Woman Awakens From Surgery to Find Panty-Line Tattoo

Fox News ^ | 07.16.2008 | Fox News

[Coffee200am]

A New Jersey woman has sued her orthopedic surgeon after awakening from surgery to find a temporary tattoo below her panty line.

Elizabeth Mateo, of Camden County, N.J., filed her lawsuit Tuesday saying she found "a temporary tattoo of a red rose" below her panty line the morning after her surgery for a herniated disc, her attorney, Gregg A. Shivers, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"She was extremely emotionally upset by it," Shivers told the paper.

[Fundamentally Fair]

Maybe he thought he was putting the marks above the panty line but missed due to the fact that there were no panties there?

Besides, what kind of panties are we talking here?

[DoughtyOne]

Go to the Fox link. Then go to the Philadelphia Inquirer link and read the full article there.

Later...

[xc1427]

Dollars to donuts is now a losing proposition. Have you priced donuts lately?

[Ingtar]

I’d probably be sorry later when I found out it was washable... perhaps.

[Fundamentally Fair]

I had surgery just last week for a ruptured disc, and I when I got home the next day, I saw a large black “X” on my left butt.

I had several marks made with a "sharpie." After a couple of days the bruises were so bad, I couldn't see the sharpie marker anymore. ;)

[NathanR]

He puts on a temporary decal as a nice gesture, like a restaurant giving a rose to women customers on Mothers Day, and she goes all ballistic.

[airborne]

[NathanR]

(or not) After reading more replies.

[ErnBatavia]

He draws a rose with washable marker and she sues? LOL

Kinda reminds me of just yesterday when we were leaving Sam's Club and the greeter (who compares the "number of items" on the receipt with what's in the cart, and denotes the receipt with a happy face) was using his marker to draw a smiley on a 6 year old's hand...

[Mila]

"Unfortunately, I'm 58 and getting conflicting info on surgery.....can't because of age and osteopenia , should because it will alleviate pain, can't because of having 2 problems (curvature and disks). *sigh*"

Aw, as a 59 year old myself I'd say that you're just a young thing LOL, but I know what your saying. I'm so sorry that you are in pain, but if you decided to have the surgery, wouldn't the spinal correction take care of the disc problem?

My daughter's surgery involved attaching two metal bars on both sides of her spine. The bars were screwed in at the top and bottom and they stretched her spine until it was straight. The curvature has created a hump in her back and to smooth it out they removed four of her ribs, they grow back so that's no problem, ground them up and covered the spine and bars with that bone material. Then they sewed her up. In time the bone matter fused to her spine. The ground bone also prevents the bars from setting off metal detectors wherever they may be. Just an added bonus:)

[DJ MacWoW]

I’m surprised at some Freeper reaction.

[ApplegateRanch]

And how was the doc to know that it was below her panty line?

[DJ MacWoW]

I need to find a knowledgeable doctor. A Freeper suggested one up thread.

I sleep about 6 hours a night, waking about every 2. It takes awhile to stand up straight in the morning. I'm just afraid that I'll be worse off than I am now. Now at least I can still garden. Slowly. ;)

[Trajan88]

Killroy was here ;-)

[Harrius Magnus]

The pay day is not my first concern here, [Disgusting that it is even in your list.]

but what other recourse is there for someone to take, [There are plenty; Ignorance is your excuse]

when they think their rights have been violated? [Please enumerate the "rights."]

This woman didn't go into the hospital seeking to entice this physician into putting a tattoo on her without her permission. [A "Sharpie" Mark.  Calling Captain Hyperbole; poor sentence structure or contradicted?]

She went into the hospital seeking relief from pain. [Liar, he went for a surgical procedure]

She put her trust in the physician to do only what he was supposed to do, and he betrayed that trust. [Sanctimony; We should call him Doctor Taliban]

This guy gets a kick out of knowing he had his hands in women's private areas. [Liar]

He likes to run into them in public settings having both know that he has had his hands in their private places. [Liar]

Somehow it isn't quite good enough for him to run into them knowing he has given them relief from pain, and that they live a better life for him having done good work.  [Liar]

Instead he needs to know where he tagged them, and he needs to know they know where he tagged them.  [Liar]

That is a fetish.  It is improper. [You are a truth-teller, in Fantasyland]

This is not the first woman he has done this to.  [Liar, the report doesn't mention other women, and could've all heretofor been men]

His own attorney admits he's been doing this for some time.  [And he now has his first run-in with a liberal, trash, or gold-digger]

It's my take that this is not the first complaint.  [Everybody, including the board of NJ and attorney's cogniscent of perjury disagree with you]

It is the first complaint that has hit the courts and the papers. [Liar]

Some women are very private.  They are very uncomfortable declothing in front of anyone other than their husband.  Going to visit a physician for a physical is something they tollerate, but they don't enjoy it one bit.

For this type of person, to have a guy put a tattoo under their bikini line, is imply unacceptable.  [For her and her Pro Bono attorney]

And this person is doing something about it.  [Yeah, trying to get rich; it's the American way]

Who is it that exposed the health care industry to one more law suit?  This woman?  No.  It was a physician who has been trained, inserviced, and told repeatedly for years not to do anything even close to this.  [Yet never formerly trained to recognize humorless cads such as yourself; he'll learn that the hard way though.  An important lesson - break the ice with the new patient with a simple joke; if they don't laugh or smile, fire them and tell your buddies - like the rest of the backwash of contemporary America, they're looking for a payday, and a little spotlight won't hurt.]

 See how easy that was to make it look just like the DU funnies.  Thank you for providing the material.

Later... 

[MosesKnows]

operation on the back would leave a red rose on his patient's belly.

Most back surgery is done from the belly.

[Hot Tabasco]

"a temporary tattoo

"Kilroy was here...."

yea, I know it was a rose

[Popman]

Her surgeon, Steven Kirshner, does not deny he placed a tattoo on Mateo. His lawyer, Robert Agre, told the Inquirer that the doctor has left washable marks on patients before to improve their spirits as they heal.

I'm sorry, that's just idiotic.

Yeah, it's washable and not permanent, but how about a nice card or friendly post surgery visit instead of leaving your calling card with a marker?

For those of you who have never been put under general, it is a weird experience, you are completely unaware and are completely helpless. For a doctor to take the liberty of drawing on you in that condition, it's pretty arrogrant IMHO

[DoughtyOne]

The pay day is not my first concern here, [Disgusting that it is even in your list.]  Patient rights comes first.  So yes I'm going to state that the pay day is not my first concern.

but what other recourse is there for someone to take, [There are plenty; Ignorance is your excuse]  Can a patient convene a grand jury?  Can a patient file charges other than to file a suit?

when they think their rights have been violated? [Please enumerate the "rights."]  The patient's person is her own.  It is not the physician's to do with as he pleases.  He was given the right to conduct surgery.  He was not given the right to conduct art.

This woman didn't go into the hospital seeking to entice this physician into putting a tattoo on her without her permission. [A "Sharpie" Mark.  Calling Captain Hyperbole; poor sentence structure or contradicted?]  The tattoo was a peal and stick tattoo.  This was not a sharpie mark.  It makes no difference anyway.  Touching the patient where he did was a clear violation of ethics.

She went into the hospital seeking relief from pain. [Liar, he went for a surgical procedure]  "She" went into the hospital to have work done on a herniated disc.  If you have had a herniated disc, you'll note that they are very painful.  And yes, she did go in for surgery.  Very astute of you.

She put her trust in the physician to do only what he was supposed to do, and he betrayed that trust. [Sanctimony; We should call him Doctor Taliban]  You don't have to like it or agree.  This physician acted uprofessionally.   This simply the facts.

This guy gets a kick out of knowing he had his hands in women's private areas. [Liar]  Well, that's my thought on it.  While it may not be the actual reason, it's not a lie.  It's my opinion and I am entitled to it.

He likes to run into them in public settings having both know that he has had his hands in their private places. [Liar]  I must be hitting pretty close to home here.

Somehow it isn't quite good enough for him to run into them knowing he has given them relief from pain, and that they live a better life for him having done good work.  [Liar]  No, the actions of his man prove this, for whatever reason.

Instead he needs to know where he tagged them, and he needs to know they know where he tagged them.  [Liar]  You're welcome to that opinion.

That is a fetish.  It is improper. [You are a truth-teller, in Fantasyland]  I'm telling you and everyone else what my opinion is.  If this guy wanted to do something cute, he could have done it by the surgical sight.  Even then it would not have been proper.

This is not the first woman he has done this to.  [Liar, the report doesn't mention other women, and could've all heretofor been men]  Well, if you want to believe that this physician places tattoos under the pantyline of the men he does surgery on, go ahead.

His own attorney admits he's been doing this for some time.  [And he now has his first run-in with a liberal, trash, or gold-digger]  I don't consider women who haven't had much intimate experience with different men in their lives, to be liberal, trash, gold-diggers.  We do not know she fits this bill, but we don't know she doesn't either.

It's my take that this is not the first complaint.  [Everybody, including the board of NJ and attorney's cogniscent of perjury disagree with you]  I did not say this wasn't the first criminal complaint.  I did say this isn't likely the first complaint.  And no, attornies do not have to acknowledge complaints that have not come before the court, when they state a person hasn't had any prior complaints.

It is the first complaint that has hit the courts and the papers. [Liar]  Would you like to link us to the other complaints that have come before the court or have hit the papers?

Some women are very private.  They are very uncomfortable declothing in front of anyone other than their husband.  Going to visit a physician for a physical is something they tollerate, but they don't enjoy it one bit.

For this type of person, to have a guy put a tattoo under their bikini line, is imply unacceptable.  [For her and her Pro Bono attorney]  Sorry, but the surgeon did not have permission to touch this woman where he did.  He opened himself up to liability.  He broke the physician/patient parameters and he got called on it.

And this person is doing something about it.  [Yeah, trying to get rich; it's the American way]  Did the patient include the hospital in the suit?  I don't believe she did.  It wouldn't matter, but the hospital has the deepest pockets.

Who is it that exposed the health care industry to one more law suit?  This woman?  No.  It was a physician who has been trained, inserviced, and told repeatedly for years not to do anything even close to this.  [Yet never formerly trained to recognize humorless cads such as yourself; he'll learn that the hard way though.  An important lesson - break the ice with the new patient with a simple joke; if they don't laugh or smile, fire them and tell your buddies - like the rest of the backwash of contemporary America, they're looking for a payday, and a little spotlight won't hurt.]  You're defending the defenseless here.  The rules are very clear about what you can and can't do.  And spinning this for mileage is pointless.  The guy admits to doing it.  His goose is cooked.

See how easy that was to make it look just like the DU funnies.  Thank you for providing the material.  Yep, I noticed alright.

Later...  than you think...

[Gondring]

Haven’t called a plumber in years...I didn’t realize they no longer have business cards. Sorry.