Post-op anxiety, how to deal with?

[GHTJourneya]

I am pretty sure that most of us go through some anxiety pre-op, mid-op or post-op. 

For some unknown reason, I was not anxious at all 5 days post-op, but now that I realise I am getting into the ugly duckling phase, I am getting more anxious.

I closely monitor my blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels, and the only concerning thing is that sometimes my heart rate goes to 90-95bpm, other times at 80-85, and hopefully most of the time around 75. Blood pressure & oxygen levels are always very good. 

My questions are:

1) Is it likely that anxiety will affect the outcome of my HT? My understanding is that generally speaking, telogen effluvium, (stress-induced shedding), is completely reversible, not very well understood and unlikely to happen anyway, unless there is a super-duper drastic event (like death of a parent), and even in that case it won't affect graft survival(?!)

2) How do you deal with post-op or duckling phase anxiety? I try to consume less coffee, follow a healthy diet and avoid alcohol to keep cortisol levels low. I avoid pills like xanax, as we already go through enough trauma and chemical imbalances with fin/dut/minoxidil/anti-inflammatories post-op.

[NARMAK]

I'm not a person who has gone through a hair transplant yet but @Melvin- Moderatorhas some helpful YouTube advice on the channel and probably give a few tips.

I think the "ugly duckling" phase is something you have to try realise is something you will go through and take steps to mitigate the stage with perhaps things that you find acceptable to do. Wearing a hat etc. in certain situations and perhaps pre-emptively thinking of answers to questions about when you're wearing it. 

The post-op anxiety sometimes is more difficult to advise on. "Stay calm and stay the course" isn't always a good advice but i would say unless you got a good medical reason to do so, maybe not checking the BP and such is probably an idea. Maybe try and only check on your scalp at designated times to spray Saline etc. and to take progress pictures at a set time. Once a month usually after the first 1 month is good. 

[asvik]

From what I know, the heart rate in general is very sensitive to stress and worrying, so my guess is that you have become too focused/afraid of "high blood pressure" and the result of you worrying about it will increase it, and when you check your bpm which confirms your worry, another "nervous reaction" will magnify this. I would suggest to check your bpm immediately after waking up in the morning, as this will yield the most accurate result.

I'm also a more naturally "anxious" person, and I can confirm that this is what happens to me at least.

[AlexMeister21]

If you went to Dr. Freitas, I wouldn't worry too much.

[Gokuhairline]

depending what time of the year and where in the world you get it, i.e if you got it august in USA specifically north east, by the time you enter ugly duckling stage its winter time and you can rock a beanie 3-4 months til march which puts you at 6 months...problem solved.  damn i'm smart. 

[pkipling]

As someone who's dealt with anxiety for much of my life, I can very much relate. I think the first thing I would suggest is to get very clear on what aspect(s) of the post-op experience are making you anxious. Are you afraid that the hair transplant will be noticeable and that people will question/judge you? Are there elements of shame/embarrassment tied up in that? Or are the anxious thoughts more about wondering if you'll have good results or not, and you're afraid that it's not going to look good? 

In my experience, anxiety primarily comes from unchallenged thoughts/beliefs - and once we can get really clear on what is causing us to be anxious, then we can address it. Depending on whatever thoughts are causing it, you may find that there's a practical solution (like the possibility of wearing a hat if you're afraid of people noticing, for instance) - or they may be completely unfounded altogether.

Hope that's of some help. And keep in mind that the ugly duckling phase is relatively short in the grand scheme of things and will be over with before you know it.