After a typically safe procedure went wrong for one Middle Tennessee woman, she filed a lawsuit alleging medical malpractice.
"I mean, I don't feel anything. I can pinch myself as hard as I can and I don't feel a thing. Nothing. No sensation," said Jeanine Grundman as she presses on her own chest.
She said she once loved her body, but not anymore.
"I cried and I cried. I wouldn't get out of bed for almost three weeks," said Grundman. The mother of eight favored wearing bikinis, especially after having successful breast implant surgery.
"I always thought my body was in good shape," said Grundman.
Then she opted for a procedure to minimize the scar on her breast. In the consent form for the surgery, it clearly calls for only a bilateral breast scar revision along with abdominal liposuction.
It was supposed to be a simple procedure, but according to her attorney it wasn't.
"She's lost her nipple. She's deformed. She went in with healthy breasts and now she looks terrible," said Grundman's attorney Clint Kelly.
He filed a lawsuit alleging Dr. Robert Garza was negligent, committed medical battery and went far beyond what Grundman consented to.
"What he did was complete breast reconstruction including working around the nipple and the areola. She didn't authorize that. She did not expect that to happen. And he botched it," said Kelly.
The photographs were too graphic to air on TV.
"This picture is taken days after the surgery where the tissue on and around the nipple is effectively dead," said Kelly.
In a court document filed in response to the lawsuit, Dr. Garza denies he committed medical battery or acted negligently.
Garza's attorney said his client disputes Grundman's claims and the case will be defended in court.
Grundman hopes whatever happens she gets some answers though she believes physically she'll never be the same again.
"It was the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life," said Grundman.
Her case will be heard in Davidson County Circuit Court. Her malpractice attorney Clint Kelly is a frequent guest and sponsor on Newschannel5+.
Editor's note - As of 6/12/19 NewsChannel 5 was informed by Dr. Garza's attorney that Ms. Grundman dropped her case and all allegations just days before trial. Grundman and her attorney declined comment.
