An epidural needle tip has been found lodged in a woman's spine 14 years after she gave birth, and it's thought to be behind the excruciating pain and nerve damage she has suffered ever since she had her son in 2003.
Amy Bright, now 41, says her left leg and foot have become progressively weaker as a direct result of the needle digging into her spine, but doctors have reportedly told her that removing the needle tip could leave her paralyzed, People reported.
“I was absolutely livid and upset and scared,” Bright told the magazine. “Every time I move and walk and bend and twist and sleep, that needle moves inside my spine. For 14 years, I’ve been creating scar tissue in my spine from this needle moving. I’m angry.”
The De Soto, Illinois, mother said the outcome would have been very different if staff at Florida’s Naval Hospital Jacksonville had immediately removed the chunk of needle that broke off after administering spinal anesthesia during her C-section delivery in 2003.
Instead, she claims they did nothing and sent her home, despite knowing part of the needle was still inside her.
“This is something that was not disclosed,” Sean Cronin, Bright's attorney, told People. “These needles are about 9 or 10 centimeters and they have a tip on the end that the provider is supposed to inspect to make sure they have the whole needle. They knew this was in her, according to our experts, because so much of the needle was missing. And the safety tip is still in her.”
In a complaint, Bright and her lawyer have accused the hospital staff of fraud and malpractice, and they may pursue official legal action.
It was not long after giving birth that Bright began to experience severe back pain, which doctors initially said was sciatica.
It was only when she went for a CT scan in Nov. 2017 that doctors discovered a portion of needle about three centimetres long had been buried in her spine since her delivery.
“My leg is getting weaker,” Bright told People. “I’m probably going to be in a wheelchair. It’s scary because I don’t know.”
Should Bright take legal action, she will become the 15th person to sue the hospital since 2005, the Daily Mail said, noting that at least three others have won more than $1 million for their complaints.
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