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Nisey's avatar
Nisey
Member
9 hours ago

My reconstruction turned into 4 surgeries, 9 transfusions & a cardiac arrest… I need advice

Hi everyone,

I’ve been going back and forth about posting this, but I’m really hoping to connect with anyone who may have experienced something similar or can point me in the right direction.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and went through the full treatment journey. In September 2025, I underwent reconstruction surgery.

What followed was not what I expected at all. I ended up having four surgeries, required nine blood transfusions, and ultimately had the new breast removed.

To make things even more traumatic, I went into cardiac arrest when they were trying to wake me up from surgery. I was told it was due to the anaesthetic drug-but I had previously had that same drug without any complications.

I can’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. I’ve since questioned whether my body was already too weak, whether the amount of blood loss and transfusions played a role, or whether something was missed or mismanaged.

This whole experience has had a huge impact on me physically and emotionally, and I’m now starting to consider whether I should be looking into this further from a medical and possibly legal perspective.

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who:

  • Has had severe complications after reconstruction or surgery
  • Has experienced cardiac issues related to surgery or anaesthetic
  • Has sought second opinions or independent reviews
  • Has gone down the path of a medical negligence claim
  • Can recommend good lawyers or specialists (especially in Victoria)

I’m not looking to place blame unfairly. I just want to understand what happened and whether I should be advocating more strongly for myself.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this 💕

1 Reply

  • FlatNina's avatar
    FlatNina
    Member
    5 hours ago

    I haven’t been in this situation personally but am horrified to hear of your experience. You apparently need to bring a law suit within 3 years. Here’s some information I got from the Arnold, Thomas and Becker (Vic) website incase it helps. 

    Healthcare practitioners have a duty to exercise reasonable care and skill in the provision of medical treatment. Everyone has the right to expect reasonable medical treatment whether they are visiting the local GP, allied health service, hospital or any other medical practitioner. While there are no guarantees in medicine, no patient should have to suffer because of medical negligence. If you have been injured as a result of negligent medical treatment, be that actual treatment or the advice provided to you, you may be eligible for compensation through the common law.

    Medical Negligence Lawyers in Victoria

    Although Australia is generally considered to have a very high standard of medical care, you might be surprised to learn that we also have one of the highest rates of clinical errors in the developed world according to a health care study. Thousands of people are injured (often permanently) or die as a result of negligent medical professionals. Many are also hospitalised due to errors in medication.

    These errors and levels of negligence are not acceptable and anyone who has become ill or injured because of these mistakes, such that they have suffered a significant injury, may be entitled to compensation as a result. This is so you can properly recover, replace lost wages lost during the recovery stage or to set yourself up to be able to cover your expenses if this injury or illness means you are no longer able to work in the profession where you are trained and skilled.

    A few examples

    There are many different situations where a doctor, dentist, specialist or other health-care providers could be negligent and a malpractice suit is launched as a result, such as:

    • Anaesthetic errors
    • Birth related complications including injury to the baby or parent
    • Incorrect prescriptions
    • Failure to adequately follow up
    • Failure to provide appropriate after-care
    • Errors made during surgery
    • Unnecessary surgery
    • Laboratory results misread or not acted upon
    • Failure to refer for specialist advice
    • Symptoms not recognised
    • Wrong dosage for medications
    • Mistakes made in medical treatment, such as during surgery
    • Misdiagnoses
    • Delay in diagnosing or treating your condition
    • Failures to adequately warn of the risks involved in medical treatment; or
    • Failures to provide adequate treatment.

    A Common Law claim for damages usually includes compensation for: 

    • Pain and suffering
    • Loss of enjoyment of life
    • Past loss of earnings
    • Loss of future wages
    • Past and future medical expenses; and
    • The cost of care provided to you by family members or professional care providers.

    In order to pursue a claim for damages for pain and suffering it is necessary to establish greater than 5% permanent impairment for a physical injury (other than spinal injury) or a permanent impairment of 10% or more for a psychological injury.

    Our medical compensation lawyers help you prove your case

    A bad outcome from a procedure does not necessarily mean the doctor was negligent. It ultimately comes down to whether the practitioner failed to provide treatment to an acceptable standard and that the failure to do so is the cause of your injury.

    You must prove:

    • You must prove that a duty of care was owed to you, and that this was breached.
    • The breach of duty of care directly caused your injury.
    • You have an ongoing injury resulting from the negligence.

    This can be difficult to navigate and prove, but it’s why you need specialist medical negligence lawyers. We are experts in this particular area of law and know exactly what it takes to achieve a successful outcome.