An Emergency of His Own

For most people who turn to plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Chaffoo in San Diego, rhinoplasty is about smoothing a nasal hump or refining the tip. For Chaz, it was about repairing a disaster. The 48 year old ER nurse suffered his own emergency a few months ago, but was fortunate to be referred to Dr. Chaffoo to fix the damage.

One Day in Portugal...

Chaz and his roommate were on a surfing trip to Europe this past winter when they became victims of a local scheme. They were buying hot dogs from a vendor when the man called to five others who materialized out of the bushes. "They jumped us and started beating us and yelling for money," Chaz says. His roommate rolled up in a ball on the ground while the kicking and beating went on. One of the five thieves hit Chaz in the face with a pipe, knocking him unconscious and shattering his nose.

It's just as well Chaz doesn't remember too much about that day. He knows another visitor, an Australian, helped chase the men off and bring the police. He recalls, "Leaning over my friend with blood pouring off my face." And he remembers being worked on in a local hospital and realizing how banged up he was. While there, a physician stitched up his face with, according to Chaz, what seemed at the time like shoe laces.

Back Home in Southern California...

Chaz flew home the next day sporting a very swollen face and feeling a lot of pain. He went to his own place of work—Scripps Memorial Hospital's emergency room—for a more thorough evaluation. "I had CAT scans and found out I had a deviated septum and multiple fractures. I was a total mess," Chaz says.

The ER doctor set Chaz up with Dr. Chaffoo for a consult. "I felt lucky to get him," Chaz remembers, "he has an awesome reputation." Chaz also says his roommate, who is a trauma nurse, was very familiar with Dr. Chaffoo's reconstructive skills and told Chaz the surgeon did great work. Eager to put the experience behind him, Chaz told Dr. Chaffoo he wanted his face taken care of right away. Instead, Dr. Chaffoo told Chaz they needed to wait a while for some of the swelling to subside.

The Road to Recovery

Chaz finally had surgery just a month ago. Dr. Chaffoo had to re-break his nose to get the septum back in line and there was a great deal of other repairing and resculpting required. Chaz says, "I had a lot done, and the first 3 or 4 days after surgery were uncomfortable."

According to Chaz, Dr. Chaffoo monitored his progress very carefully and what happened during those first few days was what the surgeon had told him to expect. There's still some swelling, Chaz says, but his nose already looks pretty good. "It's in line, and once the swelling goes down I can see it will be fine. It will look exactly as I had anticipated." Chaz knows he will look back to normal in a few more weeks, but it will take as long as a year to see the final result.

Experience, Empathy, Enthusiasm

Chaz found Dr. Chaffoo's skills to be just what he had hoped for. "He's such a craftsman," Chaz says "and so professional." In fact, Chaz knows dozens of doctors and most are very good at what they do. But while they may be very accomplished at the technical side of their field, some do not have the best "bedside manner." In fact this is one area where Dr. Chaffoo really stands out, according to Chaz.

"He's more empathetic than many doctors; he totally puts you at ease," Chaz says. "He's one of the best, and still just a regular guy. You could have a conversation with him at the grocery store and you would never know he's such a top surgeon."

Another thing Chaz appreciates is Dr. Chaffoo's passion for his work. Chaz knows the plastic surgeon is very experienced, having performed many thousands of procedures in his career. Chaz imagines that after a while surgeries have to start looking pretty much the same, but somehow that doesn't seem to be the case for Dr. Chaffoo. "He's so excited about his work, and that's exciting in itself." Chaz recalls going back for a follow up appointment and having Dr. Chaffoo call some of his staff in to see how great Chaz's nose was shaping up. "He was excited for me, as well as about the work."

Looking Ahead

Chaz is looking forward to the day he can surf again, and he plans to keep traveling to find the best waves. For now he watches his friends from the beach in San Diego while he recovers from rhinoplasty a little longer. But he's back to work in the ER and still sees Dr. Chaffoo at Scripps often. Chaz says he always gets a warm greeting from his plastic surgeon.

Asked about advice for others, Chaz says first, "Be careful when you travel!" He says he and his friend were vulnerable partly because tourist season came to an abrupt end in Portugal and the two were some of the few foreigners left in the area they were surfing. They will pay extra attention to timing and surroundings with their next trip.

Even though he has been through a terrible experience that's still traumatic to relate, Chaz feels good about the ultimate outcome. He says, "I wouldn't have surgery with anyone other than Dr. Chaffoo."