{"id":1848,"date":"2013-05-31T05:19:03","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T05:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/?p=1848"},"modified":"2013-05-31T05:19:03","modified_gmt":"2013-05-31T05:19:03","slug":"a-lesson-of-contentment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/?p=1848","title":{"rendered":"A Lesson of Contentment…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I Lost Both Arms And Legs While Taking Injection For Bigger Bottom \u2013 Apryl Michelle Brown<\/span><\/p>\n

A mum of two told a magazine last night how her quest for a bigger bottom left her a quadruple amputee \u2013 and 24 hours from death<\/span>
\nApryl Michelle Brown had black-market silicone injections which turned out to be BATHROOM SEALANT<\/span>
\nIt left her in agony and led to her losing her hands and feet<\/span>
\nAs well as her buttocks<\/span>
\nThe 46-year-old former hairdresser blames \u201cvanity\u201d and wants to warn others of the terrible dangers of such illegal<\/span>
\ntreatments<\/span>
\nApryl said:<\/span>
\n\u201cI\u2019ve paid a terrible price for vanity and I\u2019ll <\/span>
\npay for the rest of my life<\/span>
\nBut I blame no one but myself<\/span>
\n\u201cI want to share my story to warn others about these so-called \u2018quick fix\u2019 surgeries.<\/span>
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t realise the dangers<\/span>
\nI thought it was a harmless injection that would give me the perfect bottom<\/span>
\nBut the reality was the silicone used wasn\u2019t suitable for humans<\/span>
\nIt was in fact<\/span>
\nBathroom sealant only suitable for DIY<\/span>
\n\u201cMy body had a massive allergic reaction to it which left me at the brink of death<\/span>
\n\u201cI was in so much agony that by that point<\/span>
\nDying would have been a release<\/span>
\nThe only way doctors could save my life was to amputate my buttocks<\/span>
\nMy hands and feet.\u201d Teased as a child about her \u201cpancake\u201d bum<\/span>
\nApryl vowed to buy a shapelier one when she was older<\/span>
\nShe said<\/span>
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know if I wanted mine to look like Janet Jackson\u2019s or J-Lo\u2019s<\/span>
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t even know how you could do it<\/span>
\nI just wanted a new and bigger bottom<\/span>
\n\u201dThe moment that changed her life came in 2004<\/span>
\nWhen two women walked into her successful beauty salon to get their hair done<\/span>
\nOne of them ran \u201cpumping parties\u201d \u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Where unqualified practitioners inject illegal silicone into \u201cpatients\u201d at their home<\/span>
\nApryl from Los Angeles said<\/span>
\n\u201cOne of the women told me how she had given bottom injections to the friend who was with her<\/span>
\n\u201cI remember thinking it was a miracle she\u2019d walked into my life<\/span>
\nHer friend showed me the work she\u2019d had done and it looked great<\/span>
\n\u201cIn a split second I made the decision that I was going to go to this woman and let her inject silicone into my behind\u201d<\/span>
\nThat decision nearly killed me<\/span>
\nApryl paid the woman<\/span>
\nWho had no medical background<\/span>
\nAround \u00a3650 for two lots of injections<\/span>
\nDoctors later discovered the substance used was industrial-grade silicone <\/span>
\nApryl admitted:<\/span>
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t do any research<\/span>
\nA combination of naivety<\/span>
\nMisplaced trust and insecurity led me to take this disastrous decision<\/span>
\n\u201cI trusted her because she seemed so professional and I had no reason to think anything awful was going to happen<\/span>
\n\u201cShe carried out the procedure in her daughter\u2019s bedroom<\/span>
\nShe assessed my bottom and said<\/span>
\n\u2018You\u2019ll need three or four sessions to get the result you want\u2019<\/span>
\n\u201cThe first procedure took an hour<\/span>
\nI remember asking<\/span>
\n\u2018Is it meant to be so painful?\u2019 and she said, \u2018Yes\u2019<\/span>
\nIt felt like it was squeezing through my nerves<\/span>
\n\u201d Within weeks Apryl returned for her second treatment<\/span>
\nShe said: \u201cAfter going through it again I had an epiphany<\/span>
\nAs I left her house I thought<\/span>
\n\u2018What am I doing?<\/span>
\nI have no idea what she\u2019s putting in my body\u2019<\/span>
\n\u201cI never returned<\/span>
\nBut though I didn\u2019t know it then<\/span>
\nMy life had already changed forever<\/span>
\n\u201dOver the next two years the area where she\u2019d been injected became hard and the skin blackened<\/span>
\nApryl mum to daughters Danye 22 and Courtney 21<\/span>
\nSaid:<\/span>
\nWithin a few months of the second injection my buttocks began to harden<\/span><\/p>\n

I knew something wasn\u2019t right<\/span>
\nBut shame stopped me seeking medical help<\/span>
\nAs time went on it got worse as the skin blackened. I developed hard lumps<\/span>
\nThen the searing pain started<\/span>
\nI had to tell my doctor what I did<\/span>
\nI was so ashamed.\u201d Apryl spent the next four years in constant pain<\/span>
\nTwo surgeons told her it was too dangerous to remove the silicone<\/span>
\nShe said:<\/span>
\n\u201cI was in so much agony I became a regular at the hospital asking for medication to ease what was like a combination of a migraine<\/span>
\nChildbirth and toothache localised in one area<\/span>
\nIn February 2011 a surgeon operated unsuccessfully<\/span>
\nApryl developed a hole in her buttocks \u2014 thought to be the trigger for an infection that in June was nearly fatal<\/span>
\nShe said: \u201cI was 24 hours from dying<\/span>
\nI didn\u2019t think of leaving my family<\/span>
\nIt was a relief I\u2019d finally be free of pain\u201d Doctors put her in an induced coma for two<\/span>
\nmonths while performing 27 surgeries \u2014 Starting with amputating her buttocks \u2014 and doing extensive skin grafts<\/span>
\nShe said: \u201cThey saved me but gangrene set into my hands and feet<\/span>
\nI was brought out of sedation shortly before I became a quadruple amputee<\/span>
\n\u201cMy hands looked like those of a dead person<\/span>
\nI knew then I was going to lose them.\u201d She added: <\/span>
\n\u201cAt first you try to register your new limbs<\/span>
\nThe real comprehension comes when you start to live this new life<\/span>
\n\u201cI had dark times<\/span>
\nI cried a sea of tears<\/span>
\nI had to face the fact I\u2019d lost my hands<\/span>
\nFeet and buttocks because of complications from bottom injections<\/span>
\nI was overwhelmed by shame and guilt\u2026<\/span>
\nAll because I wanted a bigger bottom<\/span>
\n\u201cI was six months in hospital<\/span>
\nBy the time I was discharged I was determined to turn this terrible thing into something positive<\/span>
\n\u201cI decided to do a triathlon<\/span><\/p>\n

I told myself if I could achieve that I could do anything<\/span>
\n\u201cI took my first steps again by the end of 2011<\/span>
\nI built up to training six days a week<\/span>
\nLearning to walk<\/span>
\nCycle then swim again using my residual <\/span>
\nlimbs<\/span>
\n\u201cI\u2019d be crying in pain but I\u2019d push through it<\/span>
\nAnd six weeks I did it \u2014 completing a three-mile walk<\/span>
\nTen-mile cycle and a 150-meter swim \u201cWhen I crossed that finishing line with my family cheering me on<\/span>
\nI cried tears of joy.\u201d She added:<\/span>
\n\u201cI haven\u2019t sued or sought compensation<\/span>
\nI just want to move on<\/span>
\nThere are things I miss dearly \u2014 I\u2019ll never be able to do my girls\u2019 hair or feel sand between my toes<\/span>
\n\u201cBut I believe I survived to share my story<\/span>
\n\u201cI want to warn others of the dangers of black-market surgery<\/span>
\nWe were born whole<\/span>
\nPerfect and complete<\/span>
\n\u201cMy greatest message is we have to learn to love and accept ourselves for who we are\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you learn from this story?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I Lost Both Arms And Legs While Taking Injection For Bigger Bottom \u2013 Apryl Michelle Brown A mum of two told a magazine last night how her quest for a bigger bottom left her a quadruple amputee \u2013 and 24 hours from death Apryl Michelle Brown had black-market silicone injections which turned out to be BATHROOM SEALANT It left her in agony and led to her losing her hands and feet As well as her buttocks The 46-year-old former hairdresser blames \u201cvanity\u201d and wants to warn others of the terrible dangers of such illegal treatments Apryl said: \u201cI\u2019ve paid a terrible price for vanity and I\u2019ll pay for the rest of my life But I blame no one but myself \u201cI want to share my story to warn others about these so-called \u2018quick fix\u2019 surgeries. \u201cI didn\u2019t realise the dangers I thought it was a harmless injection that would give me the perfect bottom But the reality was the silicone used wasn\u2019t suitable for humans It was in fact Bathroom sealant only suitable for DIY \u201cMy body had a massive allergic reaction to it which left me at the brink of death \u201cI was in so much agony that by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-make-me-fabulous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1848"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1909,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848\/revisions\/1909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}