I am completely disappointed and still in shock at the lack of patient care at Sono Bello-Atlanta. After my lipo procedure, I had an incision that would not heal for numerous weeks. I went back multiple times to have them check it because I was afraid it was infected, since the skin had not closed and I had about a 1.5 inch gash in my skin. At every visit, a nurse (not a doctor) kept saying it was fine and to give it another week.
Flash forward 3 months to my 3-month post-op appointment, which was only with a nurse, NOT with my surgery doctor. The nurse saw that the gash was still there and had not healed, and THEN decided it was worth a doctor's visit. A different doctor came in, took one look, and said I needed to have the wound excised by my surgery doctor as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage and disfigurement to the area. The nurse explained to me what an excision meant, and I immediately told her that I would not be able to handle that type of procedure without something to relax because of my intense fear of needles. She responded that it was no big deal and that I should not need anything, completely ignoring what I had just told her.
The night before the excision procedure, a front desk person called me to confirm my appointment time, which was an hour later than what I had been told the day before. I told her I had already made arrangements and needed it to be the original scheduled time. She responded that I had no choice and that the appointment could not be rescheduled under any circumstances. I immediately asked to speak to the practice manager and was told the practice manager would have to call me back. Thirty minutes later, I got a call back from the nurse, not the practice manager, who said, "I understand that you had some questions about your appointment." After the nurse again told me that I would not need anything for the surgical procedure, I got off the phone since nothing was going to be resolved. I then called back and asked to speak to the practice manager (once again), who assured me that they would take care of me the following day during my procedure, would speak to the doctor about my fear and anxiety surrounding the procedure, and that I should not worry.
The next day, I arrived with my driver at my appointment and was handed 10 pieces of paper to sign for a procedure that was supposedly no big deal and did not require any type of pain medication. I filled them out and was then called back to a room where my surgery doctor and his nurse were waiting, ready to just start the procedure. I was in shock since I had already spoken to the practice manager about my concerns regarding pain and anxiety with needles, and the doctor had not even been spoken to. The doctor began to inject lidocaine, and I immediately started shaking and crying from the pain, as I had no medication given to me to help. The doctor kept trying to get the needle in and then, after around 4-5 injections, said it was the wrong gauge and he needed a different gauge. After the nurse got him the correct gauge needle, he continued to inject me as I was vocal about my pain and continued to cry. The doctor immediately left the room to go see other patients.
At this point I was so upset that I felt my body was in complete shock and I could not move. While I was still on the table, a different nurse came in and asked why I was crying (the first person to actually seem like she cared about my pain). I told her why, and she got the practice manager. The practice manager said she would talk to my doctor about giving me something for the pain before they started the actual excision portion of the procedure. She left the room and came back and said a different nurse would be back to give me something for the pain before my doctor began the excision.
I waited for 20 minutes (no nurse came in), and then my surgery doctor came back in and just began the procedure without any concern. I was so in shock and felt so violated that I could not even speak when the doctor asked me questions. It is hard to form words when you can feel someone sewing your skin together. In the middle of the excision, one of the nurses finally returned with the pain medication that was supposed to be given to me prior to my procedure.
What happened to me is completely wrong and is an example of extremely poor patient care. I hope no one has to experience what I went through. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Results do not matter if patient care is non-existent.
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