I had to have fingers amputated after mommy makeover horror

December 12, 2022

A mother of three was devastated to learn that she needed to have her fingers amputated after waking up from a “mommy makeover.”

Shannyn Palmer, 35, had planned and saved up for years before flying from Vancouver, Washington, to Mexico to undergo a tummy tuck with muscle repair, chest lift and fat transfer to the hips in August 2022.

Palmer made sure to do her research before booking the $12,500 worth of operations and felt confident in her doctor, who had good reviews and a board certification.

The mommy makeover itself was a success, but when Palmer awoke from the anesthesia, she felt her hands burning.

“I was really confused. I never imagined that my hands would be in danger going into surgery,” Palmer told Kennedy News. “Never in a million years did I think a mommy makeover would end up in me losing fingers.”

Palmer learned that one of the nurses had allegedly heated saline bags to keep her hands warm and take her pulse but did not check the temperature of the bags before placing them in her palms.

By the time she finally came out of the anesthesia, her hands been severely burned and were covered in second- and third-degree burns.

“They put an ointment on it and wrapped my hands. The blisters were so large that they just popped and drained them every day,” Palmer explained.

Shannyn Palmer's bandaged hands — A mother from Washington was devastated to learn that she needed to have her fingers amputated after waking up from a mommy makeover in a Mexican clinic.

Shannyn Palmer and her family — The 35-year-old is devastated to have lost her fingers and the ability to complete her favorite hobbies like playing the piano and sewing her children’s Halloween costumes.

Palmer claimed she was forced to stay at the Mexican hospital an extra four days before returning to the US for a second opinion after losing feeling in her thumb and middle finger. Palmer visited the burn unit of Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, where she underwent 20 sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber in a desperate attempt to save her hands.

But after several weeks of needing to be spoon-fed, showered and have assistance using the bathroom, Palmer was forced to face the reality of her injuries.

“The [fingers] that went black were third degree and had to be amputated — half of my right thumb and some of my left middle finger — it’s about half an inch shorter and they had to shave down the bone,” Palmer said.

Palmer's thumb after being amputated — After weeks of treatments, doctors decided that parts of Palmer’s fingers needed to be amputated.

Shannyn's black thumb — Palmer’s injuries continued to worsen until her thumb died and turned black.

Shannyn's burned hand — Shannyn Palmer, 35, woke up from surgery to discover her hands been severely burned.

Shannyn's hand after surgery — A nurse supposedly used microwaved saline bags to warm her cold hands in order to monitor and get an accurate reading on her pulse as she woke from anesthesia.

Shannyn Palmer in the hospital — Palmer left the clinic in Mexico and went to the burns unit of Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, for a second opinion.

“When they told me they had to amputate, I had an anxiety attack,” she added. “I was begging them ‘Please don’t,’” she recalled of her traumatizing experience.

“I did take it pretty hard, that was probably one of the worst days of my life. I don’t think there’s anything I could have done to save my fingers, the damage was already done.”

She had her wounds closed with skin grafts from her thigh at the end of September and was finally beginning to heal. The Mexican clinic was “resistant,” she claimed, but eventually gave in and paid the $6,000 hyperbaric oxygen therapy bill before ignoring her and leaving her with the $2,400 bill for the amputation.

Palmer was forced to take three months off from her job as a retention specialist and is still unable to use her hands properly due to scarring and nerve damage. She can no longer enjoy some of her favorite hobbies, such as playing the piano and sewing.

"When they told me they had to amputate I had an anxiety attack. I was begging them 'please don't'," she recounted from her traumatizing experience. — “When they told me they had to amputate, I had an anxiety attack. I was begging them ‘Please don’t,’” Palmer, seen here with her daughter Emily, 4, said of her traumatizing experience.

“I’m an artist and a mom, so I use my hands a lot, but it’s my dominant thumb and I can’t use scissors or draw or anything that puts pressure on it. It’s really tough,” she said.

“I was devastated I couldn’t make the costumes I was planning on making for my kids for Halloween this year. It seems trivial but that’s something that we look forward to.”

The Washington mother wants to warn others to always do as much research as possible before undergoing surgery — not just on the surgeon, but on their staff and the facility as well.

“Never in a million years did I think a mommy makeover would end up in me losing fingers,” Palmer said.