Dr. Feller procedure yesterday

[Icecreamman]

I want to start by giving a big thanx to everyone who contributes to this website. I'm thankful to have found this site otherwise I fear I could have made a mistake and ended up at a place like bosley,lol. If I could buy you guys a beer I would.

 

I had been thinking about a transplant for sometime and after meeting Dr. Feller and a couple of other docs, I decided to go with dr Feller as he put me at ease, I liked his work, and the bonus was he was a short trip down the L.I.E. from my apt. in Manhattan.

 

The night before the operation my mind was a mess and started to question why I was doing this. I didnt sleep at all and had to drive out around 7AM. I cant even begin to describe what was going thru my head arriving at his office at quarter to 8. However as soon as I got there, Dr. Feller put me completely at ease and assured me that my procedure was on the "low end of the totem pole" for him, and that I would sleep during the operation, and be out by lunchtime. He was 100% correct. He was also joking a good amount as I had brought my red sox hat with me, he being a yankees fan, me being a liberal, he being somewhat conservative... All in good fun!

 

I won't go into all the details of the procedure as my experience is on par with most of what has been written here on that aspect. What I will say is that its virtually pain free. Except for the numbing injections I couldn't feel a thing, and dozed off for awhile. Throughout the procedure Dr. Feller kept letting me know everything was ok, even informing me that I had a superb amount of donor hair. Before I knew it, I was out the door and driving myself back to the city by 1:30.

 

Last night did kind of suck as sleeping was an issue but I would say that its really cause I'm a side sleeper and am forced to sleep at a 45 degree angle. Pain wise its not terrible. More of an annoyance than pain. Certainly have been in worse pain with my lower back going out from time to time.

 

As for Dr. Feller, simply put, he's a really good dude! His staff was excellent too. And I'm thrilled I had this procedure done as I had the front part of my head shaved and this has allowed me to see what I would look like bald in the future. Lets just say I dont feel too sexy right now, and cant imagine I would in 5 years had I let nature run its course. As for now, Im lucky to have the luxury of wearing a hat or bandana to work so I'm not too concerned about how I'm gonna look for the next 4-6 months.

 

I attached a pic and will be updating periodically, in the meantime I do have a couple questions...

 

1. Right now the staples feel really sore but they have gotten a bit better since last night. How many days until the soreness generally subsides? Does the tight feeling stay with you all the way up to the removal of staples?

 

2. I did awake to a big ass clump of hair on my pillow, I'm assuming this is shockloss. Is it too early for this to be happening? Is this a bad sign?

 

3. When approximately are the grafts firmly in place? I would like to resume sleeping on my side and was wondering how many more nights at a 45 degree angle?

 

4. When is it cool to start jogging again? I play a lot of basketball and have resigned myself to the fact that I'm not gonna play for quite sometime but I would like to resume jogging ASAP.

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Once again, big thanx to everyone here especially Dr Feller and his staff!

[chrisdav]

Congratulations on your recent procedure.

 

You picked a great surgeon.

 

I would check with what he says regarding jogging but I would wait until at least 10-14 days post op.

 

Give him a ring and I am sure he will be more than happy to answer your questions.

 

I have read from 3 days up to 10 days for grafts to be secure. (14 days max)

 

Dr Bernstein done a test on what day grafts were anchored.

 

Graft Anchoring in Hair Transplantation: Hair Restoration Surgery Publications | Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration

[Icecreamman]

Thanx for the info chrisdav!

[spreadlocks]

Dude. First up congratulations. I hady procedure with dr feller in jan and echo everything you say. The next couple of days you will feel really weird from the facial swelling but after that you will be good.

 

Obviously I ain't a doctor but I can give you an opinion based on my personal experience. I can not see any reason why you won't be able to play hoops at full capacity by 3 to 4 weeks. I was really paranoid about the gym but went back after 4 weeks and felt great. By 6 weeks out I was lifting at 100% doing abs, squats, deadlifts etc. my only regret is that i didn't start a week earlier. The doc said not to worry as it takes a long long time to stretch a scar and I firmly believe him. If you check my topic you can see my scar is paper thin and completely concealed with my hair shaved to a #3 guard at only 9 weeks. I'm start jogging at 10 - 14 days for def.

 

P.s. who you think will make the NBA finals this year? I'd a Brit but a big basketball fan too.

Edited March 30, 2012 by spreadlocks

[RCWest]

Nice write up Icecreamman. Congrats on choosing a world class surgeon. BUT, you forgot to tell us how many grafts you got. The rest of your hair looks very solid.

[Gettinold]

My post-op instructions said I could go back to lifting weights after 7 days...which this is my 9th day and I'm taking a break from lifting as we speak . My donor area is still pretty tender, but my graft area is numb, getting the stiches out in a few days. I've heard grafts should be in place by the week, I resumed a normal shower on the 6th day and never had an issue. All the info that I looked up seemed to be mostly on par with my post op instructions so I wouldn't totally quit your life just yet..

[Icecreamman]

@spread locks: I actually have looked at your pics before, congrats! Things seem to be going well for you and it seems your getting some good early growth!

 

I have yet to experience any swelling, I think this might be due to the smaller nature of my procedure? really just soreness in donor and this kind of tight, pulling feeling that's more annoying than painful. how long did it take you before your dome felt semi-normal?

 

When you buzzed to a 3 did you still leave your hair long on top to cover recipient area? Did you have to use any concealer to hide scar? Ideally I'd like to shave my head ASAP but I dont want to expose scar and would like a little growth up front so I don't look like such a freak. I did have a good amount of hair before the procedure so I think friends and co workers will notice something if I shave down too soon..For now I'm rocking the bandana

 

Okc vs Miami in finals. Toss up as to who wins but I think okc has a legit shot. I thought you lads across the pond only follow football? I hear my Chelsea squad ain't doing so hot right now...

 

@rcwest: I know dr f planned on 1350 but I did not get an exact count, he may have told me but I don't remember I was somewhat whacked out

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Congrats

Rest well and heal up!! Dr Feller is an excellent surgeon...you are in great hands!!

[ShiningDome]

Oh man, be careful. Red Sox hats will prevent growth. NY Yankees hat on the other hand, will help your transplanted hair to grow faster!! That's what Dr. Feller told me :-)

 

Joking aside, I had my surgery there in November, and just like you, drove back to Manhattan in the afternoon! I know, I need to post some recent pictures - will do so shortly.

 

Congratulations on your surgery and grow well. The next 3/4 months will suck, but after that, it is fun!

[JustOne]

Congrats on your transplant with Dr Feller. Good choice! Just take it easy, I'm at one month out from a transplant with Dr Lindsey and I feel perfectly normal , no tenderness on the donor site .. most of the grafts placed have fallen out ... im pretty much back to where I was before the hair transplant .

After you get your staples/sutures out I would get someone to put Vitamin E on the donor site twice a day if you can . Really helps with the healing process. Just imagine , this time next year our hair will be HUGE!

[Icecreamman]

@nhp-Thanx man. How's your growing coming along? Just want to say Thanx for all the advice and posts you've made. You've been very helpful.

 

@shiningdome- funny. Dr feller told me that too. He also wanted to shave a Yankee symbol into my head and I said I would do it if he offered a discount. He quickly rescinded the offer.

 

@justone- Thanx man, I've read from a couple people on here about the vit e oil. And yes, I do have dreams about hair like robert plant circa '73. I should probably curb my expectations, but yes, here's to looking forward to the future...

 

Does anyone know when it might be safe to resume sleeping on the side? Or wear a bandana? Also, is it safe to massage grafts with fingertips in shower on 3rd night? Instructions say to do so but I'm nervous, as I'm sure you all can tell. Cheers!

[spreadlocks]

@spread locks: I actually have looked at your pics before, congrats! Things seem to be going well for you and it seems your getting some good early growth!

 

I have yet to experience any swelling, I think this might be due to the smaller nature of my procedure? really just soreness in donor and this kind of tight, pulling feeling that's more annoying than painful. how long did it take you before your dome felt semi-normal?

 

When you buzzed to a 3 did you still leave your hair long on top to cover recipient area? Did you have to use any concealer to hide scar? Ideally I'd like to shave my head ASAP but I dont want to expose scar and would like a little growth up front so I don't look like such a freak. I did have a good amount of hair before the procedure so I think friends and co workers will notice something if I shave down too soon..For now I'm rocking the bandana

 

Okc vs Miami in finals. Toss up as to who wins but I think okc has a legit shot. I thought you lads across the pond only follow football? I hear my Chelsea squad ain't doing so hot right now...

 

@rcwest: I know dr f planned on 1350 but I did not get an exact count, he may have told me but I don't remember I was somewhat whacked out

 

 

Thanks a lot. It depends how you define normal really. I was feeling OK by a couple of weeks Then after that things flew along. Resuming your normal life helps time go faster.

 

Man. I just kept all the hair at the top of my head that wasn't shaved and pull it forward in a mighty combover. Even when I had the sides down to a 3 I still kept all the hair on the top to cover up the HT. Nobody knows I've had one. I waited almost 3 weeks then when I went back to work I pulled my native hair over the transplanted area and used some hairspray on the native hair to hold it in place. I did not need concealer as I have loads of thick native hair from the back. Hope all goes well for you in this department.

 

I thought the Heat seemed unbeatable but I would say that they have showed some cracks recently. I could see the Bulls maybe taking them in the Eastern finals. OKC look amazing though. And so young too.

 

As for your last post. I first touched the grafts very lightly when showering on the 4th day. As for sleeping on your side, I think the 5th or 6th day should be fine as the grafts are in place but the staples are a fucker man. They get sore in the night. I ended up pretty much sleeping upright till my staples were out.

[Icecreamman]

Congrafts - heal and grow well - please keep us all updated as your progress.

 

Its a long road so be patient :cool:

 

Best

SPEX

 

Thanx spex! All I got is time right now...btw your posts and website has been invaluable to me. Cheers