A MUM has shared the utter “hell” she went through after a botched tummy tuck in Turkey left her feeling like her “body was going to split in two”.
After giving birth to two children, Carrie from Slough, Berkshire, developed a pouch.
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Unhappy with her stomach’s appearance, the 36-year-old decided to book herself in for liposuction in Istanbul, Turkey to the tune of £4,500.
Carrie paid for the tummy tuck and the £800 return flight with an inheritance left by her nan.
A three-hour standard surgery turned into six hours as doctors noticed the mum’s stomach turning “black”.
Once she was awake, the surgeon told Carrie that she had developed necrotising fasciitis – a rare flesh-eating disease.
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“When I woke up, everything was painful – I knew something wasn’t right,” Carrie said.
“It was a really tight feeling to the point I felt like my body was going to split in two.
“I wanted to take the pain away.
“My stomach started turning black and they said I had necrotising fasciitis.
“I had to go back to surgery to wash everything out.
“They cut me open and did it while I was awake while putting a screen up in front of me.
“That went on for around 45 minutes. It was hell.”
According to the NHS website, necrotising fasciitis is a rare and life-threatening infection that can happen if a wound gets infected.
After the second surgery, Carrie claims doctors told her everything was fine and she could fly back to the UK.
Four days later, once in Britain again, the mum collapsed in agony and was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with sepsis and organ failure.
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She had five surgeries in 12 days where medics cut out the dead flesh in a bid to save her life.
Carrie said: “When I got home, it all started going downhill.
“The day after I got back, I went to change my dressing and I noticed a massive hole.
“I went to hospital and they told me to pack it every day.
“I had a temperature, I was shivering.
It was so sore, it was like I was being burned.
Carrie
“The hole ended up fully from right to left across my stomach and I could see the inside stitches.
“About four days after surgery, I stood up to go to the loo and collapsed in agony.
“I went back to hospital and they said I had sepsis and needed emergency surgery.
“They had to cut out the flesh and ended up just taking half of my stomach away.
“There’s no flesh left on my stomach.
“While I was in intensive care, I was screaming in agony.
“I was totally out of it all the time.”
Carrie had a skin graft from her right leg attached to her stomach and spent one week in intensive care.
The specialist support assistant was allowed to leave hospital three months later but had to take a year off work.
She believes she did all the research she could before choosing her surgeon.
Carrie said: “I struggled with my stomach since having children.
“I’m not skinny but I’m not massive, but there’s a pouch and stretch marks that I hated. I wanted it gone.
“I got some inheritance money from my nan and I wanted to use it to get something to make me happy.
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“I was talking to the company who performed my surgery for two years – I researched them, they had good reviews and I trusted them massively.
“I thought I’d gone with the right doctor.”
Carrie alleges that her first ‘red flag’ was when she arrived at a public hospital rather than a private clinic.
Carrie said: “They put me on a chair and drew the markings on me, then they said I had to pay in cash there and then.
“They gave me lots of forms to read and sign.
“I kept reminding myself that I’d done the research and I was doing the right thing.
“When they gave me the anaesthetic I could hear a baby crying because a woman in the next room had just given birth.
“It was bizarre.”
NHS advice on having cosmetic surgery abroad
THE NHS had advice for anyone considering going abroad for surgery.
It might cost less than in the UK, but you need to weigh up potential savings against the potential risks. Safety standards may not be as high.
No surgery is risk-free. Complications can happen after surgery in the UK or abroad. If you have complications after an operation in the UK, it’s the surgeon’s responsibility to provide follow-up treatment.
Overseas clinics may not provide follow-up treatment, or they may not provide it to the same standard as in the UK.
When you make enquiries about your treatment, find out:
- What happens if there are complications?
- Where follow-up appointments will be?
- What happens if you need more surgery after the original procedure – how easily can you travel back to the destination where you had the surgery?
- How much it’ll cost?
Also find out:
- How surgeons and clinics are regulated in your chosen country
- How standards are enforced
And ask the surgeon:
- What training and qualifications they have?
- What organisations they belong to?
- How long they have been practising?
- How many procedures like the one you’re having they have done?
- If they speak a language you understand – they need to be able to explain the procedure to you and understand your concerns or questions?
For more NHS advice on having surgery abroad, visit the website – here.
Carrie had her tummy tuck in 2022 but is now sharing her story to encourage women to get surgery in the UK rather than fly to Turkey.
She added: “I regret it one million percent.
“If I could turn back time, I would never have got it.
“If you want to change your stomach, just diet and hit the gym.
“It still affects my mental health and I have to position my clothes so you can’t see my stomach because I look deformed.
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“I’ve had to get on with it. I can’t change it and if I keep dwelling on it my mental health will suffer.
“I try to stay positive and think that I’m lucky to be alive and see my kids grow up.”
