POSTED UNDER Mohs Surgery REVIEWS
36 years old - Mohs resulted in a large defect
ORIGINAL POST
This is a review of Dr. E Eugene Bain III. I...
jt16February 27, 2016
This is a review of Dr. E Eugene Bain III.
I originally had a mohs procedure by Dr. Bain in 2014 on my first BCC just under my nose and above my lip. I had a significant defect as a result that was repaired by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Surowitz (who was outstanding and I cannot recommend enough). I had gone to a different dermatologist about the red spot initially (I don't remember this dermatologist's' name) and he dismissed it as "not skin cancer" several months earlier and gave me a topical cream. As it got worse I went to a plastic surgeon (Dr. Surowitz), and explained that I was told it wasn't skin cancer by a dermatologist but that I wanted it removed with as little impact to my appearance as possible. The plastic surgeon suggested a biopsy just to be safe and sure enough it was a BCC. Dr. Surowitz called me in person to give me the news. He then recommended Dr. Bain for the Mohs and Dr. Bain did the procedure with Dr. Surowitz doing the reconstruction the following day. The end result was great, and I credit the Dr. Surowitz with that.
I had a second BCC removed by Dr. Bain on 27 Jan 2016 (which was delayed a week, as his secretary canceled my 0900 appointment the previous week at 0830 on the day of the procedure - I was literally walking out the door on my way to the office - wife took the day off to bring me and I obviously took off work, which was a week of because I work in a different city than where I live). This turned out to be a blessing because it gave me a little more time to demand a same day appointment with a plastic surgeon be arranged after the Mohs.
This BCC was on my nose. Dr. Bain took a biopsy initially then had his secretary or someone call me to tell me it was cancer and to schedule a Mohs appointment. I asked if I would need to schedule an appointment with a plastic surgeon, giving that the spot was on the ala of my nose, and I anticipated that it could really impact my appearance if not done property. The secretary was dismissive and said the Dr. Bain would make that determination the day of the surgery. I told her that I could contact the previous plastic surgeon, who was great, Dr. Surowitz, and she said that Dr. Bain had specific surgeons he worked with and again he would make the call on post surgery but that he mostly does the closures himself.
Maybe I was spoiled by Dr. Surowitz, who showed me several photos of his previous work, took photos of me ahead of the procedure, walked me through everything, and managed my expectations, which he then exceeded, but Dr. Bain offered nothing. He didn't even have the courtesy to tell me in person that I had cancer again, but had his secretary call me, who then refused to give me any information about how extensive Dr. Bain thought the defect would be or consult me on closure and reconstruction, but simply repeated over and over that I should come have the procedure and if he didn't feel that he could do the repair himself, he would recommend an unnamed plastic surgeon.
I contacted Dr. Surowitz's office but he had unfortunately moved to different city, but his old office advised me that I should call Dr. Bain and speak to him in person to get my questions answered. I did so, and Dr. Bain never called me back, his secretary just continued to call instead and eventually, on the third call, gave me the name of the plastic surgeon and offered to schedule an appointment there for the closure after the Mohs. I accepted, because I wanted to get on with everything and not delay the process.
The Mohs resulted in a large defect that definitely needed a plastic surgeon, far worse than my initial BCC, due to it's location. I did not have a pre-op appointment with the plastic surgeon, and I will never rush like that again. I had the closure done by the new plastic surgeon, which so far, does not appear to be working out very well for me, but I'm reserving judgement on Dr. Pyle. I'm only at 5 weeks post op, but it appears that I will need some revision, as there is significant "pincushioning", where the flap from my cheek used to cover the defect was not thin enough, so there is very unnatural bulkiness. See photos.
I believe Dr. Bain should have called me himself to tell me I had cancer again. He also should have called me back in person, after I asked him to, and in a timely way. He should have explained his expertise to me in terms of performing closure if he wanted to do it, not just ask his secretary to try to compel me to allow him to "make the call" on the day of surgery. This is my life, as I'm sure the others on this forum know. I'm 36 years old and I'd like to maintain my appearance for a few years if possible. If it's possible to take a week to do a pre-op visit to the plastic surgeon and have everything well-arranged in advance, I think Dr. Bain should have not only facilitated that, but recommend it.
I was very upset at the time with refusal to call me back and answer my questions. My wife is in medical school and she was irrate. I won't go back there, although I haven't spoken to anyone at his practice since I left my last procedure. As far as the Mohs treatment, I can only assume that he did it well. So far, I have no recurrence of cancer in either of the two locations. My problem was with how he appeared flippant about my closure and the repair on my nose.
I usually don't write reviews, but for medical care, the only way to keep doctors honest, is for us, the patients to communicate with one another. We're at their mercy and I believe we deserve a genuine concern for our well-being and we can collectively regulate arrogant or distracted physicians.
All the best to those of you who struggle with skin cancer. It's tough and I'm sorry. Hang in there.
I originally had a mohs procedure by Dr. Bain in 2014 on my first BCC just under my nose and above my lip. I had a significant defect as a result that was repaired by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Surowitz (who was outstanding and I cannot recommend enough). I had gone to a different dermatologist about the red spot initially (I don't remember this dermatologist's' name) and he dismissed it as "not skin cancer" several months earlier and gave me a topical cream. As it got worse I went to a plastic surgeon (Dr. Surowitz), and explained that I was told it wasn't skin cancer by a dermatologist but that I wanted it removed with as little impact to my appearance as possible. The plastic surgeon suggested a biopsy just to be safe and sure enough it was a BCC. Dr. Surowitz called me in person to give me the news. He then recommended Dr. Bain for the Mohs and Dr. Bain did the procedure with Dr. Surowitz doing the reconstruction the following day. The end result was great, and I credit the Dr. Surowitz with that.
I had a second BCC removed by Dr. Bain on 27 Jan 2016 (which was delayed a week, as his secretary canceled my 0900 appointment the previous week at 0830 on the day of the procedure - I was literally walking out the door on my way to the office - wife took the day off to bring me and I obviously took off work, which was a week of because I work in a different city than where I live). This turned out to be a blessing because it gave me a little more time to demand a same day appointment with a plastic surgeon be arranged after the Mohs.
This BCC was on my nose. Dr. Bain took a biopsy initially then had his secretary or someone call me to tell me it was cancer and to schedule a Mohs appointment. I asked if I would need to schedule an appointment with a plastic surgeon, giving that the spot was on the ala of my nose, and I anticipated that it could really impact my appearance if not done property. The secretary was dismissive and said the Dr. Bain would make that determination the day of the surgery. I told her that I could contact the previous plastic surgeon, who was great, Dr. Surowitz, and she said that Dr. Bain had specific surgeons he worked with and again he would make the call on post surgery but that he mostly does the closures himself.
Maybe I was spoiled by Dr. Surowitz, who showed me several photos of his previous work, took photos of me ahead of the procedure, walked me through everything, and managed my expectations, which he then exceeded, but Dr. Bain offered nothing. He didn't even have the courtesy to tell me in person that I had cancer again, but had his secretary call me, who then refused to give me any information about how extensive Dr. Bain thought the defect would be or consult me on closure and reconstruction, but simply repeated over and over that I should come have the procedure and if he didn't feel that he could do the repair himself, he would recommend an unnamed plastic surgeon.
I contacted Dr. Surowitz's office but he had unfortunately moved to different city, but his old office advised me that I should call Dr. Bain and speak to him in person to get my questions answered. I did so, and Dr. Bain never called me back, his secretary just continued to call instead and eventually, on the third call, gave me the name of the plastic surgeon and offered to schedule an appointment there for the closure after the Mohs. I accepted, because I wanted to get on with everything and not delay the process.
The Mohs resulted in a large defect that definitely needed a plastic surgeon, far worse than my initial BCC, due to it's location. I did not have a pre-op appointment with the plastic surgeon, and I will never rush like that again. I had the closure done by the new plastic surgeon, which so far, does not appear to be working out very well for me, but I'm reserving judgement on Dr. Pyle. I'm only at 5 weeks post op, but it appears that I will need some revision, as there is significant "pincushioning", where the flap from my cheek used to cover the defect was not thin enough, so there is very unnatural bulkiness. See photos.
I believe Dr. Bain should have called me himself to tell me I had cancer again. He also should have called me back in person, after I asked him to, and in a timely way. He should have explained his expertise to me in terms of performing closure if he wanted to do it, not just ask his secretary to try to compel me to allow him to "make the call" on the day of surgery. This is my life, as I'm sure the others on this forum know. I'm 36 years old and I'd like to maintain my appearance for a few years if possible. If it's possible to take a week to do a pre-op visit to the plastic surgeon and have everything well-arranged in advance, I think Dr. Bain should have not only facilitated that, but recommend it.
I was very upset at the time with refusal to call me back and answer my questions. My wife is in medical school and she was irrate. I won't go back there, although I haven't spoken to anyone at his practice since I left my last procedure. As far as the Mohs treatment, I can only assume that he did it well. So far, I have no recurrence of cancer in either of the two locations. My problem was with how he appeared flippant about my closure and the repair on my nose.
I usually don't write reviews, but for medical care, the only way to keep doctors honest, is for us, the patients to communicate with one another. We're at their mercy and I believe we deserve a genuine concern for our well-being and we can collectively regulate arrogant or distracted physicians.
All the best to those of you who struggle with skin cancer. It's tough and I'm sorry. Hang in there.
jt16's provider
Replies (3)
March 15, 2016
I'm sorry you felt as though your concerns were not addressed adequately by our staff in scheduling and arranging your surgery. As much as we wish we could know ahead of time the extent of a surgical defect, we simply cannot fully predict how large a defect will be after tumor removal. Our first priority on the day of Mohs is to clear the area of any residual skin cancer that remains following a biopsy. Once that is achieved, we can focus our energy on reconstruction, restoring the area in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and preserves all functional and normal anatomy. With all of our patients, once negative margins are achieved, we discuss options for repair on the day of surgery. This always includes options for repair by me as well as by outside reconstructive surgeons. Deciding on the type of repair is a complex decision that individualized to each patient and depends on many different factors. Thus, it is a discussion best had with the pateint at the conclusion of tumor removal. Your original appointment was rescheduled because although we arranged for you to the see the plastic surgeon per your request, he was not available on the original date of your surgery. Your preference was see someone the same day as your Mohs surgery, which we then accommodated by moving your appointment to a different day. I'm sorry that this adjustment was upsetting. We wish you all the best in your recovery and healing going forward.
March 26, 2016
As I mentioned, I have no recurrence of cancer in the two areas where he performed Mohs surgery, which is the ultimate litmus test for success. It's not my intention to character assassinate anyone, but simply to leave an honest review. That said, I'll note here that he failed to respond to my review accurately, and made up a story about why my original appointment was canceled.
To be clear, my appointment was canceled due to Dr. Bain being sick, not due to the plastic surgeon not being available on the original day of surgery. There was no surgeon identified on the first appointment date, it took additional calls to Dr. Bain's office before I could get them to nail down an appointment for me on the same day as the Mohs procedure.
The issue to me is about treating patients like adults, informing them of all options, and keeping them abreast of all information available. I requested Dr. Bain call me, personally, on several occasions so that I could ask specific questions about the procedure and the reconstruction, which he never did. Now, saying he's sorry because I felt my concerns weren't addressed by his staff is disingenuous. He's the doctor, his name is on the practice, and it's his responsibility. He shouldn't throw his staff under the bus here, but should simply own up to the fact that he refused to talk to me in person about the procedure in spite of me specifically requesting that on several occasions.
I think his inaccurate and disingenuous response speaks volumes about his attention to detail and respect for his patients. He must have been counting on me to, for whatever reason, allow for him to re-write the history here without setting the record straight.
To be clear, my appointment was canceled due to Dr. Bain being sick, not due to the plastic surgeon not being available on the original day of surgery. There was no surgeon identified on the first appointment date, it took additional calls to Dr. Bain's office before I could get them to nail down an appointment for me on the same day as the Mohs procedure.
The issue to me is about treating patients like adults, informing them of all options, and keeping them abreast of all information available. I requested Dr. Bain call me, personally, on several occasions so that I could ask specific questions about the procedure and the reconstruction, which he never did. Now, saying he's sorry because I felt my concerns weren't addressed by his staff is disingenuous. He's the doctor, his name is on the practice, and it's his responsibility. He shouldn't throw his staff under the bus here, but should simply own up to the fact that he refused to talk to me in person about the procedure in spite of me specifically requesting that on several occasions.
I think his inaccurate and disingenuous response speaks volumes about his attention to detail and respect for his patients. He must have been counting on me to, for whatever reason, allow for him to re-write the history here without setting the record straight.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you find support here in the community.