Senior Member Gettinold Posted March 23, 2012 Senior Member Posted March 23, 2012 (edited) First thing’s first…..I survived the procedure J Actually, I don’t think it could have gone much better. I was very impressed with the office. It was very clean and welcoming. I was there about 20 minutes early, as the staff was filtering in. The staff consisted of women (good lookin’ ones I might add, which definitely added to the ambience), who were all very friendly and personable. Before Dr. Charles arrived, Jenny took me in a room to snap some pictures of the areas I wanted done, and talked me through some things, and really made me feel at ease. Dr. Charles came in soon after that.. high-energy, personable, and had a great sense of humor, as did the rest of the staff. We discussed the game plan for the surgery and he gave me some antibiotics and some pills to help me relax, when he asked me if I was nervous, I simply said “Yes”. We talked for a little bit and then sat me in front of a mirror. I told him I was only interested in filling in the crown today, which he was fine with because my hairline isn’t too bad. He did make some suggestions for future work on the hairline, but didn’t try to pressure me. We decided on 1600 grafts, I paid the balance (I had put a deposit down earlier to save the appointment date), and the travel allowance absorbed almost all of my travel expenses..when I say all, I mean flight, hotel , car rental, and most meals (of course I went out every day)..thank God for Priceline and Expedia. They took me into the surgery room and I changed into a gown, and they let me pick a movie to watch..Talladega Nights. The surgery began, and I have to say the worst part was getting the anesthesia, but they gave me foam balls to squeeze for pain. It was over quick though. The rest of the surgery took about 5 or so hours and I felt very little discomfort through the whole thing…in fact I fell asleep for a little bit. Dr. Charles and his staff would talk and joke with me through the process and they would often put their hand on my shoulder, which that small gesture really helped me to truly trust everyone. They all knew that this was my first surgery EVER (aside from something small when I was a newborn), and they really did their best to make me feel comfortable. They even bought me lunch when we took a break, and I was able to get up and walk around for a little bit. We ended up doing 1693 grafts total. After the surgery, Dr. Charles went over the post-op instructions and gave me some sprays, an antibiotic and some Propecia samples, along with a prescription for Vicodin. I drove to the drug store and back to the hotel with no problem, even went out to eat afterwards. Dr. Charles called me that night also, just to see how I was doing. I thought that was really cool. My patient advisor, Maureen, also called to check on me today. Sleeping wasn’t too bad that first night, I just put a towel down, bunched up a few pillows and slept on my side with the top of my head hanging over the pillow. I woke up a few times through the night, but never felt enough pain or discomfort to make me want to take a Vicodin. There were only some very faint blood droplets on the towel when I got up this morning. I was even able to take one last walk on the beach before having to check out of the hotel and turn in the rental car. So, so far so good….now comes the waiting game. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on my progress, hopefully I’ll see something here in a few months. As for now, I would have to say that my experience with Dr. Charles was great and I would definitely recommend him. Here are a few photos..the firs one is pre-op, the secdon is immediately post-op, and the next 2 are the day after. Edited March 23, 2012 by Gettinold
Senior Member Dutch Posted March 23, 2012 Senior Member Posted March 23, 2012 Congrats & happy growing! http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2329
Senior Member orlhair1 Posted March 23, 2012 Senior Member Posted March 23, 2012 Congrats. Should make a really big difference for you. Surgery - Dr. Ron Shapiro FUT 6/14/11 - 3048 grafts Surgery - Dr. Ron Shapiro FUE 1/28/13 & 1/29/13 - 1513 grafts http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/orlhair1
Senior Member Gettinold Posted March 23, 2012 Author Senior Member Posted March 23, 2012 Thanks all...I'm so excited to see the results, heck, I'm just excited to start seeing growth because I'll probably have to use about a quarter of the Toppik I use now because there will actually be stubble there to hold it in place. Assuming this all goes well, I'll probably look into getting more in the front/top to stay ahead of the game...I can see how this can be addicting and "hair greed" can set in..especially after seeing that the operation itself is like getting a tattoo, not a liver transplant .
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted March 24, 2012 Senior Member Posted March 24, 2012 Gettinold, Congratulations! Dr. Charles not only does excellent work but he regularly displays his kind nature and willingness to help through his participation in forum topics. I've not met him personally but he has always seemed like a great guy. Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress. David - Former Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my Hair Loss Website
Senior Member Gettinold Posted March 24, 2012 Author Senior Member Posted March 24, 2012 Will do, and will try to help anyone here out all that I can. This is an exciting journey..
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