Botched Breast Reconstruction

Ladyvi · November 2015

after my bilateral mastectomy, I immediately had breast reconstruction. It was only a matter of days my skin began to die (necrosis) this genius of a doctor never even tested for staph infection or MRSA. He just took our the implants and cleaned them . After this, I ended up wIth a big hole in my chest that he packed with gauze for weeks to get it to heal. Then he used me as his Guinea pig to do the flap surgery. This demon doctor has ruined me. I look like Frankinstein or a patchwork quilt. I'm telling you this to BE VERY CERTAIN you get second opinions.dont Rush into having surgery right after your mastectomy! It takes an emotional toll on a woman's psyche; feelings of suicide depression and no longer feeling like a woman. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Meow13 · November 2015

How horrible, so sorry you went through that. I hope the infection heals quickly. A good plastic surgeon should be able to make it right.

I remember feeling like Frankenstein with all my scars, I scared a lady at my gym. Now I look much better.

amieclemens5 · November 2015

YES!! You are not alone. I had the lat procedure done too. She did it to move my muscle around from back to front bc she said I was really thin on top and this would give a more real look. So I went with it. It was an awful surgery and the outcome was not good. The breast that had the cancer in it looks deformed. The other breast settled really low so they are very lopsided. Then I have this extra tissue on my back left side and under my arms that won't go away. I've always been really thin, so it's very noticeable on me.

I am also very sad, angry, mad at myself mostly for letting her do it. I feel like she is a demon too. I am sorry for what you went through with the infection. That sounds awful. I just keep praying for God to take away the pain. I feel like my body has been mutilated. I was pretty confident in my self image before the cancer and now I barely have a shred of it left. It's an awful feeling, not to mention the future surgeries I'll have to have. When will this be over? I just want to feel normal again.

macb04 · November 2015

Oh Ladyvi, Amieclemens5 and Meow13 are right, you are not alone. I have had 15 surgeries in the past 3 years, 13 of them were reconstruction surgeries. I had fat grafting 5 times, with 2 really severe, nasty infections that cost me almost all of my grafted fat. The doctor I had was not skilled in fat grafting, so I only got to about an A CUP in size despite about a year of effort. I finally switched to an TE and then had an implant on my Left side in August 2015, and a breast lift on my Right side for symmetry in September 2015. I am having nipple reconstruction beginning December 2015.

I am sorry for your struggles. I had a crater on my chest for about 6 months, really ugly. It all made me feel angry and miserable. I used to think all the time about suicide, but it seems better now because I am finally nearly normal looking. So I guess I am saying, have hope. Don't be afraid to switch to another doctor. I switched plastic surgeons 4 times til I finally got one who would help me.

ChiSandy · November 2015

Wow--I’ve never been able to have any surgery (whether knee replacement or lumpectomy) without pre-op MRSA/staph testing. Thought that was the standard of care. If in fact it is the prevailing standard of care in your area (and if not, why not?), you might want to seek legal counsel.

Frill · December 2015

I completely agree with ChiSandy. Med mal lawyers work on contingency, so there's no cost to you except a portion of what you collect should you prevail. They'll also give you a free consultation. The key is to find a good one. It may be worth it to at least talk to a lawyer. The worse thing they can do is say that you don't have a claim and you'll get an explanation of why.

Botched Breast Reconstruction

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