My Story: A Cautionary Tale on Medical Tourism

One Surgery–Four Sepsises–Two Years Without Food

November 2022 – Istanbul

I flew out for a gastric sleeve surgery, full of hope and ready for a new start.

Instead, I woke up into a nightmare.

The pain was brutal — worse than anything I’d ever known (and I already live with chronic pain).

I begged the nurses and my rep for help.

Their answer? “Gas pain. Walk it off.”

I’m a wheelchair user.

I managed a few agonising steps with a walker before collapsing. I couldn’t drink. I couldn’t stand.

I was screaming in pain.

💔 They discharged me anyway

🏨 Back at the Hotel

Desperate, I messaged my rep on WhatsApp.

Her advice?

“Drink more water.”

“I’ll pray for you.”

“I’ll tell the surgeon.”

I never heard from the surgeon again.

🏥 Back Home: The Truth

Once back in the UK, my GP was horrified.

A CT scan revealed:

⚡ Over-stapled stomach — twisted like a corkscrew

⚡ Leak at the bottom of my oesophagus — every sip of water leaked into my abdomen

⚡ Sepsis

💀 What Followed Was Hell

● 4 episodes of life-threatening sepsis

● 89 days in hospital (missed Christmas, New Year & Easter)

● 2.5 years fed by tube (NJ → PEG)

● Over a year nil by mouth — not even water

● Collapsed lung from septic mass

● Hospital-acquired infection (antibiotic resistant)

● Blood clot, anaemia, clotting disorder

●18 months of blood thinning injections

● Permanent nerve damage (bowels, oesophagus, bladder, stomach)

● Lost the ability to walk completely

● Severe chronic pain → morphine 6× daily

● Diabetes destroyed — constant highs and crashes

● Lost independence

● Gained trauma, isolation & cPTSD

But hey — no more sleep apnoea.

So… silver linings?

🌸 A Glimmer of Hope

In early 2024, I was contacted by Professor Rishi Singhal, a leading bariatric surgeon.

After endless tests and tears, he offered me a lifeline:

👉 A corrective gastric bypass, scheduled for 26 July 2024.

Risky. Life-threatening. But my only chance.

He gave me a fighting chance.

🔄 Recovery: A Work in Progress

Mentally

Tier 4 therapy for trauma

Medication & mindfulness

Still fighting cPTSD daily

Physically

Still on PEG feeding

Daily agony from adhesions & nerve damage

Bedridden, extreme fatigue, broken immune system

Diabetes chaos (still waiting 12+ months for endocrinology)

Can now eat a few liquid/soft foods

💔 Swallowing hurts.

🔥 GERD is brutal.

🤢 Constant nausea.

⚡ Frequent fainting.

But… it’s progress. And that’s something.

💖 This is my journey 💖

💖 This is my warning 💖

💖 This is my fight 💖