Advice from a patient

[Woodrow]

I wanted to note a couple of items for the benefit of people considering hair transplant surgery. I should say I had a good experience. It has been 2 months since my surgery and everything has healed well and hair is starting to grow nicely. These points could help other transplant candidates.

 

DONOR STRIP - Day of Surgery ??“ after the donor strip has been removed and stitched, you have to spend the rest of the day with your head resting exactly where the wound is. It's important to make sure your head is supported as much as possible (the staff should provide you with a pillow that cradles your neck ??“ this will take some pressure off the wound). I had to reposition my head every 15 minutes or so to relieve the discomfort, which was considerable even with anesthesia. Unconsciously, I was trying to minimize the pressure on my head by holding it slightly up, which caused my shoulders to burn with pain. You cannot do this for 6 hours. The attendants will help keep you comfortable, but also let them know when you have to reposition yourself. Otherwise, you won't make it through the day -- the pain will drive you to distraction.

 

IMPLANTING - after the donor strip has been taken and dissected, staff start to implant the follicular units into the scalp. I have a fairly high pain threshold ??“ I usually fall asleep in the dentist's chair. But I felt the steel of the transplant instrument penetrating my scalp with each implant. I was gripping the upholstery of the arm of the surgical chair while I was wondering how I was going to manage six more hours of the incredible discomfort. One of the staff realized I was in discomfort and asked if I needed more anesthetic. "YES," I shouted, relieved. After that, I let the staff know whenever the anesthetic would wear off (and I could feel pain from the instruments). This happened about every 90 minutes (more often toward the end of the day). The doctor would return and shoot me up again. Let your doctor know when you are experiencing discomfort ??“ if you need more anasthetic, you need to know you can ask for it.

 

NAPPING - For me, lying on a painful donor strip wound, monitoring when the anesthetic would wear off - and I would start feeling surgical steel again - made it impossible to fall asleep as some patients claim. My experience was that I was hyperaware of each minute passing during the long day of surgery. Save your napping for next time you're getting you're teeth drilled at the dentist.

 

LOSS OF SENSATION - One thing that I think patients should know more about is the loss of sensation that results from the removal of the donor strip. I haven't read much about it on the Internet, so it came as a bit of a surprise. I think the loss of sensation results from the cutting of nerves. The loss of sensation was quite significant for me (as I imagine it is for many, if not most, patients). For example, I was working on a carpentry project a month after surgery, and dropped a two-by-four on my head (clearly I am not a great carpenter). I felt the board, but had no sensation of pain. I'm heading into the third month now and I'm slowly beginning to feel some of the sensation return to my scalp. The loss of sensation on the scalp is something you should be prepared for.

 

SIGNING WAIVERS - Last piece of advice: Ask you doctor to provide you with waiver forms at least one day prior to surgery. I was quite surprised to be presented with an extensive multi-page disclaimer of liability presented to me first thing in the morning, just minutes before surgery starts. Six weeks earlier, when I paid my cash deposit, I had asked for any documentation to be provided to me. The senior office administrator responded with explicit assurances that there would be nothing further to sign. I was clearly disappointed six weeks later to be presented with a thick waiver agreement just moments before surgery. It contained a lot of information which I was reading for the first time. Consent can only be considered meaningful or informed when it is provided without duress. Doctors who wait until the morning of surgery run the risk that courts will find the waiver invalid by reason of duress. During your intake interview, tell your doctor that, if there is a waiver agreement to be signed, you want to receive it prior to the day of surgery. That will give you reasonable notice to ask questions that may arise from the waiver agreement.

[Woodrow]

I wanted to note a couple of items for the benefit of people considering hair transplant surgery. I should say I had a good experience. It has been 2 months since my surgery and everything has healed well and hair is starting to grow nicely. These points could help other transplant candidates.

 

DONOR STRIP - Day of Surgery ??“ after the donor strip has been removed and stitched, you have to spend the rest of the day with your head resting exactly where the wound is. It's important to make sure your head is supported as much as possible (the staff should provide you with a pillow that cradles your neck ??“ this will take some pressure off the wound). I had to reposition my head every 15 minutes or so to relieve the discomfort, which was considerable even with anesthesia. Unconsciously, I was trying to minimize the pressure on my head by holding it slightly up, which caused my shoulders to burn with pain. You cannot do this for 6 hours. The attendants will help keep you comfortable, but also let them know when you have to reposition yourself. Otherwise, you won't make it through the day -- the pain will drive you to distraction.

 

IMPLANTING - after the donor strip has been taken and dissected, staff start to implant the follicular units into the scalp. I have a fairly high pain threshold ??“ I usually fall asleep in the dentist's chair. But I felt the steel of the transplant instrument penetrating my scalp with each implant. I was gripping the upholstery of the arm of the surgical chair while I was wondering how I was going to manage six more hours of the incredible discomfort. One of the staff realized I was in discomfort and asked if I needed more anesthetic. "YES," I shouted, relieved. After that, I let the staff know whenever the anesthetic would wear off (and I could feel pain from the instruments). This happened about every 90 minutes (more often toward the end of the day). The doctor would return and shoot me up again. Let your doctor know when you are experiencing discomfort ??“ if you need more anasthetic, you need to know you can ask for it.

 

NAPPING - For me, lying on a painful donor strip wound, monitoring when the anesthetic would wear off - and I would start feeling surgical steel again - made it impossible to fall asleep as some patients claim. My experience was that I was hyperaware of each minute passing during the long day of surgery. Save your napping for next time you're getting you're teeth drilled at the dentist.

 

LOSS OF SENSATION - One thing that I think patients should know more about is the loss of sensation that results from the removal of the donor strip. I haven't read much about it on the Internet, so it came as a bit of a surprise. I think the loss of sensation results from the cutting of nerves. The loss of sensation was quite significant for me (as I imagine it is for many, if not most, patients). For example, I was working on a carpentry project a month after surgery, and dropped a two-by-four on my head (clearly I am not a great carpenter). I felt the board, but had no sensation of pain. I'm heading into the third month now and I'm slowly beginning to feel some of the sensation return to my scalp. The loss of sensation on the scalp is something you should be prepared for.

 

SIGNING WAIVERS - Last piece of advice: Ask you doctor to provide you with waiver forms at least one day prior to surgery. I was quite surprised to be presented with an extensive multi-page disclaimer of liability presented to me first thing in the morning, just minutes before surgery starts. Six weeks earlier, when I paid my cash deposit, I had asked for any documentation to be provided to me. The senior office administrator responded with explicit assurances that there would be nothing further to sign. I was clearly disappointed six weeks later to be presented with a thick waiver agreement just moments before surgery. It contained a lot of information which I was reading for the first time. Consent can only be considered meaningful or informed when it is provided without duress. Doctors who wait until the morning of surgery run the risk that courts will find the waiver invalid by reason of duress. During your intake interview, tell your doctor that, if there is a waiver agreement to be signed, you want to receive it prior to the day of surgery. That will give you reasonable notice to ask questions that may arise from the waiver agreement.

[Guest]

Woodrow,

 

Sorry to hear about your painful HT experience. I don't know who your surgeon was but I can tell you my surgeries with Dr Shapiro of the SMG were quite the opposite; no pain during any part of any of my procedures. And I've never signed any waiver prior to any surgery. Who performed your HT?

 

In any case, the newbies will appreciate some of the background information on HT experiences especially the post-op numbness issue. Good luck with your results.

[Woodrow]

I won't name my surgeon -- he's a very good surgeon who is spoken highly of on this web site. I'm confident he did things right.

 

I just wanted to let prospective patients know that, in general, they might need to be prepared to experience discomfort, even with anasthetic. Individuals will all experience pain differently.

 

And patients should actively inquire about signing waivers before the day of surgery.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Woodrow,

 

Welcome to our community,

 

I'm sorry to hear about your painful experience. The pain you have experienced during your surgery is far from normal. The most pain I experienced was when the anesthetic was being administered. A few times during surgery very minor feeling was coming back. All I did was tell them and more anesthetic was administered and I didn't feel a thing anymore.

 

Hopefully your result will turn out better than your experience.

 

Bill

[beachair]

ANY form of surgery involves risks!!

[beachair]

Yar, dude!

b

[the B spot]

Woodrow, it sounds as if you metabolize local anesthesia quickly, which can be a royal pain in the rear!

 

I fall into this category, and the remedy for me was a nerve-block..... (this is where you get a shot of the "good stuff" into each eyebrow, numbing the scalp for the duration)... solved my problem.

 

I am truly sorry you had to endure that much discomfort my friend. If you go again, I hope they put you more at ease.

 

NOTE TO ALL... If you feel ANY discomfort during your surgery, you MUST share this with the doc or staff... they will make you as comfortable as possible.

 

(Perhaps I am a little biased because Janna took such good care of me )

 

Take Care,

Jason

[Bill - Seemiller]

Even though I metabolized quickly also, I never had the amount of pain that Woodrow described. I did have to have anesthetic administered often in my first two surgeries, until like B spot, on my third surgery was given theh "good stuff" which lasted the duration.

 

Oddly enough, I didn't swell nearly as much after my third surgery because there was less fluid injected into my scalp.

 

Bill

[MrJobi]

Ditto here

 

I had to take another pain killer during the surgery due to a high tolerence.. This is why it is essential you communicate to the doc.

No way for them to tell if you feel anything unless they ask .. Tough to do when you are focused on implanting or poking.

[Furless]

I won't name my surgeon -- he's a very good surgeon who is spoken highly of on this web site. I'm confident he did things right.

 

Is it considered bad form to talk about a not-so-good experience with a surgeon who's highly regarded on this forum?

 

It's perhaps true that coalition doctors are perhaps the be-all and end-all of hair restoration.

But it's necessary to understand that they're human after all, and they can have a bad day at the office. They're not necessarily always a 100% impeccable.

 

Thanks, Woodrow, for your imformative post.

 

Caveat lector: Being a day post-op, I am still under heavy medication and might sound like Micheallovesnyc (God, I hope not

[Female_Hair_loss]

I am surprised when i read about people having these surgeries and being all fine and flying about, etc.!!!

 

This past HT procedure was the second one for me (the first one was six years ago, and the last one was less than a week ago) and in both cases I was in unreal pain. I know that I have a high threshold for pain, but after my first HT I knew that I would feel pain in the donor area and the graft sites for days and weeks. So far, with the second procedure, even with the massive amounts of painkillers, etc., I am completely swollen (all over--especially my forehead), in awful pain, pretty nauseated, etc. This is surgery, plain and simple. I am still dumbfounded by the number of people who apparently have these procedures and go back to work in a couple of days??? WOW. I don't even look human--my face is that swollen with fluid from the anesthesia!

 

I do appreciate the person who created this thread. I want to throw my voice in and say that this is not as simple an out patient surgery as you may think. It is an overwhelming endeavor. Expect your forehead (and face and possibly body) to swell (I had a band on my forehead continuously for three days AND I took the prescribed prednisone), expect nausea if you have any history of nausea with anesthesia or painkillers, expect pain in the donor and graft area for a while.

 

Of course, the reality is that we all are going for these procedures because hair loss has taken so much of our lives away from us, so I am bearing through this pain with the hope that this time--this time--I will have enough regrowth for some sense of normalcy. But it is no walk in the park!

 

Today I had to go to my family doctor because of the pain and the swelling. I was also dehydrated. My doctor mentioned that the donor area looked like it was healing very well. That was good news.

 

Anyone else who experienced a lot of pain or discomfort: When does the pain start to ease off? Also, those of you who have had significant swelling--when did the swelling start to go down a bit. I am at almost 6 days, and my face is genuinely unrecognizable: It's that swollen.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Female_Hair_Loss,

 

Swelling typically goes away after a couple days - I know for me, it lasted as long as 5 days (my second surgery) and I had some discoloration in the eyes. All of this was from the fluid injected during the hair transplant. It wasn't pretty but rest assured, it will all go away.

 

Everyone not only experiences different levels of pain but also have different tolerances to it, not to mention the differences in healing times between people. Are you experiencing pain in the donor or recipient area? I would suggest that you shouldn't be having any pain in the recipient area at this point.

 

The first few days were the hardest, but the pain soon enough starts turning to itching.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill