The Question to Ask: What if Something Goes Wrong?

When interviewing a plastic surgeon there is a very important aspect of your care that most of us ignore: What if something goes wrong? 

People do not want to think about the unthinkable. What if something - God forbid - goes wrong? Will you be able to talk to your plastic surgeon? Will they understand? Will they help you? Or will they leave you in the lurch? It has been our experience at BreastHealthOnline that there are some doctors out there who leave their patients without proper answers and attention. We would like to help you avoid this. 

We implore people to ask at their consults before they select the surgeon:  What if I have a complication or a catastrophic result - what happens then? 

What if you leave me too big, or bigger than we agreed upon, and I am still in pain from heavy breasts - will you stand behind your work? What if you take more than we agree upon? What then? 

What if I have a problem that is not your fault?

What if I have healing problems that are unique to me and nothing you did? How is that handled?

What if I develop a scarring problem and need a scar revision? What will you do?  Is there any other sitution I should know about? 

People NEED to ask these questions up front at their consult appointments with prospective plastic surgeons. 

This does several things for you:

1. It lets the plastic surgeon know you mean business.

2. It lets you know the integrity of the plastic surgeon, because very good surgeons will stand by you and help you through a complication. 

3. It helps you choose the right plastic surgeon.

4. Last but not least, once you do choose a plastic surgeon who has the integrity they should have, you'll have the peace of mind that you will be taken care of in the unlikely event something does goes wrong. A good plastic surgeon will answer these questions with aplomb and respect you for asking them. 

Additionally, any good plastic surgeon will respect you for asking these questions, and for thinking ahead. 

While it may be difficult to even think of something going wrong, much less ask these questions during an interview, it is a whole lot easier than finding out after the fact that you have a problem AND are going to have to fight the plastic surgeon at the same time. Please do not put yourself in this position. 

This is very, very important. Don't sell yourself short. This is your body. You are not just the patient, you are the client and the surgeon is working for you. You have a right to know what type of care to expect from your surgeon.