Doctor is Rude and Arrogant Beyond Description

I saw a patient this week who had a flap surgery some years ago, leading him to develop a deep hatred for his surgeon. He explained that the surgeon’s lobby had two doors and two waiting areas — one for new patients and one for the established patients, to keep them separated in his office. When he went in for his first consultation, each time he wanted to ask a question, the doctor interrupted him and said, “No questions please.” He was told what he was going to have done and based upon some belief that this doctor had special skills, he accepted the doctor’s advice. On the day of the surgery the doctor’s patient segregation failed, and a previous patient of that doctor was able to warn him to not go through the procedure, adding, “You will regret it for life.” Although it scared him, he went through the process nevertheless and ended up a mess and by not heeding the warning, he now regrets it every day he looks in the mirror.

His flaps were disabling and he told me it made him feel like Eddie Munster (the character from the 60s TV series). When he complained to that doctor about the loss of hair along the sides and the huge scars in the back of the head and neck, his doctor seemed annoyed, but nevertheless suggested some balloon expanders for his head to create another flap in the front. When the balloon came out and the new flap was created for transfer, he saw the surgeon toss a huge amount of leftover hair into the garbage. He asked, “Why are you throwing out those hairs“, and the surgeon responded that the hair, “would not grow anyway, so no point in keeping it“.

He has since learned much about what he should expect from a doctor and now lives with a freaky set of problems that I will try to partly repair. I was amazed to hear his story about his surgeon and by only calling the surgeon arrogant, I am being courteous. Folks, please, if your doctor is unwilling to listen to you or answer your questions, consider choosing another doctor. Open dialog and a good doctor/patient relationship are very important. And as I’ve often said, ask the doctor to meet with past patients, not only to see their results live and in person, but also to get their take on the experience. Hopefully you can avoid this from ever happening to you.