Negative experiences rarely reported

[AussieKiwi]

I am an active member on this site, and I have undergone three surgeries, but I have decided to make this post under a different name to emphasize the problems I have had with posting negative comments, and doctor lurking/harassment.

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The first two surgeries I had were with a recommended surgeon, and the third was with a different (also recommended) one.

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The first surgery was for 1200 and it left me with an uneven scar, and a neuroma, which didn't heal very well. His procedure also left me with patchy results.

 

The second surgery (same doctor) was mainly to revise my scar, and it worsened the neuroma. He told me it would fix the problems, but it didn't.

 

At this point the neuroma was painful and I was unable to turn my head to the right without shooting pain beginning in my neck, which traveled up my head all the way to the front of my forehead. I tried posting on here asking for advice, but the surgeon asked me to remove my negative comments.

 

So I sat here for four years, unsure of what to do.

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Finally, I made the bold decision to fill in the patchy results and revise the scar, with a different doctor, three weeks back.

 

This other doctor is unquestionably superior, he spent several hours planning the FUT harvest site and stitched it together better. His medical assistants also seemed much more competent.

 

He sliced out my neuroma, and even after the first few hours after surgery, I was able to move my neck like I hadn't been able to do for half a decade.

 

I had my wife and kids all look at the scar, and to my surprise they said they couldn't even find it, even two days post-op.

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This brings me to my point:

If all the doctors discussed on the forums make their living based on positive feedback, is it not in their best interest to request that negative comments be removed, for the sake of their livelihood?

 

Then conversely, how can the consumers/patients know which doctors to trust most when virtually all the surgeons receive such positive feedback?

[Blake Bloxham]

Aussie,

 

First, and foremost, I'm very sorry to hear about your first two hair transplant experiences. Second, I'm quite suprised to hear that you experienced a neuroma from hair transplant surgery. I don't think I've ever heard of this happening before, and it's definitely not something you'd expect from this type of procedure.

 

Third, I'm pleased you were able to have a second surgeon resolve the prior issues and provide the results you were looking for.

 

Having said that, I wanted to comment on a few issues: one, we run an open, honest community that's designed to be fair to both physicians and patients. Part of this open discussion involves fair communication both on the boards and in private messages/communications. If you feel like your ability to share your legitimate hair transplant procedure was altered or censored in anyway, please send me a private message with the details and we will do all we can to resolve it.

 

Finally, while it is logical to assume that physicians offering an elective procedure would not want any negative commentary or results posted online, I think our community exists as a bit of an "exception to the rule." Frankly, I feel like the physicians we recommend for hair transplantation are truly dedicated, ethical doctors and don't try to hide or censor less than ideal results. These physicians are truly dedicated to advancing the science and art of hair restoration, and sometimes this involves discussing negative work in an open, honest, scientific manner.

 

What's more, I think this honesty and level of transparency creates a lot of confidence and respect with potential patients and ends up helping these physicians, in the long run, far more than trying to hide any less than stellar result.

 

Regardless, if there is anything our community members believe we can do to increase transparency or run a more open, honest discussion forum, please let us know! Again, I hope you'll discuss the issue with me further in a private message.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience (though I hope you'll go back to using your original account from here on out).

[Bluebird]

AussieKiwi,

 

All over the Internet medical professionals have been silencing their patients. They believe that the Mutual Privacy Agreement allows them to post personal information about their patients if their patient reviews them. Unfortunately, for the medical professional, the American Medical Association feel the form is unethical and puts the Drs. finances above the patients well being. The courts have yet to up hold these forms because patients already are guaranteed privacy and get nothing in return. My blog covers some of the info I found about silencing patients.

 

 

I personally was threatened and that if why I went on the quest for info on this topic.

[TakingThePlunge]

AussieKiwi,

 

I'm also sorry to hear about your negative experience with a recommended physician. As you are probably aware, all of the hair restoration physicians we recommend have to pass rigorous screening and approval that includes input from community members just like you and me. To view our criteria for recommending physicians, click here.

 

As a hair loss sufferer and hair transplant recipient, believe me that I could not sleep at night if my duties included trying to dupe unsuspecting bald guys into surgery with doctors that I would not trust with my own head and I'm certain I can speak for the rest of the team here.

 

While you are certainly correct that no doctor (or any other professional for that matter) would like to have negative feedback posted about their work online for all the world to see, this community does not brush negative feedback under the carpet. We do, however, insist that anyone who makes a public post that is critical of a clinic (recommended or not) does so transparently and allows the physician to present his or her side of the story publicly as well. You can read more about that in the thread, Maintaining a safe and fair environment on our forum for patients and physician.

 

Part of this process means that we do not support users creating and posting under alternate aliases. Thus, after discussing the issue, Blake and I have decided the best course of action is to lock this thread for further discussion. If you would like to continue discussion about your experience, I encourage you to do so under your primary account as this account will be deleted.

 

Ultimately, I'm very pleased to hear that your third procedure is showing early signs of success and I hope you get the head of hair you deserve with no lingering medical issues.

 

Best of luck!

 

 

[Bill - Seemiller]

AussieKiwi,

 

I can certainly sympathize with what you are saying. While our community does allow patients to share their genuine opinions and experiences on this forum, it sounds like you are concerned about what some physicians might do once a patient's identity is privately provided to them.

 

Thankfully, this community supports its members right to free speech as do many leading physicians. Many have no problem openly discussing and resolving a patient's legitimate concerns. In fact, by doing so, a physician actually cultivates and/or reinforces their positive reputation as an ethical and leading hair restoration physician.

 

Some physicians however, don't believe in a patient's right to free speech and have used legal action against their patients and even this community in attempt to whitewash the forum of all negative posts about them. However, this community has stood up to every lawsuit and has spent over $100,000 to ensure its members can continue to exercise their right to free speech.

 

On the flip side, 'free speech' is only protected by the law when it is free from intentionally malicious and false statements. No physician will accept being unfairly maligned by members who are posting knowingly false information about them. It is also in violation of our terms of service. Thus if we find that a post or poster is not genuine we reserve the right to remove such posts. See "Free Speech and Accountability on this Forum" for more information.

 

At this point, I suggest contacting me privately using your original alias with a detailed explanation of your concerns. If your concerns are with one of our recommended physicians, with your permission, I will contact him/her and investigate things further.

 

I hope to hear from you.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill