Disappointed!

Things started okay, but I am terribly disappointed. When I saw Dr. Hodge for my initial consultation he seemed warm and friendly. He listened to my concerns, and I felt that he understood me. I wanted to revise a breast augmentation and get a tummy tuck. He listened to my concerns, and it seemed like he understood exactly what I wanted. One of my concerns was that my left breast looked bigger and flatter following my original augmentation (from another doctor) while the right breast looked perfect. I asked if I could replace the left implant because my suspicion was that it didn’t quite drop properly or maybe it needed more projection.
Dr. Hodge told me there were two options. He could perform a revision of the left breast by replacing the implant or he could revise it with new implants and also perform a mini lift, which would leave some scarring. He asked me to discuss with his nurse (Kimber) and let her know what option I wanted. I had a conversation with the nurse and concluded, based on her advice, that I would just go for the implant replacement of the left breast without any lift to avoid the scar from an incision. The nurse said that she would let the doctor know what I chose. Fast forward to my surgery, Dr. Hodge put a 300 cc implant on my right boob and a 270cc one on my left boob. He also performed a mini lift on the left breast, so, I came out of surgery with the opposite problem. My right boob was now larger than the left.
When I asked the doctor why the difference in the implant size, he said that this was his attempt to rectify the original difference in the size of the two breasts. How does making the right breast larger the solution? I mean, my right breast was perfect and I didn’t even want it touched. Not only did he make it larger, the nipple now sits lower than it did previously and I also had to have some scarring due to the mini lift on the left, which I believe I told the nurse that I didn’t want. What’s worse is that by the time I came for the next consultation, the doctor had put down on his paperwork that he filled my left boob up to 280 cc (it was actually 270cc) and the right to 300cc, perhaps to minimize the mistake. The card they gave me when I left the hospital clearly had 270cc written on it, which was also corroborated by what the doctor told me the first time- that he had filled the left breast to 270cc. So, what exactly is going on? Either the doctor deliberately lied or made a mistake in what he put down on the card they gave me upon discharge. Either explanation looks bad because they were either deliberately lying or they are so careless that their notes are inconsistent. A doctor’s notes about a patient’s procedure ought to be accurate and consistent.
Even worse is that I developed a capsular contracture a couple months after surgery. I kept wondering if this was related to the handling of my implants. First of all, I noticed that the doctor brought several sizes of compression garments to the hospital the day of my surgery. I noticed that he brought them out of an old and dirty looking duffle bag. I remember thinking to myself that day how odd it was that the doctors brought their own materials to the hospital, and I wondered why the hospital didn’t provide sterile facilities for doctors to store compression garments and other things they needed for surgery. That was the first time I realized that the doctors brought their own materials with them. I know that capsular contracture is caused by bacteria introduced into the breast, so the handling of the implants and the sterility of the environment has to play an important role in one’s chances of developing it, even though capsular contracture can also be caused by the body’s own bacteria. As a germophobe, I definitely noticed how dirty and old Dr. Hodge’s duffle bag looked when he brought out the compression garments for me to try so he could select the right size for me.
Anyway, during the check up after I first noticed the capsular contracture, Dr. Hodge told me that I could have surgery or try a regimen of Singulair tablets to treat it, but it seemed that he was leaning toward surgery. I opted for the Singulair and he told me that the medication could cause liver problems and that he would need me to have some blood work. He made it seem like he was the only doctor who cares enough to be concerned about that side effect and to offer the blood work as a precautionary measure. Well, the blood work never happened. Kimber was supposed to schedule it, but would not return any calls or respond to emails. I was in so much pain that each time I sneezed, the pain was unbearably sharp. Yet, no one from the doctor’s clinic EVER followed up with me or tried to return my calls or emails. It is now six months later. I have even sent an email to complain and express my frustration and it has been crickets. I had to schedule an appointment and travel out of state to consult with another doctor for my concerns.
Now, let’s get to the tummy tuck. My tummy still looks loose, especially when sitting down; it looks better when I am standing. My upper and lower abdomen also appear distended, particularly the lower abdomen. I travel quite a bit and I have noticed that I have been getting flagged lately during security screenings, and the flagged area is often my pubic region. Perhaps the machine can detect that the area looks unusually distended, who knows! It also feels like whatever the technique the doctor used pushed more fat onto both sides of my abdomen particularly from the rear making me wider on the waist. I went from a 30” waist to 34”. It would also appear that the doctor either didn't perform any liposuction like he said he would, or if he did, he did a poor job of it. My tummy now has the shape of a diamond. My arms can feel the sides of my stomach when I walk.
This whole exercise was supposed to make my waist tighter and slimmer not wider. My new belly button is big and obvious. My husband jokes that it looks like a clitoris. Dr. Hodge was happy to talk about revision surgery and liposuction to fix things, but even that never materialized. The nurse never sent me the quote that they said would follow and no one is returning calls. I don’t know what to make of it all. Even a visual assessment the day of the surgery would have made it obvious to Dr. Hodge that my boobs looked unequal because it was apparent to me from day one. I wonder if that’s why he never bothered to look at my breasts during the check up visit after surgery, even when prompted by the nurse. He was more focused on the tummy tuck that day. Why would a doctor not want to look at and evaluate all the surgeries he performed during a follow up visit?
Now, let’s talk about the nurse, Kimber. After my initial consultation with Dr. Hodge, I called a number of times to schedule my surgery through her, but she wouldn’t ever return my calls. I finally had to ask my husband to call to schedule the consultation, because for some reason, Kimber never returned my calls. I kept wondering why I was ignored and finally I asked my husband to call, and well, coincidence or not, Kimber returned his call and then scheduled my surgery. That was not all, when I called to schedule a check up after I noticed that I had developed the capsular contracture, it took three attempts to get her to call back and she said that she had called me back the first time. My phone log would have shown her call if she did, but she did not. Finally, she was supposed to call me back to schedule the blood work and give me a quote for a revision surgery, and I am still waiting. I have called, emailed questions, and heard nothing back, and it has been six months now since the surgery. How can any doctor’s office justify this? I have attached a photo of me sitting on an exercise bike six months after surgery. Would anyone out there believe that my tummy is that of someone who had a tummy tuck six months ago? I still have some of the looseness I had pre surgery. Thank God I look better standing up, but this is not the result one would expect from a board certified surgeon. I am not the kind of person who complains too much. I am also not the type to submit reviews, especially negative ones, but I am terribly disappointed. The only good news here is that the Singulair seems to have significantly resolved my capsular contracture, so my breasts look better.