From first to last my experience with Dr Epstein and his team was a pleasure. Surgery isn’t something I’ve ever gone in for before, so I had dozens (and dozens) of questions before I was ready to commit to a procedure. All of these were handled swiftly, efficiently and honestly by Dr Epstein’s representative, Dan Grantham, and on one occasion Dr Epstein himself replied: impressive service. After two or three weeks I was convinced I was dealing with a top notch organisation and so I decided to go ahead.
Three months later I was on my way to Miami – a long and complicated journey from South West England – and I had many hours to wonder whether the experience itself would live up to expectations. The answer is a definite yes. I arrived very early in the morning and was greeted by a friendly and efficient young man called Kyle who took me through the necessary paperwork. Shortly afterwards I met Dr Epstein, then was introduced to the team who would be working on me – mainly Jose and Cynthia (I hope I have remembered their names right). Also in the operating room was a team of three and I think at times four people working on microscopes to prepare the grafts. It felt incredible to be the centre of such attention!
I was told to say if at any point anything hurt, and the team worked very hard to keep me comfortable at all times. It was a long day for everyone (I arrived at 6.45 and left at 7pm) but I can honestly say I enjoyed it. The team who were inserting the grafts were extremely chatty and friendly and although I wasn’t very good company (because I was groggy) they really did seem to enjoy their work.
I returned the following day for a quick check-up and to settle the final bill, because Dr Epstein had managed to do more grafts than originally intended. I had agreed to this in advance, so it wasn’t unexpected. I also got to meet Susie, who I had spoken to on the phone from England on a few occasions.
It was such an enjoyable experience that (don’t laugh) I hope to see you all again later in the year.
This is not because I am addicted to surgery, but because I trust you all and with something like this it is worth paying for the best.
Any surprises? Well, not having had surgery before, I wasn’t expecting the donor sites on my head to hurt as much (though this is easily dealt with by the painkillers provided). Also, I thought the operation would be a breeze, but it was a long, tiring day – and I’ve been sleeping a lot since. Having said which – if you’re going to have this kind of procedure, I would unequivocally recommend Dr. Epstein and his team.