May I add, it is so painful posting pictures of myself. Definitely more painful then the surgery!!!

I want to walk you through my transplant journey, but first I want to thank all my friends, and family for voting for me, encouraging me, and getting others to vote for me resulting in my winning the contest.  I am still bewildered by the whole thing and can see Gods hand in all of it.  I feel truly blessed!

Consultation Day (Wednesday January 18th, 2012)

  My consultation with Dr. Sara Wasserbauer began with my appointment on Wednesday January 18th. I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to meet Sara and to see if I felt confident and comfortable with her.  I took a friend with me to help feel things out and ask any questions I might not think of.  Well I can honestly tell you that from the moment I walked in the door of her office I felt I was in good hands.  The office is very professional and nicely furnished I might add. The staff was friendly and hospitable.  After filling out a few forms, Sara came out and greeted us. I liked her immediately.  I never felt uncomfortable and she answered all of my questions.  I do want to note that if you have hair loss and are apprehensive about surgery, I would recommend making an appointment with Dr. Wasserbauer because I learned of a few other options that people have tried and been successful with.  She is very personable and extremely knowledgeable about hair and hair loss.  Oh, and she is very funny! We laughed quite a bit. In the end Sara made it clear that I was under no obligation to make a decision.  However, when  I was told the first opening she had was in 5 days on Monday, January 23rd, I booked it.  I had no doubts I was in great hands and couldn’t wait to get started.

Here are the photos taken on consultation day

Day before Surgery (Sunday January 22rd, 2012)

I was so excited! Not nervous at all.  Just couldn’t wait. A friend and I drove to Walnut Creek, had a bite to eat at Il Fornaio and did some shopping. If you didn’t already know, Walnut Creek has a great variety of stores and restaurants.  I was dropped off at my hotel and at the age of 41, married 20 years this June and mother of two boys ages 14 and 11,  I got to sleep in a hotel room alone!  Moms I highly recommend this, very relaxing!!  After many phone calls and texts from well wishers sending prayers my way, I got a good nights sleep.

Day of Surgery (Monday January 23, 2012)

Thrilled!! Took hotel shuttle to office and began filling out a few documents.  Toughest question, what 3 movies I wanted to see. Next hard question what type of sandwich I wanted for lunch from whole foods.  Just a suggestion, turkey on focaccia with pesto aioli is delicious! Ok now about the surgery, I received a coctail of  Valium and Versed (I believe).  The most painful part of the whole surgery was getting the local injections. And they weren’t bad.  After that  I remember knowing what was happening but not feeling a thing, literally! I know Sara shaved a bit of my hair at the donor sight (very little) and began making “holes” for the follicles to go in.  We talked and laughed during the procedure, it really didn’t seem like surgery. Then all of a sudden I woke up and it was noon! I couldn’t believe it!! I slept through most of it. I was a little bummed, I felt like I missed something.  We all broke for lunch at which time a dear friend came into the room and had lunch with me.  After lunch three of the office staff painstakingly worked on implanting 2000 graphs.  It took 3 of them almost 4 hours.  I really liked these girls and enjoyed their company and conversation. At one time during surgery on my way back from the restroom, I walked out into the hall to be greeted by Dr. Sara’s Bernice Mountain Dog, Bacchus. Soooo sweet and friendly.  He kept leaning into me and Sara and her husband( who by the way also works at the office) were afraid he would knock me over because of his size and my heavily medicated body.  but I couldn’t resist a few big hugs and rubs.  When surgery was over, my friend and I were shocked to hear I could go out to dinner! Sara recommended Prima a very nice Italian restaurant. They let us in despite our attire   The lady seated next to us couldn’t even tell I had just come from surgery.  She mistook me for a “bohemian artist”. 

Day One after surgery (Tuesday January 24th, 2012)

Slept pretty well, took my Vicodin as prescribed, so no pain involved.  A little awkward getting comfortable in bed.  I definitely recommend a rolled towel behind your neck, that made all the difference.  The day after surgery my friend and I went into Dr Sara’s office for my first shampoo.  I was told everything looked great.  My friend and I did just a little more shopping, had lunch and headed home.  The first three days after surgery are when you have to baby your head.  I was instructed to wash three times a day and pat dry. Here is where the difference between a man and a women’s experience may very.  When a man pats his hair dry, he is pretty much dry.  When a woman pats longer hair dry, you are still dripping.  Mind you it is January so drip drying three times a day was not my favorite however I found a small space heater in the bathroom while toweling off made quite a difference.

        Day 1

The Best of the Bay TV’s 2011 Viewer’s Choice Award is granted to only one entity in each category in Northern California, who received the most votes in their category during the 2011 calendar year.

GENEVA, IL. – December 13, 2011. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) – the world’s leading medical authority on hair loss and hair restoration – cautions that recent anecdotal reports of persistent sexual dysfunction by some men who have used finasteride 1mg (Propecia) to treat hair loss should not define the safety and effectiveness of this drug. Propecia is the only oral medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hair loss in men.

From a scientific standpoint, the ISHRS reports that there are no evidence-based data substantiating the link between finasteride and persistent sexual side effects after discontinued use of the drug in numerous, double blinded, placebo controlled studies conducted evaluating the use of Propecia 1mg for hair loss.

“The health and well being of our patients is the utmost concern of the 900 physician members of the ISHRS – whether prescribing medications like Propecia or performing hair restoration surgery,” said ISHRS President Dr. Jennifer Martinick. “ISHRS members devote an average of 72% of their practices to medically and surgically treating hair loss, and collectively they have treated millions of men around the world suffering from hair loss with finasteride 1mg with virtually no side effects.”

Since receiving FDA approval in December of 1997, 20.5 million and 6.7 million patient-years of exposure using Proscar (finasteride 5mg) and Propecia (finasteride 1mg) respectively are recorded with a low adverse event profile. The ISHRS believes that these are the most current and reliable data available until further studies are conducted.

Sexual dysfunction is a complex disorder, and Dr. Martinick noted that it often can be hard to pinpoint the exact cause – particularly when multiple factors such as nicotine, alcohol, prescription medications, stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression can contribute to erectile dysfunction (ED).

“The incidence of ED in the general population is known to be quite high – as high as 49% in middle-aged and older men according to one study published in 2006 in the Archives of Internal Medicine,” said Dr. Martinick. “That being said, we owe it to our patients to address valid concerns in a scientific manner and to clarify any misleading reports so that men can make informed choices regarding the use of this medication.”

Recently, the ISHRS formed a task force to more closely examine anecdotal reports of sexual dysfunction by some Propecia users who have used the drug to treat hair loss. In addition, the ISHRS has called on the medical communities of dermatologists, hair loss physicians, urologists, endocrinologists and sexual medicine specialists to join in a colloquium to share all data and experiences with finasteride in a fact-based manner.

About the ISHRS
Founded in 1993, the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is a non-profit medical association with a membership of over 900 physicians worldwide dedicated to the advancement of the art and science of hair restoration. The mission of the ISHRS is to achieve excellence in patient outcomes by promoting member education, international collegiality, research, ethics, and public awareness. For more information and to locate a physician, visit www.ishrs.org.

If I had a family member who was going to have a hair restoration surgery, I wouldn’t let them go anywhere else.