Posted on 01/21/2006 4:15:11 PM PST by Popman
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.
"I want to know what happened. I went to deliver my baby and I came out like this," Mejia said.
Mejia said after she gave birth to Mathew last spring, she was kept in the hospital with complications. Twelve days after giving birth at Orlando Regional South Seminole hospital, she was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she became a quadruple amputee. Now she can not care for or hold her baby.
"Yeah, I want to pick him up. He wants me to pick him up. I can't. I want to, but I can't," she said. "Woke up from surgery and I had no arms and no legs. No one told me anything. My arms and legs were just gone."
Her 7-year-old son, Jorge, asks his mother over and over what happened to her. Neither she nor her husband has the answer.
"I love her, so I'll always stick with her and take it a day at a time myself," said her husband, Tim Edwards.
The couple wants to know how she caught streptococcus, during labor or after. She doesn't know. She knows she didn't leave the hospital the same.
"And why, I want to know why this happened," she said.
Her attorney, Judy Hyman wrote ORHS a letter saying, according to the Florida statute, "The Patients Right To Know About Adverse Medical Incidents Act," the hospital must give her the records.
"When the statute is named 'Patients Right To Know,' I don't know how it could be clearer," Hyman said.
Probably she contrated the disease in the hospital and they didnt want them or anyone to know. What happens in a hospital, Stay's in the hospital.
If anyone else contracted the same type of infection with the same results, I'm sure she and her attorney will be hearing from her (assuming it was in the ob section, only) or him (if in other parts of the hospital) because she's obviously getting plenty of publicity with this.
who authorized payment for all this? Who paid all this? Certainly no healthcare company, stingy as they are, would agree to this without SOMEONE'S knowledge and consent.
See #16....
My husband had an emergency appendectomy a few months ago. Numerous, multiple times, the nurses asked to check his wrist band, asked his name and if he knew what procedure he was there for. EVERY new person we saw asked these questions.
That's the most likely, since she and her family definitely knew about the infection. She had been given a heavy course of antibiotics, was not responding to treatment, etc. I'm sure they're just trying to get as much money as possible out of the hospital, although it may or may not be the hospital's fault .
It's a horrible thing and I'm not criticizing her, although I suspect that a trial lawyer is going to end up with most of "her" money.
The amputations saved her life. What would most people choose, I wonder? Death or being a quadruple amputee for the rest of your life?
I will surely go to hell for this, but I cannot stop myself from saying this: this happened to her in May; where are her prosthetic arms?
"...trial lawyer is going to end up with most of "her" money."
and she'll be a victim twice over.
Ahemm...Ignore comment/post #33 (post #32 had its desired effect :)
You wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
LOL
sickos, both of you! :~)
Thank you, I was wondering the same thing.
I don't see how she can win. She doesn't have a legal leg to stand on. (flamesuit on)
I saw her on TV last night. They had no choice but to amputate to save her life. That flesh eating bacteria would have killed her in no time, had they not amputated.
You can bet the hospital didn't charge for that.
Well, I'll bet they are lying on the desk in that attorney's office.
:-)
She may or may not have some....if not, she didn't wear them for this interview. However, if she doesn't have insurance, she will probably have to have funding to afford them. Thus...she's suing.</p> I don't know her financial state/insurance coverage. I wonder if it's on any of the news sites?
Their answer is absolutely unacceptable.
Methinks "Jack Bauer" needs to snag one of the doctors and "persuade" him to talk.
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