M
Mick M
member
I am sharing this post in the hope that it may help anyone considering transplant surgery in the UK. My experience with Dr Peter Williams and Ziering UK has been one of the worst of my life and I deeply regret my decision to use them. I appreciate the post is quite lengthy, so to summarise very briefly: due to poor results and graft loss issues, I had a total of 3 FUT transplants with Dr Peter Williams of Ziering UK, part of the Enhance Medical Group. I have been left with what has been diagnosed as neuropathic pain resulting from nerve damage and, from a total of over 5000 transplanted grafts, have experienced almost a total loss of the transplanted grafts. I am currently still being treated for severe scalp irritation and pain in my forehead and numbness down the right hand side of my face. Ziering's response to a complaint I made was - you signed a consent form.
I decided in 2012 to have surgery. I had consultations with a number of providers and following particular assurances made by Ziering, decided to use them and agreed to a 2000 graft transplant. This took place late 2012 with Dr Williams as my surgeon. The results of the transplant were very poor indeed and I was very disappointed. During follow up meetings Ziering agreed that the results were very poor, but stated this was something that happened from time to time, something that wasn't highlight during the original consultations. Ziering suggested that a second surgery would address this and I could definitely expect the see better results, meeting the expectations set during the original consultations. I agreed and paid for a second procedure.
The second procedure took place mid 2014, again with Dr Williams. Due to the poor results of the first surgery I had asked for a different surgeon but was told this was against company policy. Dr Williams carried out the second surgery which was 1700 grafts. Immediately after I was experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort, something I didn't experience following the first procedure. I expressed my concerns to Ziering and Dr Williams but was informed it was common and nothing to worry about. 12 months post procedure the results were a lot better than the first but I was still in a lot of pain. Around 18 months after the second procedure, I noticed that I was starting to lose grafts. I reported this to Ziering and Dr Williams but was told that grafts do not fall out as transplanted grafts are for life. I assured them they were falling out but they continued to reject my claims.
At one of my follow up sessions with Dr Williams I showed him the graft loss but he was very dismissive of my claim, he said I was worrying about nothing and told me that I needed to start using Minoxidil, and that would solve any problems with further loss. I again expressed my concern at how much pain I was in but was told it was nothing to worry about.
After this meeting it became very difficult for me to contact anyone, I sent a number of emails again expressing my concern about the pain and graft loss, but my emails were not being answered, my phone calls were not being returned. Approximately 30 months after the second procedure I was still in a lot of pain and had lost almost all the transplanted grafts. I managed to arrange a meeting with Dr Williams who at this point could no longer reject any claim that the grafts were falling out, as there were none left. There was no real explanation offered for either the graft loss or the pain, other than the pain was still nothing to worry about and he may have "overpacked" the grafts. As I now looked worse than I did before the first procedure in 2012, a third procedure was suggested, as it was felt that if the graft loss was due to overpacking, then the situation was recoverable. Through desperation I agreed and paid for a third procedure.
The third procedure took place mid 2017, 1600 grafts into the same area as procedures 1 and 2. As per the second procedure the results were ok, but I was still in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, around 18 months after the procedure, I again noticed the grafts were falling out, this has continued and to date, 30 months after the third procedure, I have a few wispy grafts left at the front of my hairline.
Shortly after the third procedure I asked to discuss the situation with management. I was put in touch with a manager from the Enhance medical Group, who Ziering are apparently now part of. After a full year of getting no where through email and in my opinion, just being given the run around, I was told I should submit a formal complaint, which I did. To cut a very long story short, after spending another year in this company's complaint process, I was told this is an unfortunate situation which can't be explained, however you signed a consent form, there is nothing more we can do.
Having been to see my own doctor about the pain I was referred to a Dermatologist. I have been prescribed various medications and treatments for neuropathic pain, which I'm told is a result of nerve damage - most likely caused through improper or poor use of surgical tools. I am still being treated for the pain have further appointments to attend.
Since the start of the graft loss mid 2015, and what I consider to be a lack of support from Dr Williams and Ziering, I have been in a pretty poor state of emotional wellbeing. I still suffer sever constant pain in my scalp and forehead and have lost practically all the grafts that were transplanted. I've tried discussing this with various organisations but have had mixed reports on what standards these organisations are expected to achieve. The Enhance Medical Group claimed they are not accountable to the GMC or the CQC, implying they are free to operate in anyway the wish - if you sign a consent form, which says nothing about nerve damage or graft loss. There is a huge discrepancy between what these people tell you and how they behave before and after procedures.
I hope this post helps anyone who is considering a transplant. I'm sure there are very competent and ethical doctors / providers who will achieve good results and quality of care, just beware that there are some who wont.
I decided in 2012 to have surgery. I had consultations with a number of providers and following particular assurances made by Ziering, decided to use them and agreed to a 2000 graft transplant. This took place late 2012 with Dr Williams as my surgeon. The results of the transplant were very poor indeed and I was very disappointed. During follow up meetings Ziering agreed that the results were very poor, but stated this was something that happened from time to time, something that wasn't highlight during the original consultations. Ziering suggested that a second surgery would address this and I could definitely expect the see better results, meeting the expectations set during the original consultations. I agreed and paid for a second procedure.
The second procedure took place mid 2014, again with Dr Williams. Due to the poor results of the first surgery I had asked for a different surgeon but was told this was against company policy. Dr Williams carried out the second surgery which was 1700 grafts. Immediately after I was experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort, something I didn't experience following the first procedure. I expressed my concerns to Ziering and Dr Williams but was informed it was common and nothing to worry about. 12 months post procedure the results were a lot better than the first but I was still in a lot of pain. Around 18 months after the second procedure, I noticed that I was starting to lose grafts. I reported this to Ziering and Dr Williams but was told that grafts do not fall out as transplanted grafts are for life. I assured them they were falling out but they continued to reject my claims.
At one of my follow up sessions with Dr Williams I showed him the graft loss but he was very dismissive of my claim, he said I was worrying about nothing and told me that I needed to start using Minoxidil, and that would solve any problems with further loss. I again expressed my concern at how much pain I was in but was told it was nothing to worry about.
After this meeting it became very difficult for me to contact anyone, I sent a number of emails again expressing my concern about the pain and graft loss, but my emails were not being answered, my phone calls were not being returned. Approximately 30 months after the second procedure I was still in a lot of pain and had lost almost all the transplanted grafts. I managed to arrange a meeting with Dr Williams who at this point could no longer reject any claim that the grafts were falling out, as there were none left. There was no real explanation offered for either the graft loss or the pain, other than the pain was still nothing to worry about and he may have "overpacked" the grafts. As I now looked worse than I did before the first procedure in 2012, a third procedure was suggested, as it was felt that if the graft loss was due to overpacking, then the situation was recoverable. Through desperation I agreed and paid for a third procedure.
The third procedure took place mid 2017, 1600 grafts into the same area as procedures 1 and 2. As per the second procedure the results were ok, but I was still in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, around 18 months after the procedure, I again noticed the grafts were falling out, this has continued and to date, 30 months after the third procedure, I have a few wispy grafts left at the front of my hairline.
Shortly after the third procedure I asked to discuss the situation with management. I was put in touch with a manager from the Enhance medical Group, who Ziering are apparently now part of. After a full year of getting no where through email and in my opinion, just being given the run around, I was told I should submit a formal complaint, which I did. To cut a very long story short, after spending another year in this company's complaint process, I was told this is an unfortunate situation which can't be explained, however you signed a consent form, there is nothing more we can do.
Having been to see my own doctor about the pain I was referred to a Dermatologist. I have been prescribed various medications and treatments for neuropathic pain, which I'm told is a result of nerve damage - most likely caused through improper or poor use of surgical tools. I am still being treated for the pain have further appointments to attend.
Since the start of the graft loss mid 2015, and what I consider to be a lack of support from Dr Williams and Ziering, I have been in a pretty poor state of emotional wellbeing. I still suffer sever constant pain in my scalp and forehead and have lost practically all the grafts that were transplanted. I've tried discussing this with various organisations but have had mixed reports on what standards these organisations are expected to achieve. The Enhance Medical Group claimed they are not accountable to the GMC or the CQC, implying they are free to operate in anyway the wish - if you sign a consent form, which says nothing about nerve damage or graft loss. There is a huge discrepancy between what these people tell you and how they behave before and after procedures.
I hope this post helps anyone who is considering a transplant. I'm sure there are very competent and ethical doctors / providers who will achieve good results and quality of care, just beware that there are some who wont.