Woman suing doctor at Houston Methodist for trying to cover up operating on the wrong foot

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Cypress woman says her doctor at Houston Methodist operated on the wrong foot and then tried to cover it up.

According to a lawsuit filed in January, the alleged erroneous procedure happened at Houston Methodist West Hospital on the Katy Freeway.

Mary "Linda" Almanza said that she had painful bone spurs in both feet, which were worse in her left foot. Hoping for some relief, she had surgery to repair them in December 2021.

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"When I woke up, I was livid. I was so upset and all I could say was, 'they did the wrong foot.' And the nurse goes, 'What?' And I said, 'They did the wrong foot,'" Almanza told ABC13.

Almanza said she and her doctor agreed to do the left foot first, but her right one was operated on instead, and no one caught it. Her husband then told her about a consent form she shared with ABC13 that she said the doctor compelled him to initial after the surgery was over.

"She changed it. She changed it, and she initialed when she changed it," Almanza said. "And she changed it from doing the foot we agreed on to something we didn't agree on."

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A spokesperson for the hospital declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. Their attorneys filed an answer to the original petition asserting a General Denial last month.

"We want to make sure they have the procedures in place so something like this doesn't happen to us or anyone else we care about," Almanza's attorney, Lance Walters, said. "She was supposed to get her foot repaired, but now she has two bum feet."

Almanza now struggles with every step. She needs a cane or walker, even in her home. The once-active retiree mourns her old life and believes the hospital is responsible.

"I hope that they will learn from this, that this will make them learn that they can't let things like this happen to people. They can't ruin people's lives and get away with it," Alamanza said.

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