Time,

I think you are acting in a very commendable way under such circumstances. Between the sound advice/support offered, and what we can only hope -- and assume -- to be a sympathetic and willing reaction by Dr. Epstein, I'd try to find solace in knowing you are moving forward with a vast array of (powerful) options. Also, you never know -- in the next ~3months you might make some appreciable headway, which can only help.

As for docs in Central Florida -- I am pretty inept at geography, but Dr. Charles, perhaps?

Don't worry about things getting out of control; you have sincere support and a good head on yer shoulders.

I would like to hear from others who have gray hair or wore a hair piece to see how long it took their HT to mature. This is the first I've heard that gray hair takes longer to come to the surface (longer than nine months) and that a hairpiece could inhibit growth. In fact I've heard the opposite. I've heard in the past year from many hair piece wearers who had no problems at all. Also it was mentioned that it could be a physiological factor. How would I know if I have something wrong with me that prevents me from being a successful hair transplant patient? If I am one of the rare people who a hair transplant won't work on I don't want to go thought the time, trauma, expense and stress again only to find out it was not successful.

Most of us hid under a hat until growth and that was never a factor. Your peice is lace so that bs is out of the question since it can breathe.
Ive seen tons of guys with gray hair that had normal growth .
Did he plant ALL gray hair?
I just hope he is using this spin move to buy some time and keep you off the edge in hope things shape up .
Hang in there 3 more months because you might be a rare case.

I think your next (best) course of action is what you have already stated doing, that is: having a consultation with a *different* doc and have him evaluate your situation (i.e. how many grafts would he estimate have grown it, if the hair piece would have altered your growth/yield, etc)...then you can take it from there.

Also, *if* your first transplant does indeed turn out to have not yielded what was harvested, or even *if* it does for that matter, I would strongly consider going to H&W and getting MAXED out, as many grafts as possible for your next surgery, so you will limit the likelihood of having less than favorable results, and also as I just think this should be the first line of attack for ANYONE w/considerable loss...

Hang in there, we're all here for you man!

PGP---
"Your peice is lace so that bs is out of the question since it can breathe.
Ive seen tons of guys with gray hair that had normal growth"...

I agree 100% and what's worse and even more concerning is that if either of these conditions were to possibly have a detrimental (or prolonged "growth" in the case of grey hair) affect on his ht to begin with, then why was he not informed PRIOR to surgery?

I don't like to point a finger at a doc, especially over just one case, but this is the third case I recall now w/a complaint against this doc in just the past month or two:

TTDS, Godsluv, and the Feller patient...

ttds,
one suggestion i would offer you just to help your appearance would be to buzz the sides and back down a bit. also, did epstein take immediate post-op pics? if he did you should have them. posting them here would also help us all get a better idea of what's going on. and you might want to post some better angles of your head now along with some closer shots.

That concerns me about 3 recent complaints.
Im wondering if there were some new techs hired at the time.
A question everyone should ask is , How long have your techs worked with you?
For instance a place like SMG is so consistent in the results they acheive is because Janna and others have been there for a long time and actually they are the ones responsible for the growth of the grafts..

TTDS,

If you are considering getting a second opinion, Dr. Charles, Dr. Rose, and Dr. Nusbaum are all first-rate Coalition physicians in the state of FL. Also, if you can get together with Dr. Epstein in person, let him evaluate your scalp to see if he can get a better idea what might be going on.

I'm not convinced that the hair piece or gray hair has anything to do with the poor growth at this point, but some patient bloom late, and you may be one of them. It's all projection at this point, and a physician may be able to give you a better indication if they can examine you in person.

This is why before making a final evaluation and decision on how to proceed is best left to the one year mark.

Nonetheless, I am concerned about this and hope you'll keep us updated on your progress.

Falc

I have received private messages with complaints from patients other than the ones Falc mentioned. I'm scared. I REALLY hope this is just a bad dream or a case of me getting overly worked up to quickly.

As much as I don't want to make a trip to Miami (his Tampa office is closer but he is rarely there) I wonder why Dr. Epstein hasn't contacted me with that request?

quote:

Im wondering if there were some new techs hired at the time

That would make perfect sense, BUT the Feller patient saw Epstein directly and was denied a ht, because he thought he wasn't a good candidate; later Feller got over 7 (or 8?) K grafts from him; Godsluv ht was a couple of years ago, but he just recently came on here complaining...

Time to do something.

I figured I'd jump in here and share something I found.

But first...know you're in good hands with this forum and will be helped out no matter what your growth is in the next few months.

Any coalition doc HAS to stand by you and do the right thing...if they don't there reputation is at risk.

Days of doctors disappearing and not taking
your calls are over thanks to the internet.
Plus Epstein is a good man.

Not that this does you any good but I used Dr.Epstein and I'm a little over four months post-op and all is going as planned.
Dr.Epstein is real passionate about his work....he'll be all over this i'm sure.

Let me share something I read in Dr.Bernstein and Dr.Rassman's "The Patients Guide To Hair Restoration"...got this out the 6th edition of their writings.

Page 88...DELAYED OR RUDUCED GROWTH
"Growth cycles vary widely,some patients may experience significantly delayed growth.
This can produce substantial anxiety for these patients"
"We have seen significant growth between 12-24 months following a hair transplant in a few patients who presented with delayed growth.
In the rare case of reduced growth,additional work may be necessary."

If you don't know Dr.Bernstein because he's not mentioned much on the forum...he's kind've a guru/scientist type.
Ask Falc about his reputation.

Hang in there buddy.
You're not alone...we all feel for you.
This just may turn around and surprise you.
Stay strong...you have plenty of options.

MH

quote:

I have received private messages with complaints from patients other than the ones Falc mentioned.

TTDS,

I'm a little concerned by this statement since I didn't mention anybody by alias or name to you.

If patients are having concerns that didn't already address them, I'd encourage them to come forward.

Falc

what about dbk20022003? didnt he also have a complaint? I think he was at 7 mos growth but he wasnt happy with the location of his hairline or coverage? 7 mos is too early to judge as well though...

Ah yes, dbk20022037.9626181671811638261281167abcdefghijklmmnopqrstuvwxyandzTHISISHOWIKNOWMYABC'S...

how did his name slip my mind?

Godsluv & Feller's dude complained...

this must be the most disturbing post... this website gave the feeling dr e was one of the best in the feild of ht.. now every guy thinking of ht will be scared...

I dont know about one of the best, but I have seen some pretty nice results from him. Hes taking a hit right now but hes still a good surgeon. Nobody bats a 1000. Well there is one that comes to mind

quote:

Originally posted by PLEASE GROW PLEASE:
I dont know about one of the best, but I have seen some pretty nice results from him. Hes taking a hit right now but hes still a good surgeon. Nobody bats a 1000. Well there is one that comes to mind

consistency is the key!!!!...

Hes been pretty consistent. I could point out patients from every doctor that arent happy. What sets this apart is the minimal growth, but before we crucify Epstein we should wait to see if he is a rare case. Believe me I can lay into someone as harsh as it gets but researching this for 6 years now Ive seen some pretty wild cases .If this was Nuhart I wouldnt give them the benefit of the doubt but Im willing to because of his track record. I think the excuses he gave him would have had my hands wrapped around his throat ,but hes not an incompetent doctor. Something possibly went horribly wrong or the poor guy is a super slow grower. We all go through that rollercoaster of a ride but it pains me to think how this guy has only experienced the ride down

PLEASE GROW PLEASE,

You're correct about other docs and their results.
It's interesting because I've seen results from guys that have received 2200 graphs VS. guys that have received 4200 graphs...and I gotta tell ya...when you compared the two it was tough to see where the 2000+ graphs the second guy received went....just an observation.

What counts the most is if the patient is happy.

But the most important thing here is taking care of our friend who is hurting and probably pissed and waiting to see what happens.

Of course alot of guys are going to jump on the bandwagon and bury the doc....before we really know the deal...it's human nature...kind've funny to watch.
Some of these guys were probably singing about this doc...now he's dead....lol.

The no growth thing at this point SUCKS...but shooting down the doc before we really know...hurts our brother who's in pain right now...think about it.

WAIT !!!!...let's see what happens.

MH

Falc, I'm sorry I stand corrected. Notgoing2gobald is the one who mentioned the posters by name, the ones you mentioned weren't by name. But I have received complaints from other patients of Dr. Epstein's in private messages. Of course it is not my place to out their concerns since I can't find anywhere that they have made the complaint public on the forum so we will just have to wait until they come forward on their own. I'm not trying to create a frenzy on this forum and taint anyone reputation it just happened that I received other complaints. For whatever reason there seems to be a series of complaints from patients within a fairly close time frame. This goes against the many good results Dr. Epstein has put out. Did you receive the private messages I sent you yesterday?