The other surgeon, consent forms, and trust

Pics:http://www.flickr.com/photos/53706952@N04/

http://s776.photobucket.com/home/m130nose


Why did things go like they did in my case with this great surgeon? I wish I knew.

-assistants and observers. The consent form I signed at Dr. Rollin Daniel’s allowed for assistants and observers. I found out the name of the other surgeon who was there several months afterwards.

The Newport Beach Surgery Center and this doctor have both assured me that he or she only observed my procedure so as to learn from a great surgeon. UC Irvine has observerships so that new doctors can learn from experienced ones. They also said something about UCI PS residents working at the NBSC. Maybe I am not understanding something, because I thought the NBSC was private.

[edited 7/26-28/10 per request. But did the presence of the other doctor affect things? Like, if they suspected I might cancel based on all my preop calls to the office, is that why the thing with Dr Topkis happened, so they wouldn't lose face? Was there a fee involved? Why did somebody say, "why is it breathing like that?" as I came around?]


- secondary nasal surgery form: the line about paying over and over again. It’s at the bottom of the form, under “third.” Dr Daniel told me before the primary that I would only pay once. So, after I had signed that form saying I was financially responsible for “any subsequent surgery,” (and was fool enough to pay another $3k) what would his financial incentive be to do a good job?


-the word “possible”. The description of my surgeries starts off, cosmetic/ functional septorhinoplasty with possible this possible that, etc. At my revision preop Dr Daniel stated directly to me that he would do a certain thing… and then it didn’t happen.

He said to my face, “as far as your turbinates, I’m going to go ahead and outfracture those”. But the form said that was possible. And it didn’t get done. I think I am up to 3 doctors now who have confirmed this.

That was supposed to be the main goal of my revision, btw, to fix my breathing. My breathing still sucks. I sit here sometimes pulling sideways on my cheek to open my breathing. This is called the “Cottle sign,” and when I said that to Dr Daniel he said, “don’t know too much.”

This is an amazingly talented, world-renowned plastic surgeon, and I truly hope that others have a better experience than I did. As I posted on MMH, he has had thousands of happy patients, and I wish I could have been one of them.