Funny or Offensive?
Saturday July 19, 2008
An orthopedic patient awoke from her surgery to find a small heart shaped temporary tattoo on her tummy, just below her panty line. The surgeon says this is a regular thing he does to interject a little humor into a difficult situation and give his patients a reason to smile. The woman, however, was mortified by the "violation" and has sued the doctor for putting the tattoo on her without her permission.
Since my husband just had hip surgery, I asked him what he would have thought if he had awoken to find a temporary tattoo placed on his body near his nether-regions. He said he probably would have seen the humor in it and it wouldn't have bothered him. I have to say I agree. I think it was a cute gesture and this woman shouldn't be making such a big deal about it - especially to go so far as sue the guy. This is why the rest of us get lousy doctors who don't enjoy their jobs anymore. What do you think? Comment below!
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Comments
Some people just need to loosen up, not take everything as some sort of “violation” or inappropriate, why get worked up about every little thing?
I find the humor in it and wouldn’t mind a bit. I think suing the doctor is just a little extream
I think she should lighten up a bit. If it is a temporary one it will be gone in a little while. But – I don’t think the doctor should take the liberty of putting any more tats on anyone since not everyone wants one.
why work for your money if you can leagaly steal it from a hard working doctor. or some one else that break there rear end. i bet she dont have a job. some one has to support her. she is the one that has to face her maker at the end
People like her, her attorney, and the judge that allowed the suit in the first place are what’s wrong with our country.
I am from the area where this doctor practices and actually have a surgery scheduled with this doctor and when I heard the story, I was actually laughing. I thought this was a really creative idea especially if you have been in surgery for several hours. I already have a tattoo on my upper thigh and think I would have laughed histerically to find another one near by. He has been doing this for years and this is the first time he has any issues. The woman is claiming that her privacy was invaded because he would have had to lift her gown up in order to have put the tattoo on. What a Joke. She needs to get a life. She won’t get a dime. This surgeon has an excellent reputation in this area, a judge will most likely throw this out of court.
Hi,
I supposed it makes a difference to clarify just where the panty line is and where the surgery was…some panty lines are awfully low and if the surgery is nowhere near that region then I’d be alarmed at my surgeon touching me where they don’t need to!
Okay I know that anesthesia and pain can leave one cranky. And does she or anyone else think a hospital gown provides even the minimum amount of modesty? Okay she was upset but I have to ask how long did it take to realize it was fake? Was her surgery successful? Does she walk better? Is she in much better shape? If the answer is “Yes” then cut the doctor some slack. If the answer is “No” then find a new doctor!
I myself can see the humor in it as well, but in the same aspect I don’t think the Dr. should have taken it upon himself to do something like that even though it was done to ease a possible stressful time. I defiantly do not see where it merited being sued for! Not like it was malpractice. That lady needs to get a life and lighten up!!
i have to admit, if i found a small temp tattoo below my panty line, i would feel violated too, especially if the doctor was doing surgery in a completely different area. however, if the tattoo was in a more obvious spot (near the surgery w/o interfering, or on the arm/leg) i wouldn’t have a problem. Sorry, anything between my belly button and mid-thigh is for my hubby’s eyes.
I don’t know that I would sue, but I certainly wouldn’t be going back to that surgeon. Putting a temporary tattoo on someone, especially where this person put it, seems unprofessional. I can definitely see feeling violated when you’ve put your trust in someone to cut you open and fix some part of you – what a vulnerable position to be in, and then to wake up with a cheeky tattoo on you… at least the guy could have put it on her hand or foot or someplace more neutral.
looking at both point of view, if the surgery was near that area, don’t really matters, but if the surgery was in another part, he should probably put the temp. tattoo in the are near the surgery, and like the bandages and probably the cast she had to wear for sometime, it will come off eventually. Either way, suing the doctor, looks like a lime way to get free money for something not that a big issue, is not like a malpractice or something permanent… come on, enough with the nonsense law suits, please!!!
W_Wolf is right: the definition of “pantyline” needs to be spelled out here. She sounds like the “granny-panties” type, which should ride up just under her rib cage. They sure aren’t going to ride up anywhere else because this is my definition of a tight-a**.
OK, granted, if he had placed a grotesque or crude temp tattoo in an area he had no business touching during surgery, I might question his sense of humour. But suing him?? I might be miffed, and I’d let him know about it, but I sure wouldn’t sue him. Some people just need a lot of attention. Suing a reputable doctor for lascivious conduct is a good way to get it. Shame on her.
That would be funny to find alittle temp, on my arm or something. But down near all of my business no way, I would wanna know what he was doing down there? And yo if you wanna place a fakey on someone thats fine just dont go doing it in the neather regions whilst someone is unconscious, Think about it for a bit.
As a professional Tattoo Artist, this is nothing I would have done myself to a client who didn’t know what I was doing. I understand the intention of being cute,….Be a Doctor, not cute. Maintain your professionalism because there are people out there willing to sue you for looking at them wrong. A lawsuit is a bit extreme in this situation, and would assume that if they tried they could come up with a better solution then this…
I can see this being humorous if placed near the surgical site. But I do see how application near one’s groin might feel like a violation.
The fact is that we are all effected by our previous experiences. Who knows what might have been hiding out in this woman’s past.
My feeling is that litigation is a tad extreme, but the tattoos would be better suited in an area associated with the procedure.
I personally think that is halirious and would have completely cracked up about it if I woke and found it. But even if I did feel violated, I certainly wouldnt have sued the doctor. I just never would have went back to him. Some people are just looking for easy street these days. Like the people who sue McDonalds because they are overweight.
I think it is just plain funny!!
That doctor has a nice sense of humor!
Had I been the patient, I would have been very amused by it!
Bep.
I am a tattoo artist who lives in the bible belt and I run into the stigma attached to this business on a daily basis. There are people who are against tattoo’s in any form.
As a woman, I had an experience once with a doctor that made me very uncomfortable, but we were alone in the room. I don’t know what this woman’s story is, placement may be everything, but there is no way she was ever alone with the one surgeon for anything untoward to happen. So if she was worried, talk to one of the attending nurses, previous patients, etc. She may not have liked it, believed in it, or what ever her issue was, but if you read this, sweetie, it comes right off with alcohol.
Was this Dr. working in the pelvic region? I realize this post is not going to be popular here but I have total empathy for the victim being upset- seriously on first glance how the heck was she supposed to know that it was an im(practical)joke? It’s simply unprofessional for a professional to do anything to a patent without consent, and in America suing the Dr might be the only way to get his attention- although it does seem a bit severe.
I personally can see why she was upset. Not everyone is as open minded about their bodies as most tattoo collectors are. The surgury she had was on her back. What reason did the doctor have to put thi stattoo “below the panty line” other than to get a quick look at what else resides there? If it had been on her leg or arm or somewhere more inoccuous I could see his point of just trying to lighten things up. Putting it where he did was a dumb move. I sure wouldn’t go to the point of a lawsuit, and if the “victim” was my wife, we WOULD find it funny. But you must realize that some folks are more “private” with their “private areas”.
That Doc, is my docotr, he is such a caring docotr, not like a lot of doctors that I’ve been too, he don’t think that he is god just because he is a doctor, he would never do anything to hurt anyone. He is a great guy. His daughter and my son go to the same school together and the doc was played a part in their school play. he was the scarecrow in the wizard of oz . If that doesn’t show that he is a funny doctor, then we should just kill all the doctors in the world who care for people, then see what kind of doctor that you get,.. better yet, lets just kill that dumb lady who is making such a big deal out of a doctor trying to care for a patient and make her laugh….