(I was going to split this into two parts.. but it doesn't split well.. You can read only from after the line marked ===== below, that's the most important part.... If you're busy, please read from after the =============== part below please.... Please read it and help me, I beg you...)
<<<PART1>>> Hello, I am the person who had breast fat grafting surgery this morning. I wrote this as objectively as possible, sticking as much as I could to the facts (by the time I finished writing this, it had become the 14th; I had surgery on the morning of the 13th). I had it done not in Seoul but in Gyeonggi Province. It was a place that was fairly well-known, so many people came from other regions, there were many doctors, and they used four floors of the building. At first I just received a skin-related procedure there. My impression when I arrived was like a chaotic street market. Because the price was low, there were just too many people and it was complete mayhem. That's not the main point, so I'll skip it. Anyway, my first impression was, "Wow, there are popular places even outside Gangnam." That much cheaper, and maybe because it was a place with directors who came from large hospitals and they promoted it heavily, that could be why. Then while looking at events related to breast fat grafting, I saw a review from someone saying the price was 99. But that hospital was this one. It was close, so I called from home to ask whether they were still doing that event. They said the event had ended, but they would still honor that price and said I could come in and get it done. So I went for a consultation, and the consultant? (They don't call them a director here; they call them a section chief.) looked completely unaware of that part and seemed embarrassed, then told me to wait a moment. After going outside to talk and coming back, she said the price would instead include a 300,000 won sleep anesthesia fee. And I had to post a review because it was in the ad.. (At that time when I asked, "Isn't it for one year?" she said yes~, but when I wrote about it today, on the day of surgery, in a situation where I couldn't argue further, they said they don't have a one-year thing and that it's five years, they claimed.) Then she said it would be 99 + VAT + 30, and if I did a second session they would match it to 184, saying that it only looked like something had been done if I did the second session too. She said survival would probably be only 20-30% depending on the person. If PRP was added, it would be +20. She said she had worked at other places too, and claims saying it would be more than that are all lies. She said they were being honest, that she had almost never seen anyone retain more than 50%, and that calcification almost never happens, that she had almost never seen anyone develop it. So I said okay for now and came out, then looked into other places with similar event pricing. I spoke to quite a few places by phone, and I think I visited about two in person. The conditions I was thinking about were: price, machine, donor site, recipient site (scar), whether PRP was included, whether there would be calcification, and the director's experience? (hospital?) Honestly, I thought the amount injected would be similar everywhere. After consulting around, that was the conclusion I came to. (After all, most of the discussion was with the consultation manager, so even if I didn't go in person, I had fairly detailed consultations by phone.) But here, the consultation manager said their director was conservative and would inject around 180 cc. She said it was based on data presented at academic conferences. Still, for people who can take a lot, they had injected up to 200-250 cc. At other places, they usually said it depends on the person, but they inject as much as can be injected. Almost every place answered like that. And most places said that over 200 cc goes in, but if the frame is very small, it may be slightly less. They said that even so, people who can't take at least 180 cc are either extremely thin or have a very small frame. So I thought, this place would probably be like that too. If they really put in as much as the consultation manager said, it would be a little less than other places, but since she said they had done up to 250 or more before, I thought maybe if I explained well they would put in over 200 cc. I debated between two other places. One was cheaper than here too (PRP included, even), and they confidently said they would inject as much as possible until there was no problem, which made me trust them. But the donor site was a concern for me because of my abdomen (I have an ET body type), and I wanted to harvest from the abdomen, but they firmly said it would have to be the thigh, and the recipient site would be under the breast and the 45-degree area of the breast, so there could be scars. They also said that even if they were not noticeable, calcification would almost certainly still occur. So, even if I had to pay a bit more, I thought this was a large hospital that many other people went to, so it would be trustworthy, and I said I wanted one more consultation including a consultation with the director. Then they said okay, but if I didn't end up having surgery after the consultation with the director, 50,000 won would be deducted as a consultation fee. Sigh... I should have been cautious from this point on.. At that time I had almost decided to go here anyway, so I said okay and agreed to the consultation. But there were so many people that even if I arrived on time, I had to wait quite a while before the consultation. (They even told me to arrive 30 minutes before the consultation time, so I did. They said we would talk first and then see the director.) But after waiting a long time, after barely speaking with the consultation manager, they said the director had finished surgery and come over, and I had the consultation, but in like 5 or 10 minutes she quickly said what she had to say and rushed off because she was busy. This part is important: she said she only puts in about 150-160 on one side (different from what the consultation manager said) (and I couldn't even bring up 180 because she was in such a hurry). She said she had once put in more than 200 but developed inflammation and it became troublesome. (The consultation manager had never said anything like that.) And honestly, she said there was almost nothing left, maybe 5-10%. PRP would increase it by another 10-20%. But I should do stem cells. And looking at my breasts, she said, 'Still, there is quite a bit of space to put it in.' And looking at my body, she said there wasn't much to harvest from the abdomen, but if we used the lower area and the flanks, we would get enough for the first session. If that wasn't enough, we could harvest from the backs of the thighs too! And for the second session, they usually don't put in much, so they inject just over 100 cc. That is what she said before leaving in a hurry. (By then, because the doctor spoke in such a calm tone, I had no idea she was that kind of person.) That consultation time was almost like I was being rushed; I had written down the things I wanted to ask, but I couldn't even ask everything, and she left in 5-10 minutes saying she was busy (and in the middle of it all, she kept recommending implants). Honestly, even then I thought, is this really a 50,000 won consultation? Then the consultation manager came and kept telling me to leave a reservation deposit. She hadn't even told me where the fat would be harvested from during the consultation, and since the thing I cared about most was scars, and we hadn't talked about that, I said I would pay the 50,000 won (even though I thought it made no sense). Then I said, when I come again for another consultation and PRP additional charges are confirmed (up to then it was all vague), wouldn't it be fine to leave a reservation deposit for the remaining amount including that 50,000? But she kept trying to brush it off, saying to just leave the deposit for now because they were busy and couldn't know right then. "It will probably be the armpit," she said, like that. I said that didn't seem right, so she called and said she had just asked the surgery room team and confirmed it was the armpit. In other words, it felt like they could tell me, but because it was annoying? they weren't giving proper information and were just trying to get money first. What's more, when I paid the deposit, they later told me that because they were busy, there would be no 100% refund even if I canceled without several days' notice. At that point I should have been on guard, but by then I had almost decided to do it there, so I just let it go. The surgery date was about two weeks later from that point. In between, whenever I called or messaged because I had questions, they really did not respond. Texts or calls, nothing. I let it go thinking they were just busy, but I guess I should have sensed something and canceled then.. Also, in between, a friend of mine called on my behalf to ask about the breast procedure, and suddenly they said breast fat grafting for the second session with PRP would be 1.1 million won + sleep anesthesia separately. I was so dumbfounded. So I called the consultation manager and said, if there's a change, shouldn't you obviously tell me before we proceed? My friend called and that's what they told her, and then she contacted me. The manager hurriedly told me to hang up and called back, saying it wasn't that, that I should ask that friend, and that the friend must have heard wrong. Luckily, I had a recording, and when she sent it to me, she clearly said breast several times. But when my acquaintance called again, they kept insisting that an employee had mentioned the face and that my friend had misunderstood. Then when I said, but I have the recording? they finally said, oh really? Maybe the employee said it wrong, but there is no such thing. They completely changed their story. I felt uneasy then too, but I thought I should just let it go since it was the price we had originally agreed on. On top of that, yesterday morning, the day before surgery, they suddenly called and said a blood test item had been omitted. So I said, what are you talking about? I was never told anything like that. Then they said, is that true? They'll call me back. A little later the consultation manager called and, without any explanation about their failure to inform me, said something like, "Ah, the director said it's better to do a blood test, so you'll need to do it," as if that was that. If the result was bad, surgery couldn't be done. I was stunned. It was the day before surgery, and to bring that up only now was ridiculous, and in other words it was clearly their mistake, right? I also had plans that day, so I complained a bit, and they said they would take 40,000 off from 184 and asked if I could please go to the hospital they mentioned as early as possible in the morning. I said okay for now, hang up. But because of my morning schedule, I could only go in the afternoon, so I called using that section chief's business card number and also texted and called from the other phone that had contacted me that day, but they didn't respond. I had no choice but to call the main number and explain that due to the situation I would have to go around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and asked if that was okay. The staff member who answered the main number said it was fine and just go, so I went. Even in that process, when I asked whether I just needed to go without saying anything, or whether I should explain the situation when I got there, only then did they say I would need to explain it. They had not given proper guidance. So I went to the affiliated hospital, and they were just about to take the blood test, so I explained that this was the situation and that the result needed to be out by tomorrow morning at the latest. Only then did the staff at that hospital say that if I came now, the blood test would go out tomorrow and the result would come on Monday. What in the world? I was so dumbfounded that I called back there, and the consultation manager answered and said, why didn't you go in the morning? She said that to me. So I said I told them I had a schedule and really couldn't go in the morning, and that I had called again in the morning. Then she said why didn't I call her, and that the number she had called me on today wasn't hers. ;;;;; So I said I had called both there and the number that had contacted me, but since neither kept responding or answering, I called the main number. Then she said, 'Ah, I see...' Wow..................... Even then I was dumbfounded and upset, but I held it in. For now, she said there was another place that gives results very quickly, so I should go there. When I went there, it was a larger hospital and they were able to give the result in an hour. I immediately felt it. The first place must have been doing it for commission. Wasn't it normal to tell me about this place in the first place? Wow......... Other places may be like that too, but even when they themselves make a mistake and need a result urgently, telling me about that place made me feel like they were treating me like an easy target. Looking back now, there were a lot of signs telling me not to do it.....
=========================================================== <<<PART2>>> You can read only this part too, please=========================================================== Please help me.. Please I beg you (continuing) But right now I am not working. For one reason or another, for nearly 10 years I hadn't been able to pay even a little attention to my face at all, and because I was not working, I thought I should do it now (I think I'll get busy again around the end of August), so I looked into procedures and plastic surgery here and there, and the period for swelling to go down, and I wanted to cram everything in while taking all that into account. So even after today, I have quite a packed schedule planned for skin clinic procedures and personal errands. But if I try to do everything at once, of course I have to consider downtime, and my body gets exhausted and it costs a huge amount of money.. So even 100,000 won mattered a lot to me, no, even 10,000 won mattered. But I also said during the consultation that I was thinking of having facial surgery and asking whether I could still have this surgery, and they said it was absolutely unrelated, had nothing to do with the breast, so don't worry and go ahead. And just in case, I asked the price of the facial procedures I wanted to have done there, and compared to the prices at the other hospitals I was considering, it was quite different by my standards. So I went to another place and had the lip-corner procedure there (they don't do it at this hospital) and another fat repositioning procedure a week before the breast surgery, and today I went in for the breast surgery. Actually, the surgery was scheduled for 10 a.m., but because I miscalculated the time, I arrived about 30 minutes late. But that 30 minutes was because even though the surgery was at 10, they asked me to come by 9:30, so the time I arrived was around 10:03 or 10:04. I felt very sorry, but I didn't think it would be a major problem. In fact, I was guided up to the surgery floor at around 10:30, so after arriving I was escorted to the surgery room about 20-30 minutes later. (In the process, I signed consent forms, made payment, etc.) (And in fact, since booking with this hospital, this was the first time I was late. Every other time I arrived on time, I was the one waiting.) But after being guided to the surgery floor, while I was changing clothes in the room they told me to use, I kept hearing a man yelling loudly somewhere. At first I thought it was another patient's voice. But after a little while, a surgical nurse came in and told me to put my clothes on roughly and come out first, because the director had been waiting a long time and wanted to see me first. At that point I only thought, "Ah, I'm sorry," and quickly went out. The loud yelling had actually been him raging at the nurses. As soon as I went in and said hello to the doctor, the doctor looked at me and suddenly said, "Looks like you've had something done to your face?" Up to that point he spoke without much expression, so I said, "Yes, I had fat repositioning," and he asked, "Where did you have it done?" So I answered, "I had it done at 000." Then his expression changed in an instant and he suddenly said he couldn't do it today because I was late and because there wasn't enough fat, so I should go home without surgery. Wow, truly unbelievable in every way.. I was so angry and shocked and upset, but he was the one touching my body, and he was also the one messing up my entire schedule. Normally I'm the type to try to keep things amicable as much as possible, so while smiling I kept saying, "Doctor, why are you doing this?" and "Please do it, it's still possible for the first session," and "I even gained 2 kg on purpose because I wanted to put in more ^-T" But because his pride got hurt, he said he couldn't do it because I had had something done somewhere else on my face. He just walked off. .......................... Wow. I chased after him. Smiling, I said, "Doctor, please just do it. I already paid and everything " Then he said, cancel the payment. Just cancel the payment. I don't want to do it, and walked off. Wow........................................................................................................................................................ I was so stunned and angry, but the nurses there also seemed embarrassed. I didn't want to take my anger out on them, so I smiled and asked, "Has this kind of thing happened before?" Then they said,...Ah... maybe it's because you don't have much fat and he was worried about that already, so maybe that's why. They were trying hard to smooth it over. Then they said they would call the consultation manager. And the consultation manager came. I didn't want to say harsh things to her either, so smiling, I kept saying, "This is really unbelievable. Has this kind of thing happened before?" She said it had never happened before, and that probably several factors had worked together. Since the next schedule was also breast fat grafting and it would be messed up, and because if there wasn't much fat they might have to spend longer removing it, she said that was probably why. She kept putting it that way. Am I stupid? So I said, "I don't think that's the reason," and she kept saying no, that it was probably because of that, trying to cover it up with lies. I later found out that the other person there for the next surgery was not a breast fat grafting patient. Wow, truly unbelievable. I was furious and wanted to curse, but I held it in and dealt with it while smiling. After all, getting angry at these people wouldn't solve anything. So I really was angry, but I kept holding it in. Then the consultation manager took me to the consultation room and said that because there wasn't much fat, if they wanted to harvest enough, it would take at least 3 hours, and if there wasn't much, they would have to harvest more from various places to get enough, so it would take even longer. She said it seemed like that was why there was a time issue. Then she said she would reschedule me for the last slot next Friday. And then she started trying to change my reservation to next Friday? I felt like they really saw me as an easy target. But I didn't want to say anything too harsh, and since I also had other schedules, I just said cancel everything for me. I have to judge whether that day works by looking at my schedule, but I can't decide now. And in this state, I don't want to be treated by that doctor. Refund everything in full, I said. They said the deposit was non-refundable. After that I got serious. When I was smiling and talking, do I really look fine to you, or what? I'm intentionally being nice because I don't want to get angry, but if something isn't right, it isn't right. In a case like this, a full refund is obviously the proper response. What kind of ridiculous measure is this? Do you really think I look like a joke because I'm smiling? When I said that seriously, they said they didn't know what I was saying, and asked me to wait a moment. A little later they came back and said the director had calmed down and that I could just do it now today?????? So I said I didn't want to have it done while the director was like that. First of all, they had already scolded me for being late, and by then it was a little past 11 a.m. If they did a surgery that was supposed to take at least three hours at that time, it could take even longer, so how could everything be done within an hour? Then they said they would adjust the schedule for the later surgery patient and not to worry, they had calculated all the time. Second, I said that the doctor himself said he didn't want to do it like that, so I don't think he'd properly take care of me. I'm worried. Then they said the doctor was just fiery, but calms down quickly, and that it would not affect anything. So I said I wanted to talk more with the doctor because we had only really spoken for 5-10 minutes, and I wanted to ask him to put in over 200 cc, but in this atmosphere it didn't seem right, so it would be better not to do it. Then they replied that even if it wasn't 200 cc because of the amount of fat, at least the minimum 150-160 the doctor mentioned earlier would go in, so I should keep talking and they would definitely put in as much as possible. Believing that, I decided to go ahead and went down to the surgery room. (I should not have done it at this point.) The person who would be touching my body and the consultant had said he was fiery but cool, so I went in smiling, and as soon as we met, the first thing he said was, "I don't want to do it, but the manager cried and begged, so I have no choice but to do it." In a capitalist society, maybe there was nothing they could do about doing it somewhere else, but I hate it because it hurts my pride, and he said he tells our staff too that if they're going to do it somewhere else, they should resign first and then do it. He said he doesn't want to hurt his pride over this little bit of money, but because the manager cried and begged him, he was doing it...................................... Wow, I really wanted to swear at him. But I held back and smiled, saying I did it here because it was cheaper and I don't have much money. He said it didn't matter to him. So I kept trying to soothe him by smiling and saying, "You don't do the lip-corner thing here anyway, right? I did that together when I had my face done." He didn't respond with a single word about that.. He was sketching. Even while lying down before the sleep anesthesia, I kept begging him to please put in up to 200 cc. He didn't even answer. I kept asking him to put in as much as possible. He kept saying yes, yes. And then even right before the sleep anesthesia, I kept begging him to please put in 200 cc. He said, why haven't they put the anesthesia in yet? Put it in, he kept saying in a grumpy, drowsy tone, and even as he became more and more groggy, he kept snapping and not answering me properly. Wow. Still, I thought if the result was good, that would be enough. I should not get angry to the end at the person touching my body, and I should just smile and get through it. After the anesthesia, I asked the nurses how much was put in. They said 80 cc each.................. They had said that in the second session, a little goes in and usually just over 100 cc goes in each side (they also said other hospitals had never said such a thing). But this is even less than that, right? What does that mean? I was so stunned and angry that I asked what they meant, and they said it was because that was all they could get from my abdomen. But the shocking thing was that the surgery that supposedly takes at least 3 hours started at 11 and ended a little before 1. That is the time it should have ended if my 10 a.m. surgery had been done. My suspicion turned into certainty, and since there was no need to say anything to the nurses (the nurses kept saying it wasn't because of time), I asked to call the section chief. At other places, don't the nurses help with the compression garment? There was none of that here. I was so angry, but I was asleep because I was exhausted, and they kept waking me up. They said getting up quickly would help, but I know from reading other people's reviews that they usually let you rest as much as possible. Looking at it, I wondered if they were trying to send later patients away as quickly as possible because of the others behind me. I was so angry, and because if time passed the abdomen would swell and the compression garment wouldn't fit, according to the reviews I had seen, even though I called the nurses repeatedly they did not come, so I had to put on the compression garment with the needle still in place. In the process, the needle came out and blood started pouring out. It was unbelievably, unbelievably, unbelievably the worst. (Actually, I had brought two compression garments, one for the thighs and one for the abdomen, because the manager had strongly insisted I bring both in case the fat from the thighs was needed too.) All the rest aside, the reason I endured today was the result, but the result was..... they say other people put in 200-250 and try hard to leave 80 behind, but this was just making a fool of me, right? They forced themselves to do what they didn't want to do. If that was going to be the case, they shouldn't have done it at all. I was so angry that I asked them to call the consultation manager and told her. What kind of thing is this? Didn't you at least say you would put in 150? Then she said, 'Maybe because not much came out.' What are you talking about? Weren't you there when I consulted with the doctor? Didn't you hear him say that if there wasn't enough, he would harvest more from elsewhere and match the first session, which was why he told me to bring the thigh compression stockings? She said yes... While she was talking, I was so angry, wronged, upset, and the feelings I had been holding in all day burst out, and I started crying. And she kept saying, "But since it's been done.." I'm so angry that I said, "What matters isn't that it was done. I need to hear feedback on how I should respond to this." Then she said they could take a lot out in the second session and put it in during the third session, but that's not something she can decide, so I need to meet the chief manager. But since I couldn't meet them today, she said to meet tomorrow. In that situation, I wondered, is this really, really, do they think I'm a total sucker? and I was so angry I felt like my head would explode. I didn't want to swear, so I said I would wait until all of their schedules were finished. Then they said they couldn't meet because there was a VIP reception. So today, now, I can't be seen because of a VIP reception? Are those words really coming out to me? It really felt like they were looking down on me. When I asked what time they were open until today, they said until 3 p.m. But it was 2:10 then. So I said then I'll wait 50 minutes and leave after seeing them. They said they couldn't see me after their work hours? Wow, are they insane? So I said, what are you talking about? This situation exists, and I need at least some feedback before I leave, that much is unavoidable. A few tens of minutes later, they came out. In the end, they can do it but they just aren't doing it. They're looking down on me. Anyway, the chief manager came and, smiling, tried to make me feel better by talking about other boring things somehow, but that upset me too. Was I being treated like a fool? So when I asked for feedback, she said that for the second session they should take out as much as possible and then use frozen fat for the third session. I've had a failed plastic surgery before, and I've been suffering because of it until now. That stress is enormous, enormous, enormous. So I try to learn as much information as possible and hear tips / what I should know from here and there. But for breast fat grafting, they say to put in as much as possible within the first session. The reason is that almost nothing is absorbed in the first session. So for the second session, you do it after 2-3 months, and at that point the graft survival is better than in the first session. That's what I know to be standard, and most hospitals answered that way during consultation. And because it is a battle over graft survival, PRP is good to add. In particular, I understand that frozen fat is almost meaningless for breasts and that fresh fat should be used (this was what the doctor here also said). But my situation is that they put in a truly meaningless amount in the first session, and now I will have to suffer for more than a month in recovery.. If the norm is to put in a lot in the second session (put a lot in the first, then add more after most of it is lost, improving retention), then the graft survival rate is bound to be lower, right? And if I do up to a third session, my body will be worn down. What about my schedule? My plans? I work late, and there are lots of drinking dinners and after-work gatherings..... I was so angry. But then the chief manager said she would talk to the director and come back, then said the director was in surgery and couldn't see me, and later said the director wasn't at the hospital, and when she called, she said he would come on Monday so we should meet then. And then the third-session talk just disappeared. In the middle of this, I also got a call saying that the time we agreed to meet on Monday might have to be during the interval between surgeries and that I might have to wait. The chief manager said she would be there beside me so that wouldn't happen, but every story from every side was different, and I had absolutely no trust, and it felt like they were all passing the responsibility back and forth. And a guardian of another patient who was listening to my story next to me said I should get a refund, and that it would be better to get a refund and do it somewhere else, that that would be the best option. Honestly, I want a refund. I'd rather go somewhere else and have it done. I should have done that from the start.. What should I do? But they seem extremely money-minded there, and yet the director said she didn't want to do this surgery, which is just a little money, because it would hurt her pride. Would they really refund such a pittance? I also want compensation for what my body has gone through (time, schedule disruptions, etc.) At minimum I want a refund, but if I meet them, I feel like instead of a refund they will just raise their voice at me and scold me. What should I do? I'm so wronged, exhausted, and furious from today that I keep crying.. Maybe because my body keeps hurting, or maybe because of mental stress, I have no appetite, but the grafted amount was 80.. If 10% remains, that's 8 cc.... If 5% remains, that's 4 cc.. I thought I had to eat something for this, and even because of the medication I cried while forcing myself to eat a little. I keep crying and thinking it was ruined, and I'm really so wronged and furious.. Why does it hurt this much... Please help me Please give me advice, what should I do? Should I get a refund? Or should I handle it another way? Should I get it from a different doctor at the same hospital? (Is there a doctor who handles breasts..?) Should I still do the third session even though it will wear my body down? (If they use frozen fat, that has no meaning anyway..) That director may think it's no big deal because it's just a pittance to her and she doesn't want her pride hurt, but why should I be sacrificed for her pride? Are there people there who didn't do it somewhere else? Would she treat all of them that way? Did she see me as a joke??? To that director, it may be a matter of pride, but to me this is something that can shape my life, something I am spending huge effort, time, bodily suffering, and a large amount of money on with great determination. And on top of that, because of that director's pride, should I, who am not even a staff member there, have to feel awkward about doing it somewhere else? Is this really something I deserve to be treated like this over? I am so, so, so angry, wronged, furious, and hurt that I seem so insignificant to them, and it makes me angry. I'm sad. I'm furious. Really.......... I really keep crying endlessly, and I don't usually post in places like this, but I'm writing because I want advice. Right now, my chest looks like it is swollen on the first and second day and is giving me the illusion of being bigger, but it is smaller than when I weighed 64 kg. The problem is that it is swollen and this is the time it looks biggest.. Please, please give me advice. Please help me. How should I respond...