A bit worried, please any advice would be appreciated.

[hairystyles]

I have a surgery scheduled in August my doctor's clinic will be going on vacation the day after my surgery for 3 weeks and won't be able to do any post operative checks or care for me following the procedure. From reading the posts here on the forums I know that the first week is very delicate and that usually when coming in from out of town people stay a few days afterwards for post operative checks and washing. Particularly as I will be in a foreign country and there is a bit of a language barrier, not being able to see him afterwards is concerning to me. I am considering delaying my surgery, even though I know with his schedule this could mean waiting a long time I could really use the advice of people who have been down this path before as this is my first surgery ever.

-What would you all do in this situation? Would you delay the procedure or is it reasonable to care for myself without help?

-What were your post operative regimens? As far as washing my hair after surgery, returning to the clinic for the "first washing" seems to be a big deal, correct? Any advice on how to do this correctly would be appreciated. Also, what ointments/post op care regimens did your doctors prescribe after the procedure? I know Dr. Hasson for example likes using some sort of viscous petroleum jelly type ointment after the procedure to reduce scabbing (at least that's what it looks like on the pictures his patients have posted here) and others have mentioned they spray their hair with saline or some sort of "nutrient spray" after the procedure every hour till the scabs come off. If any of you could share the protocols your doctors used I would really appreciate it.

-How long did you wait to fly out after the surgery? I am 15 hours by plane from Madrid and will have to transfer flights at the 6 hour mark. I won't have anyone with me unfortunately.

Edited June 30, 2022 by hairystyles

[shiba1985]

That is messed up for a surgeon to perform surgery and go on a vacation and not be available, if what you are saying is true. Tells you how much you value your patient. If that was their schedule they should have stop operating if they did not want to be disturbed a week prior to going on vacation. 

his results are obviously good but sounds like it is starting to get to his head. 

[shiba1985]

Just now, shiba1985 said:

That is messed up for a surgeon to perform surgery and go on a vacation and not be available, if what you are saying is true. Tells you how much you value your patient. If that was their schedule they should have stop operating if they did not want to be disturbed a week prior to going on vacation. 

his results are obviously good but sounds like it is starting to get to his head. 

most likely you will be fine. post op period is auto pilot for 95% of patients. You will be screwed if you are the small minority in which complications occur.

[mafpe]

i think you can ask for a reschedule after the vacation?

most likely if there's any serious problem that's easily visible, it'll show in the first week, so while it's rare that something bad develops, having someone to ask about the care in the first week would be preferable. of course, if the clinic/ or your contact person can still help with post op care like address your worries, or what to do if a, b, or c occurs, it's most likely to be fine (the clinic and members are likely to have weathered most kind of complication since they are there for a logn time already).

so imo, even if the doc is on cavation for a week, as long as the clinic people can still help you with your concern, it would be fine.

[JoselitoElGallo]

2 hours ago, hairystyles said:

I have a surgery scheduled in August with Dr. Couto in Madrid and I was told that his clinic will be going on vacation the day after my surgery for 3 weeks and won't be able to do any post operative checks or care for me following the procedure. From reading the posts here on the forums I know that the first week is very delicate and that usually when coming in from out of town people stay a few days afterwards for post operative checks and washing. Particularly as I will be in a foreign country and there is a bit of a language barrier, not being able to see him afterwards is concerning to me. I am considering delaying my surgery, even though I know with his schedule this could mean waiting a long time I could really use the advice of people who have been down this path before as this is my first surgery ever.

-What would you all do in this situation? Would you delay the procedure or is it reasonable to care for myself without help?

-What were your post operative regimens? As far as washing my hair after surgery, returning to the clinic for the "first washing" seems to be a big deal, correct? Any advice on how to do this correctly would be appreciated. Also, what ointments/post op care regimens did your doctors prescribe after the procedure? I know Dr. Hasson for example likes using some sort of viscous petroleum jelly type ointment after the procedure to reduce scabbing (at least that's what it looks like on the pictures his patients have posted here) and others have mentioned they spray their hair with saline or some sort of "nutrient spray" after the procedure every hour till the scabs come off. If any of you could share the protocols your doctors used I would really appreciate it.

-How long did you wait to fly out after the surgery? I am 15 hours by plane from Madrid and will have to transfer flights at the 6 hour mark. I won't have anyone with me unfortunately.

I know Dr. Couto has a great reputation but after waiting almost 3 years to have this surgery, not being able to see him after the procedure to check on things has me a bit on edge. Any thoughts from the community would be sincerely appreciated.

Chill bro, You are on the best hands of the world. You should be so happy.

 

For sure Couto and his team wont let you down in case you are in a need. 

 

And be careful if you are going to reeschedule because there is a long queue and somebody will be so happy to get your slot.

Edited June 29, 2022 by JoselitoElGallo

[hairystyles]

1 hour ago, mafpe said:

so imo, even if the doc is on cavation for a week, as long as the clinic people can still help you with your concern, it would be fine.

Unfortunately (if I understood the clinic secretary correctly) the entire office is going on vacation and the only way I can reach them is to send e-mails. I was patiently waiting for Couto for so long to minimize the chance of something going wrong so this is a bit of a curve ball.

Also, if people could share what their individual post op recommendations were like. I think a generic line is "follow your surgeon's advice" but the huge variability in post operative protocols I've seen suggests that most surgeons are kind of just winging it, so I wanted to see what had worked for you all.

I think Melvin said he had better results with the 2nd/3rd surgeries where he didn't use saline? But then Hasson uses that thick petroleum jelly stuff and his yields are really consistent. I just wanted to see a flavor of what people have done.. the more information the better (until it's too much 🤓).

[mafpe]

10 minutes ago, hairystyles said:

Unfortunately (if I understood the clinic secretary correctly) the entire office is going on vacation and the only way I can reach them is to send e-mails. I was patiently waiting for Couto for so long to minimize the chance of something going wrong so this is a bit of a curve ball.

Also, if people could share what their individual post op recommendations were like. I think a generic line is "follow your surgeon's advice" but the huge variability in post operative protocols I've seen suggests that most surgeons are kind of just winging it, so I wanted to see what had worked for you all.

I think Melvin said he had better results with the 2nd/3rd surgeries where he didn't use saline? But then Hasson uses that thick petroleum jelly stuff and his yields are really consistent. I just wanted to see a flavor of what people have done.. the more information the better (until it's too much 🤓).

depend on how your days after the surgery will be then

if say, you are staying at hotel for a whole week, with good cool temperature, no sweating, no exertion etc, you should be ok (antibiotic etc ready).

then again, best ask the clnic about what if theres something happening in the next week after ops? for example, infection? listen to what they say and then if you're still nervious, ask for a speedy reschedule.

[TomCruise]

Surely Dr. Couto has a doctor in the area that he is friendly with and can do the follow-up post-operative care for his patients (you, in this case) in his absence. I would ask them about this and if no such arrangement exists, I would be very wary of proceeding.

[TommyLucchese]

Don't worry! My FUT surgery was a Friday and I flew home on the Sunday so I didn't go back to the clinic. The day after I wore a big loose fitting hat and walked around Manhattan, and the day after that I flew back to the UK.

Dr Feller gave me painkillers and shampoo and explained how to wash - I believe it was just use the suds and water on your hand very very lightly rub them across the scalp and grafts, and to not stand underneath the shower head. He also gave me his number and said to call if there were any problems, but it was all fine. i wasn't given spray or anything like that.

Just make sure they explain to you what you need to do and don't leave until you are certain you understand. Basically just be very very careful and sensible, it isn't too complicated.

Edited June 29, 2022 by TommyLucchese

[NARMAK]

I was an international patient and stayed there for about 3 days post-op after the HT completed. In that time, all i ended up doing was having the donor washed and there wasn't a full proper need for them to keep looking at the recipient area. 

The only post-op worries would be if something went wrong and with a world class doctor imo it's less likely and would be very unlucky. I'm sure in the case of a true emergency, they would have a contact number you could reach if really necessary. 

Post-op for me the most important thing was trying to keep spraying saline spray every 2hrs or so when awake but because my scalp gets dry, it's probably something i should have done more often every hour or so. 

Sleeping in the first week has a few "rules" of imo staying upright if possible and finding a way to prevent you unconsciously scratching the grafts. 

Things become easier imo after the first week and headwash. I did my own very carefully at home and cautiously. Just be prepared to feel a bit anxious even with the information you learn here. It's normal. 

[hairystyles]

11 hours ago, TomCruise said:

Surely Dr. Couto has a doctor in the area that he is friendly with and can do the follow-up post-operative care for his patients (you, in this case) in his absence. I would ask them about this and if no such arrangement exists, I would be very wary of proceeding.

I really like this suggestion, I am going to ask.

Edited June 30, 2022 by hairystyles

[JoselitoElGallo]

On 6/29/2022 at 5:54 PM, hairystyles said:

I have a surgery scheduled in August my doctor's clinic will be going on vacation the day after my surgery for 3 weeks and won't be able to do any post operative checks or care for me following the procedure. From reading the posts here on the forums I know that the first week is very delicate and that usually when coming in from out of town people stay a few days afterwards for post operative checks and washing. Particularly as I will be in a foreign country and there is a bit of a language barrier, not being able to see him afterwards is concerning to me. I am considering delaying my surgery, even though I know with his schedule this could mean waiting a long time I could really use the advice of people who have been down this path before as this is my first surgery ever.

-What would you all do in this situation? Would you delay the procedure or is it reasonable to care for myself without help?

-What were your post operative regimens? As far as washing my hair after surgery, returning to the clinic for the "first washing" seems to be a big deal, correct? Any advice on how to do this correctly would be appreciated. Also, what ointments/post op care regimens did your doctors prescribe after the procedure? I know Dr. Hasson for example likes using some sort of viscous petroleum jelly type ointment after the procedure to reduce scabbing (at least that's what it looks like on the pictures his patients have posted here) and others have mentioned they spray their hair with saline or some sort of "nutrient spray" after the procedure every hour till the scabs come off. If any of you could share the protocols your doctors used I would really appreciate it.

-How long did you wait to fly out after the surgery? I am 15 hours by plane from Madrid and will have to transfer flights at the 6 hour mark. I won't have anyone with me unfortunately.

For how long you are planning to stay in Madrid after surgery?

 

Me I had to take a 26 hours fligh after my surgery so I wait for a week. I suggest you to wait 5 to 7 days as well.

 

Usually for first 3 days post HT, just keep hydrated every hour your receptor area.

After 3 days you can wash very gently your head.

Usually every clinic has their own protocols and Couto and his team will provide it.

 

For the anhestesia in your face apply dry ice from time to time. Actually you dont have to do anything so special, jus rest at your room.