HT with Dr John Diep, 5,100 Grafts - Los Gatos, CA

47 year old Indian male, smoker, toker, and drinker. Going for my FUT with Dr Diep in 2 days. So excited but nervous. I decided to share my story just as others have that gave me the information, and courage to come this far. I'm grateful to all of you who posted your experiences, even up to a year or more.

OK, so I considered doing this in India (as I'm Indian) but wasn't born there, so I would be just as much a visitor as if I went to Turkey or Belgium. I much prefer to travel within USA, and in fact found that there were good surgeons in CA alone! I consulted with Dr Parsa Mohebi in Hollywood, Dr Sheldon Kabaker in Oakland, and also Dr Diep. Dr Kabaker wouldn't consider doing more than 2500 grafts as let's face it, he doesn't need to work long hours any more.

I'll probably get some flack for this, but it honestly has been a roller coaster journey in terms of whether I want to go through with this or not. Maybe I should just shave my head; maybe wear a cap whenever I go out; maybe a toupee; maybe something else. I'm averse to pain so that factored in quite a bit (Dr Diep said FUT would be best considering the number of grafts I needed, and pain would only be about 30% less with FUE. Nevertheless, he convinced me FUT would be best. I do agree).

I am supposed to be at the clinic at 5:30am. I'm told it will prob last till 10pm. I'm a bit worried at how much it may hurt - I have read here that it's not so bad or unnoticeable even! I'm still worried post op, but that's another story!

I don't live a healthy lifestyle. I don't exercise, I smoke, I drink (beer only), and my diet isn't great. I'm 5' 7", 120lbs. I've had to quit smoking cold turkey and it's been awful, but it's something I've tried to do all my life and never managed. However, I want to give my procedure the best chance of success, so I have extra motivation to stop smoking. It's only been 5 long days so far... I have to quit drinking tea as of today (no caffeine) - I NEED tea :( Ha, it only gets worse tomorrow...no alcohol (I'm telling you, this better be worth it all lol). On the plus side, I have had my scalp massaged for the last 2 weeks - I only realized I was supposed to do this when I finally decided to read the packet of information they gave me when I first booked my op. Apparently I should have started as soon as I'd made my reservation.

Speaking of...my experience with Dr Diep for the consult was great. No complaints. He showed me other patients with similar hair and race, drew on my scalp to show me what he could do, checked for elasticity, and declared I was a good candidate. He was booked 3 months out even though he works 6 days a week! I paid my $1,000 deposit and have been waiting for this day since!

I'm sorry I've rambled but as I haven't been through the procedure yet, I don't have that much to share, other than my "before" pictures. Feel free to ask , comment or share!

OK so I got to the clinic on Monday at 5:30am. Receptionist was on time. I sat in the waiting room for about 1/2 an hour and filled out some forms. She took me in, made me change into surgical gown and booties. Took my BP and vitals.
Dr Diep got there around 6:30am and took me to his office for a consult, drew my hairline and asked if I had any questions. I was given some meds (3 valium, 2 Xanax, antibiotics, and Tylenol). Then I was taken to the operating room where I was given 2 injections (sedatives).
After that I don't really recall much, including having lunch!! I was awake for the last half of the procedure, and talking, etc. I guess I was moving around too much when talking so they kept asking me not to move! Very difficult!
The procedure finished around 8pm I think. I was able to walk unassisted. Came home and took some of the meds they gave me and went to sleep. I slept reclined 45 degrees and with a neck pillow. There was still a lot of blood everywhere, which is to be expected.
The next day I didn't feel too bad at all. I slept most of the day due to the meds. I had to go for a hairwash at the clinic. I should say, the lady could have been a bit nicer in terms of explaining and patiently answering my questions to my mom (my caregiver).
Today is the 2nd day after surgery and I'm feeling much better. Had my hairwash again and this time it was a different lady and she was GREAT! Dr Diep also popped in to see how I was doing. He answered any questions I had as said he'd do a detailed checkup wen I go to have my sutures removed in a week.
All in all, I was expecting to be dying of pain (I have a VERY low tolerance for pain!). I'm pleasantly surprised that I don't have pain or discomfort. The only pain I have is the sutures - where they begin and where they end. Other than that, it's just a dull ache sometimes. My face is swollen but not like some of the pics I've seen.
I'm really pleased and excited at the upcoming year...
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I couldn't have done this without this community's support.

Good luck to everyone who is going thru this. This is a great community but due to lack of interest in my experience, I'll discontinue my updates.

Best!