I consulted Dr. Bitar in the summer of 2004 for a tummy tuck. The procedure was done on 10/28/04, costing me over 6K. This doctor was prescribing narcotic pain medication for 8 months after the surgery instead of listening to me when I said something was hurting, it shouldn't be taking this long to heal from a simple procedure and my incisions should not be open for 8 mos. I ended up going behind his back to another surgeon to see what the problem was.
Within 2 minutes of my consult with this surgeon he asked me how long I'd had the hernia. HOW did Dr. Bitar miss a umbilical hernia for 8 months?! Through a different course of topical medications the incisions did close and I was able to have the additional operation for the hernia.
It has taken a very long time to break the physical addiction to the percocet & vicodin Dr. Bitar was prescribing in large quantities & heavy doses.
In the end, I am severely scarred from this procedure both physically and emotionally. 2 of the 4 doctors involved in my case have suggested I report Dr. Bitar to the Board of Medicine for all he has done to me and the impact this is going to have on my life. I have told Dr. Bitar that I believe he does have a moral and ethical obligation to return the funds paid for this procedure since I did not get what I paid for.
I paid for a flat stomach. That was it. I did not pay for an undiagnosed hernia complicating my recovery for 8 mos, an addiction to narcotic pain medication that I will battle for the rest of my life and I certainly did not pay for scarring that can only be classified as disfigurement.
There were critical complications in the hospital as well. I believe were it not for my other doctors supervising my care, this doctor would have killed me with his negligence. These doctors are outraged, disgusted & concerned with the way this has all evolved and have been very supportive in my efforts to confront Dr. Bitar and hold him liable for what he has done to me.
When a doctor is negligent & violates the standards of care it's not just his patient that is his victim. It is the patient's family, friends, children, everyone pays the price.
For the record, yes there are pictures available to show what has been done to me. That is only a small part of the story but significant nonetheless.
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