Surgery: Women regret overseas cut-price weight loss ops

A woman who has been in hospital for five months after having cut-price weight loss surgery abroad said she regrets her decision every day.

Emma, 34, from Porthcawl, Bridgend county, said it was "the worst experience of her life".

Doctors have warned she is one of many people who are going abroad for cheap surgery and are coming home with "major and life-threatening complications".

The Welsh government said the NHS gave emergency care to anyone in need.

Emma, whose surname we are not using at her request, said she really regretted having surgery in Istanbul in April.

The mother of three said she spent months of research, looking for a reputable hospital in Turkey.

She added that she could not fault the care, but one night a couple of weeks after surgery she "felt uncomfortable and was struggling to breathe".

She went to A&E and was diagnosed with sepsis due to fluid in her diaphragm and lung.

At the time, doctors did not know the source of the fluid was a small leak in her stomach and she was fitted with tubes to drain it away.

After numerous stays in hospital, doctors eventually found the source of the leak in September.

Emma has spent a total of 15 weeks in hospital, nine of those nil by mouth, and has had two operations since her original surgery in April.

She said: "I also had pneumonia, it's been hell, and I then had fluid under my diaphragm, an abscess under my lung which has been caused by the leak in my stomach.

"The hospital in Turkey has been in regular contact and they have been brilliant, but I could never imagine going back, it would be horrific.

"I really regret having the surgery - I wished I hadn't bothered as I could have died, the thought that my kids could have easily been left without a mum still haunts me."

Surgeon Andrew Beamish said "a worrying number of patients" were coming home, with "major and life-threatening complications".

Mr Beamish, who works at the Welsh institute of metabolic and obesity surgery in Morriston Hospital, Swansea, said the situation was "not really sustainable".

The centre is the only one in Wales that provides this surgery, which costs in excess of £12,000 when done privately but can be done in other countries for £3,000.

Source: NHS

Bariatric surgery is available on the NHS after an assessment for suitability, but there are long waiting times.

He said surgery needed to be "one tool that is used as part of an entire weight management programme" as obesity affects every organ in the body.

Mr Beamish, a consultant bariatric surgeon, said the problem was down to a lack of funding in the UK.

"Many people, especially those on lower incomes and from underprivileged backgrounds, are going abroad," he said.

Mr Beamish said, while patients' notes indicated the surgery was similar to that done in the UK, pre and post-operation care was the problem, with people often staying in a hotel for a couple of nights after surgery before flying home.

"There's no real aftercare - for this type of treatment you need psychologists, specialist dieticians as you will be eating completely different and you can't eat the same volume of food," he said.

Mr Beamish said "desperation" was driving people to "find the money to and get it done somewhere" but it meant the NHS was seeing more people with rare complications that required long stays in intensive care.

Anna, not her real name, was admitted to hospital with a leak from her stomach after she went to Istanbul for a sleeve gastrectomy after gaining weight following the birth of her child in November.

The 24-year-old from Swansea, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her mother's friend had surgery in Turkey with "amazing results" and, after researching online and meeting people who used the same surgery, booked her operation.

She described her experience as "amazing and the nurses couldn't do enough for you", said the surgeon saw her every day and she left with medicine and an aftercare leaflet, with her consultant and dietician directly available on WhatsApp.

Six days after the operation, when she was back in Wales, Anna felt pain in her back and shoulder and could not lift her baby out of her pram.

After developing a fever, she was admitted to A&E and has been in hospital continuously since May.

"I regret having the surgery - I feel like I'm missing out on my baby's life, I feel guilty and bad for paying privately, I felt nervous coming to the NHS as it had gone wrong," she said.

But not everyone's experience has been negative.

Steph Moore from Newport has lost nearly 10 stone (63kg) after having a gastric sleeve in Turkey in December 2021 and said it had "changed her life".

The 31-year-old spent four months searching online and came across "an amazing clinic".

She spent a week in Turkey, including three days in hospital after her operation and two appointments with doctors.

She had weekly WhatsApp messages and a video call after three months, describing the aftercare as "amazing", with her only regret being "not doing it sooner".

Steph needed to lose weight to meet criteria to have IVF and the surgery enabled her to reach her goal and begin treatment.

Ahmed Ahmed, a consultant bariatric surgeon, said: "We strongly advise patients who are considering undergoing bariatric or other types of surgery abroad to research their options carefully.

"I have seen increasing numbers of patients who had bariatric surgery abroad being left with serious complications requiring further surgery in the UK. Sometimes this was due to a lack of post-operative follow up."

The Welsh government said: "If people are considering private healthcare of any sort, it is important they research it properly before undergoing treatment.

"We would encourage people to check they are dealing with someone reputable, ask to see their qualifications, ask about complications and side effects and, if possible speak to other people who have been treated at the same clinic or hospital."