Lynsay McAvoy bought the ‘skinny jabs’ online and used them for two months before the reaction (Picture: Kennedy News)
Imagine an injection that can melt away your appetite and give you the body of your dreams – this is what Lynsay McAvoy hoped to achieve when she paid £50 for a ‘skinny jab’.
The mum-of-three was hoping to shed a few pounds on her stomach, but instead ended up in hospital in the latter stages of an anaphylactic shock, with her organs shutting down.
Developed to treat diabetes, such injections are now often used for weight loss as they were found to suppress a patient’s appetite.
The 42-year-old – who was only eight stone at the time – claims it helped her drop half a stone in just a few weeks.
‘At the time I was looking to lose a bit of weight, which is ridiculous because I did not have weight to lose,’ she said.
‘I was eight stone but I was unhappy with how my body looked. I bought the jabs through someone online, I did not look into it, I just trusted this person.
The area where the mum injected herself (Picture: Kennedy News)
‘They were about £50 for two weeks worth and you would jab yourself every day.’
Two months had passed and Lynsay had not noticed any side effects, apart from itchiness on the palms of her hands, but that passed with an antihistamine.’
After seeing quick results from the first batch, the beautician placed yet another order.
Moments after she jabbed herself in the stomach before setting off for work, she began suffering an adverse reaction.
Lynsay, who was on her own at the house at the time, recalled her tongue getting really itchy and swelling up.
Her eyeballs then began to ‘burn’ and she I could hardly open her eyes from the pain.
She said: ‘I looked in the mirror and you could not see any white in my eyes, they were completely bloodshot.
She banged her head against the wall when she fell unconscious (Picture: Kennedy News)
‘I started to get itchy all over my body again, the palms of my hands were so itchy.
‘I knew I was having some kind of reaction so I took an antihistamine.
‘My heart started beating really fast and sweat was just pouring off me.
‘I remember being on all fours and my heart felt like it was about to explode, I knew something wasn’t right. I thought I was dying.’
After falling unconscious, Lynsay woke up on the bathroom floor, with no memory of moving rooms.
The mum had unknowingly hit her head against a wall, leaving her unconscious and with a dislocated jaw.
Lynsay’s attempt to lose weight almost killed her (Picture: Kennedy News)
She said: ‘I managed to get my phone and ring the ambulance and my mum who lives on the next street. There was a big dent in the hallway which was covered in makeup and handprints.
‘I had face-planted into the wall and knocked myself out but have no memory of it.
‘As a result of that I had a really bad concussion and actually dislocated my jaw as well. I went in and out of consciousness about four times. I really thought I was on my way out.’
Doctors told Lynsay she was in the latter stages of an anaphylactic shock and the next stage would be death.
They said the antihistamine she took at the start could have saved her life.
Lynsay now ‘feels lucky to be alive’ and is urging others to steer clear from the ‘dangerous’ jabs.
She said: ‘It’s a quick fix but it’s dangerous – the injection is meant to be used for diabetes and it’s being used for the wrong thing.
‘I was terrified, I felt ashamed. I’m a single mum with three kids, I should’ve known better. I wasn’t setting an example I wanted to set for my kids. I don’t touch anything now.’
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Her attempt to lose weight from her stomach almost killed her.