Wednesday 4 January 2012

Christmas - mixed blessings

The GOOD news this Christmas holiday was that I had my second round of hair transplants on 23 December.  This time they did 1,102 to add to the 1,742 last Christmas.  Last yea they aimed for 1,500 and this year 1,000 but apparently I have densely packed hairfollicles and so the harvested skin from the back of my head provided more than they bargained for.

Last year I can't remeber anything much after 'you'll just feel a sharp scratch....' until being brought completely round to go home.  This year I seemed to be rather more resistant to the anaesthetic and so although I must have been well out of it for the skin harvesting, I was pretty much awake later and was able to look at the technicians dissecting out the hair follicles and could feel the 'planting' process.

And the result?  It great!  Even though the 'planted' hairs are short - about 7 or 8 mm - and so feel a bit 'spikey' if you run your hand over then, they have filled in the small remaining thin patches on the crown and just behind on my head, and that's before they grow longer.  Wonderful!  A full head of hair!  Now I just need it to grow to match the rest and for it all to be down to my shoulders which is where I want it.

Thank you so much Dr May and your team at the Wimpole Clinic, Manchester Street, London!  Such a confidence boost to have a full head of hair and not to have to bother with those 'Toppik' fibres to fill in the thinning.

And the LESS GOOD news?  The boiler which provides my home hot water and heating failed on 21 December, just before I had my transplants.  I have 24 hour 'Home Emergency' cover provided by the Nationwide Building Society, so 'no problem' you would think.  NO WAY!  It is now 4 January and it is still not fixed.  A combination of poor communication and poor service and the shut downs of normal life over the Christmas and then the New Year holidays have meant me being excluded from use of my home over this period.  It might get fixed tomorrow, 5 Jan, but then I have been told that four times before and the engineer has visited twice previously, so I am not holding my breath.  Worst of all, I was expecting it to be fixed on the day that I was having hair transplants and only found out on the train home that it was not, which left me trying to sleep in a freezing cold house in quite a lot of pain.  Only through the generousity of relatives and friends have I had somewhere warm to sleep and been able to have a warm bath or shower each day through the holiday.

I am very, very angry and disappointed.  The letter of complaint is drafted, I am just waiting for the problem to be finally fixed to express my displeasure to the Nationwide.  So far I have told 32 folks about my displeasure, and now you know as well.....

Still, 2012 is shaping up to be an interesting year, with 5 November pencilled in for 'the big op'.  Do join me for the ride....

regards

Robin Moira White

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