Terrible experience, poor results, infection, incompetent surgeon

My experience with this doctor was the worst I’ve ever had in my life, and I’ve had quite a few surgeries, not all cosmetic. This doc did an implant exchange and mastopexy along with an abdominoplasty. The experience was so bad that I’m not sure how I can make this a succinct review, but I will try. It has been over a year and I have waited until I was able to have revision work done before writing this review about Dr Griffin. Suffice it to say my revision was successful, correcting many of the issues that I had after surgery with Dr. Griffin. I had done quite a bit of research prior to choosing this doc, but ultimately picked him because another surgeon, who was a friend of his, recommended him. First bit of advice I would give is, don’t take someone’s recommendation for a procedure if the doc is their friend! This will not tell you the expertise or competency of that surgeon. Now on to explain what occurred from the surgery with Griffin. Surgery was completed and took about twice as long as I was initially told. My son was with me and was very upset when I finally woke-up from anesthesia. He said I’d been out for six hours! Three days after surgery I didn’t feel well, was feverish, and tummy was very swollen and puffy. I called the office to let them know, and they said don’t worry about it…just take my pain meds and other medication and they would see me for my appointment the following week. When I arrived the next week after an excruciating weekend, and several days later, Dr Griffin said I had an infection and he would need to cut me open in the office and squeeze out pus which was why my belly was so puffed out! He asked why I hadn’t come in sooner! I explained that I had called and had felt that there was something wrong, but was told not to come in. The staff, although nice, obviously weren’t very informed when a patient tells them that they are not feeling well and not reacting normally to a surgery and should be seen. So in trying to keep this review a bit shorter I am leaving out details of other added issues from surgery and staff and more about the doctor.As a result of this infection I had a big hole in my stomach for about six weeks and had to change the dressing with the help of family members every day. It was awful. When my tummy hole finally healed over I had a poochie stomach with a tight scar and my tummy puffed out. The excess skin was tightened, but it was not flat. As a point of reference I am 5‘7“ tall, slender, with a little bit of extra weight in the hip area and about 135 pounds. I was so caught up in my stomach issue that I basically didn’t pay much attention to the asymmetry of my breasts! However, when my breasts were unveiled my right breast was noticeably smaller than my left. I also had uneven scars, and under my right breast, a scar that went at an angle! I brought all of these issues to the attention of the doctor and was told that things would even out in time. It would be a few months, and things will settle and look much better! Not true in the least! I kept asking him and his staff what he would do to fix things. His response was shocking! He told me he could try to do some thing, but it would cost me… “Well, we could try to fix it, but it’s gonna cost ya“! I was taken aback by his response and behavior. Incredibly rude, uncaring, and filled with attitude. Absolutely no regard for my distress or the fact that I know my body and can obviously see the issues at hand. As time went by, and I continued to request something to be done he became nasty, dismissive and threatening! Telling me to move on and not contact his office again! Suffice it to say I would stay as far away from Donald Griffin as possible. I do not believe this man is going to be a surgeon in Nashville for very much longer. My revision doctor has done several revisions of his and stated to me that he was not the best surgeon and his reputation is suffering. Not surprising at this point. This was a very unfortunate experience for me, but I am glad I was able to find someone to repair the mistakes and damage that Griffin created. Please do your homework, as I thought I did… But don’t take someone’s advice or recommendation to choose a surgeon based on their relationship. I did not know at the time that the doctor who referred me to Griffin was a personal friend of his. Ended-up being very costly for me as a result of having my tummy and my breasts redone. After one year I finally had to have the implants Griffin used removed and put in new ones, capsule work done, scar revisions, fat grafting, and the muscles in my tummy had to be tightened. They were loose as if they had never been tightened the first time, and the skin needed to be re-draped and pulled flat. This whole experience over the past year + had left me sad, angry, distressed, and confused, but ultimately determined to get things fixed. With no regard for my body or my feelings, Dr. Griffin is undoubtedly one of the worst people I have ever encountered personally, and would advise anyone to stay clear of his practice. Griffin definitely has problems with staff as well… the nurse that I worked with throughout the process quit after I had surgery. If I had known all this prior to scheduling surgery with him, I certainly would’ve steered clear of him and his practice, Nashville Cosmetic Surgery. He is also not the least expensive surgeon in Nashville. Please heed my warning and stay clear of this guy. Good luck!