A WEEK after breast reduction surgery, Lisa Hart took off her protective surgical bra and gazed down in horror: the bandages covering her right breast were a luminous shade of green.
She immediately called the private hospital that had carried out the procedure, but what she was told next did little to allay her fears.
Despite the gruesome state of her dressings, she was reassured by a nurse there was no infection.
Over the next three weeks, a tear opened up in her breast that grew bigger each day, but the hospital in Glasgow continued to reassure her there was nothing to worry about.
A month after the surgery in May last year, Lisa’s condition rapidly deteriorated and her husband Steve rushed her to nearby University Hospital Ayr.
There, doctors diagnosed sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs.
She was given antibiotics intravenously and days later, an emergency surgery was performed to remove the implant from the infected breast.
“On the day I went to hospital, I said to my husband: ‘I think I’m dying’,” says Lisa.
“The hospital said I’d arrived at what they call a golden hour. If I’d waited 12 hours more it would have been a different story – septic shock, organ failure.
“I was admitted straight away and hooked up to about five different types of antibiotics.”
Following her first operation in May and the life-saving procedure in June, Lisa was told she was suffering from post-sepsis syndrome, when those recovering from sepsis experience physical, cognitive and psychological problems.
Now, every day is a struggle for Lisa, who lives in Ayr with Steve, a 54-year-old property developer, and their four sons aged 19, 11, six and four. Their eldest son, 28, lives away from home.
After the birth of her second child, Lisa had had a breast reconstruction with implants as she felt her body “had changed” following the births.
But last year she felt the implants had “come to the end of their life” and, feeling self-conscious, decided to have a second procedure at a cost £15,500.
“Prior to surgery, my cup size was an EE and I was looking to bring it down to about a C-cup,” says the full-time mum.
“At 44 I was starting to go through perimenopause and there was this disassociation. It wasn’t really visible, but more psychological. You become an unrecognisable version of yourself.”
So in May last year, Lisa had the procedure at a private clinic.
“I’d spoken to other clinics and was very much sold by the status of the surgeon who was to do the operation,” she says.
The surgery seemed to go well and I was discharged the same day, which is normal procedure
Lisa Hart
“The surgery seemed to go well and I was discharged the same day, which is normal procedure.”
But a week after surgery, it was a different story.
“When I took off my surgical bra for the first time, the bandages were an alarming green colour on one side.
“I wasn’t feeling ill, but I called the hospital and a nurse explained I should send pictures and come in the following day.
“But when I went into the hospital and saw a nurse, I was told no one had seen the pictures.
“The nurse I saw said green doesn’t always mean infection.
“I was told to come back each week for a check-up.
“With hindsight, I wish I’d questioned this more, but it was like I was in thrall to authority – a nurse was telling me it was fine, so she must be right.
“But the vertical scar that ran from my nipple to underneath my bust had what in medical terms is called ‘vulnerability’ and I wasn’t comfortable with how things were looking.
“There was an opening, a hole.
“Every week I went to the clinic, I would say to the nurses: ‘Are you sure it’s not infected?’ and every week they would tell me it was fine.
“But there was always some kind of fluid leaking from the incision. Sometimes it was a yellow colour, sometimes there was blood in it. The hole just was not closing up.
“And on one occasion I thought I could smell something not quite right.
“When I went back to the clinic, the nurse said: ‘Trust me, if there was an infection you’d know it’.”
But four weeks after her op, Lisa was struck down by worrying flu-like symptoms.
She says: “I was in so much pain, shivering and shaking, so I sent the clinic an email with pictures of my breasts. I said the hole had a ‘mushy’ look.
“The following morning I called and left a message with the receptionist, saying something was very wrong.
I was in so much pain, shivering and shaking, so I sent the clinic an email with pictures of my breasts. I said the hole had a ‘mushy’ look
Lisa Hart
“I had to crawl upstairs for help from my husband and my heart was racing. I was so scared – I felt like I was dying.”
Steve rushed her to their local hospital in Ayr on June 9 where she was told she had a staphylococcal infection and sepsis.
“I spent ten days in hospital on an intravenous drip giving me antibiotics,” she says.
Four days after being admitted, Lisa had an op to remove her implant.
“I had an antibacterial cleanout of my right breast, which was filled with pus and an abscess,” she says.
“During the first week of my being admitted to hospital my husband would phone the private hospital hour after hour, day after day, but they didn’t phone back.
“He wanted to let them know what had happened and get advice.
“I’m so grateful that the NHS were able to assist me. It wasn’t something I felt the NHS should do and it was because I spent so long trying to persuade the private hospital to help me that I ended up in this situation.”
Eventually Lisa’s condition stabilised, but she still felt very unwell and in August, doctors told her she was suffering from post-sepsis syndrome.
“Sepsis is such a ravaging infection,” she says.
“There is such a long recovery period your body is constantly repairing itself.
The same month, Lisa also suffered a “cardiac event”.
She says: “I had pain in my back, pressure in my chest and nausea. Doctors ruled out a heart attack, but I have had an angiogram for suspected angina, where not enough blood reaches the heart, and am waiting for the test results.”
Eight months on, Lisa feels she is a shadow of the person she was.
“This has taken a terrible toll on me,” she says.
“It’s not just about my breasts, it’s as though a whole person has been stolen.
“I find it difficult to sleep and am on sedatives. I have flashbacks, remembering what happened, how I was ignored.
“I feel so tired. Most days are bed days. My hair has also been shedding, which is a symptom of post-sepsis syndrome.
“When I do leave the house it’s usually for a medical appointment.
“My husband took me to the supermarket the other day, but within seconds of going inside, I was crying to be taken home.
“Having sepsis is extremely traumatic. I’m in panic response the whole time.
“I’m trying to be a mother, trying to be a wife, getting used to how my body looks.
“My breasts are a different size now. I guess the one that still has the implant could be a C-cup and the other one a small B.
“I’m hugely self-conscious, I just dress to cover myself up. Being naked in front of my husband doesn’t happen. I even keep a soft bra on when I have a bath, so I can’t see my breasts.”
This has taken a terrible toll on me
Lisa is trying to salvage something positive from her ordeal and has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for those suffering from post-sepsis syndrome with the aim of setting up respite breaks for sufferers to “have a day off” from their daily responsibilities.
Despite her ordeal, Lisa says she has had no choice but to go back to the same private clinic for revision surgery to have another implant put into her right breast.
“The NHS wouldn’t be able to do it as it’s not an emergency and another private clinic I tried refused to do it because of it being revision work,” she says.
The mum-of-five was scheduled to have the operation on November 27, but it didn’t go ahead due to concerns Lisa has inflammation of the heart.
“It’s a strange situation – I’m sending letters of complaint to the management, while at the same time arranging to have more surgery at this hospital,” she says. “But I don’t have a choice.
“I had no issue with the surgeon who performed the surgery. It was the follow up care by the nurses that I have an issue with.
“I would advise women in the same situation to trust their instincts and keep pushing. Don’t be fobbed off.”
Clinic’s statement
The Sun contacted the private clinic where Lisa underwent her first procedure. Here is their response.
We are unable to comment on the care of any individual, whether or not they have been a patient with us. Protecting patient confidentiality is a core professional and ethical duty for all healthcare providers, and we therefore cannot discuss or confirm any details relating to specific individuals.
What we can say is that we are committed to providing safe, high-quality care and to offering timely support to anyone who seeks our help.
All concerns raised with the clinic are taken seriously and are handled through a robust clinical governance and complaints process, in accordance with national regulatory standards.
Unfortunately complications can occur in any surgery and we go at lengths to discuss the risks with patients. Last year our implant infection rate was 0.7 per cent, which is in keeping with the best international standards.
As a matter of policy, we advise anyone who experiences unexpected symptoms after a medical procedure—whether with us or elsewhere—to seek prompt medical attention. We remain committed to transparency, safety, and continuous improvement in all aspects of our service.