- Jamie Hilburn, then a single mom, got herself a tummy tuck and liposuction for her 28th birthday.
- She developed increasing pain and redness, but her doctor told her to toughen up.
- It was a MRSA infection, which can be deadly if untreated. Medical costs forced Hilburn to file for bankruptcy.
Jamie Hilburn wanted to treat herself. She was a young single mom who worked as a hairstylist in Edmond, Oklahoma, and her upcoming birthday — March 28, 2011 — was her golden one.
So Hilburn scheduled a scheduled a tummy tuck and liposuction for the day after she turned 28. "I wanted to do something for me," she told Insider.
But instead of gaining confidence and losing inches, Hilburn acquired a life-threatening infection. She says her surgeon first dismissed the signs as a normal part of recovery.
Now 39, Hilburn told Insider her story to raise awareness of infections after cosmetic surgeries, and to encourage others to push for answers when something feels off. "You know when something is wrong with your own body," she said. "You just know."
The only way Hilburn could sleep comfortably was on the arm of her couch
Hilburn said the liposuction and tummy tuck procedures, which typically take two to four hours total, went smoothly.
But in the days afterwards, her left side became increasingly tender to the touch, and her skin was so red it looked sunburned, Hilburn said. When she called her surgeon to report the symptoms, he told her they were a part of recovery and to "toughen up," Hilburn said.
According to Fairview Health Services, a system of hospitals and clinics, increased pain and redness after such procedures are potentially problematic, and signs you should call your doctor.
That night, Hilburn said her pain was so intense she slept on the arm of her couch to apply pressure to the wound. It was "the only way I could get any comfort," she said. "I remember it so vividly," she added, "and I'm like, 'This is just not right.'"
The next day, Hilburn took herself to a local ER, where she said she was diagnosed with cellulitis, a common bacterial skin infection. Hilburn said she was given pain and sleep medication, and sent her on her way.
Antibiotics are the standard treatment for cellulitis, and without them, the condition can become life-threatening. But Hilburn doesn't remember being prescribed any, and her pharmacy records don't go far enough back to clarify.
Hilburn learned she had a MRSA infection after another visit to the ER
Hilburn's pain intensified over the next couple of days. That's when her grandma, who was looking after her during her recovery, stepped in.
"Listen pal," Hilburn remembers her grandma saying on the phone to the surgeon, "This is not 'toughen-up recovery.' There's something wrong. She's in a lot of pain."
Hilburn said the surgeon arranged to have a colleague admit Hilburn to the ER of a larger hospital the next day. She doesn't remember much about her first days there. "I just remember them keeping me pretty sedated" while clinicians inserted an IV and draining bag, she said.
Once lucid, Hilburn said an infectious disease specialist told her she had a MRSA infection. MRSA infections are caused by a type of staph bacteria that's resistant to antibiotics used for typical staph infections.
Hilburn's cellulitis was likely caused by MRSA, and only got worse, Dr. Joe Hadeed, chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' Public Education Committee, told Insider. (He was not involved in Hilburn's care.)
People who've undergone invasive procedures are vulnerable to MRSA in healthcare settings, especially if clinicians aren't stringent about washing their hands and cleaning tools between patients, the Mayo Clinic says.
Left untreated, MRSA can spread to the bloodstream and to organs like the heart and lungs. In those cases, it can be deadly.
Hilburn said she didn't know what MRSA was until she got it. While the risk of infection was mentioned in paperwork prior to her surgery, she said didn't really absorb it. "Now I read everything," she said, "but then it's like, 'Oh yeah, come on, where do I sign?'"
"It's just something you'd never in a million years think would happen over a silly, vain procedure," she added.
MRSA after cosmetic surgery is rare
Like any invasive procedure, cosmetic surgery comes with risks, including infection. About 1% to 3% of all surgery patients develop one, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
But the incidence of cellulitis after plastic surgery is low, Hadeed said, and cases of MRSA post-cosmetic procedure are few and far between in the medical literature.
One 2008 case report describes a woman who developed a "deep wound infection" 14 days after a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a procedure to strengthen her abdominal muscles. A week later, she developed a MRSA infection, and needed two surgeries to remove the infected skin and IV antibiotics.
Her wound didn't close for three months, the case report authors note, and she was left with a "massive" and painful scar.
Hadeed told Insider patients with obesity and diabetes are among those at highest risk for surgical site infections, so losing weight or controlling blood sugar pre-surgery can help lower the risk.
It's also important, he said, to look for a doctor who's board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons to help ensure your doctor is "held to the strictest and highest of standards regarding patient safety and outcomes."
Hilburn filed for bankruptcy due to the costs
After clinicians found an antibiotic that fought Hilburn's infection, she said she spent 10 days in the hospital and 43 days on home healthcare hooked up to IVs and drainage bags.
Hilburn said the plastic surgeon paid her back for the procedures, and also covered her home healthcare.
Still, Hilburn had to pay the estimated $125,000 for the hospital treatment since her insurance company wouldn't cover something that stemmed from plastic surgery. As a result, she filed for bankruptcy.
Now, 11 years later, Hilburn still has a lump of scar tissue on her right side where her drainage bag sat. But she's made peace with it, and says the experience taught her important lessons.
"It's made me a lot more aware of things that could actually go wrong that you don't even think of, and it could be you," she said. "Especially when you're careless and don't really read the fine print."
Hilburn also credits years of therapy with helping her sort through some of the emotions that may have led her to seek plastic surgery in the first place. She's now back to school for psychology.
"I wanted to get the surgery for obvious reasons — for appearance, for insecurities, but I just don't care anymore," she said. "It's made me love what I have without needing anything more."