Woman wakes from surgery to find panty-line tattoo

hey, worse than this do happen ... i know a friend of mine who was operated on for appendicitis by a lady doctor ... n to his surprise he found a tatoo ( a heart) on his most private part ... the tatoo was too dense same as when you make a drawing on a blown baloon and then deflate it ...

haha if he really did it to cheer her up he is backwards to put it there :P

Remove his license and convict him as a sex offender.

this is absolutely pathetic. Sueing a doctor for a legit medical reason is one thing, but sueing one for a washable tattoo? it just shows how sad society today is

Absolutely a violation. This man should lose his license.

Initially I want to ask, "Was their anyone assisting him with the surgery? Were they present when he applied it?" I guess that may make you feel a bit better. But then I think, there are lots of freaks that find each other out there. To say, "Oh this is no big deal" is not right at all. You are not thinking about it.
He could've been playing with her deal before he left his mark with that tat. What a complete loser to do this. What was he thinking?!
I mean, sh-- the last thing you wanna do is leave evidence of your freakiness!

Definately Creepy

She had back surgery im sure her ass was exposed. He probably wasnt meaning to do anything wrong, and probably is shocked by all the reaction this has got.

wow that's some creepy s**t.
I would feel so violated if I found anything on my private parts after waking up from surgery!
It's surgery, not freaking waking up after a night of drinking uncontrollably and finding a tattoo on your vag!

it only takes one hand to put on a temp tattoo... i wonder where his other one was.. and oh yea, i woulda done it to.

I could completely understand this if the tattoo was placed just about anywhere else but there. If it was on her arm, or her hand, that would be ok. But below her panty line? Now that's getting a little too personal and perverse for me to accept.

I really hope this woman doesn't have further back problems, or any health problems for that matter, because there isn't a doctor in this country that would accept her as a patient now.

Wow, I can't believe how many people are suggesting that this woman is overreacting. This isn't about the fact that it's just temporary, and she can remove it.

What's creepy here is that this doctor found it perfectly acceptable to perform a non-medical procedure for which he had NO authorization on a woman who was unconscious.

My body is my body. If I give consent for surgery, I am giving medical staff the right to do the procedure that is necessary. The rest of my body is not open season just because I am injured.

This woman has every right to feel violated--and I hope she wins, and this guy loses his license.

i would be so amused if this happened to me... it is creepy. but srsly, creepy people are funny when not taken srsly.
i'd be like, "aw doc, thanks... like the latex gloves, sterile room, fluorescent lights, and linoleum floor didn't make me feel any less vulnerable about getting surgery.. you had to do something creepy and jovial like giving me a temp tattoo of a pretty rose. you sure know how to send your patients home satisfied!"

and then i'd tell all my friends how punk rock and suave my doctor is for giving me a temp tattoo on my panty line.

You guys are nuts. He was just trying to make her feel better.

I might think of it as innocent if he had placed it on her arm but, to put it on her panty-line is just weird.

The fact that it was on her panty line makes the whole thing creepy.... but im sure the doctor meant well ???

this is the kind of thing u let go... i mean u got a tatoo.. get mad at him... maybe swear at him if u need to... and be done... i mean it washes off

If there is anything "new" under my panty line and I didn't put it there - I'd freak and be amazingly angry!

The surgeon said he's done it before? How is it she (the patient) knew nothing of the surgeon who was going to be performing a surgical procedure on her.

Tattoos? What if 10% of his patients have died under his care? Or what if he had issues with malpractice suits?

Even the poorest people who depend on the government for healthcare (yes our shitty government healthcare system) can choose from at least two doctors or the surgeons who are on hand.

I would need to know the complete circumstances, such as if this were an emergency procedure that required the first available surgeon to perform the procedure, then maybe she has a leg to stand on for suing.

However, if she knew who would be doing the surgical procedure, she should have known from asking about the surgeon's background that he had done this before and could have chosen to go with someone else for the operation or asked he not leave a temporary tattoo on her.

Most people don't even think about asking about a surgeon's background. They just assume they (the surgeons) will do their job properly or to their (the patient's) liking or satisfaction.

eewww thats just creepy

It seems like he didn't mean it sexually at all. Why not interview previous patients and ask what their tattoos were and if they were appreciated?

If he really meant to make his patients feel good, why not just give them a card or a smiley face sticker? A tattoo in her nether regions smacks of sexual harassment. He should be investigated by the medical board.

It feels like the woman may be going overboard - just a tattoo, and one that comes off at that! - but with where it was, I don't think I'd want anybody playing around there...

Creepy. And the reason sounds fishy to me. I bet there is more to this story.

She's just looking for money

The woman is drama queen. All she has to do is wash the damn thing off. However, the surgeon should have known better because not all people react well to having something (even harmless) done to them without their permission.

This non-story made it to current tv?

I do understand the sentiment that the surgeon was just trying to cheer his patient up after a painful surgery, but I think a below the waistline tattoo was inappropriate. He should have perhaps waited until the woman had woken up. But overall if he had no malicious intent, I think it is ridiculous for the woman to sue.

If he's done it before and has gotten good responses, why would he not do it again? Problem is, some people don't have a sense of humor. Not everyone in the room is gonna find you funny.

what a creep

Surgery is uncomfortable enough, not to mention that you go in there completely naked under a robe and then your knocked out and you have to trust that no one will violate you while you're unconscious. Yea it was just a temp tattoo but it's BELOW THE WAISTLINE, that would definitely make me feel violated and make me wonder what else was done while I was asleep. You can't trust anyone these days...

Slap some zebra stripe tattoos on, leave the colorful fruity gum in a dish. Who wouldn't crack a smile to that?

i dont think anyone is touching on the real matter here.

you trust your doctor to save your life but how far can you trust them?

while someone is unconcious you can do pretty much anything you want to them or with them and they wont know it happened. this isnt the first case where a doctor stepped over that line of trust either.

she trusted that doctor and to wake up with something like that well if i were her i would be wondering what else went on while i was knocked out. it seems innocent but that doctor should have known better. he is a professional he has a PH.D for christ sake!! he should be smarter then that

If I were on that jury I'd ask her, "Why so serious?" and deny her any money for the not suffering she suffered.

"extremely emotionally upset", by a temp tattoo?! I really emplore the judge to see sense here: this woman is too much, upset?? by a temporary tattoo?, this is too much.

There's no need for a lawsuit here. A simple WTF would suffice.

I worked in surgery for a while and sometimes we would put a smiley face or a heart close to the surgery site when we had finished closing the patient. In surgery, especially orthopedics, there are at least 3 people in the room. I seriously doubt anything "funny" was going on. If the rose was below the panty line, it could have been above the back sacral area close to the lower back where most disc's need repair. No big deal.

Come to think of it, I am now 'emotionally upset' that this lawsuit will probably raise my health insurance premiums.

If I received money every time someone else made me 'emotionally upset' I would be a millionaire.

This is an abuse of the justice system.

Doctors are people like the rest of us, and just like the rest of us they sometimes make poor judgment calls. I am sure everyone of us has been in a situation where our good intentions have been misinterpreted or accidentally offensive.

If this woman felt as though this action was inappropriate then she has every right to confront the doctor and express that his actions made her feel uncomfortable. She has a right to an explanation and an apology. However, to drag this incident into a courtroom is excessive and ridiculous.

Our society is far too 'sue-happy'. One of the reasons medical care is so expensive in this country is because of the large amount of lawsuits against doctors.

Sounds to me as though she had a successful back surgery but is trying to receive a large amount of money because she was 'emotionally upset'.

Weird doc... plus my husband would be rather annoyed..

I think people want and need different things from their doctors. Some people might want the type of relationship where your Doctor would take it upon himself to leave something on your body, but obviously a lot of people don't, seen by the wide range of views here. I think my finace would be annoyed about it if someone did that to me, but he is the jealous type...

Big deal. The fact that this story is on the Fox News website makes me think it's already blown out of proportion.

I can not believe all the hot air being wasted over this. My goodness what an uptight, conservative judgemental, condemning bunch of comments. She obviously needed a rose, and needed to remember her body is a rose, and send it some healing and love...i would be overjoyed to hear about any MD having the creativity and caring to put a rose on my body after a traumatic operation.... and I would see a rose as the offering of cheer and healing that it is. Sounds like this woman needs this rose more than even she realizes.

I think the medical establishment should be more creatively and harmlessly involved with their patients recovery....and I would go to a doctor like this in a heart beat....and yes I am in a loving monogamous marriage.

I commend this caring doctor for his actions in the law suit happy society we are forced to endure. Most doctors I have seen in my life are rather stoic, cold, and impersonal....and if this one expresses caring thru harmless decals....so the heck what!

People are so quick to judge others for what they see and are afraid of in themselves. As Jesus says....( and I am not a Catholic so don't go there)....Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.

We have so much more worthwhile targets for our judgements, prejudice and wrath....like Bush, Cheney, Rove, Ashcroft....our spineless congress....lets get to our real problems....like the loss of our freedoms of Habeas Corpus, privacy, and too much more to mention.

I had a plastic surgeon give me a "two-fer" once. Along with the skin graft he did to mend my compound fracture of the lower leg, he removed some moles from my neck! I didn't ask him to, but I was happy they were gone!

I'm not sure I see the big deal about this...

It is a fake tattoo. It rubs off with water and a little bit of friction. This is like freaking out because you got drunk, passed out, and woke up with marker on your face. The only difference in this situation is that you are being put under by a professional rather than passing out drunk. So long as the surgeons do a good job and patch you up right, who cares?

Where exactly is this controversial panty line? We're talking about a potentially wide swath given today's endless choices of shapes & sizes-from granny panties to the oh yeah, I forgot to floss this morning style. If the article is accurate stating he’s never rec’d a prior complaint with a great track record & reputation for the care of his patients at the experienced age of 51, maybe she should focus on healing, enjoy the successful surgery & forget about the ambulance chasing lawyer reaching for medical malpractice. She needs to relax-I bet her husband loves it.

I've heard surgeons doing worse. One surgeon branded the initials of the university he attended on women's uterus' while they were getting a hysterectomy. At least a temporary tattoo washes off... Ricky84 mentioned that if it was placed on the hand or arm it may have been rubbed off by a nurse placing sensors or IVs in her. Also the "panty line" is ambiguous... my mom's panty line lies above her bellybutton...

I just think she went a little overboard. It could have been MUCH worse... she wasn't physically sexually assaulted. She wasn't permanently deformed from it.

http://student.bmj.com/issues/03/04/news/92a.php

Well, if it was near where the surgery was, I suppose I wouldn't mind so much. But just randomly on my hip? Aren't there rules about not touching where you're not cutting?

At least it wasn't on her boob.

She may be overreacting. But still.. that's flippin weird.

Maybe next time he'll just stick with a get well card or a lollipop.

It is common practice for a doctor to mark the side of the body that a surgery is to be performed on to make sure the procedure is being performed on the proper side.

Yes, he should have explained about them temp tattoo before he placed it. No, he isn't creepy or weird.

Should I sue my doctor for drawing a star on my right hip when he did my surgery? It was below my panty line, too....

A tatoo of a rose intended to make the patient feel better would be a nice gesture if it was placed in a less private place, lets say in your hands or in your arm.

But below the panty line seems more to please some kind of freak sexual fantasy, especially when the patient is unconscious under anesthetics.

I don't care WHAT he was thinking -- doing things below the belt while the woman is passed out is NOT okay. OTOH, a lawsuit is rather overblowing the response, imo -- but it may be the only way to get his attention as to how inappropriate his choices have been.

She WAY overreacted. Its just a temporary tattoo..."oh no! He saw my pantie line!" ummm... he just dug in to your back and screwed with your spine, a temporary tattoo isnt that bad.

I’m pretty sure that most surgical operations to repair a herniated disk require the patent to lay on their side and not on the stomach. So if this surgery was anything like my colonoscopy this woman probably would have been nude save a small blanket over her bottom and her chest.
When you think about it like that then its not so weird to assume a doctor would choose to place a tattoo on her panty line since its already exposed. He wouldn’t place a temporary tattoo on the arm or back of the hand because the chances are good that it would be removed by a nurse because of an intravenous drip, blood test and or a host of other sensors.

All in all I still feel for this lady. I remember waking up after surgery to the unnerving thought that a cow was licking my testicles. When I opened my eyes I realized a nurse was giving me a sponge bath. I sat frozen in the realization that sponge baths were not a figment of television, that my bits and pieces were exposed and that this woman regarded the boys as something that she was supposed to clean.

Eventually she recognized that I was awake and stopped with a smile to ask if I wanted to finish. I told her no that was ok, and asked if she would hand me my self dosing morphine remote. Instead of suffering another agonizing moment in that situation I opted out via a painkiller coma.

but it was only temporary... maybe the doctor felt he was being cool and quirky. god they sue for anything these days...

As a doctor you need to know that you can't flirt with inappropriate behavior. It is clear that the area below the belly button could cause controversy. Stick to the arm.

I understand his motivation, but a red rose below the panty line? Definitely sexual and intrusive.
I dont know if I agree with the law suit either, perhaps if there were several patients who didn't agree?
I think it depends on where was the rose was placed below her panty line? I can think of certain places that would definitely warrant a law suit.

ill save my comment til they diclose the exact placement of the tattoo...it could of been on her hip.....and she could only wear grannie underwear that comes to mid abdomen....im just sayin...

I could understand a removable tattoo on my arm, but below the panty line is a bit intrusive.

I think she has the right to complain, but a law suit is too much.

who says her panty line isnt around her belly button.
not everyone wears low-rise jeans these days you know..

Haha. Yeah that doctor is totally weird. I agree, on the hand, not below the waist.

i don't know, there's no doubt he's creepy but some people are creepy without meaning any harm at all, they're just really socially awkward. however, I wouldn't be opposed to putting camera's in his office (for insurance) to monitor his further interaction with his clients

this happened in Jersey ? she better go get a pregnancy test .

Yeah, and the fact that it is a red rose seems sort of sexual as well. I could understand a daisy on your hand, but a red rose below the belt? Sound like he was hinting at something...

Creepy! Even if he was just trying to cheer her up--below her panty line is just creepy!

Also, that explanation doesn't really wash, if you think about it. If the point of the temporary tattoo was to cheer her up--wouldn't you want to put it somewhere she'd see it often? Like the back of her hand, or something. She's had back surgery, I don't imagine she's going to be sitting up for a while, and she's not going to see that tattoo while she's lying flat on her back.

I'm so conflicted! On one hand it's kind of cool, on the other... very creepy... Great story!!

Water tattoos were cool when we were kids, beyond that it's kind of =|

But even if he was just trying to make her feel better (and I might feel better if someone did something like that, kind of) why on earth was it below the waistline? If it was on the back of her hand or something it would be a different story, but it's not. It was on her crotch.

That's just invasive and wrong.