A mother-of-two feared her body would be “split in two” after a botched liposuction procedure in Turkey left her in agonizing pain and suffering from fatal sepsis.
Carrie, 36, from Slough, has signed up for liposuction at an Istanbul clinic in 2022, after years of feeling unhappy with the changes to her body following the birth of her two children.
However, by the time the support assistant woke up from the six-hour operation, she realized that the £4,500 operation had gone drastically wrong.
His abdomen had “turned black” as a result of necrotizing fasciitis, a life-threatening flesh-eating disease he had contracted on the operating table.
Days later, she collapsed in agony and was admitted to intensive care, where doctors discovered she had developed fatal sepsis that had caused her organs to begin to fail.
Only after five emergency surgeries to remove dead flesh and three months in the hospital did Carrie begin her long road to recovery.
Carrie, 36, from Slough, Berkshire, who was unhappy with the appearance of her stomach after giving birth to two children, was booked for liposuction in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2022.
Once she was awake, the surgeon told Carrie that she had developed necrotizing fasciitis. His stomach remains “deformed” after the terrible experience.
“When I woke up, everything was painful; I knew something wasn’t right,” he said.
“It was a very tense feeling to the point that I felt like my body was going to split in two.
‘I wanted to take away the pain. My stomach started turning black and (the doctors) said I had necrotizing fasciitis.’
Necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, is a rare and life-threatening infection that affects the deep layers of the skin, according to the NHS.
It is usually caused by common bacteria, group A streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus.
Recalling the ordeal, Carrie said doctors caught the infection as soon as she woke up and tried to “wash it away.”
She said: ‘I had to go back into surgery to wash it all out. They opened me while I was awake and put a screen in front of me so I couldn’t see what was happening.
Necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, is a rare and life-threatening infection that can occur if a wound becomes infected, according to the NHS.
Shortly after, Carrie claims doctors told her everything was fine and she could fly back to the UK.
But just four days after landing back in Britain, she collapsed in agony and was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with sepsis and organ failure.
“When I got home, everything started going downhill,” he said.
‘The day after I returned, I went to change my bandage and noticed a huge hole stretching across my stomach, big enough to be able to see my internal stitches.
“I had a fever, I was shaking. “It hurt so much I felt like I was being burned.”
Just four days after landing back in Britain, the mother collapsed in agony and was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with sepsis and organ failure.
Within a day, she collapsed in the bathroom and was consequently rushed to the hospital and eventually to intensive care.
“I went back to the hospital and they told me I had sepsis and needed emergency surgery,” he said.
“They had to cut the meat and ended up removing only half of my stomach.”
In total, Carrie had five surgeries over the course of 12 days in which doctors cut away dead flesh in an attempt to save her life.
He had a skin graft from his right leg to provide his stomach with proper tissue and remained in the ITU for a week.
It wasn’t until three months later that he was able to leave the hospital and nine more before he could return to work.
Carrie alleges her first “red flag” was when she arrived at a public hospital instead of a private clinic, where she was asked to hand over cash.
After the ordeal, Carrie warns others to have surgery in the UK rather than flying to Türkiye.
‘I struggled with my stomach since I had children. I’m not skinny but I’m not huge either, but there is a bag and stretch marks which I hated. I wanted it to disappear.
‘I received some money from my grandmother’s inheritance and I wanted to use it to get something that would make me happy.
‘I was talking to the company that performed my surgery for two years; I researched them, they had good reviews and I trusted them enormously.
“I thought I went to the right doctor.”
Now the mother regrets her decision and has urged others to “just diet and go to the gym” if they want to change their body.
“If I could go back in time, I never would have made it,” he said.
‘It still affects my mental health and I have to put my clothes on so you can’t see my stomach because I look deformed.
‘I’ve had to move on. I can’t change it and if I keep thinking about it my mental health will be affected.
“I try to stay positive and think that I’m lucky to be alive and watch my kids grow up.”