1 week pre-op, have a few questions

[curiousgirl]

Hi y'all,

I have a bit of a long story that I'll try & sum up... I'm a female that has hairloss from an old accident back when I was a toddler. I've had to cover my head with a hairpiece all of my life, although most people can't tell it's fake unless I tell them because I have a lot of regular hair that grows. I've had several other plastic surgery procedures (too many to describe in here). I'm finally about to have a hair transplant (FUT) in a week. I'm excited & nervous about it at the same time... more nervous if anything because of how long the procedure is. I researched it back in 2004, but I wasn't in a financial position then cuz I was still in grad school. I stumbled onto this website last month, found a Doctor, got a consultation, & I decided to just go ahead & get it done. I have looked over many threads in the past few weeks to refamiliarize myself with the procedures, & have watched many videos. Wow, there're SO many more informative videos available than there were over a decade ago! It helped my understanding of it even more & made me feel hopeful. So I'm rereading the pre & post op instructions & a few questions come to mind.

 

1) If you had any anxiety beforehand, how did you deal with it? Did it get better as you got closer to the date? How did you stay relaxed during that time?

 

2) What about supplements? I have a list from the Dr's office, but any particular ones that are big no-nos, along with some that are ok? There were only 2 on the list that I was taking that I quit taking a couple of weeks ago. One thread said Vitamin C is good to take... just curious about any others, like B vitamins (I saw that mentioned somewhere for ones NOT to take).

 

3) How did your head feel afterward? Did it feel tight, heavy, any headache, or just weird? I'm a little nervous about how it feels & haven't really seen too much of that discussed.... which I guess is a good thing.

 

Anything else you feel like adding is appreciated.... even if it's just to tell me I have nothing to worry about. I tend to overthink these things.

Thanks!

[Spring15]

I had slight anxiety before. It's normal. After the OP, apart from the day of surgery, it felt fine only slight discomfort. You'll be fine

[7Shel]

1. I've had four hair transplants, so I was really only anxious prior to the first one. Leading up to it, though, I was busy with work. That distracted me enough to not get super stressed, but I think it's totally normal to feel some anxiety. Once I was done with the first one, there was no anxiety when I got ready for transplants 2-4.

 

2. I used to take fish oil, which I stopped a few weeks before each procedure. That was my only big no-no. Otherwise, I continued taking zinc, vitamin D and a B-complex vitamin (all of which I take for general health). My doctor didn't mention stopping B-complex. Doubt it's a huge issue.

 

3. I would say tightness and numbness were the biggest issues. Donor area pain was really only an issue for a few days, and honestly wasn't that bad except for sleeping. Sleeping was tough for 3-4 days, but keep in mind that I didn't take anything stronger than Tylenol after each procedure. Had I taken something stronger, I doubt it would have been that bothersome. The numbness went away by the time I got my sutures removed, which was right around day 10-12. You'll also instantly feel relief with the tightness when the sutures are removed. It's a great feeling. I had a 3 hour train ride each time to see my surgeon, and I always looked forward to the train ride back after suture removal. By that point, I felt totally normal.

[curiousgirl]

I'll just have to keep my stress levels down & have some good sleep for this week... & try not to think about it too much. I have time off this week though, so it's all I think about, unfortunately.

 

That's good to know about tightness & numbness. I'm worried about the sleeping part because I like to sleep on my side & it's hard to sleep upright. And oh yah, the sutures!!! I've had them on other body parts (i.e., leg & stomach) & yes, they're a huge relief to have taken off.

 

I forgot another important question, which I addressed in another thread. I also wear a hairpiece & do plan on wearing it regularly after 2 weeks. I read some threads that advise not to, & I'll take it off as much as possible, but this isn't an option for me to just do away with mine. Grrrrr, I wish I had known this ahead of time..... If anyone has some thoughts or advice on that, I'd appreciate it.