Second After receiving BBL in Mexico, a Texas mother died from a fungus brain infection.

A Texas woman who received inexpensive plastic surgery in Mexico and then passed away from a brain fungus infection has been described as a “heartbreaking loss” by her best friend.??

Shyanne Medrano’s mother, age 31, passed away from fungal meningitis at a hospital on May 16, 2023. She was one of four Texas women to pass away from the infection following surgery in the border town of Matamoros.

Laura Garza, who has known her since sixth grade, claimed that Ms. Medrano complained of headaches following surgery in March and passed away two months later after suffering “almost five or six strokes.”” ” ” /p> p>span style=”font-size: 16px;”>“It’s heartbreaking, particularly when they’re spouses, moms, daughters, or otherwise someone, Ms. Garza said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that about 180 Americans who traveled to clinics in Matamoros this year may be at risk.

And the agency is now urging people to get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible to get evaluated, even if they don’t have any symptoms.

Ms. Medrano traveled to Matamoros to undergo a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) and liposuction at Clinica-K3.

Dr. Luis Manuel Rivera De Anda, 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. Medrano’s infection had anything to do with Dr. Rivera DeAnda.

Dr. Rivera De Anda did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

Her results were good. She was happy with how she looked and felt good when she went home,’ Mrs. Garza said.

?She was just complaining about some headaches, but she’s always had headaches from them, so she didn’t think too much about it.

Around Easter she started to feel a little more pressure [on her head] and her eyes hurt. She started to get that pain in her head.’

A Facebook post from Ms. Medrano dated April 15 reads, “My head hurts a lot… today I woke up with an excruciating pain in the back of my head, and it’s really preventing me from functioning normally today.”

Mrs. Medrano then began to speak with slurred words, and doctors later discovered that she had suffered a stroke.

A few weeks after surgery, Ms. Medrano was taken to the hospital with nausea, vomiting and a fever – all symptoms of fungal meningitis.

She had “almost five or six strokes,” Ms Garza said, as well as blood clots in her head.

Mrs. Medrano passed away on May 16, almost two months after her BBL.

Hidalgo County Health Authority Dr. Ivan Melendez said about nine patients are in hospitals in Cameron and Hidalgo counties.

He said, “The numbers, even in our community, are worrying.”

He added that those infected may not even realize it: ?It can be very insidious with its symptoms of headache, nausea, vomiting and fever.

“It can take a while, which is why we’re so concerned that there are people out there who have this infection and still aren’t aware of it.”

Mrs. Medrano leaves behind an eight-year-old daughter.

As of June 14, the CDC reports six confirmed cases of fungal meningitis detected in samples.

Four people died, two of them confirmed cases and two that are probable.

The CDC has warned that anyone receiving epidural anesthesia (injection into the spine to numb a part of the body) during surgery is at risk and should go to the nearest emergency room to get tested, even if they have no symptoms .

The epidural is used in procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation and Brazilian buttock lifts, which can be more than $16,000 cheaper than in the US.

The CDC is investigating 172 people who may have the infection.

The clinics under investigation are River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3 in Matamoros, Mexico, both of which are now closed.

The patients monitored by the CDC 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 Texas Department of State Health Services said: ‘Fungal meningitis can be life-threatening and early detection of infections is essential for treatment.

“Public health workers are reaching out directly to people in Texas who have had surgery at two clinics in Matamoros to inform them of the situation and what steps to take.”

The fungus isolated at the two clinics appears to be Fusarium solani, which was linked to a previous outbreak of meningitis in Durango, Mexico, late last year.

According to the CDC, that outbreak, which was also linked to epidural anesthesia procedures, had a death rate of nearly 50 percent from those infections ? with 39 deaths out of 80 cases.

The exact cause of the fungal outbreak remains unknown.

Health officials believe that 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.

The clinics may have reused vials or alternative medications to morphine due to shortages, both of which can increase the risk of fungal contamination.

Dr. Tom Chiller, chief of the fungal disease division at the CDC, explained NBC news“There could be some bad actors in that space essentially operating some kind of black market morphine business.”

CDC officials are investigating exactly how patients were exposed to the contagious fungus during the surgeries and whether other clinics were involved.

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