I have to admit, after finishing my HTA, I was pretty wiped out. If I recall correctly, the last testimonials regarding HTA on this forum were probably back in 2017.
That post-op feeling is actually quite interesting. I went through a phase of total disproportion.
One minute you’re in that "happy phase"—thinking the solution is finally within reach, moving from live consultations to the actual surgery itself...
And then, strangely enough, I hit a bit of a low. I remember walking around San Francisco the evening after the second part of the procedure (once the HTA was wrapped up) and just feeling depressed, dissatisfied, or whatever you want to call it...
The most common thoughts that kick in are: Was all of this even worth it? How is it going to look? Did they do it right? What about the Hairline? And so on.
I had that exact feeling on my first day post-op when I went in for my check-up and hair wash. I was given a post-op kit—nothing massive, but it doesn't need to be—along with instructions on how to behave and, more importantly, how to maintain hygiene.
On that first day post-op, I arrived in a small town near Columbus, close to Blumberg.
If anyone needs a very affordable place with an awesome host, I can highly recommend Phillip. He’s a great guy; he’s already driven me to the store for groceries twice and helps me out with just about everything I need.
By that first day post-op, the swelling in my forehead had already started to take hold.
When you start swelling up while also dealing with those intrusive, negative thoughts... it isn't exactly pleasant.
Luckily, I managed to shake off those useless thoughts and that mental funk by the next day. I’d say that period of insecurity was very brief, maybe a day and a half at most.
But by the morning of day two post-op, something even worse was waiting for me.
When I woke up, I felt incredibly strange, right on the edge of having a fever or the flu, or something like that.
Obviously, you aren't burning up, but that increased blood flow in your head is something you just can't prepare for.
I realized something wasn't right with my head, and visually, things were looking pretty rough.
When I looked in the mirror, I really had something to see.
My head had basically taken on rhomboid dimensions.
Aside from a heavily swollen forehead, the swelling had migrated down to my eyes, so my cheeks were completely puffed out from the eyes toward my ears. I looked like a diamond.
Thankfully, the swelling didn't continue its journey down under my eyes.
Roughly...
https://ibb.co/R6WP77Nhttps://ibb.co/6wPv6w2Given that I underwent a gigasection just two days ago, it’s not surprising. But it was very, very uncomfortable.
Day two post-op was the most physically demanding for me. In terms of pure discomfort, it felt worse than day one and two of the HTA.
Fortunately, all that shit is slowly passing.
By the third day, the swelling had decreased significantly.
By the fourth day, my cheeks looked okay, and the forehead swelling was much less intense.
By day five, I was almost back to normal, and by day six—which is today, as I write this—I am completely fine.
I still feel like the skin on my forehead is a bit soft and baggy because it lacks the usual tension of normal skin, but it feels like I've cleared the worst of it.
Also, the incision in the donor area doesn't have that thick swelling it had on days two and three. I still feel plenty of tightness around the cut, but those should vanish in about seven days. Plus, I'm not taking ibuprofen anymore.
Currently, my post-op care involves gently massaging the recipient zone with the shampoo I was given starting from day three, while using stronger, circular motions on the donor area. It hurts a little, but nothing major.
Throughout the entire recovery, I've been eating normally, though I'm avoiding overexerting myself.
Starting tomorrow, which is day seven post-op, I plan to start wearing a hat and taking short walks around the neighborhood.
P.S. Luckily, I don't have that itchy sensation I was so worried about.
Every now and then, I get some tingling or a slight itch, but fortunately, it passes very quickly. This happens in both the donor and recipient zones.
Day six looks good to me. My mood is in a good place. Our boys are still holding strong at 1/8. That's where things stand for now.