Botched tummy tuck abroad leaves mum with 'tennis-ball sized' hole in stomach
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Abigail Fernandez, 32, opted for a cut-price tummy tuck after the birth of her children left her with a saggy stomach
Myriam Toua
Mum-of-three Abigail Hernandez (Image: HotSpot Media)
A mum almost died after travelling to Tunisia for a cut-price cosmetic procedure in a bid to get rid of her "mummy tummy".
Abigail Fernandez developed an infection after the £2,500 operation, leaving her with a tennis-ball-sized hole in her stomach.
The 32-year-old mum-of-three from Newquay, Cornwall, hated the saggy stomach she was left with after giving birth to her children, Penelope, 1, Declan, 7, and Max, 10.
She said: "All three were delivered by Caesarean section so I was left with scars, stretch marks and sagging skin.
(Image: HotSpot Media)
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"I love my children dearly and would never change them for the world, but I longed to be as confident with my body as I was before I was a mum.
"No matter how many hours I went to the gym, nothing helped. It made me incredibly self-conscious of my figure."
Abigail went to see a GP in 2018, who advised her to go private if she wanted to go for surgery.
The aftermath of the botched tummy tuck (Image: HotSpot Media)
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A tummy tuck and breast lift would cost £10,000 in the UK, at which point she decided to look abroad.
She says: "I saw an advert for cheap surgery in Tunisia the reviews were really positive and it only cost £2,500 for the tummy tuck.
"I contacted the clinic and they sent me lots of information. They said I'd recover in a five-star hotel afterwards.
"In the end, it was too expensive to get the breast lift as well, so I just opted for the tummy tuck. With the flights, I spent around £2,800."
Abigail said she felt fine after the surgery but felt awful the (Image: HotSpot Media)
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When Abigail flew to Tunisia in January 2019, she was shocked to find the hotel was not the five-star comfort she had been promised.
She says: "When I arrived in the room, the bedsheets looked worn, the floor was dirty and the tiles were cracked.
"I started to doubt my decision, but when I arrived at the clinic the next day, I was relieved to see it was spotless."
After undergoing a four-hour operation, Abigail initially felt fine – until the next morning when she woke up in excruciating pain.
The wound worsened until it reached the size of a basketball (Image: HotSpot Media)
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She continued: "My body felt like it was on fire and I begged nurses for painkillers.
"They told me I was being discharged that day, I was horrified. I could barely move. I pleaded with them so the staff let me stay another night, but I was still in a lot of pain the next day."
After spending another two nights in her hotel room, Abigail flew home.
On the flight, she experienced blurred vision, dizziness and swelling which saw her stomach expand to the size of a basketball.
The mum was kept in hospital for four week s (Image: HotSpot Media)
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The wound worsened over the following days until it reached the size of a tennis ball and started oozing out green pus.
Abigail added: "It was disgusting. I emailed pictures to the clinic, but they insisted it was fine.
"My complaints were completely ignored. Two weeks after my operation, I was in so much pain that I had to call for an ambulance.
"At the hospital, doctors revealed the swelling was due to a haematoma – a clot of blood that had formed outside of my blood vessels.
The infection was eventually cut out to stop the infection from spreading (Image: HotSpot Media)
"Doctors burst it and revealed that if I'd have left it longer, I would have died. I was horrified."
After a four-week hospital stay, the infection was cut out to stop it from spreading – leaving her with a nine-inch scar.
She added: "I've been butchered, it's even worse than before. I cry when I see myself naked now.
"I'm saving up for revision surgery in the UK to repair the damage which will cost around £3,000.
"I'm so self-conscious that I'll never dream of wearing a bikini again. Don't go for surgery abroad, I wish I hadn't.
"It seems like I was getting a good deal, but I've paid a high price."