I don't know where to put this, my story of my loss and lack of medical care :/
It's actually a complaint to the health authority here, I finally wrote a letter a month after the fact. It's been hell, and if anyone has perspectives to share I'd love to hear them. Maybe I'm being unreasonable to consider a lawsuit? A nurse from patient care actually told me I should, which has made me consider it. I'll paste it below if you want to read.
I’m writing to inform you of a series of events that led to the loss of my child.
First of all, I should inform you I live in ##### and all events took place here between the #### Medical Clinic and the #### hospital, or they acted under the advice of doctors at #### Hospital.
It started about 7 weeks ago.
I started having problems in my pregnancy at 14 weeks. I was having contractions, which unfortunately, was not unusual for me. The same thing happened with my last 2 children, the first being born overdue, and the second at 35 weeks. The doctors were very unhelpful right from the beginning. I had several trips to the clinic and the #### ER during the following 3 weeks. They said that they couldn’t help it if I was going to miscarry and there was nothing to be done but sit and wait. I had a different view, knowing I have what is commonly referred to as an Irritable Uterus. I brought in many suggestions for solutions that I’d read online, but they were unwilling to even discuss any of them.
Week 15 was very difficult, I was at the drs more days than not. My discharge had changed dramatically, and they swabbed me twice for BV but did nothing further. I was very concerned by this change, as I have never experienced it after 4 children. The doctors refused to help and again told me that if I was going to miscarry there was nothing to be done. I heard this line several times a week.
During my many trips to the ER, the drs repeatedly did nothing. It was very frustrating, and I was starting to lose hope as they were completely unwilling to do anything, they simply sent me on my way with no hope. I wanted an ultrasound to determine cervical length and if it was funneling in case a cerclage might help, but the drs refused to send me for one and of course, since no one has offered sufficient incentive to get an ultrasound tech here in FOUR YEARS since the lady quit, I could not have one here. I will tell you, this is simply UNACCEPTABLE. Ultrasound is a basic medical necessity that I had already needed 3 times in my pregnancy at my 14 week point. They finally did do a cervical length ultrasound with their fuzzy emergency machine, but even the dr admitted he couldn’t tell how long it was but at least it wasn’t funneling. I should have gone to Calgary at that point for real medical attention, but I still stupidly trusted that the doctors here knew what they were doing.
A few days after that, I went in with spotting. I was 16 weeks. It was slight, and I was told to go in to ER if there was any more than what I was currently experiencing (without any tests or further examinations being done). That night at 3:30 am, it became bright red bleeding, so off we went to the ER again. When we arrived, I was informed the doctor would come at 7:30 and that I was welcome to wait or return. This was beyond unreasonable. We, as a town, should be able to get medical attention at any time of day or night. My husband had worked until 1 am and then taken a sleeping pill, so we opted to go home and sleep. At 7:30, I didn’t bother going back in. There seemed to be little point, since each time I went in, they’d say if one further step happened, to come back. And each time those things came to pass, they’d pat me on the head and tell me to go home, with further instructions to come back under certain conditions.
I spoke with my doctor and expressed my concern over the bleeding, but she was unwilling to take any steps. I went back to the hospital, but they too would do nothing.
Then, at 17 weeks exactly, my water broke at 5 am. It was a huge gushing water break, not a high leak, and soaked through pads and towels on my short 3 minute drive to the hospital. As soon as my water broke, I felt something in my vagina. I was puzzled, because I was having a good night. My painful contractions had stopped and my uterus was calm for the first time in days. Yet it had opened painlessly, my waters bulging, broke and washed out some of my baby with it. There was a lot of blood in the water and I knew I would lose my baby.
I was admitted at 5:08 am. The nurses took me in and informed me the doctors would arrive at 7 am. By 5:30, I became vocal in my complaints regarding something in my vagina—I’d been mentioning since I’d arrived and no one wanted to examine further. It was actually one of my first statements when I arrived, as they wanted me to sit in a chair to admit me and I was concerned about the body part sticking out. The nurses refused to look or comment but finally did, replying they’d have to wait for the doctor to come an make a diagnosis. Fear beyond belief, in tragic horror over what I was going through, I got brave enough to find out myself what was going on. I reached down. It was a foot. My baby was still alive and wiggling around at this time, but within a few minutes I told them I felt the urge to push.
This was my husband’s second child, and he was praying for a miracle. He didn’t want me to push and the nurses told me not to and to wait for the doctor. The baby slid out a little lower from the painless contractions, but remained within me. By 5:40, I felt my baby go wild squirming and punching, followed by no movement at all, and then, 2 minutes later, I started gushing blood. Blood would gush out every couple of minutes and I was soaking blue bed pads with it. The doctor arrived at 7 am as stated, and I had been hemhoraging for 80 minutes by now. He did a quick exam, and said I’d deliver and then they had to do a D&C as there’d be retained placenta most likely. He left to get the OR team ready for me. I then asked the nurse about my bleeding, and she went and got the doctor to return. He determined it was actually an emergency situation, and that they couldn’t wait for me to deliver, they had to go right into the OR. It had become such an emergency, they slapped a blood band on my wrist and took me in without having me or my husband sign any consent forms.
Before they took me in however, I told the doctor I really needed to urinate. I was concerned I’d lose control while in surgery. I was scared to go the bathroom because of the foot sticking out of me, but he said to go and it would be fine. I asked about a bed pan, but no one was willing. I waddled to the toilet, and while I was urinating, the baby came out and I had to catch her in my hands. This was extremely traumatic to say the least, and maddening as I was concerned this would happen but my requests for a bed pan went unheard.
Once the bathroom was flooded with doctors and nurses and they’d detached my precious, DEAD daughter (might I add, after 6 years of unexplained infertility) I was then taken for my emergency surgery.
Now as awful as this felt emotionally, I feel the doctors were directly responsible for my hemhorage. I had the urge to push about 90 minutes before the doctor presented himself in my room. The urge only continued for a few minutes, after which my body quit, but if a doctor had been there to manage the loss and tell me that yes indeed, I should be pushing, my body would probably have released the baby and placenta and all would have been well. Even if there HAD been retained placenta, the doctors would have realized much sooner that I was bleeding out and managed the surgery much sooner.
You’d think the ordeal would be over now and I’d have gone home to heal. But really, the nightmare had only just begun.
I went home and felt physically awful for days. I assumed it was the tragedy. I went for my follow up 4 days later and my doctor suspected a uterine infection. She started me on antibiotics. This was a Monday. By Wednesday I was spiking fevers and felt like I was going to faint even when lying in bed. I thought it was all the medication I was on. I went in Friday and the clinic’s nurse couldn’t find my BP on the machines because it and my pulse were so faint. The doctor was very concerned I had retained placenta and phoned #### hospital and spoke to 3 different people, begging them to have me seen right away. Right away in their book was between Monday and Wednesday. They would call me by 5 with an appointment. I was sent to the Hospital for immediate blood work and of course orders to go to ER if I worsened. When I arrived at the lab, they wheeled me straight into the ER. They thought I looked too sick to be anywhere else, and truth be told, I actually thought I was going to die the night before and that hadn’t changed. I was so weak I could not walk without assistance.
The doctor did the bloodwork my clinic doctor ordered as well as a few more tests and called ####. The OB on call thought I was safe to go home for the weekend and go to #### next week for an ultrasound. Now aside from the fact that I’m having car trouble (and it wouldn’t make it to ####) I felt much too sick to wait that many days and seriously questioned that decision. Again, because of lack of Ultrasound, I could not get timely critical care.
I went home under instruction that I would get my call before day’s end with my ultrasound appointment. NO ONE CALLED. Left with no one following up, a relative drove me to Calgary where I was instantly admitted to Foothills Hospital, had an ultrasound and was found to indeed have retained placenta that was also vascularized, and put on IV antibiotics. I was then informed the next day that I had been infected with MRSA and was put in isolation for my 4 day stay.
I went home with 2 oral antibiotics and instructions to follow up with my doctor. SHE had no idea how to treat me or what to do, and I was back at the ER 3-4 more times with problems (Like feeling like I was going to faint all the time and returned fevers etc. In all this, I was offered no follow up care solutions. Just “come back if you feel worse’. I passed blood and clots for 4 weeks after the D&C, which is extreme after a thorough d&C.
I’m now 4 weeks and 2 days postpartum. I have a blood clot in my arm from one of the IV’s I received that isn’t clearing up. I still feel unwell, but gratefully, I have been walking on my own for the last 5 days. I’m a fit woman in good health with no medical conditions (except anemia, now, after hemhoraging for so many hours before the doctors arrived). I mention this, because for me to be unable to walk without being half carried is a testimony to how sick I was. I’m a mountain biker and outdoor enthusiast, I stay in great shape so I can enjoy the lifestyle here in ####.
The care I received from the beginning of my troubles was unacceptable. Because my last son was preterm, the doctors were all complacent. They had a “once premie always a premie attitude” and even said as much a number of times. In the end, pathology discovered the loss was caused by an infection in my amniotic fluid. A simple course of IV antibiotics would likely have saved my precious daughter that was so long awaited. No one listened to my complaints. The doctors brushed off all my concerns. The hospital wasn’t equipped to handle any level of care that could have even POSSIBLY been life threatening.
#### Hospital does not have the right to call itself a hospital, at best it is an urgent care facility with taxi service to major hospitals if it appears you’re ACTUALLY DYING. Might I add, that not only did my child die, I almost died. And what of the uterine infection? What if I hadn’t gone to Calgary of my own will? Would I have gone septic and died here, because they were too ill equipped and incompetent, with too strict of guidelines on what the exact protocol is for each condition? Quite frankly, each person is unique and needs to be assessed as such. You can’t apply a blanket rule to every person that comes in with chest pain, a broken leg or preterm labor. Each person’s medical care needs to be unique, and when dealing with difficult circumstances, a doctor must be willing to try off label uses for drugs for a better outcome! I have been prescribed drugs for off-label uses several times in my life, but the thought of doing so for my pregnancy problems was unthinkable to the doctors even when I brought in a report from Consumer Reports! And a broad spectrum IV antibiotic in case of infection of the amniotic fluid? They never would have even considered the possibility even though it’s the STANDARD OF CARE in the United States, as over 50% of preterm labors can be attributed to amniotic fluid infection!
I cannot even BEGIN to express my disappointment, rage, sorrow and grief over this entire situation.
I would give anything to have my daughter back safely in my belly, to have my health back and feel ok again. But these aren’t options. We have to move forward with knowledge and learn from our mistakes. I certainly hope Interior health and The BC Ministry of Health can find better solutions to patient care across the province (especially regarding late losses and preterm labor concerns before 24 weeks), and better care in general for anyone in ####. I will never entrust my health or that of anyone I love to the medical care in #### again, if there is a problem we will speed to Calgary if needed, because #### is not equipped to handle life threatening issues.
I would like to point out that the nursing staff at #### hospital are a very special, caring group of ladies. Two of the nurses cried with me, first when I was losing my child, and later when they brought her for me to see after I’d had surgery. They should be awarded for their bravery and caring, especially when they have to watch on in horror as people die from preventable deaths that are beyond the scope of #### Hospital’s capabilities.
I would like to see changes implemented. If I do not receive a response outlining how improvements will be immediately made, I will be filing a lawsuit against #### Hospital, Interior health, and the BC Ministry of Health.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
