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In jan 2012 I went to get juvederm filler on my nose (the doctor chose to inject restylane instead as I later found out). It ended up looking way too large on my nose bridge and the area was swollen and i went to bed worrying about how it looks. The next day, to make matters worse, I started experiencing blurriness in both eyes but particularly worse in left eye. I contacted the plastic surgeon and he kept saying it has nothing to do with the filler. I went to urgent care that evening and received a anti-histamine shot after the urgent care doctor called that plastic surgeon. And the plastic surgeon told her that I could call him in the morning... when i called him in the morning and told him that it was still blurry, he say the same thing, there's nothing he could do about it and it's not the injection. He said i should go to an ophthalmologist "if i having eye problems" and referred me to his friend who was open on that day(which was a Saturday) I saw her, and before she even dilated my eyes, she kept saying whatever it is, it cannot be related to filler. I got really frustrated she seemed more concerned with defending the filler rather than examining my eyes. She then told me it was an eyelash poking my left eye and causing the blurriness. I was so frustrated with the entire experience with the plastic surgeon and the ophthalmologist defending the filler and the fact that that i still had the blurry eyes that I decided to look up some info that evening about these fillers and found that they can be dissolved by Hyaluronidase, so i thought i should maybe do this and texted the plastic surgeon to ask if he would do this for me (only dissolving about half of it). He told me to come in the next day(it was sunday) at 9:30 am. This is all he said in the text. I went in the next day, he did not explain anything about the Hyaluronidase and i did not sign a waiver, and he went ahead injected the dissolver in 2 areas on my nose. I asked him some questions such as how long is it going to take to dissolve? and I also told him about my blurry eyes, how it's not getting better still. I was supposed to be going on a trip that coming monday, but since this has been worrying me, not sure if i was going to go. He then wanted to inject more dissolver because he doesn't want me to be up in the middle of the night and contacting him and being worried( i only contacted him in the middle of the night that once). He said "it was for my own good" so he injected two more spots. A few hours afterwards, I kept feeling pain on my nose and a burning sensation. My nose looked very red n my eye lids started looking so droopy. The next day i woke up and my skin around my eyes and under my eyes were wrinkly, droopy and tired. I did not have those wrinkles under my eyes before. I thought it was temporary because i may not have gotten enough sleep but the next day and the day after, it did not improve. Now it has been 7 months and the situation have not changed. My nose continued to be painful and burn for weeks after it shrank so fast. To much was dissolved that my nose looked flattened. Regarding my eyes, my own hyaluronic acid have been dissolved along with the filler. I later found out that the dissolver is known to spread thus why it may have spread to my eye skin and made my under eye skin look thinner and wrinkled. I have also been having constant dry eyes since it happened and my eye sight have gotten worse. Many doctors say that Hyaluronidaise can dissolve your own HA but my plastic surgeon never told me about it before he injected in my nose. Nor did i sign a consent form for the dissolver when i went in that day. Nor did he warn me of any side effects such as pain, burning or skin droopiness or wrinkling. He was very rude to me and was flippant about everything while i was under his care. I would like to know if I can sue him and if i have a good case against him. Thank you. Please reply.
Optional Information: Country relating to Question: United States State (if USA): California
First of all, I'm so sorry this happened to you.
Yes, I do believe you have a claim to sue him. He owed you a standard of care and it would appear he did not follow it.
The biggest problem he faces is how he did the dissolving.
Presumably you signed a waiver with the first procedure (for the restylane injections) which shows that was his protocol.
Doctors don't like to testify against each other...so your biggest thing is to get a well know doctor to at least support your position. Even if that doctor won't later testify as an expert for you, whatever expert you use can rely on hearsay (what that other, excellent, doctor also says).
To do this - just call up a plastic surgeon, ask if you got juvederm filler injected in x-places, can it result in bluriness?
Then ask if so, and you wanted it dissolved, what is the protocol?
Ask what the risks are with the Hyaluronidase.
Do the same questions about restylane as well.
You could also ask another opthomologist if the juvederm and/or (ask about both) can result in blurry vision.
Good luck - and I hope you get what you deserve out of this. I'm so sorry this has all happened.
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Thank you very much for the reply. I would like to share this with you. It's something I posted on realself.com after it happened, it shows the responses i got from plastic surgeons. Do you think I should use this ? and also should i contact any of these doctors?
http://www.realself.com/question/experience-vision-loss-complete-blindness-from-restylane-injec
This is regarding Hyaluronidase http://www.realself.com/question/vitrase-dissolve-normal-ha-when-clinical-trials-conducted
I'm happy to answer this separate follow up question. No, I don't think you should contact those doctors there as they haven't seen you. Any expert that testifies will need to be one that actually sees you to evaluate you. You want someone who is local (for the exam) to you and also available to whomever ends up being your expert to be able to talk to this doctor
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Experience: 18 yrs trial attorney, professor of criminal law and ethics
I would like to get my records from the plastic surgeon, what would be the best way to do this? Should i call his office and ask them to mail me a copy or should i go in and ask in person? Or ask them to send them to the new plastic surgeon? I want to know the amount of vitrase was injected and also to make sure that i did not sign a waiver for it. I am pretty sure i did not but it has been a while.
You have a right to your medical records. See here for more information: http://www.mbc.ca.gov/consumer/access_records.html Please note that it is typical to be charged a small clerical fee (copying/mailing fee) for the retrieval/copying of the records. You should call up and ask the receptionist if they have a set form they use for a records request and if so, have one mailed to you or pick it up. Otherwise, you can just write the date on a piece of paper and a note - which you'll sign - asking for all medical records of any kind related to yourself (date of birth).