Horror stories about Irish patients being left with awful repercussions after having medical procedures done abroad are on the rise.
The headlines are flooded with warnings from medical professionals and harrowing patient accounts of recovery and complications as a result of the cheaper alternatives.
One woman spoke out today about being left ‘like a walking time bomb’ having travelled to Turkey for a cheap gastric sleeve operation.
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Leanne told of how she had the operation done in October 2021 to shed weight but ended up being left with long-term health complications.
She said she had originally planned to get the surgery done in Ireland but after seeing it was €10,000 cheaper in Turkey, she opted to book herself into a hospital there instead.
Speaking to Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, she said: “I knew a few people had gone over to get it done.
“It was intriguing to see that the surgery could be done for a lot less than they were charging in Ireland.
“So, I jumped on the bandwagon to go.”
Leanne said she knew something was amiss when she awoke and was immediately instructed to put on a surgical gown.
She said other patients were allowed to put on pyjamas, while she was “vomiting blood”.
“The surgeon came up to me and said, ‘That can be normal, some blood can go into your stomach after us cutting your stomach,’” she explained.
Leanne said when she first arrived back home she felt alright, but just as she was due to return to her job, she collapsed.
Her sister and partner rang an ambulance and she was rushed to hospital in Limerick due to dizziness.
After being checked over by doctors, scan results showed she had internal bleeding from her spleen and a serious infection.
“They had to ring my partner as my next of kin to come and say goodbye to me because I was dying,” she said.
“They told him I was in septic shock… and they gave him a room because if I died, he would identify me.
“They were saying, ‘It’s touch and go, we don’t know whether she’s going to make it - we’re just praying that she will.’”
Since then, Leanne has had her spleen removed but her health has never recovered and she says: “I’m like a walking timebomb”.
Now, she has to continue with numerous vaccination and said she cannot stand for long periods of time without pain.
She remains vulnerable to developing infections and wakes up with very little energy.
Since going public with her story, Dr Michael Crotty thanked Leanne and said it would serve as a warning to others.
“It’s very difficult to know the quality of the hospital,” he said.
“Some clinics might be very reputable centres but others are not. We’re seeing in acute hospitals around the country, people being admitted with complications.
“Some of the clinics, for what they’re charging for the procedure, they couldn’t possibly be able to afford the equipment and number staplers and devices that are required - that’s why people are having leaks and complications.”
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