Even Good Surgeons Can Make Bad Mistakes

EVEN GOOD SURGEONS CAN MAKE BAD MISTAKES

At my 2nd consult I asked the fateful question, “Will the facelift take away the wrinkles?”. He said “No, only a chemical peel or a laser.” I asked, “which is better?” He said, “a laser”. That was all I knew about a CO2 laser that would burn the skin off my face. No one, not Dr. Delgado nor anyone of his staff ever mentioned the word “laser” from then on. So, why didn’t I ask? First, I was so focused on the surgical, him cutting the skin above my eyes etc. I had a laser used on my upper lip area in the past for Tria beauty. The were conducting clinical trials and the laser was no big deal. Plus, I’d be under anesthesia. At my third consult, before my behind hit the seat they gave me the INFORMED CONSENT to sign. This is where I saw CO2 laser, of which I had no idea what it was about, I didn’t fall into the category of someone who might be at risk undergoing this procedure. I signed. My surgery lasted 9 hours. Severe nausea for 3 days. Then, my lips grew to 1/3 the size of my face. Dr. Delgado was surprised but he couldn’t do anything for me. Over the next few months I could see weird lines forming and my face was still red. He kept telling me not to use Tide and not to rub my face on the pillow...no, I don’t. Now, it’s November and my face is still red with all kinds of crazy lines and I develop a bacterial infection. Dr. Delgado finally sent me to a Dermatologist who started to treat me with an IPL laser. I had 1 treatment that lasted about a minute. Sadly, this Dermatologist passed away unexpectedly. Now, it’s February 2019. I had gotten 2 referrals from the first Dermatologist’s office. I asked Dr. Delgado if I could see one of them since the prices were the same. He replied, “this can’t go on forever”. What? I had one treatment! Now, he wants to treat me himself with the CO2! Reluctantly, I agreed to do this the next month as a test. So much time had passed and my face was still red with milia (tiny whitehead looking pimples) and lines all over. Nothing is happening and time is ticking by after the test CO2. I call him and ask if he’d be willing to pay at least half of my treatments to see another Dermatologist. He agreed readily. I later learned why. I had an April appt with Dr. Delgado. He looked at my face and said it needs more time. I became suspicious wondering if he’s just trying to stall for time (statute of limitations) in case I tried to sue him. I finally asked him...”what happened with the laser?” He replied matter of factly...”I DIDN’T FOLLOW THE GRID LINES.” I asked, “operator error?”, (meaning him). He stated, “it was me”. He then said “let me know”, and quickly left the room. I was in shock. He actually admitted he did the procedure incorrectly!! I knew then I’d need a second opinion. I called the Dermatologist that was referred from the first, and made an appt with a $250 consult fee for May 2nd. I explained what happened and showed the Dermatologist the pics. HE WAS HORRIFIED. “Who did this to you?” he asked. At that time I didn’t want to disclose the surgeon’s name since I wasn’t sure if I was going to sue him in Small Claims Court. The Dermatologist hugged and consoled me saying it was going to be okay. He then referred me to another Dermatologist who does her own laser work. (This was actually the other referral from the first Dermatologist as well). Before leaving the room he turned to me and said...”no charge”. I made an appt with Dr. Delgado before my 5/30 appt with the 3rd Dermatologist. He seemed very angry when he walked into the room saying, “you could have called, you didn’t need to make an appt”. I said, “this, ain’t that kind of appt”, and gave him (still respectfully) a piece of my mind. He abruptly left the room, leaving me very upset. Before my appt with the 3rd Dermatologist, her office asked for the surgical notes. How would she even know I had surgery as a new patient? Simple, the 2nd Dermatologist contacted her and told her everything. I saw when I sent the surgical notes over to her office in July he wrote, some skipped areas. He knew all along he had done the procedure incorrectly and tried to blame me initially. She told me I had 90% of my pigmentation stripped. This was permanent, meaning my face is white (I’m olive complected) and I have no protection from the sun. Her plan was to use an Alexandrite laser to remove the rest of the lines. There would be 4-6 treatments at $450 each. Later that evening the Dermatologist calls me saying she’s discussed my case with the other 2 Dermatologists in the practice. All 3 agreed... YOU NEED TO SUE THIS SURGEON!!! Doctors normally don’t do this. The next day I called Dr. Delgado and tried to reason with him why he should cover my treatments. He still felt is was fair to cover half. Finally, I saw I was getting nowhere with him, and told him what the Dermatologist suggested to me. His entire demeanor changed and agreed to cover the treatments. I’ve never even asked for my money back for the botched procedure that I was instructed to do by the Dermatologist. Even after all of the treatments and another light CO2 I still have a white face, and lines all over. Weird squares underneath my lip area where he used the laser. Deep lines on the sides of my face and the corners of my mouth. He’s never apologized, arrogant and cocky. So, even good surgeons can make bad mistakes. Do you want to take the chance? You’ve been warned.