After surgery, most people expect their bodies to be clear of the problem that triggered the need for surgery. However, when one problem goes away, another may develop when a surgeon leaves behind a foreign object inside the patient’s body. This is what happened to one Illinois woman when she discovered she had a piece of a broken needle inside her spine leftover from a C-section 15 years ago.
The woman resides in De Soto, Illinois. She recently filed a lawsuit against the hospital in question. The lawsuit alleges the hospital knew of the error and merely covered it up all these years. The lawsuit states the woman needed to receive spinal anesthesia, but part of the needle broke off. The woman has had to deal with back and leg pain for over a decade, until a CT scan revealed the cause. The problem has only worsened because the needle touches a nerve in the vertebrae leading to the left leg, causing her numbness and distress. The woman seeks out compensation for pain and suffering, because surgery to remove the needle part is too risky now. Any attempt to remove it today could destabilize her entire spine or paralyze her. It is vital for anyone who believes they have suffered medical malpractice to come forward to try to recover damage.
Warning signs a foreign object is inside you
The exact symptoms a patient develops due to such an error ultimately depend on where in the body the object is. However, some of the most common symptoms a patient can expect include:
- Symptoms of an infection, such as a fever
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Extreme headaches and pain throughout the body, which may indicate a blood clot
- Overall decline in health, such as chronic fatigue and weakness
- Difficulty with basic bodily functions, such as eating and breathing
- Vomiting or coughing up blood
- The incision where the surgery occurred comes apart