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

Question

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 surgeryHas experienced cardiac issues related to surgery or anaestheticHas sought second opinions or independent reviewsHas gone down the path of a medical negligence claimCan 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 💕

flatnina · Answer

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.

arpie · Answer

I am so sorry to hear your story Nisey​&nbsp; &nbsp;You've been thru the mill, that is for sure.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Gosh, that's a HUGE number of blood transfusions .... was it due to your low blood pressure?&nbsp; Did they say what brought it on?They usually warn you beforehand that any surgery procedure comes with inherent risks .... but you never expect anything to actually happen, that is for sure!&nbsp; Did they fully explain to you what brought on the cardiac arrest, other than mentioning the anaesthetic drug (that you'd had before without incident?)&nbsp;Have you spoken to your Breast Care Nurse to see if they have heard of others having similar occurrences?&nbsp; &nbsp;Is she aware of others who've had incidents with that particular surgeon?I think you'd need to get your head around all the facts before approaching any lawyers.&nbsp; It would be good if you could somehow get a copy of your hospital file, that is for sure!&nbsp; Maybe it was something to do with the drugs used to 'wake you up'?&nbsp; Are you allergic to anything?&nbsp; If yes, were they aware of it?I hope you are recovering well both physically and mentally ..... maybe chat with our helpline, if you'd like a confidential chat with someone?&nbsp; 1800 500 258 (Mon-Fri, 9-5)Take care

nisey · Answer

Thank you so much for your kind message, I really appreciate it 💕

I completely understand that all surgery comes with risks, and I was prepared for that. The only complication that was explained to me beforehand was that around 5% of DIEP flap reconstructions can fail—but not in the way that mine did.

What’s been really difficult is that things just don’t seem to add up, and I’ve been left with more questions than answers.

From what I’ve been told:

I was bleeding internally, possibly due to a nicked artery or one not being attached properly
I was taken back for multiple surgeries (2nd and 3rd), but they said they couldn’t find the source of the bleed, flushed me out, stitched me back up, and returned me to the ward… where I continued to bleed
This led to 9 blood transfusions

When it comes to the cardiac arrest, the explanation has changed:

Initially, the anaesthetist suggested it could have been because my blood was so diluted that a standard dose may have been too much (essentially an overdose)
Later, this was changed to an “allergic reaction”, even though I’ve had that drug before without issue, and they couldn’t find another similar case

I’ve even been told that I’m a “unicorn case”, which honestly doesn’t sit comfortably with me.

After the reconstruction failed, the breast had to be removed, and I was left with a large open wound with a VAC dressing for 3 weeks, before going back into surgery again for a skin graft from my thigh to my chest.

I’m now dealing with the long-term physical impact (tightness and appearance that is worse than my original mastectomy), as well as the emotional toll—I’ve since been diagnosed with PTSD and am in therapy.

I have spoken with my breast care nurse, and she has been supportive, but understandably there is only so much she can do beyond listening and offering support.

I think what I’m really struggling with is the lack of clear answers and the changing explanations.

I’m also in the process of looking into obtaining all of my medical records so I can better understand exactly what happened.

If anyone has been through anything even remotely similar, or has gone through the process of getting answers (medical or legal), I would be so grateful to hear from you.

Thank you again for your support 💛

arpie · Answer

Nisey​ It sounds 'suss' to me .... keep documenting everything that has been said to you (and by whom &amp; when) .... as lining all the ducks up will be needed if you go further with this.&nbsp; &nbsp;Good luck with obtaining ALL your records - and wishing all the best. xxLook after yourself, first tho xx

flatnina · Answer

Hi Nisey, I agree with arpie’s good advice to collect up as much information /records as you can, and it’s sounds like that’s what you’re doing. Should you decide to issue proceedings the insurers for the Hospital, surgeon, anaesthetist etc will take over and go into full protection mode, shutting you out from getting any information unless through drawn out legal process.

From what it sounds like you’d like to achieve, the best way forward may be to see if you can achieve a settlement whereby you get a full understanding of just what happened, what was unavoidable, what was negligence and hopefully get an offer of damages rather than have the additional cost , delays and stress of a court case. Let’s face it, you’ve suffered more than enough. An apology sounds warranted too!

Like arpie, it sounds ‘suss’ to me. You deserve to have a full and proper explanation. In bringing all the details to light you will be bringing some accountability to bear to a medical system where frankly, when things go wrong, there is often none. We are fortunate in this country that standards are generally high however, there are nevertheless plenty of cases of negligence or sheer ineptitude and none of us should not have to stand for that. It puts everyone in peril.

Unfortunately, embarking on legal proceedings itself brings more stress and expense. I really feel for you that after what you’ve already suffered you may have to take this route. Many personal injury lawyers work on a “no win, no pay” basis so perhaps enquire with them about what their approach is likely to be before deciding your next move. It you can achieve the outcome you want through, for example mediation that might be less stressful and less time consuming.

I wish you much success and healing. Hugs!