HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

I'm in the process of coordinating our travel plans for my husbands surgery. He's getting 400g one day & 400 the next...it's a FIT surgery, not strip...We're coming from the pacific coast to Atlanta for it & my question goes out to anyone who already had this kind of thing done & what their opinion is based on their own experience...
We fly in the night before & check into a nice hotel with shuttle service to & from the office...
What kind of shape are you in the night of your first day of surgery-right after you leave the office? [Embarrassing bloody bandages wrapped around your head when you left?...Was stuff oozing down your head into your face?...Were you OK enough to feel like eating dinner via room service & watch TV? Did you get any sleep?...How sensitive was the donor area in the back?...Were you in pain???]
Then if you had another surgery the following day? What was your experience with the same kinds of things, but after a second day of getting poked at??
And finally, which is actually the thing I'm most concerned with...How are you to travel???
We have to get on a plane either that night after the second surgery(is that wise, our would you feel too yucky for traveling RIGHT after?), or we'll fly out the next day after what I would hope to be at least a semi-restful sleep...Would you be terribly uncomfortable? Embarrassed to walk around a terminal? OK to sit on a plane for 5 hours? Any stuff oozing down your face??
I haven't found answers to these questions this specific, and I'm concerned with getting thru the 'getting home' process & making it as comfortable for him as I can...So if anyone has ANYTHING at all to share about ANY of the above, I would really appreciate it & it would help out ALOT in my planning-Thank you SOOOOO very much-the concerned, wifey planner

I made all of our travel arrangements...but thank you anyway...it just occurred to me that no one may want to share that kind of info as it may scare whoever is using this forum to make a decision whether or not to do it-AKA-no matter how good the job is, or how non-evasive FIT is, it still is a PROCEDURE non the less & no one may want reality details on here. Actually deciding to do this after years of thinking about it & researching it...using rare vacation time...the expenses, traveling across the country...I was just trying to be as prepared as possible...

Wifey,

Actually, I had my procedure done with Dr. Cole back in October 2005. You could check out my 4 and 6 month results in the FIT Photos Forum. They should be at the top of the page. Actually, I had close to 2400 grafts done in the front of my scalp and after only 6 months I can say that i could not be happier. In regards to the surgery itself and the post-operative effects it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Basically, they numb the donor and recepient area so you barely feel anything at all. Also, you will be too busy watching movies all day long anyway. After the surgery, you just need a lot of rest that's all. There's really not anything oozing down your head because they bandage you up really good. The only thing is that you really have to be gentle and careful not to bump your head anywhere or do any extraneous exercises the first week or two because they grafts need this time to settle in the scalp. Also, the clinic will give you some medicine as well in order to help you sleep easier at night. Other than that, the overall experience was a really good one for me considering I had about 2400 grafts done. I think that less than 1000 grafts should be a breeze.

You rock!
Thank you soooooo much! That was EXACTLY what I was looking for concerning 'right after the procedure' info!

If anyone had to walk thru an airport & sit on a plane, I wouldn't mind hearing a breif quip on what that was like. I imagine that Sierra Mist commercial at airport security..."OK sir...take off your bandana. Show us what you have under there.'.....

As far as pain, there's very little pain afterwards, but there might be some discomfort at night after the surgery, which is why they sometimes prescribe something to help with sleeping. The day after the surgery, however, all pain is usually subsided. Pain is much less acute with FIT as opposed to strip. But, might want to just take that extra day after surgery to lay low and recoup, then fly out the following day, since he might still be kind of drained afterwards.

As far as getting around, I went to the grocery store immediately after surgery, and the next day went to the local mall (only for a few min of course). There shouldn't be much oozing at all afterwards, there was definitely no dripping or anything like that- those small incisions they make clot up very quickly.

There is a critical period (usually the first 2-5 days or so) where it's crucial to be very careful not to do anything to pop the grafts out, so if you are traveling in the airport, I would just avoid bumping the head, or touching the grafts, or bending over too much, and the bandana should be loose enough so that there is no direct pressure on the grafts.

Lots of guys travel the next day, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Putting on and removing the bandana should be done with extreme care though for the first few days, so if the airport security asks him to remove the bandana, he might just tell them that he just had surgery, and could damage the work that was done, but if he could go to a private area and remove the bandana for them there, then it wouldn't be a problem. That way he won't feel rushed, and won't have to worry about being seen by the general public. I've heard of other guys doing this.

The main thing is that critical few days after surgery- you want to keep away from touching the recipient area. The only time they recommend directly touching the recipient area is during a shower, and even then it is very lightly for the first week. And use the Biotin spray as directed- it's awesome, and really helps with the itching.

Also, it's great that you are such a supportive wife, it really means a lot to a guy to have the support of people close to him. Kudos!