My Journey – What a Ride! [5,001 grafts from Hasson & Wong]

[WasBalding]

Transplant Experience

Planning the Trip

I stayed in Vancouver for two weeks. I know that a lot of folks stay near the clinic, but I would advise staying right in the center of downtown. It’s a bit more centrally located and since you will be pretty isolated during your recovery, you can try to get a room with a view or a balcony and not feel like you’re on lockdown in the middle of nowhere for an extended period of time. Cabs are easy to get and cheap. I would say that (2) weeks was a perfect amount of time to stay. (1) week would have been cutting it too close, but I was certainly ready to go home after the end of the second week.

The Office, Staff, and Logistics

If you care about the wallpaper or the view from the office, whether or not they will bring you lunch, or what DVDs they have available to watch during the procedure, then you have bigger issues to worry about. But, suffice it to say that the office is exactly what one would expect from a world-class operation such as H&W. The staff is probably the best in the industry and probably the most ethical, which is understandable given that the skill of H&W sells itself. My best advice would be to go there treating this as their space. They are the experts and they do this every day. I’m always amazed when I read/hear about guys watching action flicks or talking on the phone while having this procedure done. I stayed as still as possible and talked very little while being worked on. Think of it as an 8-hour detention with a reward that will payoff for life. Keep yourself in check and let the staff focus.

Bleeding

Consider whether or not you bleed a lot, have taken blood thinners, or are on a high anti-oxidant diet. If you are, then you should let them know so that they can give you a Vitamin K shot the day before to decrease the bleeding. A heavy bleeder makes the procedure exponentially more difficult to perform and will lead to a less stellar result.

Pain

You’re getting scalped. There is simply no way around that at H&W. Strip is all they do because they believe in large sessions, which I wholeheartedly agree is the only way to go. I was very upfront about my low tolerance for pain, however. Dr. Wong again exceeded my expectations in this respect. He continually topped-up the anesthesia and I literally felt nothing. Now yes, my eyebrows were numb for a day or two, but I’ll take that over pain any day. Also, one of the key benefits to the Vitamin K shot and the decreased bleeding is that you retain the local anesthesia better. More bleeding equals more anesthesia being bled out.

Good Luck, Guys!