Hello out there,

I'm new to this site.  I wish I had found it 3 years ago.  Maybe my life would be different now.  In 2013 I went to a surgeon in Scottsdale, AZ for ffs.  My life has been ruined since then.  I had never considered signing on to a website like this, but now feel compelled to share my story so others don't risk the same fate.

A little about me.  I transitioned to full time 1988.  In 1991 I received srs from Dr. Biber.  I have lived full time successfully till this past 2 years of my life.  Now 2 years post ffs I get clocked (called a ->-bleeped-<- or drag queen) all the time as well as discriminated against in various situations.   I have lost many friends. I'm not invited to social gatherings any longer, and I can't get work.  Life has been hell and it is truly difficult to hang-on due to the loneliness and depression.

The surgeon that preformed the procedures has not offered to repair the situation, other than to cover minor fee's associated with his practice.  Nor can afford the huge fees associated with a next set of procedures to fix the problems!!!
Next to Speigel, Dr. Meltzer in Scottsdale is one of the most expensive surgeons in the country.

I have met with another surgeon in Beverly Hills (Dr. Mayer) who held great promise for me given the results shown on his website.  But his personality and communication style leave a lot to be desired, and after two consultations with him I still don't have a really good sense of the finer details regarding procedures.  I do have to say though that his liason Sharon is a gem.

I am now on schedule to phone consult with Dr. Z.  We will see what he has to say.

But back to that surgeon in Scottsdale.  I was told by his contact person Lindsey that I would be on the table for 6.5 hours.  I was on the table for 9.5.  The plan was to do brow contouring, jaw taper, and mid face lift.

What I received was brow contouring of just the center of my forehead, not the outward brow areas where it was also needed as well.  Why? I don't know.  What he and I agreed on was that he would -not- raise my brows, but he did!  What he also did that he did not discuss with me was to advance my hairline and remove two muscles down the center of my forehead. The advancement has receded and there is now a subtle divot down the center of my forehead.  There is absolutely no way I can wear my hair back without looking like a freak !!!!  There is also a very obvious bump line where the incision was made around my scalp.  I also now have a divot that goes around the top of my head.  I also now have a frown line that goes across the bridge of my nose !!!  Also what he said he was going to do but did not, was ground down the boney temple lines on the sides of my forehead.

The mid face lift has since fallen.  If I had a jaw taper you wouldn't think so.  My cheeks have sagged and now I have a hugely male chin and jaw, which I didn't have before surgery.  I now look like I have a deformity of my jaw/chin. It is now huge and I look like a sideshow freak.

I am reluctant to post pics as I can't stand to look at them, and accept my fate.  I may post pics of just the effected areas.

For what it is worth:  !!  I heard that the surgeon in S.F. has closed his practice and will be sending prospective patients to Meltzer in Scottsdale.  If you are one of those people, proceed with absolute caution.

sincerely,
Lost Soul

I am so sorry. 

Dr. Meltzer did my SRS over a decade ago when he was located in Portland, OR. I am not happy with the results (due to (1)depth issues, (2) perineal "membrane" being present at vaginal opening so a dildo/penis has to "dip down" into the vagina from above  :-(, and (3) a lack of inner labia/clitoral hood). I also found his personality & bedside manner to be a bit too casual and informal for my taste. I would give my right ear to go back to before I had SRS with Meltzer and make a more informed decision and discuss my "vaginal priorities" with the Dr. of my choosing so that I could have gotten the vagina I really wanted. I have never discussed the issue with Meltzer or his people, I just wanted to wash my hands of him.

I had a brow feminization with Dr. Zukowski nearly a decade ago and am reasonably happy with the result. I do look more feminine, but I would have been a bit more conservative with the bone burring - he took off a bit too much for my taste. And my eyebrows are pulled higher than I like.

Again, I'm so sorry for your awful experience with Meltzer but wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I have some bitterness against him myself.

Welcome to Susan's place.  I am sorry about how your surgery turned out but there is a good deal of information you might find useful here. I hope others will take your warning to heart and be very careful when dealing with this doctor.  I am old enough that I am going to try and age gracefully so I only learned about FFS about three months ago when I joined this web site. I do admit to a nose job and getting rid of a nasty Adams Apple but I tend to go for the minimum amount of surgery that makes me passable.

We do have something in common and that is I am a 1982 Biber girl as well.

I know you will have a long battle ahead of you trying to correct this problem and while I can't help you much surgically, I am willing to help however I can.

Interesting...

Thank You Zoey and Dena,

I'm sorry for your experience as well Zoey.  It is an interesting dilemma.... to put trust, time, and money into someone who says they can help with something that is so so important, only to find that there is something amiss !!!  When I went to Meltzer I actually enjoyed his casualness.  It is probably why I trusted him so much.  We actually have a common interest of Long distance bicycle touring.  So we would talk about our adventures too.

Dena,  thanks for your kind words Sista !!    I'm not looking for any help other than the social/emotional support of others who share the path that we are on.  I enjoyed meeting with Dr. Biber.  He was a very good person.  I was sad to hear he had passed several years ago.  I remember when I was moving across the country, I did a surprise visit to his practice in Trinidad.  He was ecstatic to see me and check out his work 5 years later.  I had also gotten the vaginaplasti a year after my srs.  It was so wonderful to finally have the form I had always dreamt of.

I'm now 54 years old and still have many goals and dreams to pursue but can't till the issues are resolved.  SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS !!!    More than likely I will sell my home to afford more surgery, then live on my bicycle free of any trappings.

Welcome to Susan's Lost Soul. I am sorry for your traumatic experience.

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Hi, I'm sorry that you had a bad experience, and I hope you are able to resolve the problems you are having, however, I had FFS done by Dr. Meltzer in 2007, and I am very happy with the results; he did a scalp advancement and I did not lose any hair at the incision sites and I have regained most of the feeling in my scalp, he also did a Type 3 forehead reconstruction and the set back is perfect and I have no remaining brow bossing and my eyebrows are completely natural looking and I have regained 100% sensation. He also did a rhinoplasty which included bone removal at the top of the bridge between my eyes. He also did cheek lift to enhance my cheekbones and it is holding perfectly.

Quote from: Lost Soul on July 06, 2015, 05:12:52 PM
Dena,  thanks for your kind words Sista !!    I'm not looking for any help other than the social/emotional support of others who share the path that we are on.  I enjoyed meeting with Dr. Biber.  He was a very good person.  I was sad to hear he had passed several years ago.  I remember when I was moving across the country, I did a surprise visit to his practice in Trinidad.  He was ecstatic to see me and check out his work 5 years later.  I had also gotten the vaginaplasti a year after my srs.  It was so wonderful to finally have the form I had always dreamt of.

After all these years I still recall how he did his rounds. He would rush in, flip off the sheets, look at the surgery, flip back the sheets and be off. One time I did have questions and I told him to stop and he did spending as much time as needed answering all my questions. I not only lost my maleness in Colorado but I also lost my modesty. I not ready to join a nudest colony yet but I think I could and be comfortable 
A while back we were traveling through Trinidad and I regret not stopping and saying hi but we did't have time to spare and we weren't sure Biber would be where we could see him.

Hey Dena,

Ha! I remember that too!  Two days before my srs, I walked all the way out to the lake for exercise. I forget how far it was. Then walked back. It was hot and sunny of course. I got a bit of a sunburn.  A couple days after surgery, a nurse came in to the room and told me everyone around town was talking about this strange woman walking out to the lake and back.  Had me laughing and acknowledging what a small town it is.  I guess I was the entertainment for the day.  I also hiked up to the Trinidad sign. The view was pretty nice.
The woman who was my room mate had the same name I did.  We became quick friends and stayed in touch for several years.  When I moved to the west coast, we lost track of each other.

Hi folks 



Please can we avoid blunt or pointed comments, and, I do understand how awful it is having expectations dashed and the ensuing misery.
The forums are to share experiences and are a source of information for all.

Also as I am writing - please be aware that naming names could be libellous and caution you with care in this respect.

Katy

Meltzer is a very good surgeon. He is as good as any others out there. I have met him and am friends with several women who have had surgeries with him - FFS ans SRS.  Most are very happy with his work, but not all. But I know plenty of women who have been to other surgeons too and can say the same thing. I know women who have gone to Meltzer to fix the problems they had from other supposedly better surgeons than he is.

The two surgeons I have had work on me have those who did not get as good of results or were very unhappy with the results.

Meltzer, if I could have afforded him I would have chosen him based on the results I have seen.

The thing with the surgeries we get is that there is always risk and no matter which surgeon you go to there is the potential for bad results or for them not to meet your expectations. None of them gets it perfect every  time. When you have these surgeries done you are aware of that risk. Coming back and blaming them for ruining your life is not really fair you knew the risk you signed the form you choose to take it.

I am very sorry for how it went for you.

^^^this

I'm having SRS in 4 months with Dr M, and I see things the same way....all surgeons have their good outcomes and their bad ones...too often I've seen people put their money on a given surgeon, and inevitably someone shows up and blasts that one.

One incident, or even five, do not a pattern make. (There is one surgeon I *would* suggest staying away from, because even tho his good outcomes outnumber the bad, his ability to stop major issues during or post op is known to be lacking).

What happened to the OP is unfortunate, but it is the realm of "possible risks include..."

I'd agree there's a risk of things going wrong that's part of the package. That's assuming its just one of those things outside anyone's control and not a result of incompetence. Imagine you saw a surgeon who was generally excellent, but due to drinking had the odd really bad day. I'd not be able to forgive that.

However I can't see any excuse for performing procedures that were not asked for, and not doing things that were. In the first case it's hard to know how reliable the surgeon is and your level of risk - they don't publish statistics, but the second case does suggest ethical problems.

I also don't care for not taking responsibility for fixing these problems either, at least not without charging full price. I appreciate not many surgeons would, but just that just makes them all wrong. I'm not sure who does offer free revisions, although I know Suporn does. It could be argued that its built into the price, but personally I think that how they conduct their business is a reflection on their morals. I doubt any of them are short of money.

Despite Suporn's promise of free revisions there was a case recently on the forums where he refused to fix a SRS problem with erectile tissue. I feel reasonably confident that its due to not being able to do it competently as I know of cases where he's refused to do FFS when he thinks someone didn't need it and BA where it would leave scaring and sensitivity loss. Its a reflection of his morals.

Its hard to work out who to trust for surgery, so I look for other indicators rather than people saying they got good/bad results. There's not enough solid data to make an informed choice.

In all fairness, we do not know the full story, so the claims are unsubstantiated, and the surgeon isn't available to tell his side of the story, and we do not have access to the medical records, or even before and after pictures.

Quote from: kittenpower on July 08, 2015, 05:48:29 PM
In all fairness, we do not know the full story, so the claims are unsubstantiated, and the surgeon isn't available to tell his side of the story, and we do not have access to the medical records, or even before and after pictures.

That's true enough, but we'd have nothing to discuss if we used that as a standard, and we'd certainly never be able to find out who's bad. It's not ideal, but its better than nothing.

Quote from: kittenpower on July 08, 2015, 05:48:29 PM
In all fairness, we do not know the full story, so the claims are unsubstantiated, and the surgeon isn't available to tell his side of the story, and we do not have access to the medical records, or even before and after pictures.

It sounds to me like there's enough evidence to at least look into a malpractice suit...2013 isn't past the statute of limitations (as I understand them...not a lawyer, doctor, or even a barber).

I'd suggest that to the OP.

Quote from: AnonyMs on July 08, 2015, 06:27:00 PM
That's true enough, but we'd have nothing to discuss if we used that as a standard, and we'd certainly never be able to find out who's bad. It's not ideal, but its better than nothing.

There is a difference when one says they got what they didn't ask for or the surgery failed after so many months, and then concluding BAD HORRIBLE THINGS WILL HAPPEN IF YOU GO TO THIS DOCTORrrrrrr:

Quote"...but now feel compelled to share my story so others don't risk the same fate....

...I heard that the surgeon in S.F. has closed his practice and will be sending prospective patients to Meltzer in Scottsdale.  If you are one of those people, proceed with absolute caution."

One gives "just the facts", and the other gives assumptions about one's "fate" if "absolute caution" is not observed. I'd rather have their version of what happened, and let me come to a reasonable course of action. And, "absolute caution" is advisable in any case where surgery is involved.

Yes, if a dr is intoxicated at the time of the surgery, I would expect the patient to jump from the gurney and make good an escape from that facility.

Again, I can commiserate with the OP, it does sound like the FFS went bad...but a surgery that was supposed to be 6.5 hours long was actually 9.5 tells me that something (complications?) happened during the procedure. I would've been asking--demanding--to get a written evaluation on what exactly happened that caused the extended table time...and if I could not get that (and in that, an adequate explanation as to what happened, why, and what I could potentially expect in the future), I would lawyer up.

Hindsight is 20/20...for myself, I am glad for threads like this, because it does present situations that we probably wouldn't think would happen.

Hi Everyone,

I appreciate everyone's comments.  It is good to hear that others have not had the result I have had.  I have to admit that I sat on this far too long, but only because I'm having a very hard time facing the reality that has been dealt to me.  Please keep in mind that I lived for a long time out in society without problems. Now that is gone.  What I dreamed of having when I was 3, 4, 5, 6 years old, or even 25 years old has been taken away from me.  The reason I wanted surgery in the first place was to refine some features I was not happy with.  Like anyone else!

Sure there are risks. I went in knowing that.  But why I have ended up with so many exaggerated complications after the fact is a mystery to me.  I specifically wanted a neck lift and lower face lift when I went to Dr. M.  He talked me into a jaw taper and mid face lift.  Now instead of having a nice narrow jaw, for some reason it is very big and pronounced.  I kind look like I'm from an inbred family.   All for the wonderful fee of $27k plus airfare, hotel, meals, aftercare, and meds.

The plan was...... to go back for a second round of surgery to get the lower face and neck lift that I originally wanted.  But with what I was going to be charged in addition to all of the complications that arose, I had totally lost my trust.  More than likely, the much higher cost (28k) was to fix the complications that developed.

For what it is worth, I requested the operative report, and there isn't anything to indicate why it took so long.

For months I complained bitterly to the doc and staff about how my looks have turned out.  I complained about the divot down the center of my forehead and how high he made my brows.  I complained about the size and shape of my jaw.  The only conciliation I was offered was to not pay the Dr's fees to fill in the divot and lower my brows back down.

Also of note since it was mentioned by someone else. I still do not have sensation on the crown of head.  Instead I have that itching feeling.  It comes and goes and is not as bad as the first 8 months post surgery.  I thought I was gonna go nuts with the itching feeling.  Apparently it is common due to nerve damage.

What also upsets me is, I was developing a friendship with the woman who transports people to and from the airport and hospital.  We are both musicians and connected over that.  She is really a cool person.  I can't have that friendship now given how crazy and heated things got with the doc.

I am debating as to whether I should post pics here.  If I do I will probably black out my eyes.   Okay time to go back out into the world and get stared at.  Bye.

Thanks for the reply, Lost Soul...please, stick around. Susan's is, after all, a support site and we will do our best to encourage you, perhaps to even see yourself again, through other people's friendly eyes. There have been many people here who insisted they have this fault, or that fault, or some other bit of self-perceived ugliness that, once they posted a pic, we could see that much of their anxiety was all internal...and those who could use a little work, didn't need as much as they thought.

Hmm, interesting about the operative report. Could you get a surgeon to look at it, give an informal interpretation?

Possible resource for you, I am not affiliated with them:

QuoteAll Law, Medical Malpractice

All surgical procedures carry some amount of risk. When a patient undergoes surgery, they are typically informed about the inherent dangers associated with the procedure. In most cases, the surgeon and medical team performing the procedures are highly skilled, properly trained and experienced enough to perform the surgery without committing errors. But not all surgeries are successful, and in some cases, surgical errors lead to permanent injury or even death.

In this article, we'll spotlight a few key issues when it comes to medical malpractice lawsuits over elective or cosmetic surgery.

ETA: According to that site, the Statute of Limitations for plastic surgery performed in AZ is 2 years...depending on which month it happened, you may want to move fast on it.

Quote from: Beth Andrea on July 08, 2015, 07:18:27 PM
It sounds to me like there's enough evidence to at least look into a malpractice suit...2013 isn't past the statute of limitations (as I understand them...not a lawyer, doctor, or even a barber).

I'd suggest that to the OP.

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,167722.0.html