Is it worth doing anything?

[vikki75 1]

Hi

 

in nov 2006 my 3 year old daughter was taken by hospital after complaining of tummy pains in her right hand side. We were seen by a triage nurse whom i told that I was worried about it being her appendix, to which I was told no!

They kept her in overnight then sent me home telling me it was wind!. That night she got worse so i took her back, by this time she was so weak that she could hardly talk. They did blood tests and told me it was a viral infection and she would be fine in the morning.

 

By thursday she was in so much pain that she couldnt move without screaming, they gave her calpol and said that it was a tummy bug.

 

On the friday I was getting very worried as her tummy was very bloated and she was being sick, after 5 drs telling me it was wind/tummy bug/cold I flipped and demanded to see another dr.

 

He came in with the blood results and told me she had a cold, I looked at my dying daughter and told him that it was not a cold, he started pressing her tummy telling me it was wind and she was sick.

 

She was then rushed to x-ray and no sooner had we got back from there we had an ambulance waiting and were rushed to another hospital 60 mins away.

 

Upom arrival I was greeted by the surgeon who told me that it was her appendix and they needed to operate but didnt want to as she only had a 40% chance of survival.

 

To cut a long story short they operated that night and it had burst so they had to flush her out and she was in intensive care for 2 weeks.

 

Although there are no long term effects it was purley down to the drs at the first hospital not listening and if i hadnt stood up for her we wouldnt have her today.

 

Just wondering if it is worth doing anything about it, or is it just one of those things?

[Guest louis wu]

It's not one of those things, it never could be when your loved one is involved.

 

The story is terrible, but at least you have the knowledge that your actions were positive and crucial to your daughters health.

 

If you was to do something, what would be your goal, a policy review at the hospital, or financial compensation? Either are valid and I am not going to get all moral.

 

It is difficult to persue these things, and I think the general advice would be to consult a medical legal expert and discuss the issue with them.

 

It is/can be a very difficult, frustrating process, and you should be aware that for some people, no matter what the outcome they say it wasn't worth it (I know this from personal experiance with a very close friend).

 

I know it sounds like I'm sitting on the fence, but I think it is a very personal decision. There is no right or wrong, but it will need some careful delibeartion whatever you do.

 

good luck

 

louis