A mum was left a hole in her stomach the size of a coin after contracting MRSA when she underwent a £16,000 full "mummy makeover" in hospital.
Melanie Sandberg saved up for surgeries in a bid to get back her pre-pregnancy body, after having two babies in two years.
And just seven months after giving birth to her youngest child, the 35-year-old woman had the procedure. It consisted of a breast augmentation and tummy tuck all in one - but three weeks after her surgery, Melanie grew concerned.
The mum-of-three, from Long Island, New York, noticed a hole in her stomach, where a drain had sat during the surgery had re-opened and started to grow larger and more painful over time.
The gruesome hole grew to the size of a coin, so Melanie took herself to hospital several weeks after the procedure and she was told she had MRSA - a superbug which is notoriously resistant to most antibiotics.
The former primary school teacher wants to warn others to watch out for the symptoms.
Speaking today from her home in the US, Melanie said: "I came home and it was getting larger and deeper - it was an open wound.
"I literally had a hole in my stomach the size of a silver dollar coin."
"I was diagnosed with MRSA, and I remember realising how bad things were.
"I knew it was bad before but I had no idea exactly how serious it was.
"There was a deep hole at the bottom of my tummy. It got bigger and bigger and my abdomen became extremely swollen."
Melanie has undergone suitable treatment for her condition and is now on the road to recovery.
"Now I'm finally healing, I'm actually really happy with the results, but I had no idea how serious it was and how dangerous MRSA can be," the mother said.
"I went to hospital and was told I had MRSA - I was very concerned and scared.
"It (the stomach) was an open wound the size of a silver coin with pus coming out."
Melanie had her eldest child - Ava Galante - 14 years ago but, following two pregnancies in quick succession, she gained weight and "wanted her body back" earlier this year.
The two-hour procedure was on February 17, seven months after giving birth to baby Gibson Paciullo, now ten months.
Recalling the operation, which cost $20,000, the former teacher said: "When I woke up from surgery, I was feeling awful, I was in a lot of pain.
"But I remember thinking how in a few weeks time I'll be back to myself, I'll have my body back, and I could get back to life, feeling better than ever."
But when she was diagnosed with MRSA, Melanie was given a new type of drug which the superbug is not resistant to and was taught how to care for the wounds so they heal properly.
This included stuffing gauze soaked in saline inside the hole to kill the infection.
The mum continued: "I had no idea of the complications and I took it very lightly.
"Looking back, MRSA is highly contagious and I was home with my three kids, two of them very young still - we are lucky it didn't spread to them.
"Since I started sharing my story, so many other women have told me their stories and it turns out so many have gone through the same thing.
"Now I'm finally healing, I'm actually really happy with the results.
"But I had no idea how serious it was and how dangerous MRSA can be."
