was going to be placing the grafts and then explained what types she was going to fill in. In all she probably spoke a couple of hundred words during the entire procedure. Not a criticism but Dr. Hitzig definatly was more gabby and enthusiastic.

 

The numbing of the back of my skull was done by a male tech I cant remember his name but he did an outstanding job. Compared to the previous transplant it was night and day. Full marks for the lad for sure. Next they took the graft site and went to work splitting it up. I noticed I believe up to five tech's in the room behind a curtain. They offered my a small t.v. with a somewhat poor selection of video's. I choose Seinfeld.

 

Next Ann the MT numbed the top of my head and full marks to her too. She was by far the most enthusiastic member of the team and made the experience very good. I should note some valium was given to me before the first numbing but it would have been more feasable to give it too me a half hour before so it kicks in. The valium during the procedure is very helpful overall.

 

ONce the grafts were seperated Dr. Keene and her assistant went to work on me. I must admit I felt more comfortable with Dr. Keene working on my hairline. The question begs: if the Dr. doesnt place the grafts or do the numbing what the hell is the point of the Dr. during the procedure except to supervise. Where is the skill of the surgeon being utilized? I must also note the chair she had me in was substandard. It fit a guy around 5 foot 10. At 6 foot 4 like I am their was no support for my lower back. Being on all that valium helped but I wish she had a top of the line chair that would adjust to taller people.

 

The surgery took until 5 p.m. so for 1500 grafts I thought that was very impressive.

 

I was given some post op instructions and off to the hotel I went. Dr. Keene stated its important to take the pain meds to minimize a rise in blood pressure which could cause excessive bleeding. But her Darvocet order was for one pill every 6 hours. Now I am an ICU nurse and I can tell you we give little old ladies 2 darvocets every 4 hours. That proves she is a bit too gun shy about pain narcotics which some doctors are notorious for. So what did I do. I took 2 a soon as I got to the hotel and 2 more 4 hours later when I went to bed. I got a wonderful nights rest propped up on my pillows.

 

The next morning I went in and got spray bottled over the grafts and off I went. I did not see Dr. Keene the next day which also would have been nice.

 

overall a pretty good experience but more importantly here: What will I look like in 8-12 months?

[Guest]

finnari, that was a well written, honest review.

Withholding final judgement until you see the results of your procedure is a good thing to do.

 

Many of us jump the gun & say that we are satisfied with our procedures without having given the process long enough to be able to judge the work.

 

I am surprised that Dr. Keene wasn't more hands on from all that I have heard about her.

 

As far as the doctor talking to you, although it would be nice if the Dr. is a little more personable, I could do without the talk if the hair grows well!

 

Good job finnari & good luck,

keep us posted,

[Gorpy]

Contratulations Finnari,

Yes, Ann is a nice lady. Dr. Keene is all business when she works. She doesn't chat much. Plus she told me that she is doing counts in her head while placing grafts, so she can't chat during the procedure.

 

I'm 6'2" and I thought the surgery chair was fine.

 

Folica,

I'm not sure what you mean. I think you misunderstood Finarri. She was making the incisions and placing the grafts. That's what is meant by hands on.

[Guest wanthairs]

I must add,

 

I had the same strange mixed feelings about Jeff Epstein, although he was very personable and I did see him the next day, plus he called me at my hotel that night. Most of his staff were great but there were a few I thought were a bit lax in their attention to me. Personaly, I dont care if they all stood next to me and hurled shit in my face providing they did a good job. At just under 8 weks post op, I have new growth that not just me, but everyone notices. Actually I bumped into my bitch ex-wife today and she even said, "What happened Youve got hair !!!!!" So I cant wait to see the result in another year......

[Guest]

The question begs: if the Dr. doesnt place the grafts or do the numbing what the hell is the point of the Dr. during the procedure except to supervise. Where is the skill of the surgeon being utilized?

 

Gorpy, that is how interpreted this quote from finnari.

Is he talking about other doctors?

[pushing 40]

Yes; that quote suffixes a statement about the fact she DID do those things.

[NervousNelly]

Pushing--ya you are correct.

 

Finnari--Great honest post. As a business person and fellow healthcare provider I pay a lot of attention to things when I go to other facilities. I am pretty picky as I try to make every effort to do all I can to provide the utmost in service. I value input from others whether it is positive or negative. It is always something to learn from.

 

From all the threads on this site it seems like I hear the most favourable overall experiences from Dr. Rahals office.

 

NN

[finnari]

Originally posted by pushing 40:

Yes; that quote suffixes a statement about the fact she DID do those things.

 

Exactly. I was impressed that Dr. Keene was placing the frontal grafts herself. As a surgeon your skills are in your hands and the artistic abilities that you have.

 

The result of the surgery will be reflected much more clearly if the surgeon actually placed the grafts. After all is this not the most important aspect of the procedure. The rest is up to mother nature and the care you do post operatively.

[nobuzz4me]

Finnari,

 

Good post, good luck with your result - which I agree, as you say, what matters the most. I am curious as to your just meeting her in the operating room, did you have a consult to plan out your hairline?

[Rhodeman]

Fin,

 

Congrats. It sounds like Dr. Keene needs to modernize her office furniture a bit. Of course, if you get the results you're looking for, I'm guessing you won't mind one bit. Good luck.

[Aquarius]

Sounds like Gorpy got the Bob and Deloris Hope suite though. Next time ,cash, three weeks in advance. Or you'll get a transister radio and a wooden chair. : O

[MrJobi]

Very good description of the experience

 

I think this goes to show, people DO make the difference.. During my 3 procedures with Dr. True I really enjoyed talking with him sporatically during the surgery as well as the tech's. With all fairness,some people are more talk a tive than others & need to concentrate during their work.. I do think the Doc should pop in the next day to meet the patient as I would be disappointed in mine didn't .. There is no substitute for a personal touch ..

 

As far as placing the grafts and numbing.. i don't have a problem with techs doing this. We have discussed this a number of times on here. As long as the doc places the incisions, the graft can only go in one way , & numbing is a simple procedure .. My HT looks truly amazing especially in the hairline & Dr. True's tech has been there over 10 years. As we know, nurses do quite a lot these days..

 

All in all, yes a personal, social approach may work well with some people byt then again others (patients) don't like to talk

[Guest]

LMAO aquarius!

Ok I got it. I guess finnari was saying that he was was happy that the Dr. was placing the hairline grafts.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Finnari,

 

Thank you for posting your detailed account of your experience.

 

Just wondering...

 

Did you get EXACTLY 1500 grafts? It seems like getting an exact number like that would be at very low odds.

 

Just so you don't think I'm picking on you, I often wonder the same thing about my FIRST surgical experience. I had 1600 grafts...or did I? It just seems pretty unlikely that the number of projected grafts would be the exact number of actual grafts...know what I mean?

 

question begs: if the Dr. doesnt place the grafts or do the numbing what the hell is the point of the Dr. during the procedure except to supervise.

 

 

This has already been discussed in great detail on other threads, however, in brief...

 

I think it's a nice touch the Dr. Keene transplants the grafts in the hairline herself, but there is no proof that this will yield a better result. This is not negating that you are/were in excellent hands.

 

The incisions made by the doctor are what determine the results, including direction of hair growth, etc. As long as the techs place the correct grafts into the correct incisions (which is what they are supposed to be highly trained to do by the doctor themselves), the result will end up being the same as if the doctor placed it themselves.

 

I hope you will post some pictures for us.

 

Bill

[finnari]

Bill to answer your question the MT Anne told me they placed closer to 2000 grafts. How am supposed to actually know this? I was so buzzed on valium they could have placed 500 grafts and I would not have noticed the difference.

 

In terms of the dr. placing the grafts herself I guess if she wants her work to relect in how the pt. looks I think its a good idea. You state its more important how the incisions are made. I take your word for it because you seem to know a lot more then I do about the whole process. But I wonder if tech's really care as much as the dr. in terms how the work turns out. Placing the grafts to me just seems like a very important part of the process.

[Jrbrass]

I wanted to share my opinion of Dr. Keene as well. I got my H/T on 3/20 & 3/21 and I'm very pleased with Dr. Keene and her staff. I had three consults, Bosley, Dr. Alexander & then Dr. Keene. I live in Scottsdale and wanted to have my H/T done here locally. I only drove down to Tucson to have a third consult and get another opinion. Plus, I was impressed with Dr. Keene's website, her quality & qualifications. Please believe me I had no intentions of driving to Tucson to have my H/T procedure done. During my consult with Dr. Keene, I was throughly impressed with Dr. Keene's explination of what she wanted to do and how she was going to perform the transplant. So, I decided to go with Dr. Keene and I'm extremely happy I did so. I found Dr. Keene to be very personable and answer every question I had about the procedure and the expected results. In fact, she probably spent too much time with me compared to the rest of her consults. I agree, she does need new chairs in the shampoo & the surgery area. But, I'm 6 " and really didn't have any problems. Thanks to the drugs I was a sleep through 90 percent of it anyway. Dr. Keene had to wake me up several times during the procedure. I guess maybe I was snoring too much. During the two days, even after the shampoo I spoke with Dr. Keene. She was very personable and answered any questions I had. The only pain I felt throughout the procedure was the first needle to numb the recipient area. After that, the rest was a breeze for me anyway. As far as the DVD selection, I was there to get a H/T, not to watch movies. It's hard to know what to have on hand with everyone's different taste and all. Maybe they should suggest that you bring your own DVD's, maybe that would help. I just remember watching the first few minutes of the first DVD and then not remembering anything else until it was time for lunch. Even if I was awake, I wouldn't want to be chattering with Dr. Keene. I would want her to pay special attention to me and what she was doing during the transplant. I didn't pay all that money to talk, I could have hired doctor with a couch if I wanted to chat. In all, I'm very please with making the choice to have Dr. Keene do my transplant. I wouldn't hesitate to have her perform another transplant if I ever needed another one. I found Dr. Keene very professional, personable and her skills and quality of work exceptional. I was also very impressed with her attention to detail as well. With the monies I spent for my transplant, I want to pay for the expertise and quality of the doctor that's doing the transplant, not on how the office looked. If I wanted that, I could have gone with Bosley. As I stated earlier, I went there for a hair transplant not to watch movies in a nice plush chair. Well, I just wanted to express my opinion of my experience with Dr. Keene. It's good we all can share our own experiences whether it's positive or negative. That's what makes this forum so great.

[finnari]

I think guys like JR brass are misinterpreting my account of my experience.

 

LIKE I STATED THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THIS ENTIRE PROCEDURE IS THE RESULT.

 

I just wanted to detail all of the experience so people can get an idea of what the entire experience is like. I didnt even talk to Dr. Keene until I was in the chair ready to get numbed. Meeting her before it all began would have been ideal but we did discuss what we were going to do. She even told me that during making her incisions she couldnt talk because she was counting. I was perfectly okay with that. To say she is personal is a bit of a reach but I work as an ICU nurse in a major hospital and know that many of the better surgeons have limited interpersonal skills. I would rather have a good surgical experience then a good conversation.

 

If I was making all this money doing surgeries I would have updated chairs and office equipment. But that is just me.

[Guest]

finnari, things do seem to get taken out of context here now & again.

 

I have heard from other Dr. Keene patients tthat she runs a no frills office.

 

What counts like you said are the final results!

 

Again thanks for being upfront & honest about your experience.

[finnari]

My pleasure folica people like you, Bill and others appreciate an account of the entire procedure. I could sugarcoat everthing like Mr. Scottsdale is apparently comfortable with but I just state it as it is.

[Jrbrass]

Not sugar coating anything. I had no problems at all. Glad I went with Dr. Keene.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Finnari,

 

Don't get me wrong...placing the grafts properly IS an important part of the process. I just don't feel it's necessary for the doctor to transplant the grafts IF the technicians have been properly trained. Making the incisions will determine how the hair will grow, whereas proper care and placement of the grafts will determine IF they will grow.

 

Ok...it makes more sense to me that you would have gotten an uneven number of grafts.

 

I would be curious if I were you, so I'd sent an email to Dr. Keene and staff asking exactly how many grafts you received. Also, if you want to see if they have hair count breakdowns (1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, etc), that would be helpful as well.

 

Grow well my friend!

 

Bill

[finnari]

Originally posted by Bill:

Finnari,

 

Don't get me wrong...placing the grafts properly IS an important part of the process. I just don't feel it's necessary for the doctor to transplant the grafts IF the technicians have been properly trained. Making the incisions will determine how the hair will grow, whereas proper care and placement of the grafts will determine IF they will grow.

 

Ok...it makes more sense to me that you would have gotten an uneven number of grafts.

 

I would be curious if I were you, so I'd sent an email to Dr. Keene and staff asking exactly how many grafts you received. Also, if you want to see if they have hair count breakdowns (1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, etc), that would be helpful as well.

 

Grow well my friend!

 

Bill

 

Thanks for the information on asking for the breakdowns. I will definatly do that.

[Jrbrass]

I received 3361 graphs, I too didn't know what the break down of the graphs were. When I went back a week later to have my stiches removed I ask what the break down was. Dr. Keene had no problem copying me the actual sheet of the break down. It showed how many graphs each tech did and the number of hairs. So, I would think if you ask, you should have no problem receiving them. Good Luck

I had 3361 Graphs

One's - 316

Two's - 870

Three's - 1345

Four's - 830

Total Hairs - 9171

[Bill - Seemiller]

JrBrass,

 

That's a good number of hairs for the amount of grafts extracted.

 

Have you posted pictures somewhere? I'd like to see pictures of your transplant also.

 

Bill