Unhappy in Many Ways - Spokane, WA

I went to Dr. Emily Williams for breast reconstruction after treatment for breast cancer and a double mastectomy. The day before surgery Dr. Williams informed me very firmly that she did not want me to have family in the waiting room during surgery. I told her I understood due to the fact that my surgery was a 12 hour surgery. Immediately after giving Dr. Williams my consent as to no family in waiting room, she continued to inform me that she did not want any family staying with me overnight in the hospital. I was shocked, upset, and told her that my husband would not be agreeable to that. Most nurses will tell you that they wouldn’t leave a family member alone in the hospital overnight under any circumstance. I considered canceling my appointment, but my surgery was scheduled less than 24 hours away and another doctor was scheduled to remove the cancer immediately prior to the breast reconstruction. I chose to proceed forward and disregard Dr. William’s ridiculous request as it was not hospital policy. It was not within her jurisdiction to dictate who should stay in my hospital room.
Dr Williams was unprofessional in the way in which she treated me in several regards. I was not entirely satisfied with the results of the surgery as I am a tall person and she placed my belly button two inches higher than it was originally. My original left breast was very slightly larger than my right, but after the reconstruction surgery my left breast was considerably larger than the right to the point that I feel self-conscious. All doctors are in a position that they can cause harm (physical or emotional) to their patients due to the control they have over them. The saddest part of my story is that I had been beat down by harsh chemo treatments and Dr. Williams beat me down further emotionally by calling me a bad patient when in fact the opposite had been said of me. I’m sorry that I cannot recommend Dr. Williams as I am sure she has plenty of satisfied patients.