Dr. Nygaard Christine

VERY BAD. The procedure is worth doing but was not worth it with Dr. Nygaard Christine E. Avoid this doctor. I am an attractive (or so I have been told) 67 year old woman who is in good shape, easy to get along with, and a professional person who wishes to continue working as long as I can. I am highly visible in the public. I had a neck lift done by Christine Nygaard on 3 Dec .

A compression bandage was used. Caretakers called evening of surgery and were told how and when to administer pain medication to me. I was pointing to my left ear and saying “it hurts right here”. I was extremely dopey and already very nauseated.

Additional pain medication was administered at doctor’s instruction in spite of my already being nauseated. Additional calls of distress were made to the doctor the next day because I kept pointing to my ear and saying “it hurts right here”.

They were told to give me more pain pills and other pills at closer intervals. Caregivers explicitly followed the doctor’s orders. No return calls from the doctor or her office. We finally called the doctor at home because I was projectile vomiting from all of the pain medicine the caregiver was told by the doctor’s office to give to me. Her written protocol says the compression bandage comes off first day post op. I have a copy of the original post op date in writing.

The day of surgery I was asked who was bringing me to my post op appointment the MORNING following my surgical procedure. Her staff seemed to have appointments confused and mixed up most of time and changed them at the spur of the minute – understandable if there is an emergency.

I did not and in spite of repeated distress calls, seen by the Nygaard – caregivers were told by doctor staff to give me more pain medication which eventually caused projectile vomiting. Saw the doctor the first time approximately 54 hours post op. Her post op instructions clearly state if a compression bandage is used the patient is to be seen the first day post op.

Caregivers were told repeatedly when they called the doctors office and asked specifically for me to be seen were told the doctor was too busy – she was in surgery and/or in new patient consultations.

It was not until my son called her office repeatedly on Friday after surgery on Wednesday and told them they had their priorities mixed up a surgical patient should be taken care of prior to new patient consults that the doctor allowed me to come in 2 hours earlier than she had changed my first post op appointment to – not the first day post op but two days and several hours post op – was I seen.

We were 8-10 minutes late for our appointment because I still could not walk unassisted. The receptionist said in a very hostile tone, “You are 30 minutes late for your appointment. Just have a seat. The doctor will see you when she can fit you in…..” I was so wobbly I sank onto the couch in tears.

Our appointment was for 1:30. We arrived at 1:38. The tourniquet compression bandage on my head smelled like vomit. My ear (the compression bandage was cutting into the cartilage of my ear) hurt on a scale of 1-10 with ten being the worst was a twelve or fifteen. The doctor’s staff was rude, not at all kind or sympathetic or helpful.

Nor did they return calls as they said they would. I have been told by doctors that the necrosis (suffocating of healthy tissue due to lack of circulation) on my neck is a direct result of the compression bandage being wrapped to tightly and for too long. Please find out who is administering your anesthesia and what their credentials are. You can die from an inept anesthesiologist.

Investigate the difference in a doctor who is an anesthesiologist or a nurse who studied anesthesiologist for two years to obtain certification to administer anesthesia. I was told I would need a caregiver for one night. Surgery was done on Wednesday. It was the following Sunday night before it was safe for me to be by myself. I personally believe I was administered to much anesthesia. Having had previous surgeries, I never experienced anything like this before so I have a base to judge from.

I am left with serious scaring on my neck from the necrosis and will be undergoing surgical procedures for next 18 months to correct the damage created by this medical faux-pau. Dr. Nygaard was not attentive or responsive at the time I needed help. Nor was she or her staff, in my opinion, at all professional or courteous.

Her bedside manner became solicitous when she realized she had created at problem and then she wanted to see me frequently. Payment – all payment was made prior to surgery – would never do that again and her office was adamant about getting my cash too! Now I know why!