Anyone use Dr. Guida in NY?

msnose3 · Newbie Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

Anyone use Dr. Robert Guida in NY?
I'm having a corrective rhinoplasty with him next week. I had my first rhinoplast with Dr. Bellin in 2004, then corrective surgery again with him in 2005. I haven't been able to breathe properly for the past two years, my nose is crooked, and I have a protruding piece of cartilage at the tip of my nose.
I'm hoping Dr. Guida will be able to fix it and this will be the last time around...

century · Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 8

I just had nose surgery with Dr. Bellin and I can't breathe either! I just saw an E & T today and now know Dr. Bellin may have made my problem worse and my nose almost looks worse than before. Needless to say I can relate to what you went through. Did you go through with your revision with Dr. Guida and would you recommend him? Would love to hear! Best wishes.

msnose3 · Newbie Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

I did have my revision through Dr. Guida and he was WONDERFUL! I can not stress this enough. He was professional, caring, etc... everything you would expect from a Dr. that you entrusted yourself to surgery in.

Unlike Dr. Bellin, at my post surgery appointment Dr. Guida personally removed every bandage and explained everything to me and my husband. He also took the time to answer all our questions honestly.

My nose now looks and feels wonderful! I can now breathe without any problem. I should also note that Dr. Guida told me how "messed up" my nose was from my previous surgeries and COULD NOT understand how my "previous doctor" did that and at the same time also did not correct any of my breathing issues. My family thinks I should bring a law suit against Dr. Bellin and I have read of others whom already have.

I would recommend Dr. Guida 110%. He has also been rated in New York Magazine for the past 3 years and one of the top surgeons in NY.

I hope this helps! Good luck.

century · Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 8

Hi there,

Thank you so much for your response. I just got back from a cat scan which shows that my septum is now more deviated than before. I am not one who goes around suing people, but this has certainly given my husband and I pause. I think we might need to consider talking to a lawyer.

I will need the revision in order to breathe, but also to correct cosmetic issues with the rhinoplasty as well. In addition, Dr. Bellin performed liposuction of my abdomen and assured my husband and I that my skin would shrink back up and that a tummy tuck was unnecessary. The fat is gone now, but my skin is completely wrinkly. That area will need to be redone as well. It's not just the money, but also the additional need for surgery, discomfort and recovery that is so disappointing.

I will most definitely get in touch with Dr. Guida. And I'm so glad to hear you're breathing well and feel good about your nose now!

One last question... In your journey to find the right doctor to do your revision surgery, which other doctors did you consider and what were your thoughts on them were as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your information!

msnose3 · Newbie Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

Hello Century,

Before Dr. Guida would perform any surgery he required that I get a cat scan so he had a better understanding of what he was working with. I'm sure that Dr. Bellin did NOT require this and just did your surgery. Dr. Guida then went through my results and pointed out on the scan what was wrong with my septum (while comparing it to a normal picture of a nose on the computer to show the comparison).

I think we have very similar stories because not only did I have breathing problems, but as I stated before, he completely messed up the shape of my nose. Dr. Guida even commented on this post surgery. Dr. Guida likes to typically do "closed" procedures (unless required), but opened my nose during surgery because he had to. He could not believe how the cartilage at the tip of my nose was pointing outwards in different directions.

I also had lypo on my thigh's with Dr. Bellin and again, it was uneven. When I went in for my post-surgery consulation I showed him the uneven bumps and he said I could go back for a "fix up", but at this point I've learned to live with it and will just let it be until a later point in time. (Not to mention that my fat has returned and my pants no longer fit even though I haven't gained a lot of weight).

A major reason my family wanted me to bring a law suit against Dr. Bellin is because I had to pay for my revision surgery with Dr. Guida. Insurance would only cover a small portion of it. I did also read of others on this blog site that grouped together and have already brought a law suit against him. If you do consider this please let me know... I am still highly considering it and I'm sure I can use the scans from Dr. Guida to show the condition.

msnose3 · Newbie Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

Century,
P.S. Did you wake up during your surgeries with Dr. Bellin??? I woke up during both rhinoplasties and so did every other person I know that went to him. Dr. Guida assured me that I would not wake up during his surgery and that it is NOT NORMAL that a patient would wake up during surgery. He was almost speechless when I told him this.

century · Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 8

I'm so glad I checked the site again, otherwise I would have missed your response! I was going to ask if others were considering suing Dr. Bellin. How can we get in touch so I can learn more about the group law suit?

My post-surgery cat scan shows I now have a perferation in my septum, which was not there before the surgery. I'm having terrible issues with my breathing and now have a build up of fluid on my lungs as well. I'm meeting for a second and more detailed visit with Dr. Jordan Josephson, an E & T with Lenox Hill who is highly regarded in the field. So after this next visit (this Wednesday), I'll should have a better idea of what I'm dealing with in correcting the skew and my breathing problems. My tip is an entirely different concern since revising the tip will likely involve a graft and correction and rebuilding of cartilage.

My liposuction of the abdomen will need to be corrected.

My husband and I went to a post-op visit with Dr. Bellin this past week. Dr. Bellin thought everything looked great and barely knew why we were there. The visit was a joke. Rather than argue with him directly, we figure the lawyers will be in touch.

I will be calling Dr. Guida shortly. It turns out I have a friend who knows him directly, so she's going to call first to make the personal connection. Then I'll go see him. Again, I'm so glad your story is one of success!

Also, to answer the other question on this site, I did wake up during the surgery and remember a lot. He kept asking me to lay back down, as I tried to get up during the rhinoplasty several times. Even with the sedation, the sensation of breaking my nose and whatever else he was doing, felt wrong. I would not recommend doing the surgery with sedation as Dr. Bellin does. It just doesn't feel safe.

Looking forward to hearing from you again and learning more about the suit against Dr. Bellin.

century · Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 8

Hi Msnose3,

I just realized the second post regarding the sedation was also posted by you. I thought it was posted by someone else, so my apoligies for the strange sounding response.

Again sounds like there are many people with the same story. Although I could think of many things I'd rather do than become involved in a lawsuit, it just seems like the right thing to do in this case. I would like to help in preventing him from doing any kind of harm to anyone else.

Looking forward to hearing from you again soon.

All the best.

century · Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 8

Dear MSnose3,

I just wanted to follow up and let you know my husband and I will be moving forward with a malpractice suit against Dr. Bellin. My post CT scan shows I now have a 1/2 inch hole in my septum, which was not there before surgery. I knew there was some kind of perferation from the ct report, but it is now confirmed to be a very large hole. The hole is the cause of my breathing issues affecting my sinuses and lungs. Dr. Bellin has never examined the inside of my nose and refused to acknowledge their are issues, both respiratory and cosmetic. He was also negligent in his care when I developed an infection in my nose. I had to have another plastic surgeon remove stitches from my nose that should not have been there and were causing the infection. Luckily a strong dose of antibiotics cleared things up.

For anyone doing their research, this is very valid information. If I could turn back time, I would have gone to a doctor who is both an E & T and a Plastic Surgeon. (I also would use this site as a guide.) Your nose is such a huge part of your breathing and other bodily functions, it's important to have a doctor who understands both the functional and aesthetic side to noses.

I'm very much looking forward meeting Dr. Guida next week. Again I appreciate your emails. Please keep in touch.

century · Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2007 Posts: 8

I would not recommend Dr. Bellin.

Anyone use Dr. Guida in NY?

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