Gastric sleeve Turkey review: Chelsea on day 3

What the video covers

Chelsea, 30, from England, travelled to İzmir with a small group of patients. Three days after her gastric sleeve she says that coming together helped: the group supported each other before the operation and intend to keep doing so afterwards.

The tests surprised her. “It’s different to England,” she says: there were a lot of them, and they were done quickly – scans on the first day, more checks on the day of the operation. The operation itself was okay; afterwards it was tenderness and wind rather than pain, and that eased once she was up and walking. The day after surgery was the hardest, and she has felt better every day since. She is now on soup, milk and protein shakes.

She recommends it 100% and thanks the surgeon, the nurses and the interpreter. She is not as heavy as some of the other women in her group, she says, but still above a healthy weight at 30, and she believes the operation will change her life in the long run.

Filmed in 2025. At the start, the group’s organiser mentions that the group would go on to a hotel for a couple of days to rest. That is no longer how we work: every patient now stays four nights in hospital until discharge – no hotel. Today: day 1 arrival and blood tests; day 2 scans, specialist reviews and surgery around midday; four nights in hospital; day 5 discharge and transfer to the airport. Flights are not included.