2000 (or so) grafts with Dr. Feller.

[TommyLucchese]

This will be just a write up, I don't want to put up any photos until I have close to my full result. I do feel like I owe it to you all to share my photos as without people posting their experiences and photos, I'd never have done it. I am just a little nervous about photos right now, but I will definitely post them in time.

 

So, I flew to the US last week and had surgery with Dr. Feller on Friday. I found it to be an incredibly positive experience and it went better than I ever could have imagined. I'd had a consultation in London in May and Dr. Feller recommended 2000 grafts into the hairline and middle part of my head.

 

I got there a little bit early (first time in my life for anything!) and soon enough Dr Feller called me into his office. He took some photos and then drew a hairline, which I was more than happy with but requested tweaking to make it more even on both sides. It wasn't a case of wanting a 'juvenile' hairline but more wanting balance.....which Dr. Feller kindly accommodated for me. After this I answered a few medical history questions and then read through the consent forms and signed where needed. These forms merely said that the best would be done for me but that nothing is ever guaranteed, which thanks to much research I was aware of anyway so was more than happy to sign. As I was doing this the technicians arrived and I was soon on my way into another room for injections.

 

I must say that when the (all female) technicians arrived I began to feel a little nervous and self conscious about my hair loss demons being exposed to the gender that I most try to hide it from, but they were great! Made me feel very at ease and I really got the sense that, while obviously Dr. Feller and his team treat each patient with their utmost care, it really is a fact of every day life for them.....so I was soon very comfortable about the situation. Dr. Feller was also very reassuring throughout about the nature of the procedure and that it isn't the huge painful deal people may think.

 

For the anaesthetic injections I was in a dentist style chair facing upwards and turning my head both sides. To start with I had a valium to relax me and a glass of water. I can't remember how many there were into the various parts of the head but I think at least 20 and, honestly, they were not the most pleasant of experiences. It was just like any normal injection, short and sharp but it was a little more uncomfortable due to it being in the head. However, it wasn't anything to be concerned about and I'd be more than willing to do it again. This, coincidentally, is the worst part of the whole procedure! Dr. Feller told me this is what women do whenever they have botox so for that to be the worst part makes it pretty good I think. After this I had a quick bathroom break. Dr. Feller did the injections whilst there was a technician with him too.

 

Next came the 'shaving down' of part of my forelock and the weaker hair at either side that I think had been brought back by minoxidil, and then I think the buzzing of where the hair would be taken from the back. After this I think I was allowed to get up and go to the bathroom again. Weak bladder! But it was nice to get up and have a little stroll. I'm not sure who did the shaving, there were a few people around as I recall.

 

The (I think it's called) harvesting of the donor area was next and Dr. Feller did this. Due to the injections I didn't feel a thing, I was just sat in a chair in New York feeling very comfortable indeed with little knowledge of what was going on....very nice indeed. Whilst this was going on I was chatting with Dr. Feller and any staff that came in were very friendly too. After this it was down to business and the doctor said he would need to concentrate now as he was making the (sorry, I don't know the exact term) holes for the grafts to go in.This was the longest part of the procedure so far, not sure how long but maybe an hour. Again, no pain due to the injections and I felt very comfortable just laying back letting the doc do his thing.

 

Another quick bathroom break and then the techs came in to put the grafts in. This was about 3-4 hours in total, I listened to my Ipod in parts and just lay there. After a while I did begin to feel a little uncomfortable and my neck ached a bit but compared to the pain I thought I would feel, it was nothing. There were two techs working on this and for the last hour or so they swapped and another two came in to finish.

 

Once the grafts were in, they began pushing down (or something) the new grafts I guess to make sure they were in or something. Then it was time to eat! I had been given a menu earlier from a local establishment to choose from and I tucked into cheese burger and fries. This was much needed and much appreciated! Once feeding time was over there was a bit more of the pushing down and then I was done!

 

I was given some post op instructions from one of the techs and then went through to see Dr Feller in his office. Some people had arrived for consultations, I hesitated to walk out when I saw them but then I realised we were all here ultimately for the same reason so I walked past and showed my shaven/bandaged/post op head with pride! Dr. Feller ran through some things with me, then I gladly performed as a human model for one of the potential patients, and then I said my goodbyes and waited outside for the taxi that had kindly been called for me.

 

I'd say I got there around 7.45am and the injections began maybe 8.30am. I was out of the building by 1.40pm and back in my hotel before 2pm - it really wasn't too arduous at all. In the 5 days since the op, and including the op itself, I'd say there wasn't really any pain. All it is is minor discomfort at times, the procedure is nothing like I thought it would be. Like I said, it was an incredibly pleasant procedure and I'm delighted I chose Dr. Feller. Afterwards he told me he put more grafts deeper into my head on the one side as I had lost more hair there which I was very happy with. I can't wait to see the result!

 

Big thanks to Spex too, who has endured well over 60 email exchanges with me now. He was a big help and I know I wouldn't have made the trip without him so thank you Spex!

 

I completely forgot to ask on the day what the final total count of grafts were but 2000 was quoted in the consulation, I'm not sure what the final count was.

 

[edit] I have made a thread in the questions/answers forum that I would be grateful for any replies. I have experienced no swelling at all and am worried that heavy rain seeping through my cap could have damaged grafts on the day after the op. Also, some graft areas seem almost white but other grafits seem a darker bloodier type red. Is this normal? I'm sure it's probably the usual paranoia people have afterwards but some answers would be very nice! A lot of the redness has died down already...I don't know if I have just got lucky with healing or if I've done something wrong! Oh the paranoia.

 

For anyone wondering what the immediate days after are like: once again, just minor discomfort. Donor area feels a bit tight, in great need to live under a hat to cover the graft area from the public eye but it's not too bad at all. The painkillers help a lot to take away from the discomfort - the whole experience really is pretty straight forward, I'm pleased to say!

Edited August 1, 2012 by TommyLucchese

[Blake Bloxham]

Great evaluation! Thank you for sharing.

[ShiningDome]

TommyLucchese,

 

Your experience mirrors mine - except for the bladder part.

 

I am confessing that I actually went the bathroom to check the new "hairline" in the mirror. :-)

 

As far as the questions, the grafts in my recovery period were just like you are describing. As far as the rain, as long as it didn't hit your head directly, you should be OK.

 

Grow well!

 

Dome

[chrisdav]

Nice write up Tommy.

 

Don't have any worries, it is normal to be a little anxious around and just after surgery. Dr Feller is an excellent surgeon and I am sure you will get the result you want.

 

Keep us posted with your progress.

[TommyLucchese]

4 months today!

 

I have a lot of growth which is very promising. It's not the ridiculous early growth that some people get where it looks like a final result, but I'm very happy with what has grown in at such an early stage.

 

My scar has sections that are completely faded and the rest is just "a little bit red".

 

There is still an outline of the new hairline that's a very faded red colour. That's most likely due to my light skin, but I thought it'd have gone by 4 months though! It's not a problem, however.

 

There seems to be new hairs spouting every day from the new hairline. It all seems positive for the next few months let's hope!

[TommyLucchese]

Woohoo!

 

As ever, thanks for everything Spex!

[TommyLucchese]

Just a quick update for 5 months and 2 weeks

 

The redness is finally starting to disappear. The growth at the very front is amazing and it's really coming in at the sides.

 

I'm definitely better already now than I was pre op which is amazing. My red outline of a hairline is actually becoming an actual hairline, can't wait for the months ahead. Seeing improvements as the weeks go by

 

Had absolutely no problems with the scar and it takes ages to find! All is looking good right now.

[Cant decide]

Sounds great. Happy growing!!

[chrisdav]

Sounds really positive.

 

Be nice to see some pictures.

[TommyLucchese]

Thanks guys

 

I'm still a bit reserved on the pictures side of things......I have taken them though over the last 5 months and I'm sure I'll share them at some point

[StaggerLee123]

Lucchesse sound Italian but I am assuming you're from England? Amirite? How has your scar healed up? Also I am coming in late on this thread but how was your flight back home? Did you need to take your hat off through customs... any problems there?

 

Block out your face and post some pics. "Enquiring minds" (from the National Enquirer) want to know...

[TommyLucchese]

Yes it's Italian, I'm in the north west of England

 

My scar is great. Honestly no problems at all, it's faded so much I can barely find it. One part is still a bit red but other than that it's an amazing non-issue. I can never be bothered with the FUT/FUE debate but when I see people talking negatively about the scars I wish they could see mine after only 5 months.

 

My flight was a bit annoying. I had my hat on from leaving my hotel room in New York to getting back to my car to drive home in UK. I felt very claustrophic and uncomfortable - it was just my luck that I had a stunning girl next to me for the flight LOL. If it had been a fat man or something I'd have taken the hat off no problem.

 

US customs on the way through were fine, as per Spex's advice I took everything out of pockets and gave them no reason to want to stop me other than the hat. But I got through the bleeper thing and no-one said a word.

 

UK customs asked me to remove my hat to verify the person in the passport I showed was infact me. I just said I had surgery and she let me through, she did ask what I had done but I declined to reply.

 

The blocking out of my face wont work, anyone who knows me that sees the pics would recognise me even with the face blocked out. I'm 23...I don't want to risk people knowing. Maybe I'd be comfortable with a few grown out results shared but right now I just don't feel comfortable.

 

You'll have to take my word that the growth is good (but not overly amazing like some lucky people get at the early stage) and its still a bit red

[tacolinowest]

tommy your 23? im 24 and going to have 2000 grafts done by dr feller in a month or so in my front, im really nervous about it cuz im young and the doc told me i have a below average donor area, 2000 this time and one more surgery with maybe another 2000, im nervous that i will run out of grafts be4 my head can be covered, i just really dont want to regret it in the future,i think about it all day and night and am having trouble sleeping because of it, if you could show me some pics of how you look be4 and now it would be great, hope you can help me out thanks a million -john

[TommyLucchese]

Dr. Feller knows more than me. I have good hair all over the rest of my head (though a little weak in some areas at the back) and Dr. Feller said my donor was 'beautiful'. I've also been on finasteride and minoxidil for 3 years which has completely stopped my hair loss.

 

Those are the reasons why our cases are not similar at all and thus maybe pics of mine wont help you too much! You can search for cases like ChrisDav and others who had 2000 grafts in the front. To be honest I can't see how 2k in the front and only 2k over the rest of your head will be sufficient.............but who am I to question Dr. Feller?

 

Perhaps he's giving you a solid hairline and will just try to get the best coverage possible over the rest of the areas. More with less, as it were.

 

Also I'm only at 5 months so no where near a full result, my pics wont help you.

 

Maybe you should consult with a few other top clinics to see if the recommendations are the same? Does Spex concur that it's the right path for you?

 

I know you're nervous about the future. I'm nervous too, even with my donor and medications. What if the meds stop working and I progress to NW7? The future scares me, I think most of us live with that fear of the unknown.

[tacolinowest]

Did you get any side effects from the meds, low sex drive or anything like that?? Also I wouldent mind a bald crown just have hair in the front and some in the middle, that might be more realistic , what do you think

[TommyLucchese]

No had no sides at all. My sex drive has always been high and I'm still game for 5-6 times a day.....and I have no problems getting it up! Maybe one day I'll get the sides but I don't worry about it...I can't imagine a day where the sweet cheeks of an attractive female doesn't get me going!

 

There are lots of people who vehemently swear that finasteride is "chemical castration" and that the sides get played down so they can make money. There are lots on the forums who got the sides. There are also lots who haven't got the sides and keep their hair. It's worth a try in my opinion.

 

Whether the meds lose their effect after a while is a grey area though. Some started losing hair after 5-8 years, others have been on it 10-15+ years and kept their hair. There's no way of knowing how you'll respond until you try.

 

When I think what 2000 grafts from Dr. Feller gave me in the hairline and mid scalp, I think an extra 2000 would take care of the rest of the midscalp but not really hit the crown area.

 

Maybe you will be able to FUE extra grafts down the line or maybe your donor will get better if you take the meds. I don't know pal, I try to gain knowledge from research and try to help people the best I can but really, I'm no expert. Propecia could lose its effect, I could become NW7 and maybe my donor thins and so my new hairline thins. I have no idea how I'll hold up......just have to make an educated decision and go with it! Hopefully I'll never lose another hair again

 

You should definitely tell Dr. Feller your concerns well in advance though.