Some advice to those seeking a HT

[topccat29]

I had a friend last year that was going through some emotional problems and was suffering from panic attacks. She thought it would be a good idea to seek the help of a doctor who immediately put her on an SSRI and sleep medication. Unfortunately she did not understand that she could possibly be digging herself a deeper hole. After a few days she started to feel very suicidal and since she has no family here she came ringing my doorbell at about 2:00 AM. Well of course I welcomed her in and did everything I could to help her get past her crisis which lasted several weeks and always late into the night.

The point of this experience is that she has over 1000 Facebook friends and even bragged to me in the past about it. What €™s really funny is that I am not one of her Facebook friends as I rarely use the site. But when she really needed a real friend and real help she knew where she could go.

My suggestion for those that are seeking to have a hairtransplant procedure is to speak and meet real people. The internet and forums are a great start but sometimes it €™s not real. It €™s sad to continually see patients in dire straits, suicidal or become reclusive because they thought they knew all there was to know. When in reality, it was just something they read on the internet.

Stop being ashamed and embarrassed. Meet and speak to people in person. A few minutes of shame and embarrassment are a small price to pay when compared to a lifetime of shame and embarrassment.

Don €™t believe everything you read and that includes what I post. Question everything and most importantly speak to people on the phone and if possible meet them in person.

 

[JJ09]

Good advice... I never talked or had seen any patients in person when I started my disastrous HT journey. At my third procedure with a second Dr to improve things was offered to see one of his patients ... I refused the offer because I was too embarrassed and only made things worst.

 

[zionaxel]

Topcat i dont believe you

 

[zionaxel]

Nah pulling yer leg. Agree about the post , also facebooks sucks..

 

[Bigmac]

Good post.

 

[Nervousnelly]

Great post. I have no problem talking to anyone considering a HT. I feel that I am well educated on the topic and would love to help people out.

 

[zionaxel]

I meet a lot of people with hairloss, and personally i would never encourage a H.T due to the what if factor. If i tell someone to go a head and have one and the result is not what had been hoped for i couldnt live with the fact that i had somehow been a part of that. I wouldnt wish that on anyone.

I know things have have changed since my original op but there are no absoulutes in this, i still feel it is a gamble.It seems there are 3 clinics in my book where the chance of getting a good result are there and the rest are the reason why at this very moment hundreds if not thousands are reading these forums looking for there repair..

 

[topccat29]

Zion I like to tell most to try and have the smallest procedure possible if they really want to pursue a HT and then only try fue. They can always move on to bigger sessions or a strip if that is what they really want. But it gives them a chance to see for themselves without making a big commitment and still have the option of walking away without too much harm being done. Of course this is only after they have done extensive research and have spoken to and met dozens of other patients. I think this is safe sensible advice and I sleep well giving it to others.

I just had the chance to speak to two different gentlemen very recently form opposite ends of the world. They are both looking for some input on moving forward with a repair. I think they would be okay with me repeating this without divulging specifics. Here is the not so funny part. They both actually went to the same clinic and I have never seen disgruntled patients from this clinic post ever in all my time on the forums. This really hits home as to how important it is to actually start speaking to people in person or on the phone. Reading and commenting on the forums is fine, but it is hardly enough to make an informed decision.

I wish I could say that I have 3 clinics that I could recommend but I don €™t. It would make me appear less biased. It €™s not always a matter of just skill and results that I do not have 3, sometimes it due to other reasons. This is why having all the stars line up in a clinic is so very rare in my own opinion. To have a highly skilled doctor with natural born talent, a pleasant demeanor and his feet on the ground, an experienced team of techs who love their work, an ethical and knowledgeable clinic in itself with patient care that is over the top along with a clinic that knows who their patients are and appreciate them.

Unfortunately most do not look for these traits. They look for the clinic that tells them what they want to hear, is close by so they don €™t have to travel too far, and can give them a nice price. This I would consider poor search criteria.

 

[topccat29]

I was actually able to hook both of these repair patients up with each other, and that makes me feel good like I am making a difference. These poor clinics partly rely on the shame and embarrassment of their patients from contacting others and speaking openly. Eventually when you speak to enough people you can figure it out on your own.

There is nothing wrong with being in business and making money. But when money becomes the sole source of what drives someone, they tend to lose their way. Eventually it comes back to bite them in the ass.

 

[Bigmac]

Just thought i`d bump this up as its well worth reading for anyone considering a HT.

 

[The Outer Limits]

Small sounds GOOD especially if you`re not sure how much hair you`re losing.

 

[jessica0125]

Any communities or forums are just for seeking help about your questions and to some personal extent but really it feels far more better to speak to a person and never feel anything of being ashamed, there is always someone to listen and understand.

 

[topccat29]

Jessica if you are going to reply to every thread on the board at least have something intelligent to say otherwise it looks ridiculous. Better just to say here is a link for my clinic come on and check it out. What are we 2 years old?

 

[RichTea]

Great post glad it was bumped up . I don't have any massive knowledge about HT but I would be glad to meet up with anyone to talk about my own HT experience.

 

[topccat29]

Rich Tea having information is so critical if you can help others by sharing what you know you are really doing a good thing.

My mother-in-law just passed away and my wife is taking it very hard as they truly were best friends. It all could have been prevented with just a little information but unfortunately we simply can €™t be experts on every subject in the world and we often have to rely on those around us who have the expertise and the ethics to help advise us.

After suffering a stroke and being placed on Pradaxa for her condition which was atrial fibrillation she was doing quite well. Initially while she was in the States and the doctor here wanted to put her on Coumadin which we knew was extremely dangerous through the experience of others so she was placed on an alternative medication at our insistence, Pradaxa which has a better safety profile. After a 6 month recovery she decided to go back to her home country in Europe where the doctor there insisted on her medication being changed without anyone €™s knowledge. He placed her on Coumadin and she died within a few days from hemorrhage. Her relatives there have practically zero knowledge about how the medical system works or the dangers of different surgeries and medications so they could not help to prevent this needless death and the ensuing pain it has caused others.

Just yesterday I happened to read an article in a monthly publication I receive on the medication Eliquis which is even superior to Pradaxa in its safety profile and effectiveness when compared to Coumadin. Of course my first thought is I wish I would have read this article a month ago but I guess it just wasn €™t meant to be. And then of course I have to ask myself why this doctor didn €™t know about this medication and why using it was a much safer choice. One can only guess as many in the field of medicine are just about doing what is easiest and most profitable for them and concern for the patient takes a back seat.

I see the same in the ht industry. Doctors and clinics doing what is best for them and not the patient. I just read a comment from a patient advisor on another forum that states he tells those that he is advising not to let the clinic know you have the money to pay for a procedure. Can you believe this would even be an issue and that a patient advisor would even make this statement, I just shake my head.

It €™s up to us to help each other by passing on what we know.

 

[timuk]

Great thread..

I have been away from the forum for quite some time....it's a great place to start and the people that run it do so for the interest of us everyday guys and gals..

I wish this forum had been around 15 years ago, as I know I would never have had to go through the problems I had after having an HT at a London clinic all that time ago....being promised a new lease on life, a new head of hair just like mother nature intended and my lack of confidence caused by my hairloss to vanish....

The truth was that I really did not need an HT at the time as my hairloss was not that bad (just vanity of youth) ...

What I did end up with a several years later after my hair receded to expose my HT was a totally unnatural dolls head hairline......

I had a repair around 3 and a half years ago, which I am very happy with......but am still get angry fro time to time about the lies I was told by that London Clinic....that ended up costing me a fortune and making me feel 100 times more self conscious than I had ever been when I was just going bald....What annoys me most is that these people just do not care, and are not bothered how they make money.......ruining someone's life for the sake of £ £ £ £ £ £ £'s

I remember asking the clinic if I could see other people who had had their procedure done with them....the answer was that any info was confidential and that their patients would never want to let anyone know about their HT's and that I could see some letters showing how happy they all were....which I looked at and was amazed.....yep....sillly me...

Anyway, sorry to go on....what I wanted to say is that hindsight is a wonderful thing....what has happened has happened....and the best way is to try and look forward and ask for help.....I did and even though I would not say I am 100% happy with my hair, though its a million miles from where I started.....but it's a major leap forward and I have my lost confidence back, which is the best thing ever.....my hair is not my main worry in life anymore

Don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you like, be 100% confident that the path you are choosing is the right one for you...and make sure you see results in person from the clinic you choose....

This forum is a great way to help people achieve the above.....just ask and I am sure someone will help

Topcat....sorry to hear about your mother in law......

Take care everyone

Tim

 

[topccat29]

Thanks Tim I was trying to make a point but at times it does seem useless, probably time for a break.

These HT clinics that don €™t do what is best for the patient just become part of a bigger system that will come back to haunt them at some point in their own lives, they just don €™t see it at the moment. So they will offer only what they know and what is most profitable for them. In the HT industry is will be unnecessary strip or in the case of fue large punches, motorized devices or just plain inadequate skill. As long as they are making profit too many clinics will just continue business as usual.

In the case of my mother-in-law the second doctor did what was best and easiest for himself and the consequences were devastating. The same will continue in the world of HT.

Of course when I see Jessica €™s post with the link to her clinic it pisses me off to no end but maybe I should just let it go and not comment. But it truly is an insult to my intelligence to post some lame comment so that a link to her clinic could be added and then to post similar lame comments to other threads in the same forum. But I also understand that in a marketing sense it works and that is why she does it. She understands that most are just too lazy to take the time and devote the energy to really learn about the industry and it €™s easier to just click on to her link. This is exactly why it needs to be pointed out to those that just don €™t understand what is happening and believe me there are many.

I would also add that her lame comments are an insult to those clinics that have taken time in the past to post comments and information with substance.

It €™s too bad that I have had to take so much time and energy out of my own life to learn about this industry but it has been a good experience in a way and beneficial in other areas of my life.

To the clinics that like to insinuate that posters that do not work for clinics but seem to post too much have psychological issues it does make me laugh a little. I can assure you I am quite stable but I don €™t let things go and I €™m not going to just sit idly by when I know very well some young guy is going to get butchered by some unethical clinic. The ones with the real psychological issues are the clinics that are doing this and those that work for them which includes posting.

 

[Bigmac]

Jessica has not asked permission to post links and imo i dont think she actually works at the clinic she constantly links to, seems more like a paid internet promoter.

 

[timuk]

Cheers BM ..

Topccat....

Basically I like to think that if forum members like you and forums like this one can save just one poor guy from making the mistake of his life then all the hard work and time put into it is more than worth it....

I would bet that the number that have been "saved" is far higher than one....

Just my thoughts which I hope will convince you to carry on....and that you are doing a very worthwhile thing...land yes, people will come along from time to time and "take the piss".

That's a terrible thing to happen with regard to your mother in law....I have a similar situation with my mother, though she is still with us...all because a specialist consultant saw what he wanted to see and decided that she had a very rare illness (ALS).......which she did not.....ended up being a very serious spinal injury ....unusually the specialist admitted his mistake.....and that he was more focused his research into ALS and having a "guinea pig" than looking for the real cause of her problems....

Luckily it was spotted in time and an operation carried out ASAP....though permanent damage has been done....

It's a much longer story and not for this forum.....

Anyway....long may we strive to make a small dent in the darker side of this industry..... Small....but o so very important..

Tim

 

[topccat29]

Over the years I have consulted with dozens and dozens of clinics. I have consulted with that particular clinic for which a link was provided. During the consultation phase 3 separate appointments were set up and each and every appointment was cancelled by the clinic for some reason or other. They then suggested I purchase a webcam to set up an online consultation. This was a fairly long time ago and webcams were not something common but even after all those appointment cancellations I still wanted to try again. I purchased the camera, set it up, took a day off work and sat in front of the computer anxiously waiting to be contacted. I waited for about an hour and half before I realized no one was going to call. I will admit that did make me feel pretty low and for those who are not actual repair patients it might be hard to understand.

I would describe the feeling this way. Imagine planning a huge dinner party where you cleaned the house top to bottom, purchased all the food and drink and took the extra time and care to prepare everything so that it was perfect. Then you waited for the door bell to ring and the guests to arrive only nobody showed up. That feeling, that is how I felt.

I did receive a call about 4 hours later apologizing and even with all of this I was still willing to set another appointment. On that next appointment I did make a connection but I was disappointed to see that it was not actually by the doctor that ran the clinic. I went through the motions but I knew that I had seen enough red flags to never go to this clinic no matter what. Since then I happen to become friends with some of the patients that have gone to that clinic and that includes repair patients. There is more I could say but maybe I should start trying to be nicer in 2012