Wow, done it!
Well, after a 16 hr marathon of getting up, going to work, coming home early, bathing and getting onto a train, grabbing as much nap time as poss, I arrived at the clinic at about 10.15am Monday morning. All seemed fine at that point, I was a bit tired but not uncomfortably so. It seemd very quiet when I got there, a lady made me a cup of tea and we chatted and that was cool. I think I was a bit nervous at this point, not sure. I certainly found the prospect of having been told prevously that I wont be leaving until before 7.30pm very daunting seeing as it was another 9 hours or so away as yet and that I would HAVE to be out at some point! Plus cause the meds make me have to go to toilet quite frequently I get afraid of drinking too much, especially today when my constant wriggling would be a pain to the ones operating on me!
I was then shown to a rest room with nice comfy chairs and she put a TV on for me, all seemed chat show things so I tried to catch a nap whilst listening to some big diggers somewhere outside at ground level, I was also given a form to read which I did. It was at the point of reading the form that I first became really scared and panicy. The very direct use of words coldly hitting home and really rocked me at that point, making me think of all kinda of things. "Do I know what I am doing?", "Am I really doing this?","What if it all goes wrong and I look silly or get sussed out?", "It’s a lot of money, what are peeps going to think?". My head was awash with all things and I was getting a bit distressed. I text my friend who knew I was there, dunno why,but I had to say something to someone. I lay there, trying to sleep. After a while a real nice Finnish nurse, Anna, came in, asked if I was on any meds and (I get embarrased and didn’t know who knew my needs) I said I am on the same as what I had said to Dr Bob at the consultation. She then gave me some pills to take, took the signed form explained briefly when it was gonna happen, around 12pm. Then said that I could either leave my possesions in here or take valuables like purses, bags, jackets etc inside.
I think the pills made me a bit unsteady on my feet, I think I remember walking to the room, I certainly remember getting up to go. They knew the kind of hair restoration/rebuilding that I was after but I had been intending to ask them to not make it as feminine as originally planned, but to make it somewhere in between (if they could), but this never happened! I vaguely remember being drawn on and angles measured but by that point I must have been almost out of it, wether it was a lack of sleep, the drugs or a combo.
I recall being told that I am going to get my hair washed and I think I thought it was all done at that point but no, it was only the removal of the doner site. That was something I was NOT looking forward to! Fortunately my hair must be dense enough to supply sufficient follicles without having had to go from ear to ear so any scarring is well, well hidden between the width of the hairs on either side. When we left the room the lil nurse asked me which toilets I wanted to use, being dumb I was confused as I hadnt seen any others so I said these will do and made for the ones 2 or 3 doors down to our immediate right. She laughed and said "yes, they are nearer". I think I realised after my hair was washed that only the first part had been done, what a shock! So we went back in.
I also think I remembered having had an injection in my left arm earlier as I had one this time in my right arm, it was at that point I noticed a plaster on my left arm. I was then in and outta sleep for rest of the afternoon. I remember Dr May doing something to my head, didn’t hurt as such, just that I felt the 'weight' he was exerting doing whatever he was doing. I think after this I was waking to finding hairs being 'planted', I remember Anna, the Finnish nurse starting and a smaller nurse, doing something but at some point I think that there must have been a switch over which confused me for a while. Billjana was the one I then remember mostly as she was chatting with me and the spanish male nurse who I think was selecting hairs from the doner strip, she was occassionally requesting what I found were different diametered hairs in grades to make the hairline more authentic. She would frequently ask if I were ok and did it hurt and I confirmed no it was fine. I later did ask for something to put over me as I was getting cold just lying there in the over top that they provide. After a while she seemed to remember my request for a cover as when the male nurse returned she asked if he would get a robe as she's cold. At this I wondered if she had just said SHE or her accent made it sound like that. Another time she asked me either if I had a name or what it was, not sure which now, but I thought that was odd. So I said, yeah, its #######, and she said "oh, ok" and carried on merriliy. I am like a hurtling glacier it would appear.
Later on she asked if I had had the change yet. Me being me I said I'm not sure what she meant and I think that embarrassed her and she rephrased it differantly and I laughed and said no, I am still guy as far as the world knows and I told her briefly about me and how that I really don’t wanna be doing any of this but with each step I just want more and so havent ruled it out, just not in. She was really really nice to talk with. She said how she had done several TS clients, how she worked lots (she had started at 6am that day herself!) and sends money home to her parents for them even though they don’t ask and at weekends her and a friend do some other charity clothing thing too, all of which I found very touching and told her so. It was during this conversation that the relevance of all the earlier bits dawned on me, plus others that I don’t remember now. But things like the toilet wasn’t due to them having another male one, or an accent phonetically confusing words, she wasn’t asking my male name etc. Even at the end the male nurse ran through the aftercare stuff, (apparently one of the things i cant do for 14days is to have sex. Ha ha haaa, yeah, like after 4 years or so 14days would worry me!) and advised that Billjana would be back shortly to help me get changed again and then she saw me to the lift and wished me good bye. By this time it was 8.20pm and I felt really sorry for her having had to wait so long to go. Even then she wasn’t rushing, whilst still in the op room she had a rough count done and it came in at nearer 1400 follicles and she kept going for a bit, clearly doing what she could above the paid for 1300.
After she helped me change and handed me my bag she was concerned of the weight of it. A laptop and headphones. I think it was as any exercise could elevate the bloodpressure and cause probbies to the new hairs. After getting a tad lost whilst speaking with my friend on the phone whilst making my way back to Baker street I managed to find it and got back to Victoria at 9.04, same time as my train was to leave. Bugger! If I didn’t get lost it would have been fine. I went to BurgerKing cause they had empty seats and I was supposed to be taking it easy and had a coffee whilst waiting for the next one at 22.04 and called my friend again, I was exhausted by this time and appreciated being able to talk as I think I was on the verge of hysterical tears by this time. I think I nodded off for about an hour on the way back until my phone battery ran out and then last hour I used my lappie as the carriage emptied out and I finally got home just after midnight.
Now I am looking forward to Thursday when I can wash the hair and start getting back into some kinda normality with it. Very worried though of washing it for the first time in case they all wash away or something. I stupidly imagined my extra long walk and bag carrying making em pop out the head and not being in correctly or something, stupid mind works overtime at times. When I awoke I remember feeling the new areas, all spiky and feels very weird, very prickly. I dunno if they are put into some kind of setting lotion or something to stiffen then up and make planting easier but hopefully they are all fine. I did have a shock when I first felt them though, they felt as if my forehead had been removed and I have been afraid to look.
Its weird, I have been in no pain at any point, although sleeping is not the most easiest thing but I think that’s cause of the wrinkley paper lanket they give out for first few days in case of blood. I had a very small bit.
Beng the overly sensitive bod that I am I found the whole experience and treatment from the clinic amazing. Nothing was ever pushed, I didn’t pick up on any false or ill will, just simplicity and matter of factness, so much so I wasn’t even aware most of the time as it was just so normal and everyday like.
Nat. xx --
I was then shown to a rest room with nice comfy chairs and she put a TV on for me, all seemed chat show things so I tried to catch a nap whilst listening to some big diggers somewhere outside at ground level, I was also given a form to read which I did. It was at the point of reading the form that I first became really scared and panicy. The very direct use of words coldly hitting home and really rocked me at that point, making me think of all kinda of things. "Do I know what I am doing?", "Am I really doing this?","What if it all goes wrong and I look silly or get sussed out?", "It’s a lot of money, what are peeps going to think?". My head was awash with all things and I was getting a bit distressed. I text my friend who knew I was there, dunno why,but I had to say something to someone. I lay there, trying to sleep. After a while a real nice Finnish nurse, Anna, came in, asked if I was on any meds and (I get embarrased and didn’t know who knew my needs) I said I am on the same as what I had said to Dr Bob at the consultation. She then gave me some pills to take, took the signed form explained briefly when it was gonna happen, around 12pm. Then said that I could either leave my possesions in here or take valuables like purses, bags, jackets etc inside.
I think the pills made me a bit unsteady on my feet, I think I remember walking to the room, I certainly remember getting up to go. They knew the kind of hair restoration/rebuilding that I was after but I had been intending to ask them to not make it as feminine as originally planned, but to make it somewhere in between (if they could), but this never happened! I vaguely remember being drawn on and angles measured but by that point I must have been almost out of it, wether it was a lack of sleep, the drugs or a combo.
I recall being told that I am going to get my hair washed and I think I thought it was all done at that point but no, it was only the removal of the doner site. That was something I was NOT looking forward to! Fortunately my hair must be dense enough to supply sufficient follicles without having had to go from ear to ear so any scarring is well, well hidden between the width of the hairs on either side. When we left the room the lil nurse asked me which toilets I wanted to use, being dumb I was confused as I hadnt seen any others so I said these will do and made for the ones 2 or 3 doors down to our immediate right. She laughed and said "yes, they are nearer". I think I realised after my hair was washed that only the first part had been done, what a shock! So we went back in.
I also think I remembered having had an injection in my left arm earlier as I had one this time in my right arm, it was at that point I noticed a plaster on my left arm. I was then in and outta sleep for rest of the afternoon. I remember Dr May doing something to my head, didn’t hurt as such, just that I felt the 'weight' he was exerting doing whatever he was doing. I think after this I was waking to finding hairs being 'planted', I remember Anna, the Finnish nurse starting and a smaller nurse, doing something but at some point I think that there must have been a switch over which confused me for a while. Billjana was the one I then remember mostly as she was chatting with me and the spanish male nurse who I think was selecting hairs from the doner strip, she was occassionally requesting what I found were different diametered hairs in grades to make the hairline more authentic. She would frequently ask if I were ok and did it hurt and I confirmed no it was fine. I later did ask for something to put over me as I was getting cold just lying there in the over top that they provide. After a while she seemed to remember my request for a cover as when the male nurse returned she asked if he would get a robe as she's cold. At this I wondered if she had just said SHE or her accent made it sound like that. Another time she asked me either if I had a name or what it was, not sure which now, but I thought that was odd. So I said, yeah, its #######, and she said "oh, ok" and carried on merriliy. I am like a hurtling glacier it would appear.
Later on she asked if I had had the change yet. Me being me I said I'm not sure what she meant and I think that embarrassed her and she rephrased it differantly and I laughed and said no, I am still guy as far as the world knows and I told her briefly about me and how that I really don’t wanna be doing any of this but with each step I just want more and so havent ruled it out, just not in. She was really really nice to talk with. She said how she had done several TS clients, how she worked lots (she had started at 6am that day herself!) and sends money home to her parents for them even though they don’t ask and at weekends her and a friend do some other charity clothing thing too, all of which I found very touching and told her so. It was during this conversation that the relevance of all the earlier bits dawned on me, plus others that I don’t remember now. But things like the toilet wasn’t due to them having another male one, or an accent phonetically confusing words, she wasn’t asking my male name etc. Even at the end the male nurse ran through the aftercare stuff, (apparently one of the things i cant do for 14days is to have sex. Ha ha haaa, yeah, like after 4 years or so 14days would worry me!) and advised that Billjana would be back shortly to help me get changed again and then she saw me to the lift and wished me good bye. By this time it was 8.20pm and I felt really sorry for her having had to wait so long to go. Even then she wasn’t rushing, whilst still in the op room she had a rough count done and it came in at nearer 1400 follicles and she kept going for a bit, clearly doing what she could above the paid for 1300.
After she helped me change and handed me my bag she was concerned of the weight of it. A laptop and headphones. I think it was as any exercise could elevate the bloodpressure and cause probbies to the new hairs. After getting a tad lost whilst speaking with my friend on the phone whilst making my way back to Baker street I managed to find it and got back to Victoria at 9.04, same time as my train was to leave. Bugger! If I didn’t get lost it would have been fine. I went to BurgerKing cause they had empty seats and I was supposed to be taking it easy and had a coffee whilst waiting for the next one at 22.04 and called my friend again, I was exhausted by this time and appreciated being able to talk as I think I was on the verge of hysterical tears by this time. I think I nodded off for about an hour on the way back until my phone battery ran out and then last hour I used my lappie as the carriage emptied out and I finally got home just after midnight.
Now I am looking forward to Thursday when I can wash the hair and start getting back into some kinda normality with it. Very worried though of washing it for the first time in case they all wash away or something. I stupidly imagined my extra long walk and bag carrying making em pop out the head and not being in correctly or something, stupid mind works overtime at times. When I awoke I remember feeling the new areas, all spiky and feels very weird, very prickly. I dunno if they are put into some kind of setting lotion or something to stiffen then up and make planting easier but hopefully they are all fine. I did have a shock when I first felt them though, they felt as if my forehead had been removed and I have been afraid to look.
Its weird, I have been in no pain at any point, although sleeping is not the most easiest thing but I think that’s cause of the wrinkley paper lanket they give out for first few days in case of blood. I had a very small bit.
Beng the overly sensitive bod that I am I found the whole experience and treatment from the clinic amazing. Nothing was ever pushed, I didn’t pick up on any false or ill will, just simplicity and matter of factness, so much so I wasn’t even aware most of the time as it was just so normal and everyday like.
Nat. xx --
posted by Buuuug @ 4:33 am
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