Follow my major repair

[topcat]

I thought it would be appropriate to post this here most especially for repair patients. I wish I would not have had to gone through this whole experience of putting me in the position of being a repair patient but as I have often written it has made me a better person so maybe there was a purpose. If you find yourself in similar circumstances don’t let this industry completely destroy your life I know that for me it made my life harder at times but then I just pushed back a little harder and I can say despite all of this I have enjoyed my years most definitely more so than most. Just push back and don’t give up life is too short.

AND THEN IT IS WINTER


I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK. READ SLOWLY!



You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.



But, here it is... The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.



But, here it is... My friends are retired and getting grey... They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than I... But, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant... But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!



And so... Now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... This I know, that when it's over on this earth... Its over. A new adventure will begin!



Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... Things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.



So, if you're not in your winter yet... Let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember... And hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!



"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live it is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.



LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY!



Remember: "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

[topcat]

6 months post op

[topcat]

These pictures at 6 months taken outside in daylight are very exciting for me. I don’t need to use concealer in the hairline. That coupled with the skin taking on a natural tone from the sun because of no concealer plus the slight hair lightening effect makes my hairline look completely natural at this point as the contrast is greatly reduced.

URL=http://s271.photobucket.com/user/topcat911/media/014_zpsd079a2a5.jpg.html][/URL]

[Lounk61]

Bht

Thanks for the pics and your honesty. It looks great. I'll be going through a lot of beard and body hair work to try and get me a reasonable looking head of hair. Have used up my scalp donor hair. you've used beard and chest hair. What about leg hair or arm hair etc. Do you think all available body hair can be used to fill in the scalp? I've got good beard, chest and body hair. On my last ht about 5 months ago the doc experimented and used a small amount of beard hair to see the growth. It has been growing so I'll keep on going but I'll need as much hair as I can get from other parts. What's your take on that? How painful has the work on you been? Also how much time do you have to wait between procedures before you get the next one? I could ask my doc these questions but you have been going through it personally and you don't bs. Thanks again.

[topcat]

Hi Lounk,

Thanks, it feels great at this point and it has made a huge difference. I would agree with Dr. Bisanga that beard and then chest hair seem to be the best and other areas not so much as the hairs are not robust enough. Some patients posting to the forums will differ in this opinion but I actually have pictures from close to 10 years ago of my leg hair as I really have been researching for quite a long time. I didn’t just end up at BHR by chance. I knew where I was going and why I was going there. I will post a picture from 10 minutes ago and that one from before. It makes one wonder what happened to that leg hair but the fact is for most men as they age they lose their leg hair but that doesn’t seem to happen with chest hair at least from my observation so make of it what you will.

I would say I have a fairly high tolerance for pain and the procedures for me have been quite a breeze especially that last one. What I would also add is that the chest hair extractions were quite an experience not very pleasant……….lol………….it is a sensitive area but like the old saying goes pain is just weakness leaving the body………lol………..it’s bearable.

Well I have waited 1 year between procedures and actually 2 years between that first and second. I’m not in a hurry, it gives me a chance to heal, grow and save so it all works out for me.

As you can see from the age of about 40 to 50 the leg hair just seemed to have disappeared.

[Lounk61]

Bht

Thanks for the pics. Interesting that you lost that leg hair. I'm just turning 62 this month and I still have a lot. Have you used leg hair or armpit hair or any other hair for that matter? As far as waiting between procedures, it seems you can for instance have beard hair and chest hair extracted in one procedure of lets say 1500 grafts between the 2 areas. Then in maybe 6 months or less have another. You think that's reasonable? As long as it's fue the recovery time should be minimal. Also how many grafts you think could eventually be extracted between beard and chest? Ht docs like Umar(Ca) and Arvin(India) are doing bht mega sessions for high Norwoods over a week period of 7500 -10,000 grafts. They put up pics of patients and it's pretty amazing. Don't know if it's bs or not. What does Basanga think about these mega sessions? You are very methodical and patient due to your past bad experiences. I haven't got beaten up badly like you have. Got the ugly plugs in the 70's and 2 fut's over the last 2 years. Need a lot more work to have a reasonable thinning hair look for my age.

[topcat]

I never really asked Dr. Bisanga personally about mega sessions but from reading and understanding the clinic’s philosophy I have gotten the impression over the years that slow, steady and safe is his approach and the numbers would be determined by each patient as they all differ. It's like I don't have to ask as I already know.

As far as how many grafts could be extracted from the chest and beard once again each patient is different so those numbers are going to vary. I don’t have that much beard hair so obviously I can’t go in and have a 1000 graft session where for others it might be quite appropriate as the area of harvesting is much larger. It also depends on who is doing the extracting and anyone that doesn't understand this I suggest them not having a procedure.

I think mega body/beard hair sessions are irresponsible and put the patient at unnecessary risk. Logically it makes absolutely no sense to put yourself at risk, for what? When you start talking about those types of numbers 7000-10,000 in bodyhair I just shake my head as that is already a red flag in my opinion. Yeah Evil Knivel had some successful jumps but he also seemed to crash a lot.........lol...........saw him at a boxing event once, he could hardly walk............no thanks.

Dr. Woods has written extensively on armpit hair and the glands in that area and I would agree I think it’s a bad idea. Sometimes something that looks like it would be the easy answer creates bigger problems down the line and that is why you never ever want to be the test pilot. Let these guys who have never had a procedure but like to promote get into the rocket ship. But if you watch closely they never strap themselves into the seat.

I think waiting at least a year is best as the hair is still growing but others may differ. I have not had other hair used except for scalp, beard and chest hair.

I strongly suggest a very slow approach just my own philosophy you know the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.

[Lounk61]

bht

Thanks for your input. Wish you the best of results when it's all done. So far you're looking good. Hope my story ends up well. I'll let you know.

[topcat]

I thought I would shave the sides down as I like the look better and it gives others a chance to see my scalp donor as all the scalp fue’s were taken from the sides.

[Lounk61]

Bisanga

Hey Topcat, I'm in the process of having an online consult with Dr Bisanga. After seeing the work done on you and reading your experience I decided to see what Dr Bisanga can do for me after seeing my pictures I sent him today through Steven one of his reps. I found out that the most bht he will do is a 2 day session of 2,000 grafts. That's 1,000 a day. Then let the body heal and depending how well you heal and what growth you get have another session in 6 months to a year. I should hear from him soon. Thanks for all of your input.

[topcat]

Hi Lounk always good to get as many opinions as possible so I hope your consult goes well. My experience has been very good so of course it’s normal for me to be excited about my own results.

[Lounk61]

Minox

Hey Topcat, have you been using any topicals like minox after your transplants to make it grow in faster? My latest ht 5 months out now the growth is slow. With my previous ht I used minox and the growth was faster but then I developed an allergic reaction after switching from liquid to foam so I had to stop. My ht doc who I just visited today for a followup suggested I start to use the liquid minox but cautiously at first again to get thing moving. What do you think?

[topcat]

Lounk I don’t use any topicals but I do know what you are saying as I also have a severe reaction to minoxidil foam a long time ago.

In my opinion it comes down to eating healthy. My idea of eating healthy is very different than most and chances are it is not something you would follow. But I would look to eating more foods that help the body heal itself which would be real food.

[topcat]

I wanted to post this picture of the hair combed back away from the face as I have been getting bolder, just testing at this point. With concealer only in the crown and strip scars and the sides cut down short it is really looking natural in my opinion and that is the ultimate goal just to look normal.

[clee984]

Looks great, congratulations.