NEWSAbby Lee Miller Reveals 'Traumatizing' Experience After Catheter Was Left Inside Her Body
Abby Lee Miller has dealt with agonizing pain after a catheter was left in her body.
Abby Lee Miller opened up about a “traumatizing experience” after a catheter was mistakenly left inside her body following a 2020 surgery.
Although it's unclear exactly which procedure caused the misplaced catheter, the Dance Moms alum, 59, told a news outlet on Monday, June 30, that she underwent multiple surgeries following an emergency 12-hour spinal surgery at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2020.
Abby Lee Miller Says Physicians Dismissed Her Pain
Abby Lee Miller relies on a wheelchair to assist with her mobility issues.
“I was complaining and complaining [of pain] and nobody was listening,” she told the outlet. After multiple doctors dismissed her complaints of pain, the reality TV alum said a “big pimple” eventually formed, prompting a referral to a dermatologist for further evaluation.
“He looked at it and he said, ‘That’s something someone put in you, that’s not a pimple,’” the Pennsylvania native recounted. Although Miller later visited the emergency room, she was told to return several days later to see a doctor.
Abby Lee Miller Is Seeking $1.5 Million in Malpractice Lawsuit
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Abby Lee Miller has dealt with various health issues over the years.
“I said, ‘Aren’t you alarmed at this?’ and she said, ‘You waited a few years, two days isn’t going to hurt,” she explained. When Miller returned to the medical facility, she said doctors took one look at her condition and rushed her into surgery to remove the foreign object.
“They went right into the surgical procedure, and they removed it. I was horrified,” she explained. “I’m OK, a little traumatized by it, but anyone would be.”
Miller alleges that doctors left a catheter inside her abdomen following the 2020 surgery and is now seeking $1.5 million in damages in a lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and two physicians, citing medical malpractice, professional negligence and medical battery.
Abby Lee Miller's Health Scare Reflects Bigger Issue
Abby Lee Miller is best known for her role on the reality TV series 'Dance Moms.'
"Abby Lee Miller suffered for years from an object left inside of her during spinal surgery; despite complaints to various physicians, not one ordered imaging of any kind to diagnose the source of her pain," Nadine Lewis, Miller's attorney, said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
Miller repeatedly reported her symptoms to physicians before the discomfort "escalated into persistent and debilitating pain, impacting her quality of life on a daily basis,” according to the suit.
In June 2024, while seeking treatment for an unrelated issue, a CT scan revealed a foreign object in Miller’s abdomen — a catheter that was promptly removed.
"This is not just medical battery, it reflects a larger, devastating truth: women’s pain is too often ignored or dismissed by the very professionals sworn to care for them," Miller’s attorney said. "Abby’s case is a chilling reminder: even when women are vocal and visibly in distress, their pain is still not believed."
