A MUM says she has been left “deformed” after getting a £3,800 “mummy makeover”.
Charlie Sugden was terrified she was going to die following the procedure in Turkey.
She booked liposuction and a tummy tuck and was left terrified she was going to die[/caption]
The 40-year-old booked liposuction and a tummy tuck after years of feeling unhappy with her body following the births of her three children.
She says as soon as she woke up from the operation, she realised something was horribly wrong.
Her stomach had already started turning black because the circulation had been cut off and she was developing sepsis, which kills 11million people worldwide every year.
Charlie claims she was in agonising pain and was petrified she would die – but it was the thought of her children that kept her going.
She flew back to the UK five days later but collapsed after noticing a gaping wound in her stomach.
Medics performed an operation to remove the dead skin and Charlie says she’s been left “deformed” as a result.
“When I woke up, I was in horrendous pain,” the mum-of-three, from Leeds, said.
“I looked down and my stomach was black because the circulation had stopped.
“I can’t describe the pain I was in. I thought I was going to die in my bed.
“The only thing that kept me going was my children.
“I kept thinking I needed to get home for them so they have a mum.
“I couldn’t die like that, it would be so traumatic for them.
“I was screaming in agony. My stomach was dying and all I could feel was tight pain all over my body.
“I had to get out of bed for my children even though it almost killed me. I needed to get home to them.”
Once Charlie returned to the UK, things only got worse.
I was naive. I just thought I’d be fine and home in a few days but now I’m deformed for life
Charlie Sugden
“I was on the sofa, and when I got up, my stomach opened up,” she said.
“Loads of fluid came out of it. I collapsed and I was rolling around in pain.
“I went to hospital and they said I had sepsis.
“They cut the dead flesh away and stuck a vacuum pack to my stomach to help it heal.
“When I woke up, I had no stomach and I wasn’t prepared for that. I was in shock, massively.”
Charlie’s stomach being vacuum sealed once back in the UK[/caption]
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body has an extreme response to an infection. It can be incredibly serious.
Charlie, who is completing her GCSEs and hoping to become a nurse, spent five days recovering in hospital before being sent home.
She said she’s been left “disfigured” by the surgery, which she had in July last year, but is thankful to be alive.
“I’m deformed; my stomach goes in and it looks awful,” she said.
“I can wear a dress now but I know what I look like underneath.
“All that matters though is that I’m alive to be a mum to my kids.
“That would have been a horrible way for me to die and for my children to lose their mum like that.
“I’m fit and healthy otherwise, and I’m thankful for that.”
Sepsis – the facts
- There are 47 to 50million cases of sepsis every year worldwide
- At least 11million people die from sepsis annually
- One in five deaths globally is associated with sepsis
- As many as 40 per cent of cases are in children under the age of five
- Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals
- It is also the most common reason for hospital admission
- Up to 50 per cent of all sepsis survivors suffer from long-term physical or psychological effects
Source: Stop Sepsis Save Lives
Charlie opted for a tummy tuck and liposuction after struggling with her body image since having children.
The double procedure, which sometimes also includes a boob job, is popular with mums and is often dubbed a “mummy makeover“.
Charlie said she’d been researching surgeons for four years and the one she eventually chose had been recommended to her by a friend.
“From having three children, I have a stomach,” she said.
“The muscles are broken in my stomach and it’s difficult to get them back.
“Even if I lost weight, the belly would stay and it affected my confidence massively.
Charlie’s ‘deformed’ stomach now[/caption]
“I’m an active woman and I wanted to look good. I wanted to wear a bikini. I haven’t worn one since having kids.
“I did a lot of research but I didn’t trust any of it because I thought the reviews could be fake.
“It was word of mouth that pushed me to make the decision.”
She added: “You have to be prepared in case you run into problems.
“I didn’t ask who would look after me if anything went wrong.
“I was naive. I just thought I’d be fine and home in a few days.
“People going to Turkey must go to a hospital rather than a clinic so that if something goes wrong, they are able to access medical assistance right away.”
It was the thought of her children that kept her going, Charlie said[/caption]
A surgeon had to cut away the dead skin on her stomach once back in the UK[/caption]
Charlie says she no longer fears comfortable wearing a bikini[/caption]
