HOLY GROUNDHOG'S DAY! Dr. William's Tuesday's Blog
Happy Taco Tuesday,
I keep wanting to blog about topics more applicable to plastic surgery, but I can't help but mention Covid once again.
However, this week, I'll keep it brief (or at least I'll try)! There has been some unsettling news over the last week regarding Covid. To highlight them, a 17 year old teen in the upstate passed from MIS-C, which was felt to be related to a Covid infection. This is a systemic inflammatory response, that in some children can be fatal. It is seen in other conditions as well, but it has also appeared in children who have had a history of Covid. The association between and the cause and effect between Covid and MIS-C remain unclear, to my understanding, and no details about the overall health of this teen were given. Nonetheless, the news is sad...very sad.
Additionally, news that 2 cases of the South African variant were identified in SC was also reported last week, and one of the cases was in the lowcountry. These patients were actually found to be positive earlier in the month. This would be consistent with my theories that not only did the Covid numbers skyrocket in early January as a spillover from the holidays, but also because these more contagious strains were already percolating through our communities.
Lastly, Dr. Fauci is now preaching the usage of 2 masks, as if one was not bad enough! As a little reminder, a year ago, he stated that masks were not beneficial! Yikes!
Can we really trust this guy? This last week he also fervently maintained that the virus came from bats; but the evidence that it came rom a lab is very convincing, and I do not believe the lab explanation is a conspiracy theory.
From what I have read, the virus was found in bats, to be fair to Dr. Fauci, but it was manipulated in the Wuhan lab, which then had a lapse in its safety protocols, both of which are just some minor little details he omits!
In fact, for those of you who are dubious after last week's blog, and don't trust the Steve Hilton link because it was on Fox News, check out Bill Maher from Friday. https://bit.ly/3pHpUcy
You'll especially love this piece is your're a science geek like me. But before we despair, the Covid cases are down dramatically, and the hospitalizations are declining across the county. Even LA and NYC are easing restrictions!
So in effort to keep things to the point, wear A mask, try to get vaccinated, and stay positive during these crazy times! And I'll keep you posted if good scientific data emerges about the need to wear masks after vaccination.
Now to plastic surgery fun facts. ...
After a day like yesterday, probably nobody is thinking about bathing suit season. However, this is a great time to think about getting "beach ready." Whether it's interest in Coolsculpt, Vaser liposuction, or other body contouring procedures, we're happy to answer your questions.
And for some reason, interest in breast reduction surgery remains very high. I have given quite a few consults for reductions of late. As always, we try to work with a patient's insurance company to see if we can get coverage for a reduction. However, unlike private insurance, where we request a precert, Medicare does not grant precerts. It sometimes feels as though it is like playing Russian Roulette as to whether Medicare will pay for a breast reduction.
It may seem complicated, but my staff is happy to explain ABN's it if you should have any questions. And unfortunately, breast lifts and augmentations are not covered by insurance unless there is a history of cancer.
I hope you have a great week. And even though it's a bit nippy out there, at least we're not buried in snow!
Heidi Williams, MD
