A mother-of-three claims she was given huge breast implants, a tummy tuck and liposuction by mistake after initially going under the knife for a breast reduction – only for her doctors to pass off the additional procedures as a ‘free bonus surgery’.
Tiffany Mills, 29, from Tampa, Florida, visited the clinic on November 2 last year to get her 32F breasts reduced in size and lifted because they had been causing her back pain.
Waking up in a hotel room hours after the procedure, she was horrified to discover that she’d been given implants, as well as a tummy tuck and liposuction.
Mother-of-three Tiffany, who works as a nurse, claims that the clinic admitted to mixing up her medical records with another patient and when she complained was told ‘don’t be upset, look at it like you got free surgery’.
Tiffany Mills, 29, from Tampa, Florida, visited a clinic on November 2 last year to get her 32F breasts reduced and lifted because they were causing her back pain (she is pictured before her procedure)
Waking up in a hotel room hours after the procedure, the nurse says she was horrified to discover that she’d been given implants, as well as a tummy tuck and liposuction (her breast is pictured post-surgery, when the implants tore her skin open)
The terrified nurse was rushed back to hospital after the implants tore open her skin leaving her with oozing, open wounds and blood clots in her lungs and legs, with doctors worried she would go into septic shock.
Tiffany said: ‘I woke up in the absolute worst pain of my life.
‘I didn’t qualify for the abdominal surgery [as] I had no extra skin to pull.
‘They’d pulled my skin too tight, meaning I had a lot of scar tissue and wasn’t able to stand up straight.
‘My belly button looked like a coin slot because I’d been pulled as tight as possible.
Mom-of-three Tiffany (pictured with her kids, Elliot, four, left, Noah, six, and Casey, eight) claims the clinic admitted to mixing up her medical records with another patient but when she complained was told ‘don’t be upset, look at it like you got free surgery’
‘The incisions under my breasts ripped completely open because of the fact that they added implants, it was too much weight.
‘It was the worst experience of my entire life.
‘They didn’t tell me that they’d mixed my details up with another patient until the next day – they owned up to their mistake over the phone.
‘They also said ‘don’t be upset about it, look at it like you got free surgery’.’
In a bid to ease the pressure on her back, shoulders and neck caused by her chest, Tiffany opted for the $8,203 breast reduction and uplift.
But instead, she had been given implants, an extended tummy tuck, abdominal muscle repair and four liposuctions.
The terrified nurse was rushed back to hospital after the implants tore open her skin leaving her with oozing, open wounds and blood clots in her lungs and legs, with doctors worried she would go into septic shock (pictured post surgery when she saw the drains coming out of her stomach)
Tiffany said: ‘I had a really bad back, shoulder and neck. After having children, I ended up with a 32F cup bra size and in pain 24/7.
‘I’m a 5ft 3 person, I’m very petite, my doctor recommended that I have a reduction.
‘I went to the surgery and I asked them to do a breast lift and reduction. They were like, “That’s absolutely no problem”.
‘We agreed to a lift and a reduction. Thirty minutes before the procedure, it was discussed that they would take a little more out of one breast so that they’d be even.
Tiffany’s implants kept tearing her skin open, leaving oozing wounds and causing blood clots
‘I wasn’t prepared for this but I said, “if that’s necessary then by all means”. I would prefer them to be even and look the right way.
‘There was still no agreement on implants or tucks.’
After coming round from surgery, Tiffany said she was rushed from the clinic by staff members because she was told they needed the bed.
It was only after she woke up in a hotel room where she was recovering hours after the surgery that she discovered drains coming from her stomach.
Tiffany said: ‘I was put under for the surgery, and woke up having drains hanging out of my stomach.
‘They told me they needed the bed and I needed to get up. I woke up feeling very groggy and I remember being pulled by my arms by the medical assistant.
‘I didn’t really recognize I had all these incisions in my stomach until about seven hours later, when I woke up in the hotel.
‘They didn’t even keep me for observation, they got me out of there as fast as they could.
‘When I woke up in the hotel, I saw I had this binder across my stomach. I took it off and saw I had this huge hip-to-hip incision and bruises all over my sides.
‘On my right nipple, the nipple had become detached from the areola. It was like this huge black hole, but the clinic told me ‘oh, it’s just a scab’.
‘I knew they’d put implants in too, because they were sitting on my collar bone.
‘At first, they weren’t responding. They completely ignored me, and would hang up when I called.’
When Tiffany finally spoke to somebody at the clinic the following day, she claims they admitted to a mix-up taking place with her procedure and she demanded a refund.
After coming round from surgery, Tiffany said she was rushed from the clinic by staff members as she was told they needed the bed (pictured post surgery when the wounds would not heal)
It was only after she woke up in a hotel room where she was recovering hours after the surgery that she discovered drains coming from her stomach (Tiffany’s breast pictured with open wounds post surgery)
Tiffany said that the clinic said they hadn’t done their ‘time out’ checks, which includes reassurance of accurate patient identity, surgical site, and planned procedure.
‘They’d only drawn on my breast area – there were no markings on my stomach or anywhere else.
‘I trusted that I was only having my breasts done. From working in the medical field I know they would only mark where they’re performing procedures.
‘I was so confused how there was a mix-up. They told me the whole team made a mistake – they weren’t maintaining surgical logs, they weren’t checking their patients.
Tiffany Mills, 29, pictured with her partner Kris Harper, 28, said that the clinic said they hadn’t done their ‘time out’ checks, which includes reassurance of accurate patient identity, surgical site, and planned procedure
‘They had no idea what they were performing or who on. They did this without my consent, I had no idea this was going on.’
Two weeks later, Tiffany was admitted to hospital after the wounds beneath her breast became infected and blood clots were found in her lungs and legs.
Horrified Tiffany was left fearing for her life as doctors worried that she would go into septic shock.
Tiffany said: ‘I ended up being officially admitted to hospital two weeks after my procedures and that’s when they ran scans on me and found the blood clots.
‘I nearly died because the incisions were ripping open, those open wounds led to an infection and blood clots.
‘I was alternating between two intravenous antibiotics because the infection was so severe they worried I was going to go septic.
‘I was terrified, because I have three children, and I was scared I wasn’t going to be there for them.
‘I immediately started envisioning all of the things I could possibly miss [thinking] “will I see my daughter and two boys grow up?”
Horrified Tiffany explained after being admitted into hospital two weeks later: ‘I nearly died because the incisions were ripping open, those open wounds led to an infection and blood clots. I was alternating between two intravenous antibiotics because the infection was so severe they worried I was going to go septic’
‘I was absolutely furious at the fact the clinic was so careless.
‘I was in the hospital for four days and then sought wound care for two months. I was probably on about five different antibiotics before the infections cleared up.’
During the ordeal, Tiffany’s partner Kris Harper, 28, a vet assistant, was by her side and witnessed the aftermath of the operation.
Kris said: ‘It’s mind blowing that the doctor didn’t listen to anything she said, she only wanted a lift and a reduction and he didn’t listen.
‘Whenever I asked why she hadn’t been brought out, I’d get the run-around that she was still sleeping.
‘When she was brought out to me, she wasn’t even awake. Her eyes were barely open, she was slumped over in the wheelchair and nobody was paying attention to her.’
Since the procedure, Tiffany has been struggling to get her life back to normal as the ordeal has taken a big financial hit on her.
Since the procedure, Tiffany has been struggling to get her life back to normal as the ordeal has taken a big financial hit on her
Tiffany said: ‘I managed to dispute the surgery charge with my bank and get the money back. The clinic is trying to fight it and claiming that this is what I asked for.
‘I’m still recovering, I just had my second surgery to correct part of the problem they caused.
‘I wasn’t able to work during this time, it’s been a big financial hit.
‘My ex-husband was helping out with the kids where he could, Kris was also helping me a lot.
‘The man who took over my wound care took care of me for two months and would see me every week in his office.
‘He offered to do scar revision under my breasts. I’m terrified to do that and I also don’t have the funds for that right now after all I’ve been put through.
‘I’ve just had surgery done on my lower abdomen to fix what the [other] surgeon did.’
The clinic has been contacted repeatedly for comment but failed to provide a response to the allegations.