Mom finds epidural needle lodged in spine 14 years after giving birth
- 6 years ago
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — A woman is suing the hospital she gave birth in more than a decade ago after discovering they'd left something in her.
News4Jax reports that Amy Bright began suffering from chronic back and leg pain after delivering son Jacob via C-section in 2003.
Doctors thought it was sciatica, until a CT scan last November revealed the real culprit: a needle lodged in her spine.
The 3-centimeter long tip had broken off during her epidural 14 years ago at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville. There's no way the medical staff there didn't catch the gaffe, because it's SOP to check, and such a huge chunk of was missing.
It would have been easy to remedy the situation then. But now, with most of the needle buried in bone and touching the nerve that leads to Bright's left leg, doctors say removal is too risky.
Instead, the 41-year-old mother of three has to rely on pain medication and physical therapy for the rest of her life.
She's thankful her son didn't suffer any complications and is now a healthy teenager, but claims the hospital needs to pay for what they've done to her.
News4Jax reports that Amy Bright began suffering from chronic back and leg pain after delivering son Jacob via C-section in 2003.
Doctors thought it was sciatica, until a CT scan last November revealed the real culprit: a needle lodged in her spine.
The 3-centimeter long tip had broken off during her epidural 14 years ago at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville. There's no way the medical staff there didn't catch the gaffe, because it's SOP to check, and such a huge chunk of was missing.
It would have been easy to remedy the situation then. But now, with most of the needle buried in bone and touching the nerve that leads to Bright's left leg, doctors say removal is too risky.
Instead, the 41-year-old mother of three has to rely on pain medication and physical therapy for the rest of her life.
She's thankful her son didn't suffer any complications and is now a healthy teenager, but claims the hospital needs to pay for what they've done to her.