A mum-of-two feared her body was going to ‘split in two’ after a botched liposuction procedure in Turkey left her in agonising pain and suffering deadly sepsis.
Carrie, 36, from Slough, booked herself in for liposuction at an Istanbul clinic in 2022, after years of feeling unhappy with changes in her body following the birth of her two children.
However, the minute the support assistant woke up from the six-hour operation, she realised the £4,500 op had gone drastically wrong.
Her abdomen had ‘turned black’ as a result of the life-threatening flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis, which she’d contracted on the operating table.
Days later, she collapsed in agony and was admitted to intensive care, where doctors found she’d developed deadly sepsis that had caused her organs to begin shutting down.
Only after five emergency surgeries to cut out the dead flesh and three months in hospital did Carrie start on her long road to recovery.
36-year-old Carrie from Slough, Berkshire, who was unhappy with her stomach’s appearance after giving birth to two children, booked herself in for liposuction in Istanbul, Turkey in 2022
Once she was awake, the surgeon told Carrie that she had developed necrotising fasciitis. Her stomach is still ‘deformed’ following the ordeal
‘When I woke up, everything was painful — I knew something wasn’t right,’ she 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 [doctors] said I had necrotising fasciitis.’
Necrotising fasciitis, also known as the 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 the common bacteria, group A Streptococcus or Staphylococcus aureus.
Recalling the ‘hellish’ ordeal, Carrie said doctors detected the infection as soon as she woke up, and attempted to ‘wash it out’.
She said: ‘I had to go back to surgery to wash everything out. They cut me open while I was awake, putting a screen up in front of me so I couldn’t see what was going on.’
Necrotising fasciitis, also known as the flesh-eating disease, is a rare and life-threatening infection that can happen if a wound gets infected, according to the NHS
Soon afterwards, Carrie claims doctors told her everything was fine and she could fly back to the UK.
But just four days later after landing in Britain again, she collapsed in agony and was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with sepsis and organ failure.
‘When I got home, it all started going downhill,’ she said.
‘The day after I got back, I went to change my dressing and I noticed a massive hole stretching all the way across my stomach big enough that I could see my inside stitches.
‘I had a temperature, I was shivering. It was so sore, it felt like I was being burned.’
Just four days later after landing in Britain again, the mum collapsed in agony and was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with sepsis and organ failure
Within a day she’d collapsed in her bathroom, and was consequently rushed to hospital and, eventually, intensive care.
‘I went back to hospital and they said I had sepsis and needed emergency surgery,’ she said.
‘They had to cut out the flesh and ended up just taking half of my stomach away.’
In total, Carrie had five surgeries over the course of 12 days where medics cut out the dead flesh in a bid to save her life.
She had a skin graft from her right leg to supply her stomach with adequate tissue, and remained in ITU for a week.
It wasn’t until three months later that she’d be able to leave hospital — and a further nine before she could return to work.
Carrie alleges that her first ‘red flag’ was when she arrived at a public hospital rather than a private clinic, where she was asked to hand over cash
Following the ordeal Carrie is warning others to have surgery in the UK rather than fly to Turkey.
‘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 grandma and I wanted to use it to get something to make me happy.
‘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.’
Now, the mum regrets her decision and has urged others to ‘just diet and hit the gym’ if they want to change their body.
‘If I could turn back time, I would never have got it,’ she said.
‘It still affects my mental health and I have to position my clothes so you can’t see my stomach because I look deformed.
‘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.’
