Senior Member Brando Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 Hey guys! I'm back from my procedure with Dr. Cooley in Charlotte, NC! I got to tell you, it was a wonderful experience. I was very nervous at first, but it was a piece of cake. I got there at 8:30 a.m. and Dr. Cooley took me back in the operating room. He asked if I had any questions and went over everything step by step that would take place. He then drew the hairline (which he took about 10 mins. doing to make it just right) then gave me three valiums. He then took a few before pics. I then took off my shoes and lied face down on a chair, kinda like a massage chair. He used a black marker and marked the donor strip to be cut. He then taped back my hair away from the strip and shaved it. Next, he numbed it. I've heard from many ppl this is painful, but like Social said, Dr. Cooley has a cool way of doing it. He put a massager next to the place to be injected and I didn't feel a thing! Absolutely pain free. I was awake the whole time he disected the strip and I couldn't believe how painless it was. I then got up to stretch and take a bathroom break. When I returned, I saw five microscopes and the nurses were disecting the graphs. Dr. Cooley gave me a list of movies to watch and I chose Dumb and Dumber. He began numbing the recipient site (piece of cake) and made the incisions. I fell asleep about 20 mins. into the movie. I woke up near the end and all the incision sites were made. I was then given another bathroom break and it was time for lunch. I had a chicken sandwich from a place I forget the name of, but it was great! Then I was given another choice of movies, which I chose Gladiator. Brandy and Dr. Cooley were inserting the graphs when Socialdrinker pops in! I was suprised to see him and he looks great! He took his hat off and all the redness was completely gone and I was unable to find the scar! We talked for a bit and then he left and they continued inserting the graphs. I took two more valiums but stayed awake the entire time. After the movie, I told Dr Cooley to choose a movie and he picked Meet the Parents (his favorite). Before I knew it, I was done. My procedure lasted from 8:30-5:30. It was such a relaxing experience. Dr. Cooley is absolutely great and has the greatest staff. They wanted me to be as comfortable as possible, and I was. I want to thank Dr. Cooley, Ailene, Brandy, Kristine, and the other nurses that helped make this experience for me a pleasant one. They were joking with me the whole time. I absolutely recommend Dr. Cooley to anyone thinking about a HT...his consultations are free and worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Brando Posted August 6, 2004 Author Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 Hey guys! I'm back from my procedure with Dr. Cooley in Charlotte, NC! I got to tell you, it was a wonderful experience. I was very nervous at first, but it was a piece of cake. I got there at 8:30 a.m. and Dr. Cooley took me back in the operating room. He asked if I had any questions and went over everything step by step that would take place. He then drew the hairline (which he took about 10 mins. doing to make it just right) then gave me three valiums. He then took a few before pics. I then took off my shoes and lied face down on a chair, kinda like a massage chair. He used a black marker and marked the donor strip to be cut. He then taped back my hair away from the strip and shaved it. Next, he numbed it. I've heard from many ppl this is painful, but like Social said, Dr. Cooley has a cool way of doing it. He put a massager next to the place to be injected and I didn't feel a thing! Absolutely pain free. I was awake the whole time he disected the strip and I couldn't believe how painless it was. I then got up to stretch and take a bathroom break. When I returned, I saw five microscopes and the nurses were disecting the graphs. Dr. Cooley gave me a list of movies to watch and I chose Dumb and Dumber. He began numbing the recipient site (piece of cake) and made the incisions. I fell asleep about 20 mins. into the movie. I woke up near the end and all the incision sites were made. I was then given another bathroom break and it was time for lunch. I had a chicken sandwich from a place I forget the name of, but it was great! Then I was given another choice of movies, which I chose Gladiator. Brandy and Dr. Cooley were inserting the graphs when Socialdrinker pops in! I was suprised to see him and he looks great! He took his hat off and all the redness was completely gone and I was unable to find the scar! We talked for a bit and then he left and they continued inserting the graphs. I took two more valiums but stayed awake the entire time. After the movie, I told Dr Cooley to choose a movie and he picked Meet the Parents (his favorite). Before I knew it, I was done. My procedure lasted from 8:30-5:30. It was such a relaxing experience. Dr. Cooley is absolutely great and has the greatest staff. They wanted me to be as comfortable as possible, and I was. I want to thank Dr. Cooley, Ailene, Brandy, Kristine, and the other nurses that helped make this experience for me a pleasant one. They were joking with me the whole time. I absolutely recommend Dr. Cooley to anyone thinking about a HT...his consultations are free and worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 Congrats, Brando. It was my pleasure popping in and being able to see how you were doing. I agree with Brandy and Ailene that you should maybe try out that little "pigtail" they had your hair in...haha. Glad to hear your experience was a good one. Now is definitely the hard part...the waiting. The first two weeks is the roughest but after that, it's almost easy to forget you had the procedure done. For at least a few minutes at a time, anyway! Thanks for the post and we all look forward to the pictures! -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HairBeThere Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 sounds like a great experiance.. Maybe other doctors should incorporate this massaging technique. I had the shots with out it, and it hurt like hell!! Glad to hear it Brando, and hope you post some photo's!! Thanks for the update.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member baldcasanova Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 congrats brando please post pics Cas ____________________________ 630 FUT - 8/27/03 2200 FUT - 5/20/05 2000 FUT - 12/15/07 "i haven't been this bald since.... well... since I was born!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Brando Posted August 6, 2004 Author Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 Thanks alot guys! Social...I believe I will wear the pony tail on top of my head like sumo wrestlers from now on..lol! I will post pics as soon as I can (I just got a digital camera and I'm learning how to work it). I am getting ready to take a bath and Dr Cooley told me to use a cup and pour water over top my head really easy. Then pat dry my hair with a towel. My donor site is a little sore, not much at all to be bothered by as of now. I am very impressed with my hairline and temples, I just hope and pray the end results look as good as what I can see right now. I had my surgery yesterday(hairline only) and I would like to see my g/f by Monday or Tuesday. I like to wear my hat to fit my head with the bill bent(I don't want to wear my hat the way I did when I left surgery, with it so loose the sides were sticking out and it barely fit). If I wet the grafts down and put the saran wrap on, could I wear my hat the way I normally do Monday or Tuesday so I can go to the movies w/ my g/f? Thanks alot for everyone's help and support on this wonderful site. It has been a blessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 Brando, You can wear your hat as you normally do, however, be extremely careful in the way you put it on. What I did was put the front on first and lower tha back on. I also made sure the "rim" of the inside of the cap was lower down than any graphs and thus did not rub them. Also, don't forget that saran-wrap! -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Brando Posted August 6, 2004 Author Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 So Monday I should be able to wear my hat as usual just as long as it's below all the grafts and i have the saran wrap on? Hey Social, the day after your procedure, when you took a bath and poured water over your head lightly with a cup..how did you dry your hair? I patted mine dry with a towel, but not all the way dry because I was afraid of losing some grafts. When can I dry my hair normally with a towel and comb it as I usually do without fear of ripping a graft out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 As far as drying your hair, I really have to say it's at your discretion as to the best approach. I let mine "air dry" out of fear of ripping any of those graphs out. By the way, use diligence in wearing anything on your head, as I had on the surgeons cap the day after and the saran-wrap was not low enough. Needless to say, the cap stuck to graph and ripped it out. It was only one, but it was pretty nerve-wrenching. After that I was super-careful. I think that by Monday you should be fine with wearing a ballcap with saran-wrap, as long as youre super careful about moving it around on your head. Too much movement can possibly rub the recipient area and disrupt the direction in which the graph was placed and you don't want to mess up all that great work! Good luck! -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HairBeThere Posted August 6, 2004 Senior Member Share Posted August 6, 2004 Best to really limit the use of a hat for 2 weeks. Also, do not blow dry your hair. The heat is not good for the graft area. I was told, wait at least a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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