18 January 2019
In October 2015 our client had a bad pain in the lower part of her chest and upper abdomen extending to her lower thoracic and lumbar spinal areas. She was on holiday at the time and she attended Bridlington Hospital who told her that she was not suffering from a heart attack and she was advised to attend Scarborough Hospital the same day. There she was seen and was advised to see her general practitioner but by the morning of 14 October 2015 she was no better.
Our client had a strange sensation from the waist down to her feet with weakness in her legs. Her husband took her back to Scarborough Hospital in a wheelchair and after waiting for some time she was seen by a nurse and she had a number of tests. She was also seen by a stroke nurse and then allowed home to return the following day for an ultrasound scan looking for gallstones. During that night she had a great deal of discomfort and pain and she was becoming numb from the waist down.
When our client attended Scarborough Hospital she had to use a wheelchair because she could not walk and she was in agony. Ultrasound did not show any gallstones and once again she was sent home.
The following day our client saw her general practitioner because she hadn’t had any bowel movements for 5 days and she was given medicines for this; she was told that the weakness in her legs was probably due to a virus.
Two days had passed and our client was no better and, because her GP surgery was closed, she went to Northallerton Friarage Hospital where she was seen and she explained her condition. They offered her Morphine for the pain at the front of the lower chest and abdomen and for her back but she refused to take it. Once again she went home.
On day three, she had unbearable pain, she couldn’t sleep all night because of pain in her chest and back with stabbing and burning pain in the legs.
Ton the fourth day our client managed to go and see her GP and on this occasion he tested her and she had no feeling in the part of her body below the waist, so she was referred urgently to the neurosurgeons at Hull Royal Infirmary. She went there and was seen in the A&E Department and had an MRI scan which showed an abnormality on her spinal cord and she was then admitted under the neurology consultant. She stayed in hospital for 10 days during which time she had a number of tests and she was treated with steroid treatment. She was then discharged home and returned to Hull Royal Infirmary on 31 December 2015 and she saw the consultant who told her that her condition had stabilised and that she would not get any better.
Essentially, since the event, and the partial improvement in her condition whilst in hospital, our client has remained substantially disabled and she has not been able to walk without her legs becoming weak and numb or burning from the feet upwards which then stops her walking for longer than 5 minutes.
Our client also gets stabbing pains in her legs and a very bad burning pain in the back and the front of her torso. She can only have comfort by lying flat in bed. As a result she tends to spend quite a bit of time in bed. Her personal and social life has deteriorated, being unable to ambulate for long periods of time or long distances.
We have put the case to the Hospital involved a the case continues. We await the Hospital’s position on the alleged clinical negligence.
At Williamsons Solicitors, we have the skills, knowledge and staff to deal with sensitive issues such as this and our Clinical Negligence Team has the ability to handle the complexities of claims concerning spinal strokes, long term care needs and complex claims involving other ailments.
If you would like to discuss, in confidence, a possible clinical negligence matter, please contact a member of our team on 01482 323697 or email wayne.walker@williamsons.co.uk
