MUM Lucy Mawson, 32, has a grim warning for anyone who
You are planning to travel abroad for surgery.

As I buckled my seat belt and listened to the captain’s words, my heart sank.

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“There is a technical problem with the plane, ladies and gentlemen, and unfortunately we are going to have to return to Manchester airport,” he said.

It was September 2022 and I was heading to the coastal city of Izmir in Turkey to get a cheap gastric sleeve, an operation that reduces the size of your stomach so you can’t eat as much.

I was inspired after seeing a tiktok video where a woman showed her off weight loss following the procedure.

Single for years after having my little boy, three-year-old Chester, in January 2019, I weighed 15 and had a BMI of 32, putting me in the obese category.

Screaming in agony

Subsistence allowance and the exercise didn’t seem to work. I would lose a few pounds and then, in a few weeks, gain them back.

He National Health Service Typically, I would only fund the operation for people with a BMI (which measures height versus weight) of over 40.

Privately, gastric sleeve surgery in the UK costs between £7,000 and £11,000, so going to Turkey, where it is much cheaper, seemed like a brilliant idea.

I found the surgery where the woman on TikTok had hers done and my grandparents agreed to lend me £3,100 to pay for it.

But my mother Estelle, now 60, was furious.

“It’s so dangerous, Lucy,” he insisted, and showed me news stories of women who had died after undergoing one.

I have since read about Hayley Butler, 40, of Norwichwho died after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery in Türkiye last month and it’s terrible.

Last year, Shannon Meenan Browse, from Derry, Northern IrelandHe was 32 years old when he died as a result of his surgery in Türkiye 18 months earlier.

But in 2019 I didn’t worry about my mother’s warnings. “That won’t happen to me,” I thought at the time, even though I stupidly hadn’t even bothered to look at the surgery online.

The return of the plane seemed a bad omen and the subsequent 23-hour delay even worse.

I hated my body and thought it was disgusting. I had struggled with my weight since I was a teenager.

lucia

“Please don’t do it, this is a sign,” my mother pleaded after I called her.

But even though part of me thought she was right, I was determined.

I hated my body and thought it was disgusting. I had struggled with my weight since I was a teenager and had tried every diet under the sun.

When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see a sexy, curvy woman, just a huge mass.

Sometimes I didn’t even want to leave the house. I hated every inch of myself.

So this quick fix surgery seemed like the answer to my prayers.

When I finally arrived in Türkiye, I and a surprising number of others on my plane were picked up in fancy cars and taken directly to the hospital.

When we arrived, the staff came in with a bunch of forms to sign. I imagine they informed me about the risks of having surgery but I didn’t read them, I just scribbled my name.

Five minutes later, he had a cannula in his arm. It was very rushed.

I was taken into surgery at 6am and my next memory is waking up in a recovery room full of other patients, screaming in agony.

“Please help me,” I kept crying.

Finally, a nurse came over and gave me pain relief. It was phenomenal to see how many patients around me (15 men and women) had just had surgery, like me.

For the next three days I lay dying in the hospital. Just six hours after the operation I called my mother and she was terrified for me but felt helpless.

She wanted to be with me but she was taking care of Chester.

They kept telling me that the pain was normal and that it was just trapped wind.

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After three days, he was due to take a flight home, but he couldn’t even walk properly. They had to do a CT scan to give me the all-clear to fly, it was like a cattle market outside the scanning room, with everyone waiting to get in.

The scan was done so quickly that I was worried if it had been checked correctly, but I was given the all-clear to fly.

Still in agony, I boarded the plane but fainted during the flight due to excruciating pain.

My father, Michael, 61, picked me up from Manchester airport. Driving home to bradfordI sat doubled over in agony.

internal bleeding

The next day, I drove to the ER at Calderdale Hospital in Halifax. West York.where they discovered that my blood pressure was through the roof.

I told them about my surgery and they did a scan and discovered that I was suffering from internal bleeding.

I was taken to the larger nearby Huddersfield Hospital.

Blood pooled in my pelvic area, causing horrendous pain. The only thing I could think about was Chester.

I thought I was going to die and that he would grow up without a mother, all because he had chosen to go to Türkiye for cheap surgery.

The doctors told me that I was lucky to have come and that my situation could have been life-threatening.

I was in the hospital for six nights and was monitored closely until my blood levels stabilized.

It was terrifying. The hospital staff said they thought the Turkish hospital didn’t stitch me up properly after the surgery, so I continued to bleed.

The thought of being on a plane while bleeding internally makes me horrified.

I contacted the Turkish hospital but the communication was shocking. I got nowhere, not even an apology, and I felt too traumatized to go to a lawyer.

Since then, I have lost almost the sixth weight and now weigh the eighth, 10 pounds, but it has been a high price to pay.

At one point I fell below eighth place and had to be prescribed shakes to gain weight, which I still take. At that moment I cried for what I had done to myself.

I can honestly say that I would rather remain obese and never have had the surgery.

I have been left virtually unable to eat anything proper as solid foods cause me significant pain. Doctors are still researching how they can help.

I get dizzy up to 30 times a day. I got out of bed recently to see Chester and passed out in his room. I could have hit my head and not be here now.

I was terrified, but fortunately I recovered quickly. I have to live with those risks every day.

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I now have almost no social life due to the risk of getting sick and suffering from agony when I’m away. It’s heartbreaking and I hate that Chester sees his mother like this.

Ironically, I have much less confidence than before.

I don’t have any curves or butt. I feel like I’m not sexy. I emphasize that some men may find me too thin.

If I could turn back time, I would never have subjected myself to this, risking my life.

I’m thin, but I’m sad and no quick fix at a reduced price is worth it.

If you are planning to travel abroad for cheap surgery, my biggest advice is: don’t do it.

Your health and happiness are much more important. I wish I had listened to my mother.

The expert’s opinion

Doctor and cosmetic doctor Leah Totton told Fabulous Daily: “While there are many highly competent surgeons working overseas, my advice to people is to have surgery with a trusted plastic surgeon in the UK.

“The level of skill and training required to become a consultant plastic surgeon in the UK is high and the medical practice of any doctor in the UK is supervised by the general medical council.

“Private hospitals in the UK are regulated by the Care Quality Commission, ensuring standards of cleanliness, professionalism and care are closely monitored.”