This section and the following pages chronicles the experience of my first hair transplant with Hasson & Wong.

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March 17th, 2002

March 17th was a Sunday and also the day that I drove up to Vancouver, B.C. from Seattle, Washington. I'm the kind of person that does not let a lot of things bother me and this experience was no different. That is until the day before the procedure was scheduled. I was so nervous that before I drove up to Vancouver I stopped at every store I could to make sure I had enough, "supplies".

I also stopped to wash my car. I realized later on that I was just stalling. After I finally got on the road I was able to calm down a little bit. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I just started to enjoy the scenery. If you have never been to the Pacific Northwest I highly recommend it. Below are a few pics of my drive up...

Just north of Seattle	Just across the border into Canada	First coming into Vancouver
Just a few minutes from downtown.	Entrance to the Granville Island Hotel.	Bed and foyer.
Other side of the room.	View from my room, to the south.	View from my room, to the north.

March 18th, 2002

Dr. Wong and I sat down to discuss the final plan of "attack". It was agreed that the priority of this procedure was to concentrate on my hairline to hide the old grafts I had from ten years ago. He would then move back across the top of my head and toward the top of my crown. He also noticed something that I had never considered.

My right temple was a little further back on my head than my left temple was. He is a real perfectionist and wanted to take care of it. I agreed and so then it was off for some pics for his records. Please note that I let Dr. Wong shave the top of my head because it makes it easier for him to work. It is not a requirement but I thought that if it was easier for him then it would be better for me in the long run. SHAVE IT OFF!! I have no regrets from doing so.

Here he is, "Wild Man", Wong.		Nervous grin
No coffee!!!	The old pattern looks like stadium seating!	Left side
When I first entered the O. R. for the procedure I was laid down on what looked like a massage table, complete with the "donut hole" to lay your face in. This was so the Doc had a good leverage point for removing my "strip O' scalp". This was the worst part. The needles hurt going in but it could have hurt a LOT worse. The Doc said I was a good little trooper with a high tolerance for pain. He then gave me a sucker and a pat on the head. Just kidding on that one. Seriously though, it was not very bad especially compared to the last Doc I went to.
You can see my old grafts here	Overhead	Right side. This the first shot of my temple too.

After these pics were taken we took a break for lunch. They brought up some great sandwiches from the deli downstairs. Aside from that I got up several times during the procedure to use the restroom and generally just mosey around the office to stretch my legs. I got to see another guy getting a HT from Dr. Hasson..
Both rooms had several tech's slicing away under microscopes.

Just a quick note about the facilities. The office is located on the top floor,(sixth), of an office building on the corner of Oak and West Broadway in Vancouver, BC. Each room has a view overlooking downtown and the water and I must say, if it wasn't snowing so hard it would have been beautiful. I have been to Vancouver before so I know what the view "might have been". The facilities were very clean and spacious and the staff is awesome.

When I was able to take a break I was allowed to photograph what the technicians were doing. It was quite fascinating to see my own hair being worked on. If you do have this procedure and you have a weak stomach I do not suggest looking over their shoulders. There is something very un-appetizing about seeing the yellow fatty tissue of your own scalp before it is sliced up.

Some of my precious grafts being born under high magnification	Magnification of my grafts being dissected	My grafts before they are inserted into my scalp

TThere were a total of four technicians working dilegently on my FU's. They were all very professional and it was obvious that they knew what they were doing. I eventually just kicked back and watched the DVD of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" on the LCD television that was hanging on the wall.

Pretty cool setup if you ask me. I wanted to gaze out over the Vancouver skyline but I couldn't see a thing due to a late season snow storm. Doh!

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