2 days after FUE hair transplant – Aug 15, 2020.
I feel that none of my research prepared me for my post-op care and what I would undergo. I’m hoping sharing my experience will help others with their journey.
This is my first full day back home, and now I’m solely responsible for keeping my baby grafts alive and well. This concerns me since I struggle to even maintain an indoor succulent plant. However, I find writing about my experience helps keep me focused on having a successful hair transplant.
Today I can take it easy and surf the couch. This is one benefit of COVID because where else can I go? Last night I attempted to sleep in our bed but had to migrate back to the couch at 3 AM. Try as I might, I couldn’t find a comfortable position in bed. Boris, our Sphynx cat, followed me around and kept me company as I relocated and repositioned myself. He can be very comforting and is a phenomenal snuggler. However, he makes me nervous because he likes to obsessively lick my head. All I could think of was Boris profusely licking my scalp while I sleep and then hacking up a hairball filled with my new grafts. That would probably become the most expensive hairball on the planet.
While I rest on the couch, I obsessively sprayed my Liposomal ATP every half hour. The droplets accumulate around the scabs after spraying, and I can feel the liquid sitting there. It’s like a scratch you can’t itch; that can make you borderline insane. My instinct is to scratch the scabs and wipe off the droplets. I combat the urge to scratch and try to gently dab excess moisture. When pressing down, I can feel the prickly grafts press into my fingers like a cactus.
By the afternoon, I mustered up the courage to take my first shower. My second fear is watching all my grafts wash down the drain. I made sure to do everything in slow motion and be cognizant of every movement. I made sure the water from the showerhead didn’t come close to my scalp; I gently dabbed the baby shampoo on my hair and slowly rinsed from front to back using lukewarm water from a plastic cup. When I got out of the shower, I gently dabbed my hair to dry.
After washing my hair, I needed to apply the antibacterial cream to the donor areas on my scalp’s side and back. For this, I relied on my husband to apply the Bacitracin ointment.
I feel reassured I was healing normally from yesterday’s post-op visit. However, now my scalp is beginning to itch like crazy as the wounds start to scab. It’s all I can do to resist scratching my head and dislodging my newly transplanted hair. This, combined with the constant feeling of liquid sitting on my scabs, made for an uncomfortable day.
My scalp, where the grafts were transplanted, still feels numb. I thought this would be more painful, but I find the donor area to be the most uncomfortable. As the donor area begins to hurt more, I try convincing myself this is a sign of healing. My scalp underwent severe trauma and will take time to mend. Even though I am in pain, there are no signs of infection or issues with the donor area. I just need to be patient. After all, it’s only day 3. Advil during the day and Woodford Reserve at night are helping me manage the pain.
The post-op directions state that after 5-7 days, I can thoroughly wash my hair, and the scabs should start falling off. I decided I will take the max 7 days of preventative care. 7 days is nothing if this increases my chances for a successful hair transplant. If I live to 85, this would only be .00050% of days I have to give up—basically, nothing, when you look at the long term. I have to keep my eye on the hairy prize.
Right now, these .00050% days feel like an eternity.
TheHairAndNow.com 