Bisanga in March 2023!

[ItIsTime]

Hi everyone, I'm getting set for Dr Bisanga in March for my FUE procedure 3200 - 3500 grafts

I wanted to ask, especially for those who have actually gone to Dr Bisanga before any tips for the trip and how to make the time as easy / comfortable as possible.

This will be my first HT, first time in Belgium, traveling from the US to Belgium. I have a two day procedure on the 23/24th

Things I'm considering:

- Where to stay for a comfortable experience pre and post Sx

- Uber vs taxi (i've seen some posts someone said they were unable to get a taxi post procedure late in the evening)

- Food?

- Anything post transplant I should consider bringing with me (sleeping pillow, aloe vera)

- Anything someone wishes they knew to do before going to Belgium / Dr Bisanga to be better prepared for the procedure

If anyone is going to be there around the same time and want to grab a drink let me know!

Feel free to DM me if you don't want to post everything in the thread

Thanks again everyone and happy growing!

[HappyMan2021]

I recently got back from Brussels after a procedure with Mwamba

-In restaurants water is not served to you by default. And water costs money. It's weird. 

-Get there a day or so early so you can tour the city. Brussels is small enough you only need 1 full day to walk around and see the top 5  attractions. I didn't even need to take the subway

-Language is not a problem, enough people speak English. But fyi French is the main language. In many ways I felt like I was in a city in France, not in Belgium.. (I was partly confused by this bc Wikipedia said Belgium is a mixture of Dutch, French, and German. But it seemed to basically be all French)

-Get a hotel close to Bisanga so you dont have to worry about uber vs taxi

-Get a nice hotel that hopefully has room service. I just ordered room service for all my meals that were not at Mwamba's office

-Alcohol is a big no no before/after surgery as it negatively affects bleeding. I guess one drink won't do anything honestly, but why mess tempt that in the first place

-Tipping is NOT standard in Belgium (or Europe in general). Any taxi driver or waiter who asks you for a tip is trying to take advantage of your naive American ways. Gratuity is already included in all bills basically. 

Anecdotally I have heard stories of guys going to Turkey (of course) for surgery, having a big night out before surgery to celebrate, and then having to have surgery cancelled bc alcohol caused so much bleeding. 

Hair transplants can be a very bloody surgery. 

Edited January 13, 2023 by HappyMan2021

[crazytimess]

4 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

I recently got back from Brussels after a procedure with Mwamba

-Get there a day or so early so you can tour the city. Brussels is small enough you only need 1 full day to walk around and see all the major attractions. I didn't even need to take the subway

-Get a nice hotel that hopefully has room service. I just ordered room service for all my meals that were not at Mwamba's office

 

Great advice. I am having surgery with Mwamba in Brussels too in a few months. How did you move around Brussels without using the subway system? Is Brussels so small that you just walked around?

Would you recommend the hotel that you stayed at to others? What was the hotel?

[HappyMan2021]

41 minutes ago, crazytimess said:

Great advice. I am having surgery with Mwamba in Brussels too in a few months. How did you move around Brussels without using the subway system? Is Brussels so small that you just walked around?

Would you recommend the hotel that you stayed at to others? What was the hotel?

I stayed at Le Chatelain Brussels Hotel. Definitely recommend it. The only thing I will say is the food was pricey $30 euros per meal). But great service. 

I was a tad bit nervous bc its a 10 minute walk for Mwamba's office, I thought that was going to seem far a walk for post-surgery. But its not far at all. No difference really between a hotel thats 2 minutes away and one thats 10 minutes away. 

 

41 minutes ago, crazytimess said:

How did you move around Brussels without using the subway system? Is Brussels so small that you just walked around?

 

The day before surgery, starting from my hotel, I was literally able to walk around Brussels and see the top 5 attractions, without needing to take the subway. It's very walkable. For reference I started the day around 10am and was back at my hotel by 4pm or so.

 

Brussels is not necessarily a small city - I believe the metro area has 2.5 million people, but everything is more 'dense' and close together, making it seem small and very walkable (whereas your typical large American city is alot more spread out)

Edited January 13, 2023 by HappyMan2021

[Melvin- Admin]

Do not drink alcohol before or after surgery. I would wait at least a week. Now, I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a belgian ale with your dinner, but binge drinking 4 drinks or more is a NOT good after surgery. It could cause your scalp to bleed and grafts to dislodge. 
 

Good luck on your procedure and

[Marko7t4]

I’m guessing a lot of Americans aren’t used to “small” cities that we have in Europe, due to how big the US is in general. I went to Brussels in November and found it pretty easy to get around. Beware though, if you fly to Charleroi Airport, they don’t have Ubers. I ended up getting a taxi driven by an Albanian who charged me a lot more than an Uber did to get back to the airport. Flying into the main Brussels airport would be recommended. 

[HappyMan2021]

2 minutes ago, Marko7t4 said:

I’m guessing a lot of Americans aren’t used to “small” cities that we have in Europe

yes, it was very interesting how densely packed Brussels is. It has the density of an urban American city, but population size of a medium size American city. 

The American city I live in has a very similar population to Brussels but is much more spread out. A car is necessary. 

[Dillpickle123]

It’s like sf here in the US ppl don’t have yards and their houses are built stuck to each other the city is very walkable I decided to get the air bnb the clinic can provide as its a 1 min walk down the road to his clinic I ordered a lot of Uber eats but also went to places in person 

[Mike10]

I was there many times. Bruxelles is really kind of an ugly city

[JD Jones]

I just had a procedure with Dr Bisanga earlier this week.

Important to note that his clinic is near Waterloo so about 20km from Brussels.Its best if you stay in Waterloo obviously, there are 3 or 4 options there all a 5 min Uber ride from the clinic.Its a nice upmarket little town with everything you need and of course has some famous historical sites.I stayed in the budget option Ibis,it was realistically a two star but the staff are very friendly and helpful and it did the job for me.It a 5 min wall to the centre of Waterloo and lots of nice restaurants,there's a supermarket and a burger joint next to the hotel. 

Bring neck pillow for sure,aloe vera and anti histimes were the two things I forgot to bring.

Don't drink on the trip at all,it's difficult I must admit because you're surrounded by delicious strong Belgian beer!

I got Ubers to and from the clinic and they were less than €10.One trip I ended up getting a taxi and I was charged €25 so you know now which one to go for.

Hope this helps.

[ItIsTime]

This has been extremely helpful for me to think and plan things through! 

Thank you all

I'm not a big drinker of beer or anything or the sort so no drinking is easy for me. I would of had one just to be social.
I'm sure I can find a nice Belgium fruit juice ! 

I hope to stay in a slightly better than budget hotel/airbnb for comfort sake, but walking distance to the clinic would be the absolute best

You guys are amazing thank you!

[Tybwl5]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:40 AM, ItIsTime said:

Hi everyone, I'm getting set for Dr Bisanga in March for my FUE procedure 3200 - 3500 grafts

I wanted to ask, especially for those who have actually gone to Dr Bisanga before any tips for the trip and how to make the time as easy / comfortable as possible.

This will be my first HT, first time in Belgium, traveling from the US to Belgium. I have a two day procedure on the 23/24th

Things I'm considering:

- Where to stay for a comfortable experience pre and post Sx

- Uber vs taxi (i've seen some posts someone said they were unable to get a taxi post procedure late in the evening)

- Food?

- Anything post transplant I should consider bringing with me (sleeping pillow, aloe vera)

- Anything someone wishes they knew to do before going to Belgium / Dr Bisanga to be better prepared for the procedure

If anyone is going to be there around the same time and want to grab a drink let me know!

Feel free to DM me if you don't want to post everything in the thread

Thanks again everyone and happy growing!

Wish I could afford him, I got quoted 23,000 for 4,700 grafts. He seems like he does good work

[Tybwl5]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:40 AM, ItIsTime said:

Hi everyone, I'm getting set for Dr Bisanga in March for my FUE procedure 3200 - 3500 grafts

I wanted to ask, especially for those who have actually gone to Dr Bisanga before any tips for the trip and how to make the time as easy / comfortable as possible.

This will be my first HT, first time in Belgium, traveling from the US to Belgium. I have a two day procedure on the 23/24th

Things I'm considering:

- Where to stay for a comfortable experience pre and post Sx

- Uber vs taxi (i've seen some posts someone said they were unable to get a taxi post procedure late in the evening)

- Food?

- Anything post transplant I should consider bringing with me (sleeping pillow, aloe vera)

- Anything someone wishes they knew to do before going to Belgium / Dr Bisanga to be better prepared for the procedure

If anyone is going to be there around the same time and want to grab a drink let me know!

Feel free to DM me if you don't want to post everything in the thread

Thanks again everyone and happy growing!

Wish I could afford him, I got quoted 23,000 for 4,700 grafts. He seems like he does good work

[MachoVato]

I stayed at Martin's Grand Hotel Waterloo. I used Uber.

It's a great clinic!

[Hah6788887]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:40 AM, ItIsTime said:

Hi everyone, I'm getting set for Dr Bisanga in March for my FUE procedure 3200 - 3500 grafts

I wanted to ask, especially for those who have actually gone to Dr Bisanga before any tips for the trip and how to make the time as easy / comfortable as possible.

This will be my first HT, first time in Belgium, traveling from the US to Belgium. I have a two day procedure on the 23/24th

Things I'm considering:

- Where to stay for a comfortable experience pre and post Sx

- Uber vs taxi (i've seen some posts someone said they were unable to get a taxi post procedure late in the evening)

- Food?

- Anything post transplant I should consider bringing with me (sleeping pillow, aloe vera)

- Anything someone wishes they knew to do before going to Belgium / Dr Bisanga to be better prepared for the procedure

If anyone is going to be there around the same time and want to grab a drink let me know!

Feel free to DM me if you don't want to post everything in the thread

Thanks again everyone and happy growing!

I was just there. I'd recommend a neck pillow, a spray bottle for washing that you'll need after the 2 day procedure, I had a 2 day procedure as well. I rented a car but I did not take Valium which most patients take so I could drive. But the pain was really bad possibly due to that so I wouldn't recommend skipping that. It's a long 2 days. Be ready for that. I stayed at le cote vert which is was about 7 minute drive from the clinic. Nice place. Very helpful people. Just no 24 hour room service which is annoying when u wake up at random times and are hungry. Uber eats works well as they deliver it to the front desk and they bring it upstairs. Feel free if u have any questions to msg or ask here. 

[crazytimess]

On 1/13/2023 at 9:27 AM, HappyMan2021 said:

I stayed at Le Chatelain Brussels Hotel. Definitely recommend it. The only thing I will say is the food was pricey $30 euros per meal). But great service. 

I was a tad bit nervous bc its a 10 minute walk for Mwamba's office, I thought that was going to seem far a walk for post-surgery. But its not far at all. No difference really between a hotel thats 2 minutes away and one thats 10 minutes away. 

Did the doctor end up providing transportation after the surgery to your hotel nearby or did you just walk? 

[HappyMan2021]

16 hours ago, crazytimess said:

Did the doctor end up providing transportation after the surgery to your hotel nearby or did you just walk? 

I just walked. It was a 10 minute walk or so. I actually was indeed quite nervous about walking to and from the hotel even though it was a short distance, but whatever I did it anyways.