Weight loss surgery warning issued by mum-of-one who nearly died after procedure left her vomiting 'flesh'

• A mother who spent £10K on weight loss surgery was left ‘throwing up lumps of flesh’.
• The mum-of-one went in for a three-hour long gastric sleeve surgery in a UK clinic after gaining weight following pregnancy.
• Sofia Alessia, 27, suffered severe complications and has warned others that, ‘weight loss surgery isn't worth the pain’.

A mum-of-one who spent £10K on weight loss surgery was left "throwing up lumps of flesh", and has warned other against getting the procedure.

Sofia Alessia, 27, who decided against going to Turkey for cheap surgery after hearing “horror stories”, had gastric sleeve surgery at a UK clinic, who she claims offered her a £3K discount from the £10k surgery to share her review online.

The influencer from Littleborough, Greater Manchester, gained weight during and after her first pregnancy, going from a size 10 to a size 16. She tried the gym and running but struggled due to ''emotional eating'' and decided surgery was her best option.

While researching online, Sofia decided against going to Turkey for cheap surgery after hearing ''horror stories''. She settled on a UK based clinic, having the three-hour long gastric sleeve surgery on January 31, 2022.

But after coming round from the general anaesthetic, she says felt ''immediately sick''. Over the following days she was left ''constantly throwing up lumps of flesh'' and unable to keep any fluids or food down.

After 24 hours, Sofia was discharged home but was only there for three hours before calling 999 and being rushed to Blackburn Hospital where she was treated for pneumonia and blood clots in her lungs for three weeks.

She returned to the private clinic, who believed a gastric bypass would fix the issues as they admitted to removing too much of her stomach during the first procedure. But unfortunately the fix didn't work, with Sofia's condition dramatically declining and she developed sepsis.

Four days later she retuned to NHS care at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where surgeons tried to salvage what remained of her stomach and were able to remove the staples from her bowels and small intestine, which had caused the deadly infection.

Sofia has now lost a total of seven stone and is recovering back home with daughter Alya-Valentina, four. The influencer, from Littleborough, Greater Manchester, said: "I was always told to never go to Turkey. But staying in the UK for it nearly killed me anyway.”

She continued: ''I couldn't eat or drink for weeks. Everyday was a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from. I was vomiting lumps of flesh every day and night.” Adding: "I do love my glow up, but I wish I didn't have to go through hell."

Before becoming a mum, Sofia ''easily maintained'' a size 10 figure but gained weight in 2019, after the birth of her daughter, Alya-Valentina. She tried the gym and running but struggled due to ''emotional eating'' and decided surgery was her best option.

Sofia said: "I didn't know what do, I knew I wasn't happy for my size, but I couldn't stop binge eating. I needed help."

The mum-of-one booked in for weight loss surgery at what she believed to be a reputable clinic, in January 31, 2022. Sofia said: "I was really happy with my original surgeon but they switched them last minute. I was nervous but I had already booked it all and didn't feel like I could pull out. I just wanted to get started."

After the procedure to remove a large part of her stomach, leaving just a thin sleeve, she woke to find herself ''uncontrollably vomiting'' and feeling extreme dehydration. She was throwing up thick liquid that looked like "lumps of flesh" but despite her condition she was discharged after just 24 hours.

Just hours after the operation, Sofia was admitted to Blackburn Royal Hospital, in which she spent three weeks receiving nutrition through a tube due as she couldn't keep food down.

During this time, Sofia's mum, Lisanne Meadowcroft, a nurse trainer, 53, looked after Ayla-Valentina while she was in hospital.

Sofia was then moved to Worcester Royal Hospital for further treatment, and was fitted with a feeding tube, this insertion later revealed two blood clots located in each lung.

Sofia said: "I hadn't seen my family in days, and I couldn't keep anything down. I felt like I was dying, and everything was getting worse and worse."

Her condition continued to deteriorate, and she developed pneumonia, while doctors discovered that more than 80% of her stomach had been removed causing a stricture.

Communication continued with the clinic as they sent a care package worth of £250 of aftercare products, and arranged to fix the botched surgery themselves, even sending transportation to transfer her back to their premises.

On March 21, 2022, Sofia underwent a gastric bypass, but due to the issues with the previous surgery, they were forced to remove ''almost all' of her stomach. During the procedure, the surgeon stapled her bowel into her smaller intestine which caused chronic sepsis to quickly develop. She went straight to Worcester Hospital for further treatment.

Sofia feared she would die, she said: "I begged a nurse to save my life and begged for other doctors, I didn't think I would ever say my daughter again. I wasn't getting answers and I felt like I was losing a bit of myself everyday.”

She continued: "The surgeon called my mum and told her that I might die. My family was distraught, the clinic was talking to me every day over WhatsApp."

For two weeks after the procedure, Sofia was left in Worcester Hospital completely weak, and unable to even lift her phone. On March 25, 2022, NHS doctors performed a successful surgery to remove staples from the lower intestine and stomach, and they drained the infection from her body. After three months in hospital, she finally returned home on April 9.

Sofia, who now has multiple scars on her stomach, has lost seven stone but has been left with an internal hernia which requires another surgery to remove.

Sofia said: "Everyone told me to never go to Turkey for weight loss surgery. But I paid £10k here and I still was left butchered.” She added: "I'm still recovering, but day by day my body is healing.” Warning: “Weight loss surgery isn't worth the pain."

What is weight loss surgery?

Weight loss surgery, sometimes called bariatric surgery, is a treatment for those who are severely obese, the NHS explain that it involves making the stomach smaller so people feel fuller easier and therefore eat less food. Different types of weight loss surgery include gastric bypass, gastric band, gastric balloon and sleeve gastrectomy.

You can find out more information about how to lose weight on the NHS.UK.