The mother-of-four may have acquired the fatal yeast infection after getting liposuction, a BBL, and a breast augmentation in Mexico, according to TikTok videos provided by a now-deceased Texas lady.
29-year-old Lauren Robinson passed away last week following inexpensive cosmetic surgery in the Mexican city of Matamoros.
Although meningitis was listed as the cause of death, it was unknown what kind of operations she underwent.
Anyone who has had epidural anesthesia (an injection into the spine to numb a region of the body) during surgery is at risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These are employed in treatments like Ms. Robinson’s, which may be performed for more than $16,000 less than it would cost in the US.
Ms. Robinson traveled to Mexico for liposuction, a BBL and breast augmentation by Dr. Luis Manuel Rivera De Anda. She is pictured pe-op (left) and post-op (right)
The mother of four was diagnosed with meningitis after her plastic surgeries, which ultimately killed her
Mrs. Robinson underwent surgery on February 27. On March 3, she said in a TikTok comment, “I’m doing great! Just a little sore with movement, but nothing I can’t handle.’
Dr. Luis Manuel Rivera De Anda, who is listed online as a gynecologist, performed her surgery.
His Instagram showcases a plethora of pre- and post-surgery photos for liposuction, BBLs, and breasts and promotes a $5,000 offer of full liposuction, a BBL, and breast augmentation.
It is not known whether Ms. Robinson’s infection had anything to do with Dr. Robinson’s actions. Rivera DeAnda.
Dr. Rivera De Anda did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Shortly after her surgery, Mrs. Robinson developed a severe headache.
Her husband, Garret Robinson, told her 12News“She was great, the results were great, everything was fine, she started going back to work, and then she started telling me constantly, ‘I’ve got a headache, something’s not right.’”
After visiting multiple hospitals in Galveston, Texas, doctors took spinal fluid and blood from Ms. Robinson and sent it for testing.
The mother of four was then diagnosed with meningitis.
Health officials believe that the fungal meningitis can be contracted if medical devices such as the needle used during an epidural or medications such as morphine are contaminated with fungi or if proper infection prevention practices are not practiced.
During her final weeks in hospital, Mrs. Robinson suffered four strokes. She is one of three American victims who died after the cosmetic surgery in Matamoros.
Mr. Robinson said: ‘I can’t explain what it feels like to go through this, and I can’t say enough to everyone, don’t do it.’
Three Texans have died after undergoing cosmetic surgery, including liposuction in Mexico. Health officials say the women were treated at clinics in Matamoros, Mexico, including River Side Surgical Center (left) and Clinica K-3 (right)
Recruiters lured hundreds of patients from around the world and 24 US states to the River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3 in Mexico, both of which are now closed.
It comes after growing warnings about medical tourism, which offers heavily discounted prices but poses dangers because procedures are not as well regulated as in the US.
The CDC is monitoring the condition of another 184 people who received epidural anesthesia (an injection into the spine to numb a part of the body) during plastic surgeries performed since January.
Mrs. Robinson showed her results two days after surgery. FUPA stands for “fatty upper pubic area” and a “faja” is a piece of clothing worn after a BBL and liposuction to reduce swelling
But hundreds of others may have been affected by Mexico’s thriving medical tourism industry, which sees about 1.2 million Americans travel south each year for affordable care, and an even greater number of international patients.
Mrs. Robinson in hospital, where she suffered four strokes
The CDC and its equivalent in Mexico have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the situation a health emergency, which would allow the global agency to deploy resources to track and isolate cases, quarantine contacts and board passengers to screen.
Recruiters lured hundreds of patients from around the world and 24 US states to the River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3 in Mexico, both of which are now closed, for procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation or Brazilian butt lifts.
Two of the cases were confirmed after the fungus was detected in samples.
Fourteen of the cases are suspected fungal meningitis — infections of the brain and spinal cord — and eleven are probable.
The patients reported symptoms such as headache, fever, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion and sensitivity to light.
The infection causes swelling of the protective lining around the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges.
The map above shows the location of Matamoros, where the procedures took place. People are urged not to go there for plastic surgeries
About 1.2 million U.S. residents travel to Mexico each year to receive elective surgery at a discount, according to Medical Tourism Mexico, which advertises that patients can save up to 80% on a similar procedure in the U.S.
The CDC warned that once symptoms appear, meningitis can quickly become life-threatening.
Test results from Mexican authorities raised fears that a deadly mold outbreak that occurred earlier this year in clinics elsewhere in Mexico may repeat itself. Nearly half of all patients with meningitis died during that outbreak.
The CDC urged anyone with a booked treatment in Matamoros with an epidural to cancel the procedure.
All but 17 of the people monitored by the CDC live in Texas, and the majority are women.
One of the two patients who died was also an organ donor, putting five different recipients across the country at risk.
US health chiefs called for the deadly mold outbreak to be declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization.
Texas mom-of-four died from fungal brain infection after liposuction, BBL and boob job in Mexico