ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Subscribe
  1. Home
  2. News

Surgery shock - 'My nipples fell off!'

Brave Teri shares her shocking story - by Beth Young
  • 12 Apr 2020

Terri's makeover took a devastating turn...

Here, Terri Porter, 65, from Queensland, shares the story in her own words.

Surgery shock - 'My nipples fell off!'

I groaned, staring at my saggy D-cup boobs in the mirror.  

In just nine months, I’d lost 60 kilos, going from 143 kilos to 83. 

My diabetes had disappeared and I felt healthier than I had in years.  

But I’d been left with lots of ugly loose skin.  

Now, I had to tuck my tummy into my undies each day, and my boobs hung down nearly to my belly button, like deflated balloons.  

I’m going to get chafed underneath them, I worried.  

Summer was fast approaching, and in Queensland, it would get seriously hot, adding to my discomfort. 

A breast reduction and lift would help fix that though.  

I’d never liked having big boobs anyway.  

As a grandmother of five, I didn’t care about wearing low-cut strappy tops or anything like that. But, my back ached, and it was hard to find flattering clothes that fitted me nicely.  

Boobs are a pain in the butt! I’d decided a long time ago.  

Chatting with my daughter, Kylie, 44, she just wanted me to be happy.  

‘It’s up to you, Mum,’ she said.  

Terri Porter after weight loss

After my weight loss, I had lots of excess skin

So, my GP referred me to a general surgeon in Queensland.  

Explaining the procedure, the surgeon was friendly and knowledgeable.  

And as other patients came in and out of the clinic, I thought they were obviously well-respected.   

Booked in for two weeks later, I couldn’t wait to wake up with a smaller, perkier bust. 

Coming to after the op, my chest was bandaged up, and two days later I went home with strong pain medication.  

Over the next few days, I kept catching a whiff of something horrible though.   

It’s like something has died, I thought, sniffing the air about a week after the op.  

And then I realised the stench was coming from me!  

Waking up in the middle of the night, my dressings were stained red with blood.   

Something’s seriously wrong, I thought.   

So, first thing in the morning, my flatmate John took me to Emergency, where a doctor peeled the gauze from my chest.  

It revealed something awful. 

I’d asked for a C-cup, but there was hardly any flesh left to speak of – I was basically flat chested.  

And one nipple sat higher than the other.  

I felt horrified.  

But that wasn’t the worst of it…  

Shockingly, my nipples had turned black!  

‘It looks like gangrene,’ the doctor said.  

It meant that the tissue was dying due to infection, or from a lack of blood flow.  

‘That’s all I need,’ I said, feeling sick to my stomach.  

Terri Porter needed a mastectomy

I needed a full mastectomy

But there was more bad news to come.  

‘Your nipples will have tobe removed as soon as possible,’ the doctor added,gently.  

If left untreated, it could spread to my other organs. I was petrified.  

I spent the night in hospital, before having the op the next morning.  

Coming to, I was given antibiotics and painkillers.  

About 12 months on, late last year, I finally got in to see another surgeon.  

‘The only way I can fix it, is to remove them and start again,’ he said.  

A mastectomy?! I thought, gobsmacked.  

It was heartbreaking. 

But, I felt safe in his hands.  

And soon after, I had the surgery, which he did for free in exchange for using pictures of my breasts for educational purposes, as an example of complications that can result from a breast reduction. 

Terri Porter

I've been in so much pain

I don’t want another woman to go through what I have, I thought. But, sadly, it was too late for that.  

Sharing my story on a weight-loss group on Facebook, a young mum who said she had been treated by the same surgeon reached out to me.  

She said her nipples sat too high, and her breasts had been left lumpy and disfigured.  

I’m now trying to focus on my next round of surgery, which I’m hoping will help correct everything that went wrong.  

I’m midway through my breast reconstruction. I’ve had special tissue expanders inserted into my chest to stretch the skin, in preparation for having C-cup breast implants.  

As it works its magic, it’s agonising beyond belief.  

But I will get through this – if only to warn people to do their homework before going under the knife. 

All I wanted was a handful – but what I got has been a world of pain. ● 

  • News
  • Real Life
Beth Young
Beth Young
Beth is senior features writer for that's life! and host of the podcast How I Survived.

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe Now
Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe Now
Subscribe to That's Life!

Recommended to you

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis
Watch 0:37

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis

{headline}

{headline}

'Poisoned by my own boobs'

'Poisoned by my own boobs'

We’re proud to be BIMBOS

We’re proud to be BIMBOS

'She bit my cheek like an apple'

'She bit my cheek like an apple'

Best Friends Become Identical Barbies

Best Friends Become Identical Barbies

{headline}

{headline}

'I had breast implants in my bum'

'I had breast implants in my bum'

Trying to save money left me deformed

Trying to save money left me deformed

I was poisoned by my own boobs!

I was poisoned by my own boobs!

{headline}

{headline}

I put on weight to keep men away

I put on weight to keep men away

How this woman duped the internet

How this woman duped the internet

Shock surgery: I paid to look like an elf!

Shock surgery: I paid to look like an elf!

‘My boy was killed by a tummy tuck’

‘My boy was killed by a tummy tuck’

MKR Jess and Emma: Our plastic surgery hell!

MKR Jess and Emma: Our plastic surgery hell!

Angelina Jolie 'lookalike' reveals what she used to look like

Angelina Jolie 'lookalike' reveals what she used to look like

Mum says she wants her young daughter to have plastic surgery

Mum says she wants her young daughter to have plastic surgery

ThatsLife
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy
ThatsLife Magazine Subscribe
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • New Idea
  • Who
  • Girlfriend
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • marie claire
  • Beauty Crew
  • New Idea food
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • Home Beautiful
  • All Recipes
  • 7plus
  • 7News
  • Sunrise
  • Starts at 60
  • The West Australian
  • Perth Now
  • 7mate
  • 7Sport
  • Hard to Find
© 2022 Are Media PTY LTD
All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts.If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Shop This Offer
Subscribe to That's Life!