Published at 11:10, Thursday, 09 August 2012

A MUM has told how she is trying to rebuild her life after a botched breast operation.

BREAST op trauma: Deborah French of Surrey Street, Millom; a breast reduction operation went horribly wrong for her

Deborah French decided to have a breast reduction to try and ease her chronic backache.

But the 44-year-old says it was the worst decision she has ever made.

The operation was carried out in 2005, which saw her go from a 38J bra size to a 40D.

She said: “It was a big decision but it was one that I had been thinking about for some time.

“I went to see the surgeon and they talked me through the risks attached with the procedure. But I knew that I couldn’t carry on being in constant pain.”

Following the operation at Lancaster Royal Infirmary, she was left with gaping wounds on both breasts that required constant dressing.

Mrs French, of Surrey Street, Millom, was then back under the knife six months later, in a bid to ‘close her up’. But it was not until the following April that her wounds fully healed.

She spent hundreds of pounds on dressings and bandages, as well as some experimental cures.

Deciding to take legal action against the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust, Mrs French was embroiled in a two-year battle, that eventually led to an out-of-court settlement. She says her surgeon claimed that she had contracted a skin disease, which was preventing her skin from healing properly – a claim that was later refuted.

She said: “He was trying to give me the pair of boobs that I wanted but he took too much breast tissue out and never left enough skin to close the wounds. I don’t think I will ever fully rebuild my life. No amount of compensation will take the physical and mental scars away.

“I really wish I had never gone down this road. There are not many days that go by where I feel well.

“I would advise people to really think about making the same decision as I did. As you can see, things can go wrong.

“I was warned about infection and other things that could go wrong, but they can’t warn you about surgeon mistakes.”

Jackie Holt, executive chief nurse at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said “The safety of our patients must be our number one priority, we offer our sincere apologies to Ms French for the standard of care that she received in 2005, it was clearly unacceptable.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk