Tummy Tuck Surgery Fail Leaves Woman With Tennis Ball-Sized Hole In Stomach

The very thought of a surgery gone wrong is a nightmare in itself. A 32-year-old mom of three waded through a similar misery at the start of the New Year. Abigail Fernandez, who hails from Newquay, Cornwall signed up for a tummy tuck surgery in Tunisia, which almost cost her life.

Fernandez, who seemed to have body image issues post the delivery of her children, admitted to going under the knife to get back in shape. While most cosmetic surgeries are expensive, Fernandez came across a cheaper alternative via an advert. The procedure which costs about 10,000 euros in the UK, seems to have cost only 2,500 euros in Tunisia. Soon after, Fernandez called up the clinic which flooded her with information, including how she’d recover in a five-star hotel post-surgery. She wanted a breast lift as well but stuck to just the tummy lift owing to budget constraints.

But, much to her dismay, things seemed a little amiss right from the start. Far from what it looks like at a star hotel, the accommodation offered bore a dilapidated appearance—the tiles were broken, the floor was dirty and the bedsheets were dirty. And, the horror had just begun. The clinic, however, seemed spotless. She went ahead with the surgery which lasted for about four hours. When she woke up, she felt just fine. But, the next morning was far from what she imagined.

“My body felt like it was on fire and I begged nurses for painkillers,” said Fernandez, while recollecting the nightmare.

“They told me I was being discharged that day, I was horrified,” she added.

The staff finally agreed to let her stay for one more day after Fernandez alleged that she was unable to move. Despite the pain having persisted the next day, Fernandez was discharged by the hospital staff the very next back and dropped back into the same hotel.

On her return, Fernandez remembers feeling dizzy and her vision was blurry. And well, her tummy had swollen to the size of a basketball. What unfolded in the next couple of days were plain ghastly. A green puss-like liquid oozed out of her tummy. While repeated attempts were made to bring this to the clinic staffs’ notice, they overlooked it and termed the condition as “normal.”

Unable to take it any longer, Fernandez was rushed to the doctor after being in acute pain. The excruciating pain was so bad, that she had to call for an ambulance.

At the hospital, doctors examined her condition only to discover that swelling was due to a hematoma - a clot of blood that had formed outside of Abigail's blood vessels. The swelling was eventually busted and revealed that if she had left it longer, it could’ve cost Fernandez her life. The young mother was hospitalized for four weeks and the infection was cut out to stop it from spreading.

Currently, her stomach bears a nine-inch scar. She will also have to shell out 3000 euros to repair the damage in a specialty hospital in the UK. And, yes, she has a word of advice for all the young women out there: “Don't go for surgery abroad, I wish I hadn't. It seemed like I was getting a good deal, but I've paid a high price.”