Mayhem in Miami
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After this past week being Friday the 13th, I have been in a horror movie mood. But do you know what’s really scary? Real-life horror stories about bad surgeons who don’t take care of their patients!
As I was perusing social media this week, an honest post about a horrific surgical experience left me speechless, and I wanted to share. It’s not to shame another practice or a patient, but educate you about what’s out there and what to look out for, so that it doesn’t happen to you.
“Like every woman that gets plastic surgery, I was feeling terrible about my body. I swear I thought I did the research correctly and found ------through other online reviews.…. I was so excited. I booked my trip to Miami with my boyfriend… After waiting over 3 1/2 hours… I was told that the Dr was in surgery and could not meet me. I was very disappointed and upset as I have never had any procedure done without first meeting a doctor/surgeon. But I had paid, and already was in Miami. I was taken back to surgery, and very rudely woken up … The lady next to me was almost screaming in pain. I was begging them for something warm, as I was shivering. I was completely ignored, then wheeled out to the rental car my boyfriend was driving… they didn't say anything to him and loaded me in the car. They did not advise him that my back was bleeding heavily, which soaked through my dress and all over the passenger seat… Miami was "out of" Percocet and I went through that first night in excruciating pain… Once I got home, and the tape fell off, there was a horrible stench… I went to my regular dr… a staph infection and KLEBSIELLA OXYTOCA… I went to the ER… referred to Wound Care… I had a surgery to debride all the infected tissue… I had a skin graft…I have fat necrosis in my butt, my stomach is still fat and hangs over my pants… The pain and depression, missing work, and going into debt has broken me… The Dr called me himself last Wednesday (3 1/2 months after surgery) … He denied my request for a refund, but asked several times for me to edit my review…”
This is a true horror story. CSA takes patient care very seriously, and I just can’t tell you how much this story disturbs me. Our patients have direct access to our doctors just in case there are any complications after a procedure. What I take away from stories like this one is the importance of really doing the research, asking a ton of questions, doing more research, asking more questions, and then visiting the facility. If something seems off, if the staff is inattentive, if you don’t feel right—leave. Ask to see Before & After photos. Ask about Follow-Up care. Ask about post-surgical garments. Ask about the Revolve for your BBL or utilizing Celluma post-surgery to help mitigate inflammation or scarring. Ask about scar gels & creams. Ask every question you can think of! Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates will be happy to answer all of those for you, in our AAAHC accredited facility, showing you the Revolve and letting you know it helps fat-transfer procedures tremendously, and that your first Celluma treatment is on us, as well as a year of post-op follow-ups, and lastly, that we recommend Silagen for post-op scar gels. Seriously, ask the questions. We are here to answer your questions. We are here for our patients. We are here for YOU.
I will leave you with one more story—this one a happy one. There are many things learned working at a very busy cosmetic surgery center. Some of them are amazingly awesome. Some of them are definitely… eye-opening. All of them are learning experiences to be taken along wherever the road leads. At the crux of those lessons are the patients who bring them. Most would think our patients would be vain peacocks just wanting their next nip or tuck, however, most of our patients—are brave. It takes guts to walk into a facility that looks like ours and strip down to show us the thing that they are the most ashamed of, the thing that embarrasses them the most, the thing that they hide away from the world. Those are our patients. That’s who walks through our doors for consultations. That’s who we get to help.
Side note: Among the many things learned, I now know that Cosmetic Surgeons are not the same as Plastic Surgeons. Please don’t ask a cosmetic surgeon to explain this to you. It’s a very well-rehearsed speech. Spoiler alert: It boils down to education. Handy-dandy Elevator-Pitch explanation: Cosmetic Surgery is focused on enhancing appearance, whereas Plastic Surgery is focused on repairing defects to normal function. Now you know.
Getting back to you, Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates understand how uncomfortable you are and applaud that bravery it took in walking in our doors to come speak to us, and to show us what you’d like changed, and to trust us to help you achieve that goal. So please let us put your mind at ease about a few things. Our medical staff members are experienced and licensed professionals. They’ve seen it all. Almost nothing shocks them anymore--honestly, extra bonus points if you do. That being said, we do not care if you did not have time to shave or wax. We are not looking at your pedicure/manicure or lack thereof. We do not mind if your canned tan is streaky, and your palms are orange. So please, DO NOT APOLOGIZE! Our office is a judgement-free zone. Our job is to make you feel comfortable. Our job is to help you increase (or regain) your confidence. Let’s meet in the middle and decide what’s best for YOU. Stop apologizing, and let’s get to work! If we can help, please get in touch and let’s start your journey together. Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates is ready and waiting to help you with your transformational needs, great or small. You can check out our surgical and non-surgical offerings at http://csaok.com or call (405) 842-6677 for our Oklahoma patients, or http://csajax.com and call (904)-648-6400 for our Florida patients.