Question:
is there anyone thats been through this?
i had my tummy tuck on december 8, 2 weeks after that i went to my plastic sergeon because i thought i was infected his nurse told me that i wasnt infected and that the redness, swelling and discharge were normal. well on christmas night i came down with a fever and i called my plastic surgeon and he was really rude because i called him at 11:30 at night. i told him that i didnt have a thermometer that was working but that i was absolutly sure i had a fever. i asked him if i should go to the emergency room and he bit my head off and said that it was impossible for me to be infected and that i didnt even really know if i had a fever and not to call him back until the morning and not to go to the emergency room to wait until monday to go to his office. i sent my husband to walgreens to get a thermometer and my temp was 102.7 so i paged my sergeon back and he wouldnt return any of my calls. i waited until the morning and took my temp again and it was 103.3 i paged him 2 more times he still wouldnt call me back. My husband and my mom took me to the emergency room, when i got there my temp was 103.5 and by the time they got me in to see them it was 103.8 my blood pressure was 78/27, my heart rate was 145 and the doctor said i was becoming septic and that i might not make it throught the night, they were asking my in the emergency room (even before i went to the ICU) if i wanted the chaplin to sit with me and my family. well here i am 12 days later at home, they had to open my tummy tuck inscion and clean out a huge infected puss pocket. my wound is still open and i have a wound vac attached to me 23 hrs a day for 2 months. my infection had gotten so bad that i now have to have an at home health care proffesional come to my house every other day for a wound change and i also have to stay on intravenious drugs for 2 months at home, because the type of infection i got from surgery is not responsive to oral antibiotics, my plastic sergeon still will not talk to me, i dont know what to do or how to deal with this i feel that my plastic sergeon thinks of me as a stupid 24 year old, its like he didnt even care if i died. any advice on how to deal with this legally or emotionally would be greatly appreciated. — lisa N. (posted on January 6, 2004)
January 6, 2004
I am so sorry this happend to you and your surgeon sounds like an asshole
(sorry). I would make sure you document everything (get a print out of your
phone bill and calls made) and your receipt from Walgreens for the
thermometor and shop for a lawyer. But, in the future...don't wait for an
ok if you know you are not feeling well (I know you know this now). Always
think of yourself first. He did not want you to go to the hospital because
he thought he would have to come in. Get a different doctor and don't deal
with him anymore. Let the lawyer do that.
Love Jeanette
— Jeanette O.
January 6, 2004
Document everything and report him to your State's Medical Board! That's
inexcusable in my opinion.
— Cathy S.
January 6, 2004
Talk to a medical malpractice lawyer now. Your plastic surgeon's conduct
is unexcusable. He should not have told you not to go to the e.r. What if
you had taken his advice? You could be dead! Had he responded to you and
caught this infection earlier, you may not have had such serious
reprecussions as what you are going through now. And the fact that he
still won't contact you tells me he knows he screwed up. I'm not
neccessarily saying "sue his pants off",but talk to a lawyer and
find out what your legal rights are in this situation. Maybe your surgeon
should be responsible for all your medical costs associated with the
healing of this terrible infection. I"m sorry you are going through
this, and your surgeon should be ashamed of his own behavior. You may also
want to post a complaint with the american medical board so others can take
what happened to you into consideration when looking for a plastic surgeon.
— beeda
January 6, 2004
GOOD LORD, I'm SO glad you are back home recovering, this must have been
TERRIBLY FRIGHTFUL for you- First and foremost, you are recovering, 2nd, I
have to agree- I hope you documented everything, I by ALL MEANS am not sue
happy (I've never sued anyone before) But I say contact a lawyer- You or
your insurance company paid this man BIG BUCKS, and he has an obligation to
you- What a nightmare !!!
— WABBIT F.
January 6, 2004
Your doctor is running scared now. Hire yourself a lawyer. and don't back
down for nothing. sue his butt. Hope you are feeling better. If you don't
now you will after your lawyer finishes with him. Good Luck **hugs**
— Naes Wls J.
January 6, 2004
I agree with the other posters. His behavior is inexcusable. I had a
lower body lift on Dec. 19, and my plastic surgeon reiterated several
times, "Call me if you need me for anything." While I was in the
hospital, the nurses were a little concerned because they thought I wasn't
putting out enough urine, and he had them call every four hours throughout
the night. I thought that really showed that he cared about me as a
patient. I had to page him once when I thought my JP drain was infected.
It was a Sunday about noon, and he called me back within two minutes. He
had me meet him personally at the ER to look at it. I think your plastic
surgeon's behavior is awful. You certainly have every right to be appalled
and disgusted with him. I would follow up with an attorney as well.
— raye
January 6, 2004
Sue the pants off the dork. Sorry, but this is unethical, negligent
behavior.
Be sure to consider contacting either:
www.obesitylaw.com
www.obesitylawer.com
I think either of these guys would be great to have in your court!
dina
— Dina McBride
January 6, 2004
What's the surgeons name? I want to be sure to stay away from him!!!
— Karyn B
January 6, 2004
Lisa, <br>
By all means, doument every time you called him and what was said. Then
report him...to the hospital where he is on staff and to the state
regulatory board there in Texas. <br>
I am an ER nurse. Malpractice is defined as not doing what any reasonable
practicioner would do. I can not imagine any surgeon who would not either
see a new post op with a fever or at least send them to the ER. This man
could have cost you your life! Please do not allow him to do this to
another patient. <br>
My prayers are out for a speedy recovery. BIG HUG. Linda
— Linda S.
January 6, 2004
I would do what another poster said and document everything. You are going
to need it when you get a lawyer and sue him for malpractice. I hope you
are not even hesitating on taking him to court. If that happened to me, I
wouldn't think twice about it. Some doctors just don't get it about caring
for patients so maybe if his pocketbook is injured maybe he will think
twice the next time someone calls him. The only thing I do agree with him
on is I would have gotten a thermometer and took my tempurature to make
sure I had a fever because you can't tell them you have a fever if you are
not sure. God Bless you, sweetie. I hope you are starting to feel better
soon.
— tntwildlife77
January 6, 2004
I agree with Nadine--your doctor seems to know he did something wrong and
is avoiding you. Why else would he tell you not to go to the ER, right?
When you sue this guy, also mention the fact that he didn't return your
calls and told you NOT to go to the ER. That's going to be a huge
"red flag". I also think sending a letter to this doctor,
certified with return receipt, letting him know what you went through and
telling him to expect a call from your lawyer. Keep lots of notes! Good
luck!
— Krista S
January 6, 2004
contact a malpractice attorney immediately, you have a case.
— paula P.
January 6, 2004
Take him to court, what he did was no better than attempted murder and if
you don't get him it may happen to someone else!
— firelace
January 6, 2004
I am sorry but this guy sounds like a JACK ASS! Please do something about
him before he hurts or neglects someone else!
I am very glad to hear you are ok now, take care!
— Saxbyd
January 6, 2004
Im so sorry u had to go through that. i would document everything that
happened. U explained it quiete well to us. and go to a medical
malpractice lawyer, when ur feeling better and i would sue him and call the
state medical board and post him on the BBB. He can't do this to other
people. That was so selfish of him to tell u not to go to the ER. Again
im glad ur feeling better and i will send a prayer up for u everynight.
Take Care of urself
— sexysag37
January 6, 2004
The reason he won't talk to you is because he knows he screwed up. First
of all, a nurse should NEVER be the one to decide if you have an infection
or not. The doctor should have seen you himself to make that decision. I
can tell you that each and EVERY time I have went to see my plastic surgeon
he ALWAYS is the one to see me, along with his nurse. You need to get a
lawyer. You definately have a negliance case and you should be reimbursed
for your pain and suffering. He obviously doesn't care about his patients.
Therefore a hit to his malpractice premium and his wallet might do him a
bit of good. My plastic surgeon came in on a Saturday morning just to
check out the surgery he did on me the day before. I had no problems but
he told me on my surgery day that he ALWAYS checks his patients out the
following day - Saturday or not. That's a doctor who cares about his
patients.
— Patty H.
January 6, 2004
Lisa, thank god you are alright. I have been a nurse for 35 years and never
had a Doc say don't go to ER. i agree with all that has been said here.
the only way you are going to make a difference with this jerk is hit him
in the wallet. but i also believe you should post his name and your story
EVERYWHERE!!!!! On ObesityHelp.com and on any plastic surgeon net you can
find. File that complaint with the med board and BBB. I wish you the best
of luck and health. God Speed. Cathy
— CATHYSDAN
January 6, 2004
Not only does it sound like you have grounds to sue, but please call your
insurance company and let them know what happened. Most insurance companies
have quality assurance programs, and when they hear about cases like this,
it gets documented, investigated, and reviewed when it's time to renew (or
NOT renew) his contract. That can really cut into his business if insurance
companies start dropping him.
— koogy
January 6, 2004
As an attorney, I agree with everyone else, but you also need to start
documenting what the "harm" was. By that I mean what would have
been the sum total of your problems had he seen you right away or sent you
to the ER right away compared to the sum total of your problems based on
the amount of time you waited to seek treatment. Make sense? Your lawyer
will appreciate the research you bring to her/him. I would focus on
attorneys in the area that specialize in Medical Malpractice, as it is a
very narrow field and requires intricate knowledge. Go ahead and start
calling, but you have a decent amount of time (depends on the state) in
which to file your claim, so right now you should focus on getting yourself
back together. Good luck!
— Ryan M.
January 6, 2004
At the very LEAST this guy owes you for your medical bills from the health
nurse, etc...
— Michelle A.
January 7, 2004
My Gosh Lisa, Bless your heart!!! I would only be repeating everything that
has already been said but, I had to post. You have some great replies of
advice. Take them, take care of yourself and always listen to your
inner-self. I am getting ready to have my abdominalplasty in like a week
and I can not imagine having to go through what you have had too. I wish
you the best of luck and please keep us posted on what happens.
))))))))))))HUGS(((((((((((((
— ncgal
January 7, 2004
As was said before.
1.) Document everything dates, times, calls, messages left and not
returned.
2.) Get a good malpractice attorney. Follow his/her instructions to the
letter.
3.) Do not try to call your "doctor" any more.
4.) Report him to your State's Medical Board or have your attorney do so.
— Betty S.
January 7, 2004
Your plastic surgeon who seems to think he is God needs to be taken down a
couple of notches. There is no doubt that this doctor needs to be
disciplined. Please do not let this drop. I cannot believe that he
treated you that way. I hope you get better very soon.
Chris
— rinnchris
January 8, 2004
In addition to the lawsuit, which I would definitely do if I were you, you
need to get good follow up care. Can you get a referral to another
plastic surgeon for the rest of your follow up care? It is clear that this
surgeon is not interested in treating you. Good luck, I am so sorry to
hear about what you went through. What a nightmare.
— Janet S.
January 11, 2004
I am so sorry for that HORRIBLE BED SIDE MANNER! Now, I'm worried! I was
scheduled for surgery on the 30th of this month for a tummy tuck but it
makes me think, How do these doctors act once a mistake is made? I agree
with everyone else and I think you should secure an attorney AFTER YOU GET
BETTER. Keep a journal right now and document everything but concentrate on
getting better. I wish you the best of luck*
— walkerl35
August 4, 2004
I am a nurse and totally understand calling physicians in the middle of the
night and they are such jerks. All I can say is that I hope you sue the
hell out of this bastard. Carla
— [Deactivated Member]
August 4, 2004
Good Grief!! What a nightmare. Hope you are improving daily. Legal action
is certainly indicated here. I'm a nurse and there are many wonderful docs
out there but also a few butts. Other options would have been to page your
family MD--a fever, drainage etc is an emergency and he could have sent you
to the ER. Document every tiny detail. You can also contact the state
licensing board, your county medical society and the hospital where the
surgery was done. You need to report this jerk to every possible agency.
Good luck. God watches over all of us and certainly held your hand till
proper help was obtained.
— dianne E.
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