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MRSA
Started by karen porrett |
Posted: May 20, 2006 at 11:43 | |
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I was wondering if anyone can help me? To cut a long story short my dad was having chemotherapy as a precautionary measure due to the fact they were 99.9% sure they got all the cancer out. He was really ill after each dose and we all asked the doctors if he needed the last dose they convinced us and my dad to go ahead with this Unfortunately we were right and they were wrong my dad's body could not take the last dose. He was only out of hospital 2 days after his chemo finished he went into hospital on 4th April and died on 30th April. He was in intensive care three times. The last time he never came out. His body was full of fluid he was like michelin man and he got a blood clot on 26th April in his right leg. On the 28th April they wanted to do a ct scan and pummped more fluid into him my dad never complained but he did while they did this as he was already full of fluid. After his scan they were putting him on a dialasis machine and the doctor wanted to put a new line in his neck. The doctor told us that my dad had 80% chance of recovery but it could take upto a year for him to get better due to the chemo, the blood clot and the drugs they gave him in intensive care, we were relieved as he was going to be alright. Then the doctor said the new line that was put in his neck was half an inch to high and needed to be moved half an inch down. That is when everything started to go wrong. The nurse mentioned to us quietly that they were going to test my dad for MRSA we were totally terrorfied. The next day the same doctor who told us my dad had 80% chance of recovery the day before told us my dad could die that night, he said he was the sickest man in the hospital infact he is the sickest man in Newcastle. We were totally distraught my dad was sedated and was using a ventilator 100% he had this awful black rash all over his body and his skin seemed to be peeling they had hot air going into his bed and when they turned it of my dad seemed to go cold very quick then he died. The funeral directors rang me when they picked up my dads body and she appologised to me saying she thought we may not be able to see my dad as his body was in a terrible state. I asked questions and she told me my dad was dematis and his body was oozing fluid and they would have to body wrap him. They wrote multi organ failure and testicular cancer on his death certificate. We had a meeting with the doctors on Thursday and they told us my dad died of septisimia we told them intensive care never wrote this on his death certificate. At the end of the meeting we told them that we knew my dad was being tested for MRSA and that we want the results from that test. They looked shocked wether it was because the never knew we knew about the MRSA check or intensive care never told them they lost one of their patients to MRSA we don't know, but we are waiting for these results. We are also wondering wether to seek legal advice does any one have any advice for us? 11972
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Re: MRSA
Reply #1 by Ruth Wollacott |
Posted: May 20, 2006 at 12:11 | |
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Seek legal advice but expect no results. Contracting MRSA in an NHS hospital is not necessarily negligent. To prove negligence you have to rely on the hospital notes. They are likely not to be complete, missing or merely wrong. Make a fuss, contact your local papers, write to your MPs; generally make a nuisance of yourself. Beware that any organisation with any government connection will try to obstruct you; any version of the NHS (i.e. PALS, HCC etc) or judicial system fall into this category. Good luck. 11973
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Re: MRSA
Reply #2 by Bev Hurst |
Posted: May 20, 2006 at 12:47 | |
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Dear Karen i am really sorry to hear about your dad ~ Ruth is right seeking legal advice very often produces no results just a long path of heartache and cost ~ request your fathers medical notes via the medical notes office again as ruth rightly says be aware they may be notes missing or incomplete ~ the NHS complaints system is there as a brick wall to most people and it takes courage and stubborness to follow it all through ~ if you mention or take legal advice at this stage they will not even talk to you ~ if you check out website www.mrsaactionuk.com there are steps there in obtaining medical notes ~ there is the whole NHS complaints procedure also steps on how to start the complaint within the hospital ~ start by writing a letter of complaint to the chief exec of the hospital/trust concerned and be prepared to keep badgering them at every point ~ involve your MP ~ they can act as a buffer between you and the trust ~ PALS are not independant of the hospital and therefore will follow the policy line best wishes 11974
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Re: MRSA
Reply #3 by Ruth Wollacott |
Posted: May 20, 2006 at 14:16 | |
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You might find these two articles of interest. Note the dates of each. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=323329&in_page_id=1774 25 October 2005 St Mary's, Paddington…said it was investigating the allegation made in [Tonight with Trevor McDonald] that a doctor was not wearing gloves when he examined the MRSA-infected wound of James Wollacott, a patient who had undergone limb-saving surgery. It said it took the claim "most seriously", but added: "As long as the doctor thoroughly cleaned his hands both before and after treating James, this practice causes no risk of cross infection especially with the use of alcohol gel now widespread throughout the trust. "But it is against our good practice policy and we are investigating the allegation." A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "Much good work is being done already, but we know that more work needs to be put in to tackle hospital-acquired infections, and that work is now happening." Health Secretary John Reid said: "Everyone has a role to play - hospital cleaners are as important as consultants when it comes to these issues." http://www.woodandvale.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=Northlondon24&category=Newswoodandvale&itemid=WeED17%20Jun%202005%2011:41:54:747&tBrand=Northlondon24&tCategory=search 17 June 2005 James Wollacott was left crippled after contracting MRSA during a knee operation at St Mary's in June 2003. He said the spread of the new bug [acinetobacter baumannii] proved the hospital had failed to clean up its act. He said: "When hospitals in other countries have an outbreak they close down the whole ward until the bug is eradicated. Putting people in isolation units doesn't work - the bug just continues to be transferred between doctors and patients." The outbreak comes after St Mary's launched a rigorous hygiene drive last year to reduce MRSA-type infections by placing hand washing facilities at the entrance to each ward. ------------------- One has to ask how this particular hospital can claim to have instituted an 'investigation' into an episode which they admit breaches their own good policy rules and yet still no accountability for the damage caused by such a lapse has been forthcoming. This incident was the only one of many breaches of infection control which James photographed; we have never heard anything about the 'investigation'. 11976
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Re: MRSA
Reply #4 by Ruth Wollacott |
Posted: May 20, 2006 at 15:34 | |
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The Daily Mail article was actually 25th October 2004, so a year earlier than I stated. The MRSA problem has not suddenly emerged, knowledge about it has been in the public domain for quite some while and still nothing happens. There was no 'allegation', but a full size colour photograph of the breach of policy which is reported as being under 'investigation'. We merely claimed that James contracted MRSA in hospital as a result of poor infection control. This appears to be a suggestion with which both the hospital and the (then) Health Secretary agreed. If they believed our suggestion to outrageous and beyond the pale, it begs the questions why St. Mary's 'launched a rigorous hygiene drive last year to reduce MRSA-type infections' and why they claim 'the use of alcohol gel now widespread throughout the trust'. It may be the case that by October 2004 alcohol gel was widespread throughout the trust but it certainly was not the case in June 2003 when James fell ill. There was minimal, if any, barrier nursing even when he was moved into isolation. The use of the word 'now' also suggests that alcohol gel was not there previously but was introduced as a reaction to something - the MRSA-type infections which the rigorous hygiene drive was supposed to reduce, perhaps. Now, if MRSA is not widespread and poses no problems, why are government spokesmen and hospitals defending their position so fiercely? Why introduce expensive measures designed to combat something which is not causing a problem? And does it not follow logically that if measures are put into place to prevent a recurrence of the problem, that is tacit admission that there has been a problem; therefore those whom it is acknowledged were caught up and suffered damage as a result of that problem should be recognised and assisted. 11977
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Re: MRSA
Reply #5 by Rose |
Posted: July 20, 2010 at 15:14 | |
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I had a hysterectomy and was sent home with staples to be removed one week later. I had complained of terrible pain at the crossroad section of my 5 inch vertical and 17 inch horizontal incision. I had a nurse come in to wrap me every day. She was not to tend to my incision as my medicare and medicade did not cover this. These were strictly instructed orders. I had to call in for more effective pain meds as I was in severe pain. The home care nurse (sent by the hospital my surgery was performed at) said if it was infected it would be as red as your shirt. Well 2 days later they removed the staples and it opened to a 2 inch by 3 inch hole just to the right of my "crossroad" incision. I was sent for a culture at the ER thus sent home to wait results. Two more days of pain at home were indured with no nurse visits. I was instructed to visit my physician immediately. I did so and he took one look and with a look of fear sent me to check into the hosp. I was placed in confinment and myt iv line was supplied with 3 antibiotics as I had mrsa inside my stomach in 2 different areas not on the incision line but inside as shown on a contrast CT. Also my 2 by 3 inch hole which was 2 to 3 inches deep inside my lower stomach. I was seen by the head physician who told them to send me home just 2 days later with this gaping hole. I would not be given home health care this time......I was totally enraged and finally was kept one more day so I could be transfered to a tendercare facility for 2 weeks. I was in school for nursing and this totally terrifies me that I may infect someone else someday as this is in my system for life now. I did not leave my room except to shower and for mothers day to go listen to gospel music played by a friend. I had a pic line inserted at the hosp before I left.I have had 3 c-sections another stomach surgery in the Philippines, also a foot surgery there and have never in my life endeared so much pain or painful procedures. They inserted a cathedar line into my MRSA hole of pus so they could try to break up the pus pockets in my abdominal cavity. I was not given pain meds til after and I screamed in pain as this was inserted and shoved in like a knife probing inside. At the nusing home I was put in one room temporarily one night with an elderly woman. I was then moved to a fancy room where families went to stay with a dying family member. That night a patient was dying and I was asked to move. Of course I said yes but they put me in the dying patients room. With no chance for cleaning it. She did die that night but I do not know from what. Her bed pan was found in a drawer 7 days after I went into the room. At the hosp and nursing home they were still speaking of a bllod tranfusion as my numbers were extremely low. I had in IV drip of a very expensive antibiotic 2 hours daily which after a 8 days I had a alergic reaction to and had hives everywhere and had to switch to another antibiotic. I was released after 2 weeks. I went thru hell. 24151
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Re: MRSA
Reply #6 by Rose |
Posted: July 20, 2010 at 15:16 | |
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I had a hysterectomy and was sent home with staples to be removed one week later. I had complained of terrible pain at the crossroad section of my 5 inch vertical and 17 inch horizontal incision. I had a nurse come in to wrap me every day. She was not to tend to my incision as my medicare and medicade did not cover this. These were strictly instructed orders. I had to call in for more effective pain meds as I was in severe pain. The home care nurse (sent by the hospital my surgery was performed at) said if it was infected it would be as red as your shirt. Well 2 days later they removed the staples and it opened to a 2 inch by 3 inch hole just to the right of my "crossroad" incision. I was sent for a culture at the ER thus sent home to wait results. Two more days of pain at home were indured with no nurse visits. I was instructed to visit my physician immediately. I did so and he took one look and with a look of fear sent me to check into the hosp. I was placed in confinment and myt iv line was supplied with 3 antibiotics as I had mrsa inside my stomach in 2 different areas not on the incision line but inside as shown on a contrast CT. Also my 2 by 3 inch hole which was 2 to 3 inches deep inside my lower stomach. I was seen by the head physician who told them to send me home just 2 days later with this gaping hole. I would not be given home health care this time......I was totally enraged and finally was kept one more day so I could be transfered to a tendercare facility for 2 weeks. I was in school for nursing and this totally terrifies me that I may infect someone else someday as this is in my system for life now. I did not leave my room except to shower and for mothers day to go listen to gospel music played by a friend. I had a pic line inserted at the hosp before I left.I have had 3 c-sections another stomach surgery in the Philippines, also a foot surgery there and have never in my life endeared so much pain or painful procedures. They inserted a cathedar line into my MRSA hole of pus so they could try to break up the pus pockets in my abdominal cavity. I was not given pain meds til after and I screamed in pain as this was inserted and shoved in like a knife probing inside. At the nusing home I was put in one room temporarily one night with an elderly woman. I was then moved to a fancy room where families went to stay with a dying family member. That night a patient was dying and I was asked to move. Of course I said yes but they put me in the dying patients room. With no chance for cleaning it. She did die that night but I do not know from what. Her bed pan was found in a drawer 7 days after I went into the room. At the hosp and nursing home they were still speaking of a bllod tranfusion as my numbers were extremely low. I had in IV drip of a very expensive antibiotic 2 hours daily which after a 8 days I had a alergic reaction to and had hives everywhere and had to switch to another antibiotic. I was released after 2 weeks. I went thru hell. 24152
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Re: MRSA
Reply #7 by linda mccafferty |
Posted: August 19, 2010 at 01:09 | |
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Rose , here is the USA/Canada forum link as this is the UK forum 24342
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Re: MRSA
Reply #8 by linda mccafferty |
Posted: August 19, 2010 at 01:11 | |
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Rose , here is the USA/Canada forum link as this is the UK forum ..........http://www.mrsa-forum-usa.com/index.asp?action=start 24343
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