An excellent explanation..
The following is a post taken from a page on Awful Plastic Surgery which embedded some of my YouTube videos several months ago. This page generated lots of traffic to that site and many people who appear to take pleasure in attacking people like me. That is the sacrifice I have made in my efforts to inform the public about the many dangers involved in cosmetic plastic surgery.. I’ve learned the hard way not to allow pointless cruelty penetrate too deeply into my consciousness.
However, it is always encouraging to know that there are people who see the bigger picture behind what I do, as this post exemplifies:
Comment by J — April 23, 2009 at 11:21 am
The number of folks posting here making knee-jerk, and rather cruel, unqualified diagnoses and judgments regarding the patient is dismaying. Not one of the negative posters has even met the patient, nor have they spent reasonable time on her case, in order to give even a basic informed and impartial evaluation of her situation and condition. Many seem to be judging her based on their initial impression of whether or not they are inclined to like her. They also seem to be relying on their biases regarding women who have cosmetic surgery, and on their own lack of information about the potential devastating complications of such surgeries– and of the discouraging reality of lawsuits.
Medical insurance plans generally refuse to pay for most cosmetic type procedures not only because many are purely elective, and because the wealthy and powerful physicians charge excessively, but because there are many very serious complications that can result. It is increasingly recognized that some procedures can result in disfiguring and life quality damaging “collapse” manifestations in the area worked upon. This is especially true for cancer scar reductions, and liposuction.
There appears to be a misunderstanding that suing somehow adds credibility to one’s personal injury claim. Many physically, emotionally, and monetarily drained individuals do not sue for what should be obvious reasons– it is stressful, exhausting, and expensive. Also, most lawyers will not take on a case against a wealthy and glibly professional individual pro bono, or to collect a “bounty” later, because these cases can be very time consuming and extremely expensive. They can be papered for years (or until the patient dies), and have no guarantee that the high expenses and effort will be adequately reimbursed when finally all is said and done.
Another hidden “cost” to patients is, at times, doctors can and do act in collusion, or as a cartel, and refuse to even humanely treat a patient who complains about perceived malpractice, or being overcharged. Seeing as these doctors hold a monopoly on what they do, this is a very serious situation that needs to be addressed by public policy makers.
I don’t pretend to pass any kind of final judgment on the case in question here, because there needs to be a thorough investigation to even begin to evaluate the medical conditions and consequences, and assess responsibility– both sides deserve that. However, it is visibly apparent that something went wrong in a rather short amount of time after the surgeries, and it is having at least some degree of consequence on the quality of this patient’s life, and mental health. It may not have been malpractice, though. That needs to be determined. I believe that it is in the best interests of the public to find out what happened, and what is going on, so that such cases can be prevented in the future.
I first learned of Lucille Iacovelli on Awful Plastic Surgery just a couple of weeks ago. My initial, ‘knee-jerk’ reaction — based on the short post on said web site and the many responses to it — was that Ms. Iacovelli had at least as much of a mental problem as she had a plastic surgery problem. Something made me want to learn more, though, and for the next week or so, I Yahoo!ed and Googled; I watched all of this lady’s videos on YouTube and Vimeo; I read all of this lady’s writing on here and on Multiply and on Wordpress and on Blogger… It took me a while to comprehend what happened to her, but once I ‘got it’, I have not been able to get it out of my head. It is NOT a mental problem, it is indeed a plastic surgery problem, and it is quite simple to understand, really:
” In 1997, Ms. Iacovelli had a face lift. Everything went well — so well, in fact, that she decided, with doctor’s permission, to have a rhinoplasty just two months later. The rhinoplasty caused a swelling that affected the still-healing face lift, loosening the skin of the neck from the ‘platysma’ muscle underneath it, causing a droopy, ‘turkey-neck’ appearance.
In 2001, Ms. Iacovelli had a ‘revision’ face lift that not only did not address the problem caused by the original, but made it worse — much worse — by pulling the platysma muscle the wrong way, so tightly that it forcibly pulls her jaw inward and downward, understandably making it difficult for her to eat, swallow, and even breathe normally. ”
One only has to pull inward and downward on their own neck to get an idea of the discomfort that Ms. Iacovelli has had to live with every minute of every day since her second face lift.
One would hope that any surgeon who makes a grievous error — whether purely cosmetic or, especially, health-affecting — would do whatever s/he could to correct that error. Unfortunately, many surgeons do not. Ms. Iacovelli’s surgeons have not. Perhaps they don’t like to admit their own mistakes… Perhaps they don’t like her outspokenness… In any case, it’s a shame.
Lucille… I know you don’t know me… But please know that my heart goes out to you… I hope you are finding some comfort these days… If only it could be the comfort that these doctors should have had the simple human compassion to help you find years ago!
Sincerely,
Cleo
Comment by Cleo | May 2, 2009
Cleo,
Thank you for taking the time to read and view the exhaustive material I’ve put online about my case. You have done a better job at making my situation more understandable than I have myself. I have a tendency to elaborate on every detail which can be confusing to the reader. I believe I got this way because the surgeons I consulted for help always acted as if they couldn’t understand the “mechanics” of the problem. Not wanting to believe they were just trying to get rid of me, I resorted to elaborate descriptions, mistakenly thinking that their failure to “see” or not “get it” was due to my inability to describe things in proper medical terminology.
Of course, I know better now. They were all playing me for a fool, believing opnions would never be questioned. You have proven what I have always known.. that common sense and an analytical mind can easily see through their lies. Thank you for taking time to share your very accurate analysis. I hope this causes others to question the opinions of doctors when they know mistakes have been made.
Lucille
Comment by admin | May 5, 2009
Wow, Lucille, I am so sorry for everything you have been through and continue to go through. My heart goes out to you. I hope you find the inner strength to plow on with life despite the physical and emotional pain. Perhaps with time you will find someone who may be able to help you. Did you ever consider leaving the country to get help? I know the UK, India all have great healthcare systems with equally talented physicians. Keep the faith and keep your hope! Much love to you.
Comment by Lee | May 5, 2010
I have viewed most all of the videos and read the comments about Lucille’s plastic surgery and on-going problem with the plastic surgeon Barry Eppley. It’s so clear this doctor screwed up big time. He clearly refuses to admit he made a horrible mistake at Lucille’s expense. This guy permantly damaged a patient who was breathing normally “prior” to him getting his hands on her. How can anyone - especially other doctors and the court not see that? DON’T protect BAD, NEGLIGENT doctors! It doesn’t do society a favor when we let them get away with practically intentionally inferior surgery just for the money. This guy did it solely for the money and his ego - he is sick. He should have owned up to it and not hide behind his buddies for protection. She needed the protection from that MONSTER. He should pay her 5 million dollars - pay for some other GOOD REPUTABLE DECENT DOCTOR TO TRY TO REPAIR HER AND HE THEN NEEDS TO SPEND TIME IN JAIL - OR A MENTAL INSTITUTION. HE’S AN EGO MANIAC. From watching him advertising for his business he doesn’t seem to be all together there.
Comment by Jen | May 15, 2010