You are so very brave dear sister. Wishing you a quick recovery and successful outcome xxx

Hugs
Jessic

Jess,

I hope you get the desired results, recover quickly, get home safe, and that you can provide comfort for your father.

Hugs,

Christine

Congrats on your hair transplants. I wish for a quick recovery and a great outcome.
Hugs Gina

Thanks Jessica_K, Christine, and Gina!

I slept reasonably well last night. The few times I woke up, I sprayed some the the 'ATP' solution I was given for the transplants. I was told to use it every hour until it's gone, but not to set an alarm every hour at night. I figured since I was already awake, I should use it. The solution is supposed to help strengthen the follicles as they settle in to their new homes.

So far there is very little discomfort, just a mild 'pinching' sensation on the back of my head where the donor strip was removed. The nurses, doctor, and staff have all been awesome! They kept me in warm blankets during the procedure and brought me some lunch once I awoke from sedation. Unless something changes, this has been the least uncomfortable of all the procedures I have had.

Love always -- Jessica Rose.

Wow, Jessica, I had no idea! We're hair transplant sisters. I'm sorry that I was unaware. I kept up with your blog pre-crash, but I've done a lousy job of following everyone's stories since the crash.

Anyway, congratulations on getting this done! And by all accounts, Dr. Lam is top-notch. In addition to Sara's excellent results, there are no shortage of endorsements of his work. You were in good hands.

Looking forward to comparing notes as we move through this!

While I'm posting, does anyone know how to bookmark a thread? I can't figure it out.

I'll try to answer the last question first - how to bookmark a thread. It certainly doesn't work like it used to. The best option I see is to select the dropdown menu by your username, then select 'Notifications'. In the section labelled 'Moderation', there is an option to receive an alert or an email 'When a post report I've replied to receives another reply'. I know our admin folks are still trying to improve functionality, hopefully the 'bookmark' function will return soon.

Yes Courtney, we are now level two trans-sisters. I had been wanting to get this done for a few years, but I had other bills I needed to catch up on first. Getting a nice bonus from work helped quite a bit. It certainly isn't an inexpensive process, but it I'm hopeful it will have a major impact on how I see myself. In addition to Sara, another friend of mine had gone to Dr. Lam for her work, and those were all the references I needed to select him.

I get to gently wash my hair tonight, and I can even use shampoo! The water pressure here is really high, so the nurses suggested that I just pour glasses of water over my head, I'm definitely not going to take any shortcuts.

I hope your experience has been good so far. I think this procedure has the longest wait time of all!

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Funny, but there's an option to view bookmarks (I think under my profile) but no way to create them. Probably an option in an admin panel somewhere.

I endured 10 days of:
Spraying my scalp with saline every hour
Putting antibiotic ointment on my donor area (back of my head) every morning
Washing my scalp (hair was buzzed very short) with Johnson's Baby Shampoo after day 3, but pouring water onto my head instead of getting under the shower head
Sleeping on my back every night, using a travel pillow to prevent damage to the transplants
Not wearing anything that pulled over my head
No hats

A pain, but it will all be worth it if/when I have a full head of hair!

"Transplants" - an appropriate term

I think to bookmark you can click the heart symbol in the rectangle on the lower right of the existing message in the thread you wish to bookmark.  You will then see another screen.

Give it a try to see if that gives you the result you desire.

Chrissy

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on February 08, 2024, 08:11:09 PMI think to bookmark you can click the heart symbol in the rectangle on the lower right of the existing message in the thread you wish to bookmark.  You will then see another screen.

Give it a try to see if that gives you the result you desire.

Chrissy

Oh, I see that! Looks like it bookmarks posts, rather than threads. Makes sense, but it's not what I need. I want to be able to mark topics I'm following, and view them, even if they haven't been updated since my last visit. That way, if I miss checking out a topic when I log in, I can't catch up during a subsequent visit.

Thanks for the tip, though!

Quote from: Courtney G on February 08, 2024, 08:28:39 PMOh, I see that! Looks like it bookmarks posts, rather than threads. Makes sense, but it's not what I need. I want to be able to mark topics I'm following, and view them, even if they haven't been updated since my last visit. That way, if I miss checking out a topic when I log in, I can't catch up during a subsequent visit.

Thanks for the tip, though!

It will take you to the message you bookmarked, and then you can navigate to the place in that thread you want to see.  So it can save some time.

Chrissy

Thanks Chrissy! I forgot about the 'green heart' icon.

I may post some photos later today, but my scalp is still in the 'purple' phase. It does look a lot nicer after rinsing it off last night. Other than the folks here on Susan's, only three people know what I did this week. Susan, me, and my manager! My manager has been great with everything I have gone through, and keeping him in the loop helps make everything go smoothly. Susan and I plan to head home after rush hour this morning. I'm hoping my scalp will look somewhat normal when we visit relatives next weekend.

Recovery has only been slightly uncomfortable. Mainly just a little pinching or pulling from the donor area. I've taken a few Tylenol to head off any discomfort, but I have not taken any of the Tramadol. Dr. Lam wants me back in about 6 months for a check-up, so hopefully we'll get another chance to meet up with Sara.

I'm trying to remain skeptical about how much of a different the hair transplant will make. My hairline was the last 'big' thing that bothered me, a constant reminder of who I used to be. I'm not expecting a miracle, but part of me thinks it will be.

It's really difficult to be patient when such a dramatic change for both of us is just around the corner.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Jess,

Consider waiting a day more for photos so you will heal more.  Why rush them? 

I am glad your recovery is going well.  Have a nice a Friday, and a safe drive home.

Christine

@Courtney G  @ChrissyRyan  @Jessica_Rose 

  Check out my January 11, 2024 Announcement posting below:

                "Bookmarking" favorite viewed postings"
        https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,246981.0.html

HUGS, Danielle

But you only get shingles if you have had chicken pox , I got sent to play with the girl over the road that had chicken pox and never caught it so dont need the jab

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on February 05, 2024, 08:39:23 PMSusan and I arrived safely at our hotel.

😊

QuoteWe did hear from my dad today, and it was not good news. His biopsy indicated cancer, he was hoping for 'squamous cell' because that one is treatable. Unfortunately, it was not squamous cell. They are planning to do a PET scan next week which should provide more details.

Hugs hugs hugs
Strength
Hope

QuoteMy pre-op appointment is Tuesday morning. If all goes well, Susan and I will be having supper with Sara tomorrow evening. We're really looking forward to meeting another member of the Susan's Place family!

🥳🎉

Susan and I got home around 2:00pm today. After unloading the car, I baked Susan a cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting) -- today is her birthday! I also cooked supper, our favorite comfort food -- macaroni and cheese from scratch. We still need to unpack the suitcases and put things back in their proper place, but it's nice to be home.

My forehead is beginning to change colors, it's now that weird blue-green hue. It's just mild trauma from the hair restoration, but it certainly looks odd. The water pressure at our hotel felt like a pressure washer, so I wasn't able to rinse my hair very well last night. Now that we're home, I should be able to rinse it more thoroughly. It will still be a few days before I can actually wash it.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Happy Birthday Susan!

I've posted a more complete account of my hair restoration procedure along with photos here:
https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,247292.msg2263389.html#msg2263389

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Monday will be my annual performance review. My manager already sent me a copy. Although the text changes every year, the bottom line is always 'you're doing a great job for us.' A promotion would be nice, but my expertise is in a narrow band now, and I'm close enough to retirement not to care if I ever get promoted. Don't get me wrong, they are a great company to work for, but I'm tired of doing the same thing for nearly 40 years.

After my performance review, I have an electrolysis appointment. I'm not sure if I'll wear a hat or my hoodie, but my scalp and forehead are still quite colorful, so a cover of some sort is a necessity. Bryan will be the first friend to see me since the procedure. I expect he'll be nice about it, and he'll probably have a few questions.

I can return to my normal hair washing routine on Thursday. I just need to be careful not to snag the sutures on the back of my head. It will also be an important day for my dad, he will be having a PET scan. It's supposed to show how far the cancer has spread. Whatever the results, we plan to visit him this weekend.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

OK. I don't know if someone at work read my last post, but my performance evaluation included some unexpected news. Although my job title didn't change, my 'role' was bumped to a higher pay band. The net effect was an 8.5% raise along with a substantial increase in annual bonus potential. This was totally unexpected. I'm definitely more motivated to hang around a while longer now!

I wore my hoodie to my electrolysis appointment, and it didn't draw any extra attention. Bryan was a bit surprised with my hair restoration, and he wished me a smooth recovery. He only needed about 5 minutes on my face and neck, most of the session was sent on my arms and hands. I stopped at Walmart on the way home to pick up a few groceries, some snacks for 'my' kids (the speech therapy class), and some flowers for Susan. I pick up fresh flowers for Susan at least once a week. She really likes them, and after putting up with me all of these years, she has earned them.

Love always - Jessica Rose

Great news on the raise, Jessica! New hair, soon. Some days are just so good, enjoy.
Hugs Gina