A Turkish tummy tuck nearly killed me: I booked a 'mummy makeover' after losing 30kg on weight loss jabs. What happened next was so shocking, you'll never consider surgery overseas
For Anntina Forster, weight loss jabs were a revelation.
The 42-year-old was 'always up and down' with her weight - but with GLP-1 drugs she was able to shift 28.5kg (4st 7lbs).
She dropped four dress sizes and went from 110kg (17st 5lbs) to 82.5kg (13st) on the medication.
But while she was thrilled with the results, the 'loose, heavy skin' left behind after her rapid weight loss really bothered her.
'I still couldn't wear the clothes I wanted to, which kind of drove me into getting the excess skin removed,' the mother-of-one from Birmingham, England, told Daily Mail.
'Working in the aesthetics industry, a lot of it is about how you look and I was really aware of that.
'I was going to the gym and still couldn't get in the clothes I wanted to.
Eventually, Anntina began researching cosmetic solutions and decided to fly to Turkey to undergo a tummy tuck, breast lift and liposuction - otherwise known as a 'mummy makeover'.
Anntina Forster, 42, had always struggled with her weight but managed to lose 30kg with weight loss jabs (pictured before her weight loss)
After getting down to 82.5kg, Anntina had lots of 'loose, heavy skin' so decided to fly to Turkey for a 'mummy makeover' surgery
'I'd been struggling with my weight for a long time. My son is 18 and has gone to live in Thailand so I just felt like this was the right time for me,' she said.
After forking out $13,436 (£6,700) on the surgery and flights, Anntina travelled to the Turkish clinic with her 43-year-old partner Daniel Brown.
'We arrived at 3am and I went straight away into having a chest X-ray and blood tests done,' Anntina said.
'They then started marking my body for surgery hours later. I was standing there completely naked in front of my partner and three other people.
'He didn't really ask me what I wanted. He just said to my partner: "Don't worry, I'll perform a miracle."
'I felt like, "Have you not seen someone as disgusting as me before?" It was degrading.'
Soon, Anntina was wheeled down for the procedure, which took six hours.
'[After surgery] I woke up in excruciating pain, screaming, crying, delirious. I felt like I couldn't breathe,' she said.
Anntina travelled to Turkey for her surgeries - a tummy tuck, breast lift and liposuction - with her partner Daniel Brown (pictured together)
'I feel like I was butchered' Anntina told Daily Mail, after she got E. coli from her surgery
As soon as she woke from the op, Anntina noticed a wound on her stomach was leaking fluid
She noticed the wound on her stomach was leaking fluid but was told everything was 'normal' by doctors who came to check on her.
'I thought I was going through what people normally go through, but looking back, it was the start of the infection,' she said.
'I was feeling unwell and losing a lot of fluid out of my wounds. They kept saying it was normal. I knew there was something not right.'
After flying home a week later, Anntina began feeling more and more unwell, suffering from dizziness and fever, as well as fluid leaking from her wounds.
Despite reassurances from the clinic that her symptoms were normal, Anntina was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham days later with a severe infection.
'I got there and they said I was nearly in septic shock, my infection was so bad,' she revealed.
'The nurse said to me if it's travelling around your blood, there's nothing they can do. I was sitting there crying, thinking I was never going to see my son again.
'The doctors told me I had contracted E. coli, which had developed from my stomach due to the surgery in Turkey.
'They said to me if I had stayed at home one more night, I wouldn't be here. They literally saved my life.'
Anntina underwent surgery to clean her infected wound before undergoing a blood transfusion a day later.
The response Anntina received from the clinic after telling them she was seriously ill in hospital
When she complained to the clinic, their response was shocking.
The clinic's message read: 'Unless there is an official medical report confirming a surgical error, you are not permitted to post statements on social media claiming the surgery was wrong or a mistake.
'The tone of your messages has been quite rude, and it upsets us deeply, as it prevents us from helping you further.'
Anntina said: 'I told them I was in hospital seriously ill. They just take your money and don't care.
'I was disgusted by their reaction. I regret ever getting this surgery. I can't enjoy the way I look - it's holding such trauma and negativity.
After 10 days in hospital, Anntina was discharged but is now urging others to be extra cautious when choosing clinics abroad after nearly losing her life.
'I feel lucky to be alive. If I could just say to one person, "Don't do it, it's not worth it."
'Either steer clear or make sure you get proper aftercare. I feel like I was butchered.'
