I paid £17k and flew to Turkey for weight loss op but left with a red raw gaping hole that kept ‘popping’ open
A mum-of-three has revealed how she was left with a gaping hole in her back after botched surgery in Turkey.
Samantha Price, 49, underwent a tummy tuck and back lift to remove almost 30kg of excess skin, but it turned into a real-life nightmare that left her ‘wanting to die’.
The full-time carer, from Buckinghamshire, has been scarred for life and with an £18k bill she’s still paying off.
After the initial op, she underwent five revision surgeries in six months, requiring thirteen blood transfusions and three skin grafts.
But when each op failed, she was forced to fly home for private treatment in the UK.
Samantha says: “The surgeon is refusing to take any responsibility for botching me.
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“I could’ve died out there.
“Now I want others considering going under the knife to do their research.”
Samantha, who now weighs 18st, had always struggled with her weight which left her with excess skin.
She weighed 16st by the age of 15, and 34st after having her first child, aged 20.
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Three years later, she visited a weight loss surgeon and had a gastric balloon fitted on the NHS, which saw her lose 3st.
She was then fitted with a gastric band and in six years, became half her size.
Recalling that time, Samantha says: “Seeing the weight fall off me, I felt amazing. I was 17.5st and a dress size 20.”
But after nearly ten years, in 2006, her gastric band failed so she underwent private bypass surgery costing £10,000.
The op was unsuccessful, and she started piling on the pounds again, reaching 22st within four years.
The overhang was awful and I hated the way I looked. I was too embarrassed to even undress in front of my husband.
Samantha
Samantha remembers: “Years passed and no amount of exercise or healthy eating made a difference.
“And after having my third child, I hated the huge amount of excess skin left on my tummy.
“The overhang was awful and I hated the way I looked. I was too embarrassed to even undress in front of my husband.”
In 2021, Samantha’s friend told her about a tummy tuck she had in Turkey.
Samantha says: “I looked at UK clinics, but no surgeon would touch me with a BMI of over 33. I had to be 18st or under and was 4st too heavy.
“And many clinics in Turkey refused me as well.”
But then one Turkish surgeon agreed to operate. After sending anatomy pictures, Samantha had her first video consultation.
She says: “He told me he could do it, no problem. He even addressed my concerns about blood clotting issues, reassuring me there would be no complications.”
'I felt like a new woman'
The surgeon quoted Samantha £5K for a tummy tuck and said she’d also require a second op to get rid of her back fat, which could cost £7K.
Samantha agreed to the £12K makoever and underwent her first surgery in Dalaman in October 2022 where 16kg of skin was removed.
But while she recovered back home, weeks later, holes appeared in the stitches in her stomach.
The following month she flew back and had revision surgery to fix it and she continued her recovery in the UK.
Every time he took me into theatre to clean and repair my skin, I think he shaved too much off because the wound kept flapping open whenever I moved. It was horrific. I just wanted to die.
Samantha
She says: “I felt like a new woman with my flat tummy. I did gentle exercises in the gym to lose an extra two stone for my second op.”
Five months on, in April 2023, she flew back to Turkey for her back lift.
Samantha remembers: “The surgeon told me he’d need to remove 11.5kg of skin, including my tattoo on my lower back, that was close to my tailbone.”
But the next day, hours after surgery, Samantha went to the toilet and felt a ‘popping’ in her lower back.
The surgeon examined her and confirmed the wound had opened and she would need revision surgery two days later.
But when Samantha went to the hotel to recover, the red raw wound re-opened again.
Scarred for life
In six months, Samantha had to get the hole closed in five operations using three skin grafts. She even required 13 blood transfusions because she'd lost so much blood.
Samantha says: “Each time the surgeon blamed my body, saying my immune system wasn’t good enough to heal the wound and I was ‘over doing it’. I couldn’t believe it.
“Every time he took me into theatre to clean and repair my skin, I think he shaved too much off because the wound kept flapping open whenever I moved. It was horrific. I just wanted to die.”
By October last year, Samantha convinced the surgeon to clear her to fly home.
Back in the UK, her GP told her she was at risk of sepsis and paralysis if the wound didn’t heal as an infection could get into her spine.
Thankfully, Samantha’s husband had a friend who worked for a company that specialised in wound dressings.
She says: “They offered me a machine to compress my skin together, free of charge.
“I used it every three days and within two months, the hole was finally closing up. It was a miracle.”
With all the surgeries and revisions, Samantha has forked out £18,000, which she’s still paying off today.
She suffers numbness in her lower back and has been left with a button-shaped scar on her back.
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Now Samantha is seeking compensation from the clinic.
She says: “I’m lucky to be alive. I want others to think twice before going under the knife. If a surgeon seems too good to be true, then they probably are.”
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips - which can be adopted slowly - include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that's high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
Read about:
- The five fat loss foundations
- The calorie formula for weight loss
- The perfect portion sizes for meals to lose weight
- Sun Health's 8-week weight loss kick start plan