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The woman who traveled to Turkey for a low-cost weight-loss procedure now fears for her health after finding out she “can’t stop losing weight”.
Tracy Hutchinson, 52, weighed 16 stone before paying £5,000 to go under the knife in January last year and was initially ecstatic about the results.
Surgeons at the unnamed clinic performed gastric bypass surgery, which creates a small pouch in the stomach that makes patients feel full faster and absorb fewer calories from food.
But now the mother-of-two says she’s left with “skin and bones” after being unable to stop shedding pounds — which has left her looking seriously underweight in shocking photos.
Ms. Hutchinson, of Washington, near Sunderland, is currently tipping the scales to just 6.5 stone, nearly a third of her preoperative weight.
Weighing 16 stone and wanting to lose weight, Tracy Hutchinson traveled to Turkey for gastric bypass surgery in January last year
The 52-year-old was originally happy with the results, especially considering the cost of the operation was much less than what she would have paid in the UK.
The employer said: I lost a lot of weight at first. I didn’t believe it.
But after I got to the perfect size I couldn’t stop. It has now moved from one extreme to the other.
Ms Hutchinson originally planned to perform the procedure on the NHS. But after that was rejected, I decided to travel to Turkey in January 2022 instead.
Only those with a BMI of 40 or greater or a BMI of over 35 along with one health condition are eligible, under health service guidelines.
Patients should also try diet and exercise to lose weight, and agree to live a healthy lifestyle thereafter.
Gastric bypass uses surgical staples to create a small pouch in the upper part of the stomach, separated from the rest of the organ.
The pouch is then connected directly to the small intestine, bypassing the rest of the stomach.
This means eating less food to make a person feel full and they will absorb fewer calories, making them lose weight.
Ms Hutchinson, who has spent three years on NHS waiting lists, has been told she is only eligible for a gastric balloon on the NHS.
This procedure sends a special balloon into the stomach through the throat where it is then inflated with air or water.
The balloon makes people feel full and unable to eat much, although it is only temporary and is usually removed within 6 months.
Ms Hutchinson accepted the gastric balloon offer but said it did not help her lose weight as she had hoped.
My weight meant serious pressure was building up around my brain, she said, but all they gave me was this stomach balloon.
I tried it and lost two stones. But once I took the balloon out, I put all the weight back on.
Feeling discouraged, I decided to have a gastric bypass abroad instead and traveled to Turkey early last year.
Gastric bypass surgery in Turkey can cost £3,000 – much less than the £8,000 it costs privately in the UK.
Ms. Hutchinson said she was satisfied with the surgery, cost and aftercare for about five months.
‘The surgery went smoothly and I was put up in a nice hotel afterwards,’ she said.
When I got back, I immediately started seeing results.
“And I got married in June last year with a 10.5 stone dream – I was so happy.”
But, after that point, Ms. Hutchinson found that she just couldn’t stop shedding the pounds and has been getting progressively thinner since then.
She now describes herself as “skin and bones”.
Fearing for her health, she called her surgeon in Türkiye for help.
But she claims that the doctor just advised her to take Imodium to relieve her diarrhoea To prevent her from going to the toilet as a way to gain weight.
She even managed to achieve her ‘dream weight’ of 10.5 stone for the wedding in June last year with a dream weight of 10.5 stone – I was so happy.
Shocking photos show mother-of-two has shrunk to ‘skin and bones’ now weighing just 6.5 stone
However, this did not work, and Mrs. Hutchinson said she now ‘Really afraid’.
She said, ‘I’m now at a point where I’m not sure how much weight I can physically lose.
I hope someone who reads my story can help me, because I have ideas on how to stop this. It’s terrifying.
Dr Neil Jennings, Clinical Director of Surgery at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said any form of weight loss surgery is a major operation, and should not be taken lightly.
He said: ‘It has to be studied very carefully by a team of health professionals in line with national guidance.
Patients have to undergo a series of examinations to ensure that surgery is the right option for them.
This includes a full health examination, advice, support and commitment to losing weight before any procedure.
Dr Jennings noted that some people are refused surgery on the NHS after experts judged it was not suitable for their particular condition.
“For some people, surgery will not be in their best interest. This is usually the case where the risks of the operation outweigh the potential benefits.
“Many people will be offered alternative therapies, but this may not always be effective.”
Dr Jennings, like many other health professionals in the UK, said he had seen an increase in patients requiring follow-up treatment after surgery abroad.
“We strongly recommend that anyone considering traveling abroad for private care research their options carefully and understand the risks involved,” he said.
Thousands of Britons head to Turkey every year to get a range of medical treatments such as plastic surgery or weight loss surgery at a fraction of the price they would pay under the knife in the UK.
British surgeons are increasingly concerned that the NHS is helping to subsidize poor care abroad, with the bill costing the taxpayer an estimated £4.8m over the past four years.
But some are paying the ultimate price for budget surgery, with at least 22 Britons dying after medical tourism visits to the country.
Far more are infected or have complications and often have to seek help from the NHS for emergency help when they return to the UK.
Experts have estimated the cost of treating the botched on-board surgery at around £1.2m to taxpayers each year, although this is likely an underestimate as the health service does not record such cases directly.
Hutchinson did not reveal the exact clinic she went to in Turkey for the gastric bypass surgery, nor what she paid.
However, there are dozens of surgeons offering British budget weight loss surgery in cities such as Istanbul and Izmir.
Nor did she say exactly why the NHS considered gastric bypass surgery for which she was not eligible.
But MailOnline understands that a detailed assessment of Tracey’s condition has been carried out by the NHS and it has been determined that gastric bypass surgery is not in her best interest, as she did not meet surgery guidelines and failed to meet her weight loss goals.
She was offered an alternative procedure, which she agreed to.
The woman who went to Turkey for weight-loss surgery now says she worries about her health