Woman Has Intestines Stapled Shut In Botched Weight Loss Surgery: 'More Than a Nightmare'
A woman has spoken of how she feared she would die after having a botched weight loss procedure in Mexico, where her intestines were stapled shut.
Amie Davenport from Baja, California, decided to have surgery after struggling with her weight her whole life, she told WTSP.
Davenport, a teacher and mother to two children, said she explored having surgery in the U.S. but chose Oasis of Hope Center in Tijuana, Mexico. She was attracted by it costing less than $6,000, as well as good reviews online.
The report did not state what procedure Davenport had. The center offers bariatric surgery, according to its website.
After the surgery, Davenport started suffering from abdominal pains.
"I can't even describe the pain. It was so intense," said Davenport. "It was radiating down my left side. They were like 'it's normal its fine, it's indigestion.'"
Davenport later visited a hospital in Texas where she had a scan that indicated the procedure constituted "severe malpractice," according to Dr. Sina Matin, a surgeon in the state.
Following the surgery, Davenport was left with infected and enlarged intestines which had been stapled shut at both ends.
Davenport is among the millions of U.S. residents who travel to other countries for medical care each year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website that traveling to another country for medical care "can be risky."
Most often, what are known as medical tourists from the U.S. travel to Mexico, Canada, or countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
The CDC advises researching the qualifications of the health care providers who will carry out the procedure and the facility's creditors before going ahead.
Organizations such as the Joint Commission International, DNV GL International Accreditation for Hospitals, and the International Society for Quality in Healthcare have resources on the standards facilities must meet to be accredited.
Davenport's husband Randy Davenport told WTSP he got himself prepared to tell their daughters that their mother may die.
She told WTSP: "I would describe this as more than a nightmare, it is the most traumatic thing I have experienced in my entire life."
Newsweek has contacted Oasis of Hope Center in Tijuana for comment.
Oasis of Hope Center told WTSP "no comment."
Davenport said: "I finally spoke with a doctor this morning and she said, 'well, you know accidents happen, and we're really sorry about that.' But, the emotional toll it has taken on me and my family is much more than any accident."
