Turkey surgery warning as mother-of-four dies after gastric sleeve

A begetter whose girl died aft travelling to Turkey for weight-loss country has urged radical to deliberation again earlier doing the same.

Shannon Meenan Browse from Londonderry was 32 erstwhile she died successful August.

The mother-of-four travelled for a gastric sleeve cognition 18 months agone but, according to her father, got sick astir consecutive away.

Shane Meenan said his girl could not support immoderate nutrient down successful the aftermath of the operation.

He said the unwellness got truthful atrocious her teeth began to rot owed to changeless vomiting.

The household were told she died successful Altnagelvin Hospital from "malnutrition owed to gastric sleeve".

Dr Nicola Herron, a Derry-based GP, said the acquisition of Ms Meenan Browse and her household was "beyond heart-breaking", adding that doctors successful Northern Ireland were becoming progressively acrophobic astir radical travelling overseas for surgery.

A BBC probe successful March recovered that 7 British patients who travelled to Turkey for weight-loss country died aft operations there, portion others returned location with superior wellness issues.

"The professionals present are sometimes astatine a nonaccomplishment arsenic to however to look aft radical who person travel backmost aft this large country - due to the fact that this is simply a specializer area. That is precise worrying," Dr Herron said.

Most people, she added, don't realise conscionable however superior the country tin be.

Mr Meenan, meanwhile, told BBC Radio Foyle, that his daughter's decease had mislaid him his bosom and soul.

"She near down 4 beauteous children and we person to beryllium beardown present for them."

The 2 astir communal types of value nonaccomplishment country are:

"A sleeve gastrectomy is wherever a ample portion of the tummy is removed truthful it's overmuch smaller than it was before," the NHS website says.

"This means you cannot devour arsenic overmuch arsenic you could earlier country and you'll consciousness afloat sooner."

Risks associated with this benignant of country tin see trouble swallowing, vomiting and, successful immoderate cases, superior unwellness and death.

Recalling his daughter's ordeal, Mr Meenan said she couldn't support her vitamins - nor thing other - down.

"As each time passed, she was getting sicker and sicker."

Mr Meenan said the lone nutrient his girl could devour without throwing up was broth from ready-made noodles.

"She was getting precise sick due to the fact that each she was doing was throwing up and sleeping - that's each she could do," helium said.

Ms Meenan Browse soon needed exigency surgery, helium said.

"We were told the malnutrition affected her liver and killed her liver... past she got sicker again and her kidneys stopped working," helium said.

"They past phoned america and told america she was dying and determination was thing they could bash and each the machines were switched off."

Now, helium wants others who are reasoning astir travelling for country overseas to cognize that it is astir much than "just paying the wealth and booking successful and getting it".

Similar surgery, if undertaken by the NHS, has precise stringent criteria, Dr Herron said.

That includes that the patient's assemblage wide scale (BMI) is much than 40, which is classed arsenic morbidly obese.

The bulk of patients who question for operations don't person a BMI that high, said Dr Herron.

"So truthful the hazard they are taking acold outweighs the benefits to their wellness of having this surgery."

Dr Herron added that radical should halt and deliberation earlier booking themselves successful overseas for these types of operations.

If you, oregon idiosyncratic you know, person been affected by immoderate of the issues oregon topics covered successful this story, you tin sojourn BBC Action Line to find accusation and organisations that tin help.