Scheduled for First HT with Dr. Rahal

[WildForest]

Hi all,

 

I'm excited to share with everyone that I am booked for my first procedure with Dr. Rahal (from Ottawa) April 14, 2011. I'm currently performing my scalp exercises and following all instructions from Adrian. I will be sharing all the details of my experience so that it may help others on this forum as much as it has helped me!

 

Since this is my very first procedure, I am quite nervous but looking forward at the same time!

 

Cheers!

[MusoInOz]

Wildforest,

 

You truly have made a wise decision going with Dr Rahal, he is one of the best physicians for hairline work I have found. Do document as much as possible my friend, I may be not so far behind you...possibly.

 

Dr Rahal has a great and supporting team, kudos to your choice again mate.

 

Cheers,

[TakingThePlunge]

WildForest,

 

Congratulations! You have made a great choice in hair restoration physicians.

 

I remember how I felt going into my first procedure. I was quite nervous also. But, it's really quite simple. Have faith and stay calm. After it is all over you will feel a great sense of relief.

 

Best of luck!

[RCWest]

Get ready for the hairline of your dreams. You are going to be happy!

[Hairlicious]

I'm one of his recent patients and it was my first HT. Everything went very well for me. You're gonna love everyone and their service. I'm excited and now on the wait for mine to sprout. Good Luck!

[kathie47]

Congrats! Let us know how it goes!

[WildForest]

Thanks a lot everyone for your supportive comments and re-assurance that things will be alright!!!

[Sean]

I have my procedure with Dr. Rahal a few months after yours. He will perform FUE on me. I will be looking forward to seeing your results. Good luck with everything!

[mattj]

Congrats, WildForest, and congrats to you too Sean.

[WildForest]

Thanks Sean and good luck with yours! I'm sure we'll be sharing our successes soon.

 

Thanks Matt! I must say, those scalp exercises are quite tiring...but it's nothing when it comes to getting better HT results. I'm being deligent with them!

[WildForest]

Only 3 days left so I thought I'd give everyone an update.

 

I have been doing my scalp exercises diligently as instructed by Adrian for at least 15 minutes daily. Since it's only a few more days now, I'm extending the 15 minutes so that I can have greater scalp laxity. I've been told that it will help in the healing process. My other chats with previous patients confirm that it will also help Dr. Rahal yield more graphs. I've made sure to grow my hair long at the back as I've been told that it will help conceal the scar and stitches after the procedure. I've also stopped having multi-vitamins containing vitamin E.

 

 

Currently I'm checking and double checking my list to make sure I have all things in order before I depart from Toronto. I have already purchased my greyhound tickets and made accomodations at the Foxbar Guesthouse for 2 nights which is 2 blocks away from Dr. Rahal's office. Some items on my checklist include:

 

 

 

1. Baseball cap
   
2. Comfortable clothes including zip-up or button shirt.
   
3. Contact info (phone, address, appointment times) of Foxbar Guesthouse and Dr. Rahal's office.
   

 

 

My plan is to arrive to Ottawa April 13, 2011 around 2:30pm and settle in at Foxbar Guesthouse. Then I have my appointment with Dr. Rahal for the pre-op at 4:00pm. Pre-op includes planning the hair line and any instructions before the day. April 14, 2011 will be the day of the procedure and I expect the work to be done around 5:00pm or earlier. Dr. Rahal has indicated I will need from 3200-3500 graphs and if possible, he may add a few graphs in my crown area (most of the work will be at the front part of my scalp). Once I'm done, I'm expected to sleep at a 45 degree angle the next few nights. I'll need to revisit Dr. Rahal the next day (April 15, 2011) to have him check things and see how the healing is and he'll go over the washing instructions and other post operation instructions. Once done I will be heading back to Toronto on the same day and the healing/growing will begin!

 

 

From my discussions with previous patients, I may experience swelling during the first few days (I hear the 3rd day is the worst). I may also experience nausea and may throw-up.

 

So...my journey begins...will continue to post my experience!

[Dutch]

Wow! All the best pal, excited for you! Keep us posted!

[pacijent]

I wish you the best result man! i am also considering to visit dr Rahal hope sooner then later. Can you tell me what is the price for 1000 grafts at his clinic?

[WildForest]

Hi pacijent,

 

I think it's best for you to get the price quote from Dr. Rahal himself. You can also do an online consultation to verify that you need 1000 graphs. Keep in mind he does also give a discount for those who are out of the country or city.

[WildForest]

Hi all!

 

The past few days was quite eventful! Learned and went through a lot and will be sharing my experience (in great detail) soon so stay tuned!

[NateF]

Hey Forest - it's Jason. We spoke on the phone back in December.

 

Hope it all went well for you.

[WildForest]

Hey Forest - it's Jason. We spoke on the phone back in December.

 

Hope it all went well for you.

Thanks Jason for talking the time to talk to me! I'm posting my story shortly

[WildForest]

So here we go...

 

April 13, 2011

 

 

So I've arrived in Ottawa on the 13th and settled in the Foxbar Guesthouse. At first, the place didn't look like much for the outside as it just looked like any other house in the neighborhood. However, the inside was very nicely renovated. The owner/manager of the place greeted me and I got a chance to meet another guy from Hamilton who had finished his HT 2 days ago. I asked him how his experience was and he said it hurts a lot. Mainly when they first did the freezing of the scalp and also the few days proceeding the surgery.

 

 

Later I went to see Dr. Rahal who assessed how much graphs we would be planning. Originally he suggested 3500 graphs but I asked if it was possible to do my crown area as well since I was thining there as well. He said he could try for 4000 graphs (3500-3600 graphis in the frontal area and 500-400 graphs in the crown area).

 

 

Later that evening the reality of things was starting to set in so I got really nervous but tried to manage through the night through prayer and trying to have faith. I was able to sleep early too by listening to my iPod.

 

 

April 14, 2011

I woke up early (5:15am) and took a shower. Had a decent (but not too big) breakfast then headed off to Dr. Rahal's office at our scheduled time 6:30am. Upon entering, the lady sensing my nervousness reassured me that everything will be fine.

 

 

When Dr. Rahal arrived, we went in his office to draw the hairline and take a few pictures. Then we went in the surgery room and they gave me some medication to take and explained what each one did. They then proceeded by shaving my frontal scalp area (and the crown area later). From here things are a bit of a blurr (I was one medication) but I'll do my best to document accurately. For one thing, the freezing was extremely painful for me. But after that, everything else was fine but a bit tiring since I had to stay in the lying position for most of the operation. I was able to watch 2 movies and had some conversations with the staff and Dr. Rahal. They have a decent movie selection. The staff was very nice and made sure I was comfortable. I had to take some washroom breaks and they made sure my blood sugar was in check by having me me drink Gaterade. Half way through the operation, they provided lunch and we were back with the operation in no time.

 

 

My operation took a lot longer than we anticipated. Originally we thought it would take about 8 hours, but I think it was closer to 11-12 hours (left around 7:00pm). They said the reason was because my frontal scalp (recepient area) was a bit tough so planting the graphs took longer. This made me think that maybe I should have included my scalp exercises in my frontal area as well. We ended up getting 4090 graphs (I'll confirm the number and follicle breakdown with Dr. Rahal tomorrow). I was feeling extremely weak afterwards. Thank goodness Dr. Rahal took the time to drove me back to Foxbar. I ended up resting in our room's inclining chair as soon as I got back and ate very little.

 

 

Throughout the night I had this pounding headache which was in my opinion the worst part of the night. In the middle of the night, I threw up but felt much better afterwards. I wasn't used to sleeping at a 45 degree angle so I didn't get a good night's rest.

 

 

April 15, 2011

I returned to the office at 10:30am to go through the washing and medication instructions with Mike, one of the staff members. We also took off the band that was wrapped around my head to keep the blood and anesthetic above my head. Mike also explained that I will experience some swelling because the liquid to come down and sleeping at the 45 degree angle will prevent it from showing on my face.

 

 

At Foxbar, I met a few other guys seeing Dr. Rahal (one from Spain who finished his surgury and one just coming in for a consultation with Dr. Rahal). When chatting with these guys I realized how helpful meeting these people were. We were all connected by a common thread of having our HT that helped us with our confidence in life so naturally we were understanding of each others reasons. I recommend staying at Foxbar to anyone visiting Dr. Rahal.

 

 

Here's just some advice I feel would be useful for those getting ready.

 

 

 

1. Bring someone with you (mom, dad, brother, sister or significant other). This really helped me get through the first few days. You definitely want someone to bring you water, food, etc....it makes things so much more easier.
   
2. Try to avoid throwing up, blowing (or anything that will cause head pressure) your knows or coughing. When I threw up it caused a little bleeding in the receipient area. I don't think it was serious but Dr. Rahal noticed this.
   
3. Don't tilt your head shortly after the surgery. One of the staff told me to avoid this as the graphs are in place but we still need to be careful not to avoid this.
   

I'm including my day 3 post operation pictures (day 0 is the day of the operation). Now I'm following the washing instructions and will be booking a schedule with my family doctor to get the sultures removed after 2 weeks from the operation date. Hope all this is useful.

 

 

Overall, I'm quite please of my experience. Now I'm still swelled up and following all of Dr. Rahal post operation instructions. Now, I'm just sitting and waiting for the growing to begin!

Edited April 18, 2011 by WildForest

[WildForest]

Hi guys,

 

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I have my day 17 photos uploaded in my photos album. I had Dr. Rahal remove my sutures. My scabs have all been removed with only gentle massaging. I am still experiencing some numbness near the donor area but it's slowly going away.

[Bill - Seemiller]

WildForest,

 

Congratulations on your recent hair transplant with an excellent hair transplant surgeon. Now that you've had a hair transplant, I encourage you to update the questions on your profile. To do this, click "Profile" > "Edit Profile".

 

I look forward to following your progress.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[DRoyal]

Hi wildfire

 

Congrats on your first HT - I hope you're healing well.

 

I'm booked in with Dr Rahal in the 28th july and flying in from Australia, so unfortunately won't have anyone with me - I guess I'll just have to cope.

 

A quick question - At what point after the op did you shave all your hair? And would you recommend shaving it all on the day of the surgery?

Also, have you used a consealer on th scar area?

 

Thanks for putting all your photos and info on the forum - it's a real help.

 

Good luck!

 

DRoyal.

[WildForest]

Hi DRoyal,

 

Congrats on your choice with Dr. Rahal. I had a positive experience with him and am in the waiting stage for things to grow.

 

Since you're heading there by yourself, I'd suggest going to Foxbar Guesthouse which is only 2-3 blocks away from Dr. Rahal's office. You will want to rest for the first few days a minimize any physical activity, even walking. The place has a kitchen with stove and a fridge stocked with food so you don't have to go out grocery shopping.

 

I've shaved my head 1 month after my surgery with Dr. Rahal but if I were to do it over again, I'd shave my head completely before the surgery. This makes it so much easier to wash/clean during the first few weeks. So yes, I recommend shaving it all off the day of the surgery. I think you can request this.

 

As for the scar, I have not been using concealers. I am wearing a hat when I go out so that no one suspects any work has been done. Due to shock loss, the left back of my scar is a bit bare and red. It's a bit visible due to the lack of hair. However, I've been told this is only temporary and the hair should grow back to cover the scar. The right back side of my scar is almost perfect and I have to look carefully to see the scar (yes no shock loss on that side). I'm quite impressed with the scar and I feel Dr. Rahal has done an excellent job.

 

One more note is to avoid direct sunlight as the graphs are still weak after the surgery. I am avoiding sunlight too until Dr. Rahal says so.

 

Good luck and I hope to hear how your surgery/healing progresses!

 

WildForest.

[WildForest]

Hey guys,

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that I've uploaded my updated photos (2 month and 3 month pics). I'm quite happy with the growth so far.

 

At the 2 month mark, a lot of shedding had occurred. I knew this was going to happen and understand this was my "ugly duckling" stage. There is quite a bit of shock loss in the scar area. The scar area had been itching like crazy but Dr. Rahal assured me that this was completely normal. He also recommended me to apply some Cortate (Hydrocortisone) to ease the itching.

 

3 Months - There was quite a bit of small hairs sprouting. They are quite thin but I trust they will thicken over time. The scar area isn't as itching as before. There are some small hairs growing in the bald patches near the scar area (due to shock loss) so the scar is not as obvious now.

 

I'll be waiting patiently and updating everyone in the subsequent months!

[Levrais]

Looking good for 3 months. Its starting to look like it did before the shed

[NateF]

Hi Forest, It's Jason.

 

In a few months that scar will be extremely thin and you'll never know you had one. Looks like great work. I returned to see Dr. Rahal last month and even he couldn't believe how tiny my scar had become after one full year.

 

I'm going back for a 2nd procedure either in late November or early January as my loss in my crown has increased. he felt another 2500 grafts should complete it.