'My botched Turkey surgery means I'll be tube fed for life

SPECIAL REPORT: A mum from Oldham is dead and scores of others have been left with life-long health complications. So why are so many people still travelling to Turkey for surgery? Sophie Halle-Richards reports

When Louise Bradley stepped off the plane in Turkey, she couldn't wait for her new life to begin. After four years of waiting on the NHS, she was delighted when a clinic on the Aegean coast offered her the gastric sleeve procedure she wanted.

The mum-of-two, from Whalley Range, developed arthritis as a result of being overweight, and she found it too painful to exercise. She was convinced travelling abroad for surgery was her only option.

But, following the procedure in May last year, which she had paid around £2,000 for, her health took a drastic turn for the worse.

Instead of removing 75 per cent of her stomach, a Turkish surgeon removed 92 per cent - resulting in her ending up in intensive care after she arrived back home to Manchester.

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The 33-year-old now will now have to eat and drink through a tube for the rest of her life, and is constantly in and out of hospital with complications. Her life has changed forever, but not the way she ever imagined.

Louise revealed her horror experience to the Manchester Evening News in the wake of the death of a loving mum-of-three from Oldham, who died in Turkey earlier this month, as she warned other people about the dangers of booking surgery abroad.

Leanne Leary, 38, suffered two heart attacks after undergoing a gastric sleeve procedure at a clinic in Istanbul, an inquest opening into her death heard last week.

Her tragic death comes after the UK Foreign Office issued an urgent warning to those travelling abroad for surgery, as at least 24 British nationals are known to have died in Turkey since January 2019 following medical procedures.

"The cosmetic surgery, medical and dental tourism industry is almost entirely unregulated, and this has potential risks for those travelling out of the UK," the Foreign Office said. "Existing information about travelling abroad for treatment is variable and there is no authoritative and trustworthy single source of information."

Louise had been desperately waiting to have a gastric sleeve procedure on the NHS for four years when a friend at her local weight loss group arrived home from Turkey raving about the operation she'd had.

"I started researching it thoroughly and spoke to three surgeons," she said. "I decided on the one I did because he was lovely and I even managed to speak to some of his patients on the phone who told me how well the surgery had gone for them.

Louise was booked in for a gastric sleeve procedure on May 27 last year, and paid £2,000 for the surgery, which included accommodation at an all-inclusive hotel nearby. She claims that following the operation, the surgeon told her it had been a success, and signed a fit to fly certificate for the following day.

According to local health bosses, there is a 'huge risk of flying' shortly after an operation, and so 'any clinic suggesting that you can have the procedure and fly home within a few days should set alarm bells ringing.'

"I didn't feel okay - I couldn't even keep down water but the surgeon told me this was normal and I'd feel better once I was home in the UK," Louise recalled.

"On my flight home I passed out and they had to get an ambulance to greet me at Manchester Airport and take me to Wythenshawe hospital intensive care. I was transferred to the weight management service at Salford Royal Hospital and they told me I was the fourth person they'd seen that week after getting back from having surgery in Turkey.

"Whilst I was there another woman came in after having a tummy tuck in Turkey - it was literally like a butcher's shop."

Louise claims that scans carried out at Salford Royal Hospital revealed that instead of removing around 75 per cent of her stomach, the surgeon in Turkey had in fact removed 92 per cent.

They had also cut in her oesophagus meaning the muscles no longer work and she is unable to swallow unassisted. She can't even swallow water. Her only option now is to be tube fed for the rest of her life.

"I have lost nine stone but it's not the way I expected at all," she said. "I was healthier when I was obese. Now I am constantly in and out of hospital and I have stomach pain and diarrhoea all the time."

Louise has since set up her own TikTok account warning other people about the dangers of travelling abroad for surgery, after becoming "sick" of seeing people on the platform "glorifying" the procedures.

The gastric sleeve hashtag on TikTok has been viewed nearly three billion times, with many videos, mostly posted by young women, showing what appears to be incredible before and after transformation videos. Other videos include users filming their journey, and 'pack with me for my gastric sleeve' reels.

According to TikTok, the hashtag #gastricsleeve does not violate TikTok's policies. Their community guidelines state they do not allow 'showing or promoting disordered eating or any dangerous weight loss behaviours.' In relation to cosmetic surgery, content is said to be 'age-restricted' and does not include risk warnings.

The site does also include videos from users like Louise, who have shared their own negative experiences, and warned others to think twice before booking surgery abroad.

Health experts have warned that people who have been encouraged to book weight loss surgery from posts on TikTok, should ensure they have also carried out their own extensive research beforehand.

"Since I created my TikTok I have had 35 other women contact me saying they have had the exact same experience as me," Louise said. "But every time I put anything negative up about gastric sleeve surgery it gets taken down after a few minutes for 'breaching community standards.' According to TikTok, this is because the post displayed private data.

"I did so much research before but it still happened to me," Louise added. "My advice to anyone thinking of having surgery abroad is 'don't do it.' Loads of people say 'well this could have happened in the UK' which it absolutely could have, but they would have had a duty of care to fix it.

"I feel like people are sold a fairy tale but it’s just a butcher’s table out there."

Louise said she was "heartbroken" when she heard about the death of Leanne Leary, and fears the mother 'won't be the last' to die unless people wake up to the dangers of medical tourism.

Leanne, a mum-of-three from Hollinwood, travelled to Istanbul by herself after paying £2,000 for a gastric sleeve procedure, after being told she'd have to wait four years to have the surgery on the NHS.

Her ex-husband, Steven, told the M.E.N she had booked the package, which included flights and a four-star all inclusive hotel, through a Whatsapp number - the same way she'd arrange a 'hairdressers appointment.'

Rochdale Coroner's Court heard that Leanne underwent a medical examination on the morning of July 1, before the gastric sleeve procedure was carried out some time in the afternoon.

After failing to make contact with her family afterwards, they became concerned. They later discovered on July 2 that Leanne had passed away, after suffering two cardiac arrests.

The results of a post-mortem are yet to be revealed and a full inquest into the mum's death is due to take place at a later date. Her heartbroken family have since issued an urgent appeal for other people to 'think twice' before booking the procedure abroad.

Jim Byrne trained to become a Consultant Surgeon in the North West, and now works in the bariatric surgical team in Southampton, and has performed over 2,000 procedures including laparoscopic gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, laparoscopic roux Y gastric bypass and revision surgery.

He is also a member of the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society, who say they are becoming 'increasingly concerned' at the number of people experiencing complications from surgery performed outside of the UK.

Mr Byrne told the Manchester Evening News he believes so many people are travelling abroad for weight loss surgery now due to a 'lack of provision' for people living with severe obesity in the UK.

"The condition [obesity] has become more common partly due to the effects of the pandemic but also due to other factors before that," he said.

"People travel to places like Turkey because they can get access to this kind of surgery when they can't access it on the NHS or they can't afford to go privately in the UK so this feels like a logical option.

"It's easy to blame these people for going abroad but from where they are standing it seems like the right thing to do. But it's not for a lot of obvious reasons."

"The procedures that take place in countries such as Turkey would not be regarded as acceptable in the UK. There are very different levels of safety and you don’t fully understand what it is you're signing up for. In the UK you can easily go to the CQC website but you can’t do that in places like Turkey."

Mr Byrne says people who have weight loss surgery such as gastric sleeve procedures should receive follow-up appointments but this doesn't happen for procedures abroad - putting extra strain on the NHS.

"There are a lot of people who have come back with complications," he said. "I work in a big hospital and most of my colleagues have people in every other week who have been to Turkey for some kind of treatment.

"We don’t know exactly how many people have gone to Turkey for surgery but we estimate around 20,000 to 50,000 a year. The number of people offered treatment on the NHS each year is about 5,000.

"People are entitled to do as they wish but they have to be informed of the risks as well as the benefits. The benefit is that they might have successful surgery for a fraction of the price if they’d gone privately in the UK.

"But we see many more people admitted with complications who have had surgery in Turkey than we see who have had surgery done on the NHS. Particularly with the gastric sleeve procedure."

Describing Leanne's death as a "tragedy," Mr Byrne warned against the dangers of only using the likes of TikTok for information, and urged anyone thinking of having surgery abroad to check official guidance on the BOMSS (British Medical Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society) or NHS website, and more importantly, to speak to a GP before booking a procedure.

Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) show the total number of overseas cosmetic operations being fixed on the NHS in 2022 was 35 per cent higher than the previous year. And sadly, there are more people who have died.

Since the death of Leanne, a woman in her 50s from Ireland died after undergoing an abdominoplasty - also known as a tummy tuck - at a clinic in Turkey, the Times reported.

And, earlier this year, Shannon Bowe, 28, died while undergoing gastric band surgery in Turkey. The young woman, from Denny, near Falkirk in Scotland, tragically passed away during the procedure on Saturday, April 1.

Meanwhile, Leah Cambridge, a 29-year-old mum from Leeds died in 2018 in Izmir, Turkey from a pulmonary embolism after a doctor accidentally injected fat into her veins. Leah had three heart attacks on the operating table.

And last year, the mother of a 25-year-old man from Derbyshire issued a warning after her son died following botched weight-loss surgery in Turkey. Julie Thornley was told her son, Joe, suffered a heart attack during the operation at a hospital in Istanbul.

But a post-mortem examination revealed that Joe had actually died from internal bleeding, as he had bled at the site of the operation.

Labour MP for North Durham, Kevan Jones, has urged the government to step in and warned that anybody considering cosmetic surgery should 'not go to Turkey.'

Writing for the Mail Online, the MP said many people had been enticed by the glamorisation of these procedures on social media. "Terms such as 'mummy makeover' prey on insecurities and some clinics offer procedures as part of 'all-inclusive' packages, with the return flight just days later," he wrote.

"Terms such as all-inclusive glamorise medical tourism and feed in to a 'celebrity' culture that appeals to so many, particularly younger people. Flying so soon after some procedures also carries huge risks.

"There needs to be a much more proactive approach by social media giants to reviewing ads for these procedures on their platforms, that is clear about the risk of harm."

Health bosses in Greater Manchester have acknowledged that many people are turning to surgery abroad due to delays for hospital treatment on the NHS, but warned that travelling abroad for medical procedures can lead to 'dangerous complications.'

Mr Dilraj Sandher, Executive Medical Director for Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT, on behalf of NHS GM, said: "I would urge anyone considering having any medical treatment abroad to do extensive research, making sure they have a discussion with their GP before making a decision.

"Any surgery carries risk, but with the standard of medical facilities and care varying widely around the world, travelling abroad can lead to dangerous complications. Quality aftercare following a procedure is just as important as the surgery itself, as there is a risk of infection which can lead to serious illness and even death.

"This aftercare is difficult to guarantee if you have treatment outside of the UK. There is also a huge risk with flying shortly after an operation, so any clinic suggesting that you can have the procedure and fly home within a few days should set alarm bells ringing.

"We do recognise and understand the frustration when patients wait longer than expected to receive hospital treatment. NHS services have been under significant pressure, but staff are working hard to get patients the care they need as quickly and as safely as we can, prioritising those who have been waiting the longest."

TikTok and the Turkish Foreign Office have been approached for comment.

You can find guidance on getting healthcare abroad here: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/going-abroad-for-treatment/treatment-abroad-checklist/