Regular Member decow Posted October 20, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 20, 2014 Hello Friends, Finally my big day has come and i have scheduled for HT tomorrow ( 21 & 22 Oct 2014) with Dr. Koray Erdogan. I will outline the happenings as i progress. For now the experience for today ( 20.oct.2014) 1. I was picked out from the Ataturk airport by their support staff correcty. The airport transfer fee is 90 euros for pick up and drop off. 2. I refreshed myself in Hotel radisson blue. They have special prices for HT customers from ASMED clinic. I am paying around 95 Euros per night with BF included. 3. I was taken to the clinic by their driver for initial consultation. They charge 30 euros for the trips to clinic from Hotel. 4. ECG was taken, blood test was taken, i had a discussion on the hair line with Dr. Koray. We agreed on the hair line and he suggested 5000 grafts to be performed on 2 days. I had a donor density of 7000 hairs. But since i was in Norwood scale 5a / 6, he suggested that i may need another HT in 1 years time. I explained him that i would be happy with good coverage in the frontal part and mid scalp. Crown is my last option. 5. They took pre operation pictures, shaved my head and again took more pictures. 6. Dr. Koray visited once again to confirm the final numbers after the hair was shaved 7. I paid the money to them. Got no proper receipt. They wrote the number in a paper and gave them to me. At the back of my mind i was thinking about how hard it was to save this money. It took 15 months to save without spending on any of the things, Here i was spending the money in one go. I am only hoping it gives me the desired results 7. Finally had lunch and left to the hotel back. I will post the pre operation pictures some time later. i am trying to remain calm. let me see how the operation goes tomorrow. I shall try to keep this forum updated. this is my small part of giving something back to this wonderful community. Bye for now . Regards Rad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DaveyB Posted October 20, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 20, 2014 Thanks for the info. Is 5000 not a tad excessive? Best of luck tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JustJax Posted October 20, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted October 20, 2014 Decow, good luck tomorrow. I'm inclined to get my HT done in Turkey and Erdogan (along with Doganay and Demisory) is one of the HT surgeons I'm considering so really keen to read how your HT experience goes and to see your results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 21, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 21, 2014 i know 5000 is a bit excessive, but once u seem my pre operation pictures, you will understand the need behind that. I will update as soon as i recover from the HT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 21, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) Day 1: October 21 for HT with Dr. Koray Erdogan and his support staff. 1. I was picked sharply at 7.45 AM by the ASMED driver 2 At 8 i had the option to have a BF, which i passed. 3.At 8.15 I was given Xanas ( Lighter version of valium) to calm me down by Dr.Umut 4.8.30 AM was given a neck and shoulder massage for 5 mins 5.8.40 i changed into the surgical dress and was there in the operation room 6.8.45 AM Anesthesia shots were give. Yes, it does hurt so be prepared. 7.9.00 AM the extraction phase started from Donor area by Assitant Delek. she made sure i was comfortable all the time 8. 12.45 AM the 2500 grafts was extracted and i was given a break of about 45 minutes for lunch and some little relaxation 9. Again at 13.30, the second phase of incision started. More anesthesia on the recepient area. this hurts even more than the donor area. Dr. Koray does the incision directly after the anesthesia shots. this takes around 40 minutes 10. Once the incision was done, they started with the implantation. Initially Mrs.Delek and Mrs.Melice was doing together . each on one side of the head. After a while Mrs.Delek was replaced by another technician. So at any point of time, 2 techs are implanting the graft 11. I felt nauseating half way during implanting and hence they had to stop for about 10 minutes to give me water and some small break 12. Again they continued and it took around 3 hours to complete the implantation. The sprayes saline solution, put anti septic lotion and then wrapped up with a bandage on my donor area. Things ended around 17.30 13. Dr. Koray made one final check and confirmed all is ok 14 You are given then a medical kit with ice pack, ATP solution which you should apply every one hour . They also give you a neck pillow to use at night 15.When i was leaving, i felt dizzy and i was about to fall. Luckily the support staff helped me and then i had to vomit to get all the things out from my body. 16. All the doctors and support staff waited patiently, took me to a medical room, checked my BP, Sugar and heart rate. Doctor gave me something to drink to avoid dehydration. the entire support crew stood next to me the whole time 17. Once i felt better, i thanked them all and left for the day. 18. To be safer, Dr. Koray sent 2 of his support crew all the way till the hotel. They escorted me to my room and asked me to call them if i need anything else during the night. I cannot thank enough the doctors and the support staff for such a friendly service.My patient coordinator was Mrs. Sema Aslam. She was very helpful all the way through the surgery and answering all my questions patiently. The most difficult part to me was the implantation of the graft. Pain along with laying still with no movement will hurt you for sure. It is a long day with 8 hours of operation time. So be prepared for that. I will update my pictures later. Also i will update my second day procedure tomorrow. I hope all works out well. Regards Rad Edited October 23, 2014 by decow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted October 22, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted October 22, 2014 decow, Congratulations and thanks for sharing such detailed account of your experience! I'm looking forward to viewing your photos. 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...
Regular Member lifeisbeautiful Posted October 22, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 22, 2014 Decow thanks a lot for such a detailed information. I am willing to go to Istanbul for my hair transplant therefore it is great to hear other people's experience. How was your second day? Looking forward to seeing the pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JustJax Posted October 22, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted October 22, 2014 Decow, thanks for the update. Sounds like they looked after you well. I'm asuming you posted this when you got back to the hotel last night. Did you feel any more nausea once you were back at the hotel? How did you sleep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 22, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 22, 2014 hi, i did not have any nausea after reaching the hotel. Sleeping is hard since you have to sleep inclined with a neck pillow. Also you must be extra careful not to touch your head . So i should say i had very little sleep due to the above. As per the doctor, you have to follow this routine for the next 6 to 10 days. this is going to be hard, so be prepared. BTW, i just reached the hotel now after day 2. feeling exhausted. so will write up after a while. Photo upload will take time . so please be patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JustJax Posted October 22, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted October 22, 2014 Good to hear you didn't have any further nausea, I wonder if it was the Zanax? Hope you sleep better this evening, I would imagine the first night is the hardest. BTW, can I ask did you fill in the online consult with Erdogan? I completed the online form last night and I'm wondering how long before I can expect a reply (I'm so impatience). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 23, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2014 Hi, Be patient it takes 2 days to get a reply after filing the online consultation. Normally they are fast in replying and you should have a reply anytime soon. BTW, i am just back from the first hair wash. I will finish my second day write up sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 23, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2014 Day 2: October 22 for HT with Dr. Koray Erdogan and his support staff. After the grueling first day, i kind of knew what to expect on day 2. The surgery started much earlier on the second day and below is my narrative. 1. 7.20 AM the ASMED driver picked us up. I had my breakfast before that since i was given antibiotics to eat 2. 7.30 AM the scalp was washed after removing the bandage from the donor area. No pain at this stage. 3.7.40 AM Dr.Umut gave me xalax ( valium light version) and then another pill to avoid stomach problems that i had on day 1. 4.8.10 AM the operation started with the Anesthesia. Again those painful shots in my donor area. 5. Mrs.. Delek started the extractions and it lasted for another 3.5 hours. Around 12.15 we stopped for having lunch break. 2500 grafts was extracted in day 2. 6. Had a light soup and some salad. Went for a walk in the clinic corridor for some fresh air. 6. Again back to operation room at 13:00. Now anesthesia was given to the recipient area. Again more pain but had no choice. 7. Dr. Koray Erdogan started the incision around 13.15 and it lasted another 40 minutes. He said all is good and would have a look later again . 8.14:00, the implantation started. 3 technicians were working in parallel. Mrs. Delek, Melise and sere did the implantation. 9. It was very hard since you cannot have a break in between and have to keep the head still. On many occasions the anesthesia will wear off and you have the face the sharp prick pain. Not at all easy for me 10. Finally it ended around 17:15 and they applied anti septic cream in my donor area, bandage and other final formalities. 11. Dr. Koray visited at 17.30 and said all is ok. took pictures and left for the day back to hotel. My wife had come by this time and she was very helpful in supporting mel. My body was feeling weak, pain in the whole body due to lying still the whole day. Had a warm soup for dinner, took anti biotics, ibu prufen and propecia tablet. Sleeping was again difficult with the neck pillow. These 2 days of 8 hours were the longest in my life. Even Dr. said it is not easy with such mega sessions. Finally done with the surgery and i will write about day 3 later. Thanks for reading. Regards Rad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JustJax Posted October 23, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted October 23, 2014 Rad sounds exhausting. At least it is now all over and the healing process begins. Looking forward to seeing some pics. Erdogan has some great results so I'm sure all the pain and discomfort will be worth it in the end even if it perhaps doesn't feel like that right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member kamalmalik Posted October 23, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2014 Thanks a lot for such a detailed explanation. So does it mean Dr. Erdogan did not perform the procedure himself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 24, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 24, 2014 the extractions are done by the technicians, incision done by Dr.Koray and implantations again by techs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 24, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 24, 2014 Day 3: October 23 for HT with Dr. Koray Erdogan and his support staff. After another tough second day, i should admit the 3rd day was much better. I was picked at 8.30 AM by ASMED driver. The doctor and the technicians had a first look to see if the grafts are attached properly. They then removed the bandage in the donor area, cleaned the head. Applied a special foam and waited for 15 minutes. Then had the first wash with shampoo and they also showed me how to do the same later for the next 10 days. The same foam and shampoo is given as post operation medical kit. The cost for this kit is 240 euros that consists of ATP spray ( you should spray that every 2 hours in the recipient area), Foam for loosening the scabs, shampoo for wash and an ice pack. Although the care was good, i think the price for this medical kit is bit on the higher side :-( After wash, doctor takes one final look and confirms all is Ok. i took pictures with their entire team, and they also offered me a box of turkish sweets. Very kind of them.They also took picture of my post operation scalp. I also got a copy of the photos in a cd along with a paper confirming the number of grafts, other technical details, etc took the taxi back to hotel and then next day flew back to my home. Flight was bit difficult with transits, but not a big problem i should say. I reached home today and will post the pictures as soon as i can. I also had a wash of my head in my home with the same foam and shampoo. It is slightly painful in some spots of donor and recipient areas. I hope it gets better. Thanks for reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 24, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 24, 2014 Rad sounds exhausting. At least it is now all over and the healing process begins. Looking forward to seeing some pics. Erdogan has some great results so I'm sure all the pain and discomfort will be worth it in the end even if it perhaps doesn't feel like that right now. Thanks for the encouragement JustJax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member stinger99 Posted October 24, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted October 24, 2014 Wow 5000 grafts, that's intense. I'm a nw 5a and starting with 2700 with Dr bisanga. If all goes well will go a second op of 2500 12 to 18 months later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member kamalmalik Posted October 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2014 looking forward to your pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member mitchellthesuper Posted October 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2014 don't you think Koray Erdogan's prices should be much lower considering it is techs who perform the procedures? There are way much lower prices in Turkey even for the procedures fully performed by the doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 30, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2014 unfortunately i cannot comment on the price they charge..i asked for discount,, but that was declined Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member decow Posted October 30, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2014 photos can be seen here in this link file_zpse601f823.jpg Photo by asmedfue | Photobucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DaveyB Posted October 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2014 Excellent information Decow. Honest and useful. Who would people here say is better for a transplant Erdogan or Rahal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member t00ktheplunge Posted October 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted October 30, 2014 You made it through the worst of it and now you can look forward to the future when the growth begins. Good Luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hairchallenged Posted December 13, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted December 13, 2014 Hi decow did the doctor give you information about your graft distribution like no. of 1, 2 , 3 hair grafts and also about your hair caliber, hair characteristics, etc. that you could share? Also, how did you feel about the techs doing most stuff? How much is the doctor involved in the surgery at all? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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