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Breast cancer survivor's botched reconstruction surgery

A breast cancer survivor who had cosmetic surgery to give her the confidence to date again was horrified to find her boobs had been made too big after reconstruction surgery.

Jane Learner, 58, was left trying to find bras and clothing to push her breasts down because she felt so self conscious about her new size.

After waking up from the surgery, she was "horrified and devastated" to discover her "melon-like" 32DD breasts against her small 5ft 2in frame.

A breast cancer survivor who had cosmetic surgery to give her the confidence to date again was horrified to find her boobs had been made too big after reconstruction surgery. Source: Caters News
A breast cancer survivor who had cosmetic surgery to give her the confidence to date again was horrified to find her boobs had been made too big after reconstruction surgery. Source: Caters News
Jane Learner, 58, was left trying to find bras and clothing to push her breasts down because she felt so self conscious about her new size. Source: Caters News
Jane Learner, 58, was left trying to find bras and clothing to push her breasts down because she felt so self conscious about her new size. Source: Caters News

The therapist went under the knife to repair the damage caused by her cancer treatment 13 years ago so she could feel good while dating.

But she says she left the surgery with the breasts her surgeon "wanted her to have".

“When I woke up from the surgery and started to recover, I looked down and my breasts were enormous," Jane admitted. "It was shocking.

“I felt devastated. I felt like he gave me the breasts that he wanted me to have, not the breasts that I asked for."

Jane's size jumped up to a size 32E and felt her breasts were
Jane's size jumped up to a size 32E and felt her breasts were

Jane's size jumped up to a size 32E and felt her breasts were "gigantic and enormous".

“I started out already pretty big and saggy," she explained. "He made me gigantic.”

Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 44 and had several lumpectomies which left her with holes in her breast tissue and radiotherapy which destroyed one areola.

“My cancer was 13 years ago but the chemo was so harsh that it compromised my health and it took me a full year to recover from that alone," Jane said. “It took me all this time to start realising that these lumpectomies left my breasts two different sizes.

“The radiation bleached out one areola completely and one breast ended up higher than the other. Both had holes in the tissue."

It affected her confidence so bad that she just didn't go on dates.

Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 44 and had several lumpectomies which left her with holes in her breast tissue and radiotherapy which destroyed one areola. Source: Caters News
Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 44 and had several lumpectomies which left her with holes in her breast tissue and radiotherapy which destroyed one areola. Source: Caters News

“I was busy trying to stay alive and get healthier," she explained. "Thirteen years later and I just started dating six months ago.”

After her pre-op consultations, Jane was adamant she only wanted a lift but claims the surgeon told her she should have implants to help rescue the shape.

It was a friend who recommended the surgeon to her but she "had no experience with plastic surgery."

“I asked him for a breast lift and I was under the impression it would make them level and cause them to look rounder," Jane said.

The surgeon recommended her to get implants instead of a breast lift. Source: Caters News
The surgeon recommended her to get implants instead of a breast lift. Source: Caters News

But the surgeon recommended her to have implants explaining "they’d give the same effect."

“I said, ‘I’m already a 32DD, I don’t want to be larger’ and he said ‘well it’s got to be a little larger to get the desired effect of the lift.’"

Jane had her first surgery on January 26 and then had three follow-up appointments as she recovered from the surgery.

She claims when she told the surgeon her breasts were too big, he replied by claiming 100 men, when asked, would say they were "great".

“I felt like punching him in the nuts, it was so sexist," she said. "I thought ‘dude I’ve had cancer, these are for me'. I was so mad and I just couldn’t speak."

Jane felt like her breasts were taking over her appearance and it wasn't good for her job as a therapist.

Jane felt like her breasts were taking over her appearance and it wasn't good for her job as a therapist. Source: Caters News
Jane felt like her breasts were taking over her appearance and it wasn't good for her job as a therapist. Source: Caters News

“I was buying the biggest shirts I could find and looking for bras that would press my breasts down," she said. "It was really traumatic.”

After admitting the new breasts were too big against her small body, the surgeon allegedly offered to perform corrective surgery for $1,500, on top of the $15,000 Jane had already paid.

Feeling like she had no choice, Jane paid the money to have the implants removed and her chest corrected.

Last month, Jane went under the knife for the second time but the relief she felt that her implants were being removed soon ended when she claims she woke up mid-surgery.

“They sent me home and I looked at the breasts the next day and I thought ‘okay, they’re still gigantic, but not as gigantic as they were’.”

At a check-up two weeks ago, Jane claims she told the surgeon that her breasts were still different sizes and still too big, but he apparently told her to go elsewhere.

Jane says her breasts are
Jane says her breasts are

“I told him the left one was still bigger and he said ‘if you don’t like my work you can always go somewhere else'," Jane said. “After going to three other plastic surgeons they’ve all said ‘I don’t know why he didn’t give you a breast lift and smaller implants.’ He should have done smaller implants and a lift on the right side."

“They’re a little better now and I can hide them more easily, but they’re still too big," she added.

“I just want to make other women aware of what can happen.”

Reporting by Caters News.

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