My FOXBAR write up- Dr. Rahal 4,600 FUT

[Capelli11]

Here is my FOXBAR write up:

 

 

For those of you that don't know..."Foxbar" is a house that a lot of Dr. Rahal patients stay at instead of staying at a hotel. The house is literally 3 blocks from his clinic and a quick 2 minute walk. I finally realized it is called "Foxbar" because that is the name of the street it is located on!

 

 

 

The front of the house looks like it would be small inside but that is deceiving. I got there at around 3 pm and met with the house manager Manish. He gave me the keys and showed me around the house and to my room.

 

 

 

PAYMENT:

****Please note that you can ONLY pay in CASH (US or Canadian)!!! I thought I could pay in credit card but you can't. So I had to go to the ATM and take out Canadian money...so don't let this happen to you...either bring US cash or get Canadian money prior *****

 

 

LAYOUT:

When you first walk in you enter the living area...to the left there is a nice round table that seats 4 and to the right there is the living room. The living room consists of a nice 3 person couch, fireplace, about a 36 inch LCD TV, Cable, WiFi and 2 very comfortable leather recliners. You then go into the kitchen area which is like a normal house kitchen...it has pretty much everything that a kitchen would have including pots, pans, dishes, utensils and kitchen table, microwave, stove, etc. The refrigerator is filled with breakfast foods (juices, eggs, bacon, milk, cereal, oatmeal) that are free for everyone. Lunch and Dinner you are on your own for.

 

 

 

BEDROOMS:

There are a total of 3 bedrooms and another make shift room upstairs. There are 2 rooms on the main floor equipped with 1 bathroom. There is a suite upstairs with your own personal recliner and bathroom. The make shift room is upstairs too (couch with own tv and blinds to cover your area for privacy). Only one of the rooms downstairs has a recliner but it is not as comfortable as the ones in the living room. I didn't have a recliner so I have been sleeping on the recliner in the living room.

 

 

The bedrooms down stairs are equipped with a bed, closet, TV and a small night table. Please note that there are no dressers for your clothes...so I have been living out of my suitcase basically and putting stuff on my bed bc i can't sleep on it anyway. However the suite upstairs is a lot nicer but like $15 more a day and it is more private if that is what u r looking for.

 

 

 

WHAT TO BRING:

FOOD?!- I brought some bagels with tuna cans, granola bars, soup and cereal. Knowing what I know now, I would buy/bring frozen food that you can easily heat up because when u come home u r not going to be in the mood to fully cook something so I had to go to the store and buy like frozen pizzas. Granted I am normally a healthy eater but given the circumstances I had to sacrifice a little to just make my life a little easier! They also have fruit too like bananas and all kinds of cereals too. I would bring food that you can munch on and not so much cook as I haven't had the energy to cook...so I have been eating fruit and granola bars pretty much and heating up a pizza at night. The house also has coffee and tea for everyone.

 

 

 

Bathroom- The bathroom is fully equipped...nice bathtub with shower. I brought my own towels but shouldn't have because they provide towels for your body and face so don't bring any!

 

 

Also...the house is a little chilly all the time so I would dress warmly and bring warm clothes esp sleeping in the recliners they get cold at night so bundle up...I brought a blanket thankfully...so I recommend bringing one to cover you at night because it is close to the front door and it is a little chilly. Bring a lot of button down shirts because you don't want to be pulling shirts over your head.

 

 

Foxbar is a great social place...when i first got here there were 2 people both of which had multiple procedures with Dr. Rahal so they were well versed and put me at ease the night before answering any questions I had. One was from London and the other Australia. Now there are 2 others from Toronto and Greece. Having people around helps so much in this experience as you all can talk openly about the HT experience...it is a nice forum to do so plus you don't feel like u r in a cold hotel it is basically a really nice bed and breakfast. I absolutely recommend it!

 

 

The other benefit is staying there u can go to the clinic and have then clean your head everyday which is huge to me in that I am nervous to clean it myself at least for the first few days! Makes life easier...all you have to do is spray saline solution on every few hours which is easy to do.

 

 

I will post some pictures when I am ready to leave the house...any questions or concerns in regards to the house or what you should bring def PM me or post on this thread and I'll give u my take on it. Thanks everyone!!!

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Another great write up Cap! I have the suite upstairs for 7 nts so maybe I can sleep, or not sleep in that recliner! Also, are you doing the vitamin e oil drop on recepient area as well?

[Capelli11]

Hey...the suite upstairs is really nice...very secluded too and it has its own bathroom too...the recliner up there is great...u HAVE to sleep on the recliner the first 5 nights minimum. I wanted that room but it was booked. You get your hair cleaned at the office and all you have to do is spray saline solution on your grafts while u r having it cleaned from them. Once u go home and have to clean it on ur own...u will have to drip vitamin E oil on the grafts..Dr. Rahal's office does the Vitamin E and everything else (i.e. baby shampoo and polysporin on ur scar). It is great that I don't have to clean anything for my time here I am literally thinking about staying the full duration till my sutures are removed so I don't have to ever clean it!!! You would have to stay a total of 14 days. I am pretty much going to drive back on Dec 20th to have my sutures removed too.

[alix]

thanks for this informative post Capelli.

[RCWest]

This is a great write up for all future Rahal patients. You didn't mention cost though! If I recall correctly, Dr. Rahal patients get a certain percentage off. Is that true?

 

How does the U.S. dollar compare to the Canadian dollar? If I remember right they are within 2 or 3 cents.

[Capelli11]

The cost for the main floor room (share a bathroom) is $60 USD...the suite upstairs with personal bathroom and recliner is $75. The USD is a few cents less than the CAD...to get all the most current rates you can go to oanda.com which tells you the currency converter for each currency.

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

I always watch the conversion rate, I've actually managed to save about 400 dollars because I've made my payments when the US dollar was stronger than the CAD!

[SugarHighs]

I always watch the conversion rate, I've actually managed to save about 400 dollars because I've made my payments when the US dollar was stronger than the CAD!

 

Hi NHP, were you allowed to pay in USD?

 

Did you wire money from US to Dr. Rahal's Canadian bank as per his payment instructions?

[SugarHighs]

Hi Cap,

 

May I know the brand of Vitamin E oil? I may want to buy some in advance.

 

Or did Dr Rahal say to only use the Vit E oil for 7 days? I am staying 5+ days post, so maybe the Dr . will provide all the Vit E necessary??

 

Thanks and super happy for you mang!

Sugar

[SugarHighs]

Great writeup, but sad to hear it's cold inside! I absolutely hate being cold and I am always blasting my heater in the winter - guess I will bring some warm clothing!

[Capelli11]

Sugar,

 

The doctor provides literally everything u need to clean it yourself (i.e. Vit E, Saline solution spray, Polysporin for scar, bandages, medications u have to take , etc). So no worries he will give u everything. If you stay, u can get cleanings every day at the office and u won't have to clean it urself...that is another great perk about staying at Foxbar...the cleanings are great too...u feel so refreshed afterwards...Mike even shaves you down if you want to blend the hair like he did for me...they have everything covered!!! Let me know if you have any other questions...u will be here soon!!!

[SugarHighs]

Thanks Cap!

 

Just one more question and then I will leave you to rest lol. Did the dr say it is better to completely buzz down your head before the procedure, or to shave the recipient/donor only? Or did he say it makes no difference? I want the procedure to be as easy for the clinic as possible, so I don't mind if that means they need to buzz me to a zero lol!!

 

Also, thanks for the advice about drawing on the hair line. I'm not sure I trust myself to be that artistic lol, but I definitely have areas that I absolutely want to be covered. I will try doing it a few times using photos of hair that I like.

 

Enjoy your growing new hair!

Sugar

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Hi NHP, were you allowed to pay in USD?

 

Did you wire money from US to Dr. Rahal's Canadian bank as per his payment instructions?

 

No, you pay CAD but if the cover ion rate is in your favor it goes back on your card..for example, one time I paid 8500 on my card, but when it went through it was only like 8250.

[SugarHighs]

No, you pay CAD but if the cover ion rate is in your favor it goes back on your card..for example, one time I paid 8500 on my card, but when it went through it was only like 8250.

 

Ah, okay. My regular CC limit will not cover the procedure, so I was going to pay via bank transfer from my bank to his. I do have a couple credit cards linked to my bank accounts but I never use them (don't trust those things).

 

Might have to make an exception in this case...

[Capelli11]

Sugar,

 

Check out my post I did the day before my HT...I asked everyone the same thing. Now knowing what I know post HT...the clinic doesn't care either way...if u keep your hair on the side they just have to tape it up during the incision which obviously takes more time then say you shave to a zero. I left the hair...then the second day I had Mike shave me down to like a 4 on the side to just cover the scar but shave the top hair which was longer which will make cleaning it myself easier. Looking back though...i think it is easier to just shave everything down to a zero...it will make u feel fresher and cleaner post HT...plus you can have ur hair grow evenly. The only thing is that this depends on ur lifestyle meaning if u have to go back to work early I would reconsider it but if u have at least say a month off I would perhaps heavily consider shaving the whole thing...I didn't really also want to see the scar directly so i think that is why i have held off thus far.

[SugarHighs]

Thanks Cap. I work from home so I wont see anyone I don't want to see after the process, but can't really stay shut indoors either. I will probably ask them to cut it to a #3 or so.

 

Looking forward to your updates!

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Sugarhighs

What day are you having your procedure? We may run into one another there.

[SugarHighs]

Hey New!

 

Ill be in Ottawa from Jan 4 thru Jan 12th. I think you mentioned you'll be there later?

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Hey New!

 

Ill be in Ottawa from Jan 4 thru Jan 12th. I think you mentioned you'll be there later?

 

Yea. I'll be there starting the 18th of January.

[HARIRI]

Its indeed a great place to stay. I thought it was going to be a quite good or bad place but I was shocked when i entered it. It was so hygienic, cozy and very friendly. I was so lucky to find a room as there are two rooms downstairs and one suite room upstairs with its own toilet. The owner of the house (from srilanka) was very friendly and caring. The kitchen is so clean and full of food all the time. Its only 5 min walking distance from the clinic and if you walk opposite way, you will reach in 15min to a big plaza full of amenities. 3 supermarkets, electronic shop, 2 restaurants, a bank and a cinema. I really loved it so much. Each room had a mini recliner chair to sleep on t avoid swelling plus there were 2 main super comfortable recliner chairs at the main halls dowstairs and upstairs. Most important was is that i never felt strange or weird because all of my house mates were patients too that we started sharing stories and knowledge up to midnight. I wish every clinic in this network provide a facility like this one.

Edited December 10, 2011 by HARIRI

[SugarHighs]

Yea. I'll be there starting the 18th of January.

 

Cool! I'll leave some Ghiradelli's. =)

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

I wonder how it's gonna feel walking 3 blocks in 10 degree weather with a foot of snow on the ground? Ha

[Capelli11]

I was thankful that it didn't 'really snow when I was there...I was stressing out about it big time leading up to the surgery...there was a very light dusting that was it but it cleared up right away. It was quite cold just walking there but it is such a short distance...I drove us 2 days though bc it was cold...perhaps one of the house mates will have a car...I had one and so did another kid from Toronto who drove there.

[Jacob1989]

Hey Capelli,

 

Nice write up, let me know when you have some pictures up..

 

Im going for 3000 FUT on 29th feb but actually flying out on 25th feb as the flight works out ?1000 cheaper!, unfortunately Foxbar was booked for the whole 6 days that i'll be there but there is no reason for the 4 days before my procedure why i cant stay in a different hotel so that is my plan and ive got the day of the procedure and day after booked at Foxbar, but they only had "the loft" available so i've had to take that, my brother will be coming with me so im going to stay in the Chair and he shall sleep in the bed, I was wondering if you have seen the loft? is there a general living room of the house that patients can socialise?

 

How did you find the procedure?, im pretty nervous as im quite young and never expected to have to go through this at such a young age but im excited to finally get a good hairline. I heard you can watch movies while its being done? and you cant feel a thing?.. is this right.

 

Anyone know of any good tourist things to do? Im going to be there 4 days before my procedure and with my brother so just wondering what i could do, but i also need to save my money incase more grafts are required.

 

Jacob

[Capelli11]

Hey Jacob,

 

I will be posting pictures today of Foxbar soon and you will be able to see what the "loft" looks like...basically when u walk into the house, there is a staircase going up to the suite bedroom and loft...the loft is just a bed/couch and a recliner...there is also a TV too...basics for staying at a house...all you truly need as a HT patient there is just a recliner to sleep in...very basic stuff...the entertainment is in the living room with a TV and couch and that is where everyone talks and hangs out.

 

In regards to the procedure...check out my write up (you can find it on my website or in my previous post threads)...I am on Day 5 today and feel no real pain just some tightness and numbness in recipient and donor area...nothing crazy though...scar looks really clean and thin thankfully. It is normal to be nervous but Dr. Rahal is amazing...and u really have nothing to worry about...I wasn't that nervous leading up to the surgery bc I was just so confident I was going to the best doc in the world in my opinion. You will be fine...to make yourself feel better just search his name and u will see so many great results...they really speak for themselves. I watched 2 movies while I was having the HT...nice big TV too...u can also listen to music which I did too as they have an IPOD player. You are numb so you feel no pain which is good. The whole procedure is pretty much painless.

 

In regards to tourist things...you pretty much have to stay in the house for the first few days as that is what everybody does...u have a bandage on ur head too so going out wouldn't be advised as you NEED to rest and stay in the recliner to drain the fluids so you don't swell up as much...so don't factor really going out. But before the procedure...there really isn't too much to do but don't quote me bc I didn't really look into this. If you have any more questions/concerns you can PM me too...hope this helps!