Surgery Tomorrow with Dr. Ron Shapiro

[jeffreyt21]

Well boys,

I fly out today to Minneapolis for surgery tomorrow with Dr. Shapiro. I will be having 2500+ grafts implannted. I am crapping my pants right now as I think about it, but at the same time I am excited for the results. I have been losing my hair since I was about 18 and am now almost 27. I have been using avodart for the past 6 months and I haven't seen much from it in terms of restoring my hairline, but I'm sure it has been that and the propecia I used previously that has kept my crown very thick. I am nervous because I have never had my hair cut short before; however, they will be cutting it to pack my hairline with new grafts. I have been able to somewhat hide my hairline, although I could be totally wrong and I haven't been fooling anyone about my hairloss, but at the same time I am still nervous for the cut. I will post pics once I get back. Any tips on what to wear over your head post hair transplant? A beanie? A loose hat? Any advice?

 

[CCS]

dr shapiro has probably already given you directions, but just in case his advice is not as creative as dr keenes, here are her and my advice, mixed.

put your mattress on an angle before you leave, unless you have a lazy boy recliner chair or some friends who will adjust your mattress. within two days after your surgery, your forehead will swell, and it will swell down to your eyes over night if you are laying flat. Have to cold packs so you can switch them out every few hours after applying them for 10 minutes. have more in an ice chest if you will be going to work. pain killers are not necessary, though they can take away all pain. i think a little pain is good so you know if you are putting any tension on the back of your neck. your pillow just will not feel soft enough. have a foam core pillow for max comfort, but the pressure will still bother you. use some cheap pillow cases or paper towels, since some blood will ooze. a hat is not necessary unless you will be in the sun or are self conscious of others seeing the blood, though most will not notice it. you will be excited by your new hairline immediately after surgury. enjoy in while it lasts since in 2 weeks the hair will shed from telogen and not come back for 2-3 months. keep your chin up to keep tension off the donor strip, for the smallest scar possible. when washing your hair 48 hours later, use a small cup, like the cap of a mouth wash container to pour cool water on the grafts at slow speed. just lightly apply lather to them for the first 8 days. do not pick the scab on the back of your head until it really intches in a week or two, and do so lightly so that only the loose stuff falls off. load your fridge with healthy food before the procedure. stock up a week's supply of the best vegetables and fruites and protein. you don't want to lift groceries that first week. just look at the post op instruction and think of everything you could possibly need and have it ready. wear a button up shirt. just relax when you get there. ron shapiro is one of the very best. dr keene used to work with him, or still does, though she is in tucson now. i like her 19 inch view of the donor strip and the fact that she never gave me a noticeable scar. i would assume dr shapiro can do the same. 1300 grafts was a lot less uncomfortable than 1900, so with 2500, you will really need to have your house ready for your return before you go. you'll be given enough pills for a week or so. I took mine only for 24 hours, and had about as much discomfort as a bad head ache for 3 weeks.
you scalp will be numb everywhere but the crown. If you go to bosley, it would be numb too even with 900 grafts. It will take about 2 months for the numbness to fully go away. your recipient area will be pink for about 3 months. you may get some ingrown hairs and will have to put a warm wash cloth on them. but in 6 months you'll see all your hair and in 12 it will be much thicker. I even noticed my thicker hair 12 months after bosley did my 900 grafts. they just look thicker once they are mature.

 

[CCS]

dr shapiro has probably already given you directions, but just in case his advice is not as creative as dr keenes, here are her and my advice, mixed.

put your mattress on an angle before you leave, unless you have a lazy boy recliner chair or some friends who will adjust your mattress. within two days after your surgery, your forehead will swell, and it will swell down to your eyes over night if you are laying flat. Have to cold packs so you can switch them out every few hours after applying them for 10 minutes. have more in an ice chest if you will be going to work. pain killers are not necessary, though they can take away all pain. i think a little pain is good so you know if you are putting any tension on the back of your neck. your pillow just will not feel soft enough. have a foam core pillow for max comfort, but the pressure will still bother you. use some cheap pillow cases or paper towels, since some blood will ooze. a hat is not necessary unless you will be in the sun or are self conscious of others seeing the blood, though most will not notice it. you will be excited by your new hairline immediately after surgury. enjoy in while it lasts since in 2 weeks the hair will shed from telogen and not come back for 2-3 months. keep your chin up to keep tension off the donor strip, for the smallest scar possible. when washing your hair 48 hours later, use a small cup, like the cap of a mouth wash container to pour cool water on the grafts at slow speed. just lightly apply lather to them for the first 8 days. do not pick the scab on the back of your head until it really intches in a week or two, and do so lightly so that only the loose stuff falls off. load your fridge with healthy food before the procedure. stock up a week's supply of the best vegetables and fruites and protein. you don't want to lift groceries that first week. just look at the post op instruction and think of everything you could possibly need and have it ready. wear a button up shirt. just relax when you get there. ron shapiro is one of the very best. dr keene used to work with him, or still does, though she is in tucson now. i like her 19 inch view of the donor strip and the fact that she never gave me a noticeable scar. i would assume dr shapiro can do the same. 1300 grafts was a lot less uncomfortable than 1900, so with 2500, you will really need to have your house ready for your return before you go. you'll be given enough pills for a week or so. I took mine only for 24 hours, and had about as much discomfort as a bad head ache for 3 weeks.
you scalp will be numb everywhere but the crown. If you go to bosley, it would be numb too even with 900 grafts. It will take about 2 months for the numbness to fully go away. your recipient area will be pink for about 3 months. you may get some ingrown hairs and will have to put a warm wash cloth on them. but in 6 months you'll see all your hair and in 12 it will be much thicker. I even noticed my thicker hair 12 months after bosley did my 900 grafts. they just look thicker once they are mature.

 

[jeffreyt21]

Thanks for the reply bro. I am sitting here at country inn and suites and cannot sleep for the life of me because I am nervous for tomorrow. I appreciate all of the advice. I forgot to load up on fresh fruits and veggies before I left, but i was definitely planning on it. Any in particular that are good for the healing process? I purchased a good multi-vitamin and some biosil and gnc mens nourishair to help in the recovery process. I am praying for a quick recovery and rapid growth of my transplanted hair. Again, thanks for the advice. If you have anything else you can add that helped speed your recovery, I am all ears bro.

 

[DaveOne]

Some strip docs say that ice can slow down the natural draining of all of the fluids that get injected to numb the recipient area. There is no real way to get around the swelling, the fluids have to drain away somehow. The best way to expedite this is to sleep in the angled position that most people talk about. Sleeping prone will force the fluid to collect around the eyes, thus taking longer to drain, but if you sleep more upright, the fluid can just follow gravity and work it's way down. Listen to the docs advice, he should have very specific instructions for your post op. Good luck.

 

[biff]

Good luck! I hope it all goes well for you.

 

[jeffreyt21]

Well boys,

It's done. I had 2300 grafts placed. All I can say about Dr. Shapiro is that he is da' man. He was very realistic and very caring. His staff was very friendly and very helpful. You're right collegechemstudent, my hairline looks absolutely amazing right now, but I know that will not last. I am super impressed with Dr. Shapiro's capabilities. I highly recommend him both for his excellent capabilities and his caring attitude toward his patients. He even offered to give me a ride to my hotel since my shuttle was late. He is just an all around great guy.

 

[Guest]

jeffrey21,

I am very happy for you and that is why I always say that talent alone is not enough. Sounds ethics and a good caring character are essential. You obviously were the recipient of both.

BTW, supplementing with vitamin C can also facilitate the healing process. Rest up and thanks for the update! :wink:

 

[jeffreyt21]

Gillenator,

Thanks bro for the encouragement and the advice. I will go today and buy some vitamin c. I am super excited for the months to come! I am just sucking down tons of supplements and eating fresh fruits and veggies and spraying Graftcyte as if it were going out of style. Hopefully, this will help prevent any shockloss and even maybe help some of the transplanted hairs to stay, but if not, oh well.

 

[techprof]

Jeff, good luck.
I have been using prox-N and tricomin and to some exten spintrapC. they seem to help with the healing.
the scalp is still itching sometimes though.

 

[LookingGood!]

Relax dude, you are in good hands with Shapiro! You made a wise decision!

I wish you nothing but success and good growth!

Best,

LG

 

[jeffreyt21]

Thanks for the encouragement fellas. I am super excited for the results. I purchased some biosil and some hair vitamins to hopefully help expedite the process of healing. I can't wait to see the results in a few months. I am hoping to be able to put Don King to shame in six months.

 

[jeffreyt21]

A question for you guys that have had transplants: I have read several different posts regarding how long it takes for the grafts to really take hold to where you can start shampooing normally again and not worrying about doing any damage to them. My post-op checklist says five days; however, I have read in other posts eight days and even longer. Does anyone know for sure? Is there a certain time frame in which it is sure that the grafts are well set and unable to be bumped out or massaged out?

 

[techprof]

Jeff, I would wait one week and start slowly with shampooing without being harsh.

 

[CCS]

washing grafts

no washing the first 24 hours (except by the Doctor)
wash yourself starting 48 hours later (i'd use baby shampoo)
use a 2 ounce cap, or very small cup to slowly pour cool water on the grafts
lather shampoo in your hands away from head, then lightlypat lather on
graft sight
rince using the cup
you can shampoo normally in 8 days, but I would not do an intense scrubbing.
why do you care if it is 5 or 8? just protect them. even 2 weeks won't kill you. i am sure you can wash normally but gently after 8 days.

 

[jeffreyt21]

Why do I care if it is five or eight? Why do you think bro? I just dropped some fat cash and I want to make sure I don't jack anything up.

 

[CCS]

then wait 8, or two weeks. since you dropped some fat cash, would you scrub your hair at 5 just because everyone on here says 5 is safe? I don't think so. that is why I'm asking you why you are asking. i was a lot more conservative with my hair than my dr stated. since i had a strip procedure, i made sure to keep my chin up to take as much tension off teh back as possible so the scar would be a thin as possible. i still do that 2 months later even though it is probably over kill.

 

[jeffreyt21]

I wasnt asking when I could start scrubbing my head with a brillo pad, but when i can simply not worry about showering under the shower head and going back to my normal shampoo routine. So, with that being said, I shall wait a few weeks to be safe.

 

[jeffreyt21]

And again, it was my dr.'s post-op procedure instructions that stated five days, I was just curious as to whether that was the general recommendation from all other dr.'s.

 

[techprof]

jeff, if you don't shampoo after 10 days, and your scabs won't fall off in 2-3 weeks. It is not good for the grafts. It is not as if you can go without shampooing for months.

My doctor advised me to start it in 10 days. Your doctor is probably your best person.

There is a study which showed that scabs make the grafts vulnerable upto 5 days.
So, beyond 5 days you are pretty safe.