Mum wakes up from 'mummy makeover' op to find parts of her hands need amputating
*WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES*
A woman woke from a 'mummy makeover' to find she needed parts of her hands amputating.
Shannyn Palmer, from Vancouver, Washington, US, decided to have the procedure - comprised of a tummy tuck with muscle repair, chest lift, and fat transfer to the hips - after three pregnancies and weight loss left her with 'uncomfortable' excess skin and lacking in body confidence.
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The 35-year-old said she researched reputable international surgeons, before plumping for one in Mexico with impressive reviews and results.
She had the surgery in August, forking out $12,500 (£10,000), and while the procedure itself went well, when she came around she found that her hands were blistered and burning.
"I was really confused. I never imagined that my hands would be in danger going into surgery," she recalled.
"They put an ointment on it and wrapped my hands. The blisters were so large that they just popped and drained them every day.
"I started losing feeling in my thumb and left middle finger three days after surgery and I started getting worried so I went to the emergency room."
Doctors cut off Shannyn's blisters to prevent her getting infections underneath, but she had sustained second and third degree burns to nine of her digits, and they couldn't all be saved.
She explained: "The ones that went black were third degree and had to be amputated - half of my right thumb and some of my left middle finger - it's about half an inch shorter and they had to shave down the bone.
"They were trying to save my thumb but they said the bone was so badly damaged that I wouldn't be able to bend it so they made the decision to amputate the top part.
"When they told me they had to amputate I had an anxiety attack. I was begging them, 'Please don't.'
"I did take it pretty hard, that was probably one of the worst days of my life."
Shannyn claimed a nurse used microwaved saline bags to warm her cold hands in order to monitor and get an accurate reading on her pulse as she woke from the anaesthesia.
However, Shannyn said the nurse failed to check the temperature of the saline bags, meaning her hands were left to burn, with only her left index finger - shielded by the pulse oximeter - remaining unscathed.
The damage meant she was unable to use her hands for weeks, during which period she had to be spoon-fed, showered and assisted using the toilet.
She was also off work for three months due to her injuries, and she is still unable to use her hands properly due to scarring and nerve damage, which causes her pain and prevents her fingers from fully extending.
Shannyn is now waiting to be fitted with a prosthetic thumb and undergo laser treatment to soften the scar tissue on her fingers for better mobility.
She hopes to warn others considering plastic surgery to thoroughly research not just the surgeon but their facilities and hospital staff as well, to avoid the same fate as her.
"Having that prosthetic would definitely be a life-changer for me," she said. "It won't bring back my thumb but it will definitely help me return to activities that I love to do.
"You don't realise until you're missing your thumb or fingers how much you use your hands.
"Never in a million years did I think a mommy makeover would end up in me losing fingers."
Jake Massey