Regular Member Rhino3 Posted March 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 30, 2014 (edited) I had a ~2000 graft procedure with Dr. Konior about 3 weeks ago in his Chicago office, and am glad to report that my experience was like many of the Konior experiences shared on this forum -- fantastic. I don't want to go into too much verbose detail, but I was a bit nervous going in even though this wasn't my first procedure. I somehow managed to fly out of DC during a snowstorm after a hours and hours of delays, got to the hotel at 2am, ran to Walgreens to get food/water for my recovery stage, and they picked me up at 6am. It seemed like a random part of Chicago with strip malls and run down roads, and I felt uneasy being there by myself and because of the hectic trip and lack of sleep -- until I met Dr. Konior and his staff. His staff is very friendly, personable, and intelligent. And within a few minutes of meeting Dr. Konior, I immediately felt completely at ease. He just exudes intelligence, integrity, kindness, and professionalism. He's also funny and kind of a guy's guy -- the kind of guy you would want to grab a beer with and talk sports, politics, or anything. He is a quick and focused doctor, but patient at the same time and more than willing to answer as many questions as you have and go into as much detail as you'd like. While he's kind and accommodating, he also asserts his expertise and will tell you if he disagrees with what you're suggesting. For example I was adamant about not going near one section of an old scar for my donating strip, and he convinced me that it's best for me to let him find the "sweet spots" for the best results and he could determine whether reopening the scar or going near it would be bad. By the end of the conversation I just deferred to him to do whatever he wanted, not because I was pressured, but just because he was so confident and I completely trusted him. Everything went well and although the day after surgery was a bit rough, I returned to work within 6 days without anyone noticing anything (didn't shave recipient area) and life is back to normal -- I'm just trying to be patient for the long growth process now. Overall, Dr. Konior and his staff are incredibly efficient, knowledgable, and treat you like family. 1 story and 2 pieces of advice for anyone going to Dr. Konior: 1) Woken from Daze: I stayed in the hotel for 3 days after surgery, and was so tired from lack of sleep on my first night and in a daze from the meds, that I guess I just wasn't answering my phone and the doctors office couldn't get in touch with me to check-in and schedule post-op clean ups/evaluations. It had to be highly annoying for them, but Felice came to my hotel, talked the clerk into going up to my room with him, and they got me in gear. They were all very understanding and nice about it. 2) O'Hare Taxi Scams: This may not be unique to Chicago for all I know, but I got a taxi at O'Hare when I landed and was charged $80 to get to the Comfort Suites hotel near Dr. Koniors office. I protested, but the driver said that Chicago airport taxi's are more expensive, and that it was just a long ride. After talking with some folks later it's pretty clear that I was just scammed. The Uber taxi back to O'Hare was something like $25, and the driver said it's common for the taxi drivers to rip off out of towners coming out of the airport. I think he must have punched multiple people into the meter or something. So, be careful and maybe plan ahead if you're on a tight budget. 3) Food and Water for Recovery:: If traveling from out of town, you are NOT going to want to leave your hotel room during recovery, so you need several days worth of food/water to store before surgery (Comfort Suites has fridges and microwaves). Unfortunately there aren't sidewalks on the hotel road, and although there's a Walgreen's and 7-11 within a 5 minute walk, I can attest that crossing 4 lanes of traffic and getting down the road in a new city at 2am to get to Walgreens was not fun. I suggest having the taxi take you to get food and water first, and getting there early to get settled the night before the procedure. I'll try and post updates during my growth process, although I'm not sure if I'm comfortable posting pictures. If anyone has any questions feel free to fire away on this thread or private message me. And thank the lord for this website, its administrators, and members. What an incredible resource. There's no way I would have learned about Dr. Konior's office without this site. Edited March 30, 2014 by Rhino3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Since21 Posted March 30, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted March 30, 2014 2) O'Hare Taxi Scams: This may not be unique to Chicago for all I know, but I got a taxi at O'Hare when I landed and was charged $80 to get to the Comfort Suites hotel near Dr. Koniors office. I protested, but the driver said that Chicago airport taxi's are more expensive, and that it was just a long ride. After talking with some folks later it's pretty clear that I was just scammed. The Uber taxi back to O'Hare was something like $25, and the driver said it's common for the taxi drivers to rip off out of towners coming out of the airport. I think he must have punched multiple people into the meter or something. So, be careful and maybe plan ahead if you're on a tight budget. Same thing happened to me, except not until now did I realize I'd been scammed! Congratulations on your surgery with one of the best. 3,425 FUT grafts with Dr Raymond Konior - Nov 2013 1,600 FUE grafts with Dr Raymond Konior - Dec 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hsrp10 Posted March 31, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) congrats and great write up, if you are like most of his patients you will start to see some nice changes in just a few months and you mention some great points above! though I didn't get scammed the whole suburban taxi system to the Chicago burbs seemed "scammy" and I just didn't feel safe at all on one occasion. definitely get the taxi company and the driver to confirm the price to and from the hotel before you get in, which should at most be like $35 including tolls. the ride back to the airport was with a cheerful guy anyhow and another definite yes on tip #3, even if you are dead exhausted from travelling hit the local food store before the procedure! Edited March 31, 2014 by hsrp10 go dense or go home Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto (*indicates actual experience with doctor) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hsrp10 Posted March 31, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 did you skip the post-op ski trip btw? http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/174364-shoul-i-ski-4-days-post-op.html go dense or go home Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto (*indicates actual experience with doctor) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted March 31, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your experience! 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Spanker Posted March 31, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 I had a ~2000 graft procedure with Dr. Konior about 3 weeks ago in his Chicago office, and am glad to report that my experience was like many of the Konior experiences shared on this forum -- fantastic. I don't want to go into too much verbose detail, but I was a bit nervous going in even though this wasn't my first procedure. I somehow managed to fly out of DC during a snowstorm after a hours and hours of delays, got to the hotel at 2am, ran to Walgreens to get food/water for my recovery stage, and they picked me up at 6am. It seemed like a random part of Chicago with strip malls and run down roads, and I felt uneasy being there by myself and because of the hectic trip and lack of sleep -- until I met Dr. Konior and his staff. His staff is very friendly, personable, and intelligent. And within a few minutes of meeting Dr. Konior, I immediately felt completely at ease. He just exudes intelligence, integrity, kindness, and professionalism. He's also funny and kind of a guy's guy -- the kind of guy you would want to grab a beer with and talk sports, politics, or anything. He is a quick and focused doctor, but patient at the same time and more than willing to answer as many questions as you have and go into as much detail as you'd like. While he's kind and accommodating, he also asserts his expertise and will tell you if he disagrees with what you're suggesting. For example I was adamant about not going near one section of an old scar for my donating strip, and he convinced me that it's best for me to let him find the "sweet spots" for the best results and he could determine whether reopening the scar or going near it would be bad. By the end of the conversation I just deferred to him to do whatever he wanted, not because I was pressured, but just because he was so confident and I completely trusted him. Everything went well and although the day after surgery was a bit rough, I returned to work within 6 days without anyone noticing anything (didn't shave recipient area) and life is back to normal -- I'm just trying to be patient for the long growth process now. Overall, Dr. Konior and his staff are incredibly efficient, knowledgable, and treat you like family. 1 story and 2 pieces of advice for anyone going to Dr. Konior: 1) Woken from Daze: I stayed in the hotel for 3 days after surgery, and was so tired from lack of sleep on my first night and in a daze from the meds, that I guess I just wasn't answering my phone and the doctors office couldn't get in touch with me to check-in and schedule post-op clean ups/evaluations. It had to be highly annoying for them, but Felice came to my hotel, talked the clerk into going up to my room with him, and they got me in gear. They were all very understanding and nice about it. 2) O'Hare Taxi Scams: This may not be unique to Chicago for all I know, but I got a taxi at O'Hare when I landed and was charged $80 to get to the Comfort Suites hotel near Dr. Koniors office. I protested, but the driver said that Chicago airport taxi's are more expensive, and that it was just a long ride. After talking with some folks later it's pretty clear that I was just scammed. The Uber taxi back to O'Hare was something like $25, and the driver said it's common for the taxi drivers to rip off out of towners coming out of the airport. I think he must have punched multiple people into the meter or something. So, be careful and maybe plan ahead if you're on a tight budget. 3) Food and Water for Recovery:: If traveling from out of town, you are NOT going to want to leave your hotel room during recovery, so you need several days worth of food/water to store before surgery (Comfort Suites has fridges and microwaves). Unfortunately there aren't sidewalks on the hotel road, and although there's a Walgreen's and 7-11 within a 5 minute walk, I can attest that crossing 4 lanes of traffic and getting down the road in a new city at 2am to get to Walgreens was not fun. I suggest having the taxi take you to get food and water first, and getting there early to get settled the night before the procedure. I'll try and post updates during my growth process, although I'm not sure if I'm comfortable posting pictures. If anyone has any questions feel free to fire away on this thread or private message me. And thank the lord for this website, its administrators, and members. What an incredible resource. There's no way I would have learned about Dr. Konior's office without this site. There is a nice little market that is 5 minutes away on the same side of the street the hotel is on. It is actually one of the nicest groceries I have been in. I can remember the name but it is hard to miss. That is where I would go to stock up. I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. View Dr. Konior's Website View Spanker's Website I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted March 31, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 There is a nice little market that is 5 minutes away on the same side of the street the hotel is on. It is actually one of the nicest groceries I have been in. I can remember the name but it is hard to miss. That is where I would go to stock up. That's right. Pete's Fresh Market and next door to it is an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Paulygon Posted April 1, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted April 1, 2014 Great write-up. I also had a nice and similar experience during recovery.. except I did choose to go out several times a day for pizza, ice cream, groceries. I was located in an upscale LA-area neighborhood with good eateries; I kind of let myself experience recovery as a Spa-weekend. I found that a baseball cap (which was provided by the clinic) did a decent job of masking my surgery bandages (of course I wore the baseball cap at a bit higher a height than I normally would). I'll try to do a write-up about my experience at some point.. though its coming on 2 years pretty soon! Time flies after those hairs come in! (It's the ugly-duckling phase that seems to take forever) Paulygon is a former patient of Dr. Parsa Mohebi My regimen includes: HT #1 2710 grafts at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration in Los Angeles in 2012 Rogaine foam 2x daily, since 2012 (stopped ~10/2015) Finasteride 1.25mg daily, since 2012 (stopped ~12/2015) HT #2 3238 grafts at Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration in Los Angeles in Jun. 2016 Started Rogaine and Propecia in July. 2016 after being off of them for about a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member gonebutnotforgotten Posted April 3, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted April 3, 2014 Welcome to the club! I had mine done with him 3.5 months ago. Although It's not "close" to his office, may I suggest staying at the hotel lincoln for anyone next time? It's next to a farmers market in the summer, the lake, lincoln park, and the zoo. It's only 30-50 mins with traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Arrie Posted April 3, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted April 3, 2014 World class clinic I'm sure you will be happy in no time! You only live once... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-from-Farjo Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Really interesting read Rhino3. I've heard only good things about Dr Konior and it sounds like you had a great experience with him. Pete I am an online representative for Farjo Hair Institute Dr. Bessam Farjo is an esteemed member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions shared are my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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