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Please note: My comments are preceded by: [*note]
March 19, 1999
Dear Ms. lacovelli:
On 10 March 1999, a group of healthcare professionals involved in your care at the Massachusetts General Hospital met to discuss the complexities of your case and to make recommendations for future treatment. Enclosed with this note please find a chronological depiction of the care which has been rendered by treating physicians at the MGH.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the following recommendations were forth-coming:
1 . We hope that, with your permission, your local psychologist and Dr. Sabine Wilhelm here at the MGH could be allowed to communicate freely regarding your current state and permitted to work together to supportively implement a treatment protocol which would be of benefit to you and to the physicians involved in your future health care.
2. It was uniformly agreed that, under Dr. Wilhelm's guidance, the treatment protocol which was discussed with you previously for patients with concern about body shape and form be completed. This treatment protocol would be arranged between you and Dr. Wilhelm and would involve multiple review sessions in the Boston area, as was discussed with you at your meeting with her. [*note: This involved a 12 week group therapy program that took place in the EVENINGS in Boston.. MY workday begins at 5:00AM and I am in bed, sleeping, by dark. There is NO WAY ON EARTH that I could possibly attend something like that in BOSTON... AT NIGHT.. TRAVELING BOTH WAYS TO AND FROM THE CAPE!! Absurd! and even MORE absurd, because I NEVER HAD BDD. This was just another stall tactic.. more stonewalling..But notice how they make it sound like they are doing ME a favor!! Covering their rear ends... as per the names followed by J.D. at the end of this letter.. THREE attorneys??? PLEASE!! }
Our current ADVISORY GROUP (!) is simply not able to formulate a prudent plan for future management of your physical and emotional concerns without the conclusions and insights which these treatments will hopefully provide.
Because of the financial constraints you have outlined in your communications, we are prepared to provide transportation for you at your arrangement to allow these treatment sessions to proceed in a timely fashion and to be successful.
All of us are sincerely hopeful that you can avail yourself of this diagnostic and therapeutic option. [note* Diagnostic option? Why did they IGNORE my requests for the more pragmatic diagnostics available through a dermatology work-up? ] We trust you realize our sincere interest in allowing you to rec over both physically and emotionally, and we know that this approach will provide a sound basis for going forward. [*note - Pure B/S]
Please communicate directly with Dr. Wilhelm at 617-726-3488 50 that there will be no further delay in your management and care. [ note* -I called Dr. Wilhelm, who knew nothing about this proposal. They never informed her of ANYTHNG to do with my case!]
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Driscoll, M.D.
Joel Feldman, M.D.
James W. May, Jr. M.D.
[*note: You know what I say to this? It's bullshit.. and it reeks of lawyerly sleaze from start to finish. I find this type of underhanded manipulation nothing but filthy slime.. Do you see the setup here? They send me to a therapist who has already told me BDD patients are not candidates for cosmetic surgery. so they attempt to TRICK me into REINFORCING this BDD diagnosis by making my attendance to this program a
CONDITION of "granting" my revision surgery ... despicable.]
BRIEF SUMMARY OF LUCILLE IACOVELLI CASE:
23 Oct 1997 Mrs. Iacovelli is evaluated in the residents cosmetic clinic. Discusses case with Dr. Eugene Courtiss, signs consent and has photographs for preoperative work-up. Surgery booked for 24 Nov 1997. {*note: LIE.. Dr. Courtiss NEVER discussed the surgery with me at all. My discussions were exclusively with Dr. Driscoll]
24 Nov 1997 Four-hour re-do facelift and lower blepharoplasty (no extra charge) performed by Drs. Daniel Driscoll and Eugene Courtiss. Postoperative check in pm; dressing change and discharge in am. [*note: LIE.. I did not have a *re-do* facelift, since I never HAD a full
facelift before the one performed by Dr. Driscoll, which was 3 hours 15 minutes from start to finish.. and I would have been better off without the "no extra charge" lower bleph, which was an EXPERIMENTAL technique (NO sutures closing lower lid incisions??!!) I DO have a report from an ophthalmological plastic surgeon stating this type of canthopexy was
inappropriate and EXPERIMENTAL. It is what caused the sunken appearance in spite of NO fat being removed... This, too was, Dr. Courtiss' "baby"]
29 Nov 1997 Suture removal.
06 Dec 1997 Remaining sutures removed. Complaint of dryness of eyes; massage instructed.
09 Dec 1997 Letter of thanks from Mrs. Iacovelli to Dr. Driscoll "The improvement in myappearance exceeds all my expectations and looks better every day." "Thank you for your time and patience in answering my many questions." [*note: Yes, I was DELIGHTED.. THRILLED.. with my facelift.. but NOT the eyes, which is why I went to U Mass sometime in early January, which is where the pictures Dr. Driscoll liked so much were taken.. ]
28 Jan 1998 Rhinoplasty procedure performed by Drs. Melissa Schneider and Joel Feldman.
29 Jan 1998 Post-operative visit by Dr. Schneider. [*note: big BLANK HERE!! I wonder why? No mention of Dr. Schneider's progress notes "]
May 1998 One and one-half hour meeting among Mrs. lacovelli, Dr. Schneider, and Dr. James May.
Ol Jan 1999 Dr. Driscoll becomes involved in care of Mrs. Iacovelli secondary to internet letter. At 10 pm, Dr. Driscoll is paged by a woman who has seen a message on the internet that seems to be a suicide note. Dr. Driscoll's name is mentioned in the note, which was dated 31 Dec l 998 and sent shortly before midnight. Dr. Driscoll calls the Barustable police department to ask the police to check on Mrs. Iacovelli Phone and address found from letterhead. Police call back around midnight to say that Mrs.
Iacovelli is ok and would stay over at a friend's house. Police assure appropriate psychiatric follow-up. [note* When the Barnstable Police arrived at my home, I was just going to bed. They said they received a call from "my doctor" saying that he thought
I might "harm myself" When I asked WHO this doctor was.. they said Dr. Driscoll. I told them this must be about the Internet message? They said they didn't know, but wanted me to accompany them to Cape Cod Hospital to "talk" with someone. I told them, fine.. I would do that, but they ought to know that they would be taking me against my will, I was perfectly fine and had NO intention of harming myself or anyone else, and that Dr. Driscoll was NOT my doctor, but a doctor whom I was trying to sue. I said I would go with them, but I first wanted to call my attorney and tell him what was happening. I wanted them to know they were about to force me to leave my home, go to the hospital for what I assumed was a psychiatric evaluation, and they had NO GOOD REASON for doing this other than the word of a doctor who is not NY doctor. They then called the police station and a long conversation took place, with whom on the other end, I do not know. They asked if I had a friend I could stay with because they were in an awkward position if they just left me there and I really did harm myself, they would be responsible. I called a friend and she told me to come over and stay with her. I and my dog got into my car and the cruiser followed me to my friend's house and watched from the street until I was inside. There was NEVER any mention of a "psychiatric follow-up" as they were not stupid enough to want to entangle themselves any further in something they certainly must have sensed was not the story they were told by Dr. Driscoll.]
16 Feb 1999 Dr. Driscoll left message with Dr. Sabine Wilhelm to see how things went with her consultation with Mrs. Iacovelli Contact with Dr. Feldman who recommended waiting for results of consultation prior to meeting with Mrs. Iacovelli
10 Mar 1999 Meeting of Drs. May, Feldman, Driscoll with Marilyn McMahon, J.D., Robert Hanscom, J.D., and Ronald Jeffries, J.D., to discuss Iacovelli case.
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