Can you imagine going to give birth, some complications along the way and you wake up with no arms and no legs?
QUOTE |
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. The hospital's lawyers wrote back, "Ms. Mejia's request may require legal resolution." In other words, according to their interpretation of the law, Mejia has to sue them to get information about herself... |
How frightful, I bet the woman thinks it must be a dream and that she will wake up from the horror show soon. The amount of psychological problems involved with something like this is ridiculous to comprehend - it must be like being raped, or assaulted.
One thing does not make sense though... why could they not ask first? Was she going to die right there and then? Unless she came in that way and it was so bad that they wanted to act right away, BUT still - a quarantine would have been better?
There were two things about this story that confuse me. The first is why didn't the husband know beforehand, both about the amputation and the reasons for it. I have discovered a follow up story that clarifies both questions a little.
QUOTE |
Twelve days after giving birth to her son Matthew, doctors gave her a choice no one would ever want to make. "If I want to live, they want to cut off my arms and legs. If I don't, I'll keep my arms and legs but I'll die. Is this a dream?" Mejia said. One year later, and she still doesn't know how she contracted Strep A and doesn't know why. |
It's hard to imagine how I would feel. I can say now that I would want to live, but I don't really know that until I experience the shock of it. If anything would motivate me to want to live, it would be the idea of not seeing my children grow up.
The thing is you would "see" them, but you will not be able to hug them or pick them up when they fall, and saddest of all is they will see you like a helpless parent, even if they do not express so in the open. I could not handle that - I believe it would be too much.
These are two conflicting stories. In the first article she says "No one told me anything. My arms and legs were just gone."
The second article says "doctors gave her a choice." So it's not like they just put her out and removed her limbs without her knowledge.
Her question isn't what they did it, but how did she get into the situation in the first place? And the fact that the hospital is requiring legal action to release any relevant information is a complete and obvious indication of guilt.
What a horrible circumstance! I can't even imagine it. I think that hospital is soon going to be owned by Mrs. Claudia Mejia.
QUOTE (JB @ 18-Mar 07, 10:06 PM) |
Honestly, I do not think I would want them to take off my arms or legs. The mental punishment from waking up to see this would be death in itself. I would rather die with limbs intact. |