TikToker claims she woke up from life-changing surgery handcuffed to a hospital bed and unable to speak

21-year-old Kaitlyn Jenkins has accused doctors of restraining her without her consent after she had a major operation to repair damage to her skull.

The social media star, from Texas, United States, has shared a video on her TikTok page of the moment she woke up from the procedure, during which medics said they had to restrain her hands to stop her pulling out a breathing tube. She was attached to a ventilator and seemingly unable to move or speak. You can watch the video below.

“I was absolutely terrified, it felt like I was trapped in a living nightmare,” she told People magazine. when describing what she labelled as “the scariest moment of [her] life. “I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t talk, and not knowing what was happening made everything feel even more surreal.”

She claimed that, during a pre-operation consultation, the anesthesiologist had “quickly mentioned” she may wake up with a ventilator but “didn’t go into detail” - and didn’t say that handcuffs would be used.

Jenkins went on: “It was exhausting and felt like no one fully understood how scared I was. I wish the hospital had a better system for patients to communicate when they’re on a ventilator and restrained, because in those moments, not being able to express myself made an already terrifying experience even harder to endure.”

The beauty influencer, who suffers three disorders that affect her brain and spine, said she had to trace letters on her mother's hand to try to communicate and make basic requests.

Jenkins has chiari malformation type 1, where part of the brain bulges through a gap in the back of the skull. She also has craniocervical instability, where the ligaments that hold the head up are too loose, and a connective disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, (EDS), which causes hypermobile joints, stretchy skin, and tissue fragility

As a result of all of these illnesses, Jenkins has had to have numerous surgeries throughout her life, and she also battles with constant chronic pain. The TikTok star regularly shares videos about her health struggles on her social media page, where she has more than 2,000 followers.

A neurosurgeon in New York offered a solution for many of her symptoms last year, which was a procedure called craniocervical fusion surgery. The major operation, which took place earlier this year, involved fusing the bones at the junction of the skull and upper skine together using metal plates, rods, and screws.

The purpose was to increase stability in the area, allowing for freedom of movement and less pain. The operation was a success, but she still had to spend six weeks in hospital post-procedure. This was due to complications including osteolysis, which is the breakdown of bone tissue, and nerve pain which can cause her to pass out.

Jenkins said she was shocked and confused when she allegedly woke up in handcuffs, particularly as none of her previous brain surgeries had involved any kind of restraint.

Eventually, she was able to breathe again without the help of the ventilator, and then doctors removed the handcuffs and the breathing tube. But, she said she has been left emotionally scarred by the experience.

“It's not just a physical recovery; there’s a mental and emotional recovery that takes time too. This experience has definitely changed my perspective on surgery and medical procedures,” she said. “'It has been physically exhausting and emotionally taxing.”

“I’ve always known surgery is serious, but this made me realise how important patient communication is – especially when you’re already facing something as life-altering as brain or spinal surgery.”

The influencer can now walk again, but she still relies on a walking frame to maintain stability and attends physical and occupational therapy three times a week. In addition, she also wears a bone growth stimulator four hours a day to help the bones grow and fuse together faster.