1800 + 200 bonus grafts FUT with Dr. Rosanelli

[jerzig]

I did it! Had my HT done on Wednesday and I am two days into the recovery process. Typing this while sitting awkwardly on my couch with my head tilted back and an ice pack on. The procedure went very smoothly. The only real pain involved was the initial numbing injections. Those were ROUGH, but they are over quickly and then my whole head felt like it was made of stone. The worst part was probably sitting in the chair for so long. I got to the Dr's office at 6am and left about 2pm.

 

The original plan at my consult was to go for 1600 grafts focusing mostly on my frontal area and a little temple work. The morning of the surgery Dr. Rosanelli drew the hairline on and we decided to come down a little further in the front (not bringing the hairline down, but reinforcing my current front hairline) which added about 200 extra grafts. I ended up having a very dense donor area so he ended up with extra grafts which were put along the top of my head which has some mild thinning. Grand total graft count was 2,060.

 

Everybody there was great. I felt really comfortable and well taken care of.

 

 

Pain hasn't been too bad. The worst part is just being kind of uncomfortable. The real pain has been the donor area, and it's really hard to find a comfortable way to sit without touching it on something and making it hurt more. I've got a pretty sore and stiff neck already. I'm icing my head off and on for 20 minutes at a time and keeping my head tilted up. Sleeping has been uncomfortable but tolerable. I started weening myself off the Vicodin yesterdy afternoon. It was making me feel pretty gross after being on it for a couple of days. I really don't like pain meds very much. Tylonol seems to be doing the trick for now. Showering the graft area is awkward. I'm super concerned about knocking any grafts loose but I also want to make sure I clean everything well enough. I'm putting Neosporin on three times a day, but I'm afraid to rub it in too much so I have globs of it all over the top of my head and the donor area.

 

Only one more day of the heavy icing and elevating. Hopefully it'll all get easier after that and life can start to get a little more normal. I want to keep icing through Sunday in hopes of avoiding the major swelling phase.

 

Anybody have tips for cleaning the grafted area while showering? Am I just being too paranoid?

 

I'll get post-op pics up in my journal as soon as I get em from the doc.

 

Can't believe I did it! I'm very excited for the future!

 

P.S. I don't recommend getting a procedure in San Francisco on the same day of the Giants World Series parade. I felt drugged and gross afterwards and all I wanted to do was be home. Instead it took an hour just to get out of the damn city. The hour and half drive home took over three. Ugh...

[TakingThePlunge]

jerzig,

 

Congratulations! Just taking the first step to restoring hair takes a lot of courage and determination. I know the feeling once it's all over and you know that despite the agonizingly long wait, good things are on the horizon.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share you experience. Please keep us posted on your progress. Happy growing!

[Arthur]

Congrats on your HT man, pleased its all gone well.

The donor area was my main source of discomfort, no decent sleep for 10 days!

All is well now tho so I hope you heal well and get some good growth.

[jerzig]

Thanks guys. I'm feeling pretty good today. Itching and soreness at the donor area and a little bit of soreness at the grafted area, but that's probably due to the fact that this morning was the first day that I did a little rubbing on the grafted area while washing. The neosporin is still keeping my head greasy on top which is pretty annoying.

 

I'm finally past the doctor recommended 72 hours of icing and tilting my head up. My neck is SOOOO sore from doing this since Wednesday. It feels really good to finally start moving my head normally again.

 

I'm still too afraid to touch the grafted area too much so I haven't attempted any sort of styling and my native hair is just kind of plastered down over the grafts due to the neosporin. I'm heading back to work tomorrow. I"ve got a nice pork pie hat that I'm going to wear. I really don't have much scabbing at all right now, but I'm not going to attempt any styling yet, so hopefully the hat won't irritate anything.

 

I'm still really apprehensive about knocking grafts loose. How long till I can be fairly certain they've taken hold?

 

Thanks a ton again! Wouldn't be where I'm at today without this site and all the help and support from you guys!

[RobertoLovesDrMartinickAus]

G'day mate,

Regarding tips for cleaning the grafted area while showing...

It is vital when shampooing or rinsing the transplanted area that you are gentle for the first 7 days.

From day 3 onwards, you may begin gently washing the transplanted area using Dettol Antibacterial Handwash as a shampoo.

Apply with a patting motion (DO NOT rub), then rinse off with indirect running water (eg pour a cup of warm water over the area to rinse, or partially block the flow of shower water so it is not subject to strong, direct pressure) - I use a cup, then put on a shower cap.

Pat dry or allow to air dry - I use a hairdryer on low / cold setting.

Then apply Minoxidil, and then at night after 20 minutes apply Aqueous Cream, and rinse out in the morning.

You can be less gentle to the donor area... lift up the hair at the back of the head so the shower may irrigate the stitches.

This is from Dr Jennifier Martinick's Post Operative Care notes.

Good luck,

Rob

[jerzig]

Had my first suture removal yesterday. Everything seems to be healing up nicely. I'm officially in the scabbing stage. Kinda gross but I'm just massaging with a little more pressure while washing everyday to help them move along. My native hair is sticking into my grafted hairs like velcro. Fun times. Good thing I invested in a cool hat before my surgery.

 

On an awesome note, I seem to have completely avoided any facial swelling whatsoever. Per doctor's instructions, I kept my head tilted up and iced off/on for 20 minutes religiously for the first 72+ hours. My neck and shoulders ended up being sore as hell but it was totally worth it to not swell up for a week.