Man unable to close eyes for four years due to surgery complications
A pensioner who was unable to close his eyes for more than four years after surgery complications says the ordeal "destroyed" his life.
Pete Broadhurst, now 81, had a cosmetic operation to fix his "puffy cheeks" in January 2019.
Pete Broadhurst, now 81, had a cosmetic operation to fix his "puffy cheeks" in January 2019.
Transcript
00:00 My name is Pete Broadhurst. In December 2019, I believe it was 2019, I went to see Samuel
00:16 Martin, a cosmetic surgeon at the, I believe the Parkside Hospital, Solil, in order to
00:24 have fat removed from my cheeks and scars from my chin. And he had the consultation,
00:35 told him all about my history, all about everything, and he said he wanted £15,000 to do this.
00:43 I said thanks so much but it's too expensive, I can't afford it, I can only borrow £11,000.
00:50 So I left. The following week, he contacted me and said if I went to the BMI hospital
00:58 in Edgbaston, he could do this surgery. I paid I think £10,500 for the surgery, but
01:05 with the consultation was the £11,000 gone anyway. But while we were talking, I said
01:10 I want this fat removed from my cheeks, these lumps in my cheeks. And he said oh we can
01:15 do it and I can thin your nose and I can do your neck. I'd got an infection in my neck
01:21 that, he said oh that might be a problem, this infection. We can't work inside your
01:26 mouth while you've got this infection, but I wanted a one-off, one chance of going on
01:32 the table to have it done. I didn't want to have two or three operations or whatever,
01:37 just a one-off, take a chance. If I didn't die from the anaesthetic, then that would
01:41 be great. So on that basis, I paid the money, went ahead. The last thing I said to him was
01:47 I'd gone under anaesthetic was Sam, please don't let me wake up with these fat cheeks.
01:53 When I did wake up on the night after nine hours surgery, he told me you need to see
01:57 the photographs. I couldn't close my eyes, I couldn't pass water, I couldn't eat, I was
02:02 vomiting. I was in a right state all through the night. He came and seen me on the morning,
02:08 still discharged me out into the street and I hadn't made any arrangements. I just thought
02:13 I'll get a taxi, I didn't expect to be as ill as I was. I had to phone my friends to
02:17 come and get me and all they gave me was a sick bowl so I wouldn't be sick in my friend's
02:22 car. I couldn't pass water, I'm in real trouble. So I phoned the emergency services. The emergency
02:29 services told me to go into Birmingham and get checked out. Went to Birmingham, got checked
02:36 out, still couldn't pass water. On the Monday I'm really thinking I'm dying. Phoned the
02:42 emergency services again, got to my GP and my GP phoned an ambulance, took me straight
02:49 to Good Hope and they catheterised me, which stayed in for five months. When I did see
02:54 Sam and I told him about that, he said I could arrange another operation that would cure
03:01 that. I said it's only come about Sam because I was so long not passing water. But after
03:07 a few weeks I've gone to see Dr Nathawala, my urologist, and he said my God Pete, what's
03:14 happened to your face? I said well I had surgery but I'm having a bit of trouble with it. And
03:20 I swear this is the truth. He said to me, can I photograph you Pete? And Nathawala photographed
03:26 me and he said go to casualty and see what they can do about your face today now. And
03:33 they said what's wrong with your eyes is they don't close. Although you're closing your
03:40 eyes they're still open and those are the photographs that are there. So I've gone back
03:44 to Sam and he said oh no, no, this is ectropion. This has nothing to do with me removing too
03:51 much tissue or my face paralysed on the one side. He said that's just the, I warned you
03:57 about that. I said he's never warned me about anything Sam. And he said I've got it in my
04:03 letters and what have you that you signed to the effect that you knew. But I swear,
04:10 I didn't, I was in there 20 minutes, I didn't have time to read these forms or whatever
04:15 I was signing. I just took the guy at his word. They put me to the, oh come on, Queen
04:22 Lizardsworth Hospital. I've been attending there for two years and they said because
04:26 it was done privately they won't interfere and put it right. I complained to the BMI.
04:35 The secretary, I can't remember the girl's name, sat in with me on the interview with
04:40 Sam. He said I'm going to put his eyes right. I'm going to do his face for free later on
04:45 in the year. I got that in emails that he said this. But he's saying no, I never said
04:52 that at all. I'm not going to do anything. And you're only trying to get free surgery.
04:57 There's nothing wrong with your face or your eyes. Everything's put right. Go away. I'm
05:01 not going to speak to you. And for three years I've been trying to get him to court and I
05:06 need someone. The case is all prepared. I've got a few days left to get a solicitor to
05:12 say this is not right. He needs to go to court. I've been to the GMC council who've criticised
05:19 him and they're still looking into it now. I just took my wit's end. I can't see. My
05:25 eyes are like this. I'm having to put drops in every day. I haven't got tape on at the
05:29 moment but I have to tape my eyes up like an idiot. When I'm walking about people look
05:34 at you with tape on your face thinking what's wrong with him. If you see me now I don't
05:38 look too bad for 80 but if you see me after my team they'd have a go at me. I was ready
05:46 to cut my throat.
05:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]