now what??????????

[skinnyvi]

everytime i had a problem & asked you guys for help, i received it. it has been 3+ months since my 2600 ht mostly in the front\side & some in the crown. not only is there no noticeable growth or "starting to be noticeable growth" but i have lost a ton of shockloss hairs. unfortunately because the ht was mostly in the front, most of the shockloss was in the front. my hairline now looks like a "W". it looks so bad!! my doctor who i love & trust said it is because of the dense packing that he did & also he did expect this. he also said i am probably looking at 8-12 months before noticeable growth appears. he said if i was completely bald i would notice growth. guys, my front area has a 1"x1" bald spot w\no help in sight. it's bad. my crown area even looks 10x worse. now i am sad, depressed, inverted, etc. i would do 10 more procedures if i new that i would be able to fix all of this, but i feel that maybe i am part of that percentage that ht does not work on.

 

please tell me that i am overreacting. please tell me that i am impatient. honestly, the only thing that makes me smile anymore is reading about others' success stories because in some way it gives me hope. as always thanks.

[skinnyvi]

everytime i had a problem & asked you guys for help, i received it. it has been 3+ months since my 2600 ht mostly in the front\side & some in the crown. not only is there no noticeable growth or "starting to be noticeable growth" but i have lost a ton of shockloss hairs. unfortunately because the ht was mostly in the front, most of the shockloss was in the front. my hairline now looks like a "W". it looks so bad!! my doctor who i love & trust said it is because of the dense packing that he did & also he did expect this. he also said i am probably looking at 8-12 months before noticeable growth appears. he said if i was completely bald i would notice growth. guys, my front area has a 1"x1" bald spot w\no help in sight. it's bad. my crown area even looks 10x worse. now i am sad, depressed, inverted, etc. i would do 10 more procedures if i new that i would be able to fix all of this, but i feel that maybe i am part of that percentage that ht does not work on.

 

please tell me that i am overreacting. please tell me that i am impatient. honestly, the only thing that makes me smile anymore is reading about others' success stories because in some way it gives me hope. as always thanks.

[arfy]

Ask your doctor about using Minoxidil as a way to kick-start the growth. I am not saying definitely use it, but I think you should discuss it with someone.

 

Hang in there...

[skinnyvi]

i already use propecia & rogaine.

[arfy]

I don't know what to tell you except "don't panic".

[vocor1]

skinnyvi:

Hang in there, brutha.

For some people, it just takes longer. And for other, they have shockloss.

You have the misfortune of having both. But you have to give it more time.

You have to understand part of the mentality of posting here is that most people want to share their good news and good fortune. Most people are hesitant to share their struggles. But no one is immune to them.

Did you know that I had to get part of my scar redone due to stretching from infections? The revision went awesome, but for a while, I was sort of like "great, what did I do to deserve this?". Nothing, shit happens.

But it wasn't insurmountable. And I really never thought that was -- it was just annoying as all get out. And now it is over.

So now I'd like to ask you to think that way as well. Give it a full year. I know that sounds like an eternity and right now it isn't too cool.

But it is what I'm asking here. Lift weights or run in the meantime. It is an awesome pick-me-up.

I can't guarantee your success, but I would have taken the same gamble and had the same concerns if I were in your shoes. And I know that hair that is genetically-programmed not to fall out doesn't fall out.

You have to believe it'll get better based on the probabilities. It is better to have hope than to condemn yourself because your case isn't the norm.

Hang in there -- we are with you, man!

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[Guest]

Hi Skinnyvi,

 

Did you ever see any growth from you previous HTs last September, if so, how long did it take? From what I understand, subsequent HTs take longer to grow...hang in there.

 

Gambo

[Guest]

This is as bad as it gets so hang tight!

 

I would recommend some topix or another concealer to cover the balding area temporarily.

 

Maybe someone here can recommend some good stuff for you to cover it up.

 

Another 2 months and wam! Here comes the hair!

[Guest]

Skinnyvi,

 

I went through something similar after my first transplant. I had a great deal of shock loss and the early months were just awful. The first time around it took about 10 months before I thought I really had a substantial improvement and about a year before it seemed that all of the hair lost grew back. My second transplant also produced shock loss and it took four months to begin regrowing the hair that had fallen out. I am extremely happy with my results now, but it was hard to imagine that things would get better in the early months.

 

Hang in there. Things will get better. Toppik and Dermamatch were both helpful.

 

Paul

[NW]

3 1/2 months is not a good judgement time, but rather 4 1/2 - 6 months.

 

Just think "Elvis"

[skinnyvi]

thanks to all you guys for the positive reinforcement.

 

some quick responses: 1-i do work out & am in good\muscular shape. 2-luckily i wear a hat at work & at the gym, but i do wear concealer\toppik (i have to because of my disgusting donor scar) when i go out @ nights. that's a double-edged sword though because i feel like i am lying to myself & others. 3-i am 31 and am in the prime of my life. i am lucky to be rich, have all nice cars & material things, tons of friends-- guys & girls. and i would trade everything for my hair! that's f---ed up, huh?

 

one quick note-- this has nothing to do about dating or attracting the opposite sex. this is about myself. i do not like myself right now, therefore i know i cannot like someone else.

[uncjim]

Skinnyv,

Not f--ked up at all. As a matter of fact, pretty common for many people. I for years had tried to "intellectualize" my way out of my depression and obession with my hairloss. It sure would have been nice to be able to live the fact that it's only hair. Hey, I didn't need it to survive! Obviously though, the loss of hair means so much more to so many. I remember someone close to me telling one of my children, "Your dad is a very vain man". So be it. It is part of the human condition.

 

Yes, 3 1/2 months can be early. I really didn't see anything of significance untill well into the 4th month. I really started to take off at about 5 1/2. Hang tough my friend.

Jim