Giving Birth or How I Learned to Live as a Multiple Amputee...

[Solario]

This is so freaking disturbing on so many levels. (http://www.globalnewsmatrix.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4394)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee.
The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.

Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given.

The hospital, in a letter, wrote that if she wanted to find out exactly what happened, she would have to sue them.


Apparently her limps had been fine when she was still awake, and when she woke up, she was told she had a flesh eating bacteria in both legs and arms and they had had to remove them.

[Powerhelm]

That whole story sounds fishy.

12 days after giving birth she gets carted away and hacked up?

Her husband doesn't know why? She doesn't?

What kinda complications let you live for 12 days before something has to be done yet are serious enough to warrant transport and 4 amputations?

It would have to have been a clerical error and nothing more. A tragic clerical error but the story you linked to makes it sound like they were just hiding things from her because they felt like hackin her up.

Here's The real article (http://www.wftv.com/news/6253589/detail.html)

[coldcut]

She must be able to crowd surf over the lawyers at her door.

[Masked Revenger]

Here's a more detailed story.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-flesh2106jan21,0,7426924.story?coll=orl-travel-headlines-print&track=mostemailedlink

This article as a quite from her husband where he said the hopsital gave her the choice of death or amputation. So, from this article, it's not like she didnt know what happened. She didn't just wake up one day missing her limbs with no foreknowledge.

Also, this article says she isn't suing for money, but just to find out how this happened, and the hospital is not cooperating.

Chris

[Solario]

While it's nice to know she didn't just wake up missing her limps, it does seem like that she contracted the "flesh earting bacteria" at the hospital. Which is also pretty frieghtning.

[Masked Revenger]

While it's nice to know she didn't just wake up missing her limps, it does seem like that she contracted the "flesh earting bacteria" at the hospital. Which is also pretty frieghtning.

I agree, and I think she has a right to know how this could happen. I sure as hell want to know.

At the same time, I think what's happening here is not so much that the hospital doesn't want to tell her, as it can't without a court order due to patient privacy laws. However, the way the hospital is communicating this to her (and thus the public at large) is bad, making it look like they are trying to cover up something.

Chris

[Larke]

They probably ARE trying to cover something up, I'm sure she would have HAD to get that at the hospital and someone seriously messed up.

[Masked Revenger]

They probably ARE trying to cover something up, I'm sure she would have HAD to get that at the hospital and someone seriously messed up.

I'm not saying it's not a possibility. I'm just saying that I'm not convinced they are covering something up.

Unfortunatily, medical care in this country has taking on an attitude of "CYA." Lawsuits are rampant, doctors stop doing certain things to prevent lawsuits or even quit outright. So, it doesn't surprise me that the hospital is reluctant to break patient confidentiality without a court order. The hospital is screwed one way or the other. If they gave her the information she asked four outright, they would be sued for breaking confidentiality, probably in a class-action sort of way. If they don't, she sues them to get it. And no doubt afterwards, they will be sued again for malpractice.

By forcing her to go to court, they are limiting the number of lawsuits.

It sucks. There is no denying that. But that's what I think is happening.

Chris

[Larke]

Actually, denying telling her HOW she got what she got denies her HER right, not other patients. She probably didn't come IN with it, which means the hospital seriously messed up, some other patient probably came in with it and she somehow got it, so the hospital definitely messed up.

[Larke]

And actually, it doesn't sound like they gave her NOTICE that she was gonna have that prodecure, if her husband was there, or she was awake, she should have been given the choice to either die or get amputated, which is just another wrong on the hospital's part. Paperwork should have had to been signed giving the doctors the RIGHT to amputate.

[Masked Revenger]

According to the second article, they did give her that notice.

Also, if its an emergency, and there is no prior concent, I believe that the hospital have the right to amputate if its the only way to save the patient. In this case, they had 12 days to get that permission, so I don't think that applies.

Also, part of what she is asking for is how many other patients at the hospital had this virus, and who they were. That's breaking those patients rights.

I'm not denying that she has a right to know what happened to her. She does, and I hope she wins. I'm just saying that I don't believe the hospital is hiding anything here purposlly. They're stuck between a legal rock and a hard place, and are trying to do the best they can.

Chris

[Larke]

I've been reading other articles and supposedly if you have this bacteria you can die within 24-48 hours, so if she had it when she gave birth, there's something really fishy here. They shouldn't have had 12 days to figure this out.

[Masked Revenger]

I've been reading other articles and supposedly if you have this bacteria you can die within 24-48 hours, so if she had it when she gave birth, there's something really fishy here. They shouldn't have had 12 days to figure this out.

I missed that part.

Chris

[Powerhelm]

I don't like hospitals for one reason: Diseases and illnesses.

If you somehow think you CAN'T contract something at a hospital from a minor cold to a flesh eating disease your a fool. I mean someone touches near or on the flesheating bacteria then touches a cart or wall...you touch it then you scratch your arm, maybe your leg, bam! infected.

not like they go around constantly sanatizing every inch, never seen em sanatize a wall or anything, so of course you can catch stuff in a hospital.