would you sue if it happened to you???

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23 messages
maxsmummy84 Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 09:24
Hi, i recently read in the paper about someone suing nhs after they were told they had miscarried when in fact they hadn't. I went through the same. at 8 weeks went for a scan and was told by the obstetrician that the baby had died and shrunk and i would miscarry it,i was devastated and was left crying on my own in the waiting room full of pregnant women. i was offered tablets to make the miscarriage happen, but refused and decided to let nature takes its course. two weeks later when i still hadnt bled i went back for another scan, only to be told by the sonogrophoer that there was a healthy 11 week fetus there, and they couldnt understand how the obstetrician had missed it??? the heart ache, confusion and desperation i went through was unreal. i was offered something to make a complaint, but was in shock and overjoyed that i didnt take it, i just put it down to everyone makes mistakes?? but is it really that easy a mistake to make?? what if id took those tablets??? i'm so confused and usnsure wether its too late or the right thing to do to complain (i'm now 31 weeks) what would u do??? i dot want to cost someone there job, but am unsure just how its possible not to see the baby on the screen???:\?
Lifebysteph Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 09:33
I really don't know what i would do - like you said, thank goodness you didn't take the tablets! I can imagine i would feel really angry but also not want to cost someone their job - but at the same time, me taking some actions, lodging a formal complaint, might save someone else from going through the same thing. I understand mistakes happen, but that to me is a mistake that can't afford to happen xxx

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lulabellarama Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 09:35
Wow, that must have been awful, I'm so sorry to hear of your experience.
I definitely think that you should complain, so that an investigation can be carried out as to how it happened, but personally I am against suing the NHS, unless you need the money as a direct result of their mistake (ie to provide home help for a child that was disabled as a result of their error, etc.)
A complaint will be taken very seriously about an issue such as this, several of my family members work for the NHS and the ramifications of a serious error like this can be huge.
As awful as it was for you, mistakes get made sometimes. Every single one of us makes mistakes in our jobs/lives but the consequences are much more serious when you work in the medical profession.
I hope you get the result you are hoping for.

Lil-Betty-Boop Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 09:55
I wouldnt sue as i think compensation they would give you could be used to save someones life or put steps in place to prevent the heartbreak you went through happening to anyone else.

Im so sorry to hear you had to go through this. I had a mc and in our area your hcg levels are monitored for a week and further scans offered if necessary before action is taken. I assumed this would happen in all areas.

I think you should complain and hopefully they will change the way they do things or provide people with more training.
maxsmummy84 Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 09:59
just to clarify by sue i dont mean i want money from them, just as in complain. i'm not one for money grabbing and agree with it going to save someone esle life. I just want ppls opinion on what they would do in my situation?? thanks
Tommysmum2 Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 10:05
I had a bad time with a junior doctor which is soooo minor compared to what you went through and I lodged a complaint which was taken further and I had a brill response from the head of maternity!

I definately think you should lodge a complaint and have the matter investigated, if you then decide to push for compensation then you have copies of any letters you have sent.

I cannot believe this happened it is awful and definately needs to be bought to the attention of the hospital. I cannot imagine what you are going through with all the "what ifs" going on in your mind.

I hope you are getting on well with your pregnancy now and am sooo pleased you never took the tablets. Wont be long til you have your new baby (no thanks to that idiot) but some consolation.

Take care, Love Lee
xxxxx
AngelxDelight Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 10:15
mine is a bit different but when i had my downs and spina bifida tests the spina bifida came back high risk and when the midwife came to my house to let me know she also said i would need to think about aborting the baby because it would have little life when it came. Me and my partner was gutted by this and asked what the chances were of everything being ok and she just said the best advice she could give us was to consider abortion. Anyway. i had the testing scan to see exactly what was wrong with it the following day and my partner was that agitiated with them speaking in the way they do that sounds foreign to anyone who doesn't know and asked them to tell us everything as they measured and checked so as they were measuring and checking the spine everything was coming back as fine then at the end i said to the sonographer that that i'd like to know the sex if everything was ok and only if everything was ok and at the end i found out we were having a little boy and not one thing was wrong with him. I'm sure the midwife could have gave me something positive to think about than making me stress which we all know can cause just as much problems when in the end everything was fine. Luckily this time round i've had no problems. xxx
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gsmummy55 Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 10:18
Oh my god hun, what a horrible experience for you. I think you should make a complaint after all the same could happen to someone else. Maybe the scanning equipment was faulty, and if you made a complaint then they could look this over as well.
I felt like complaining about my old midwife who gave me loads of false information about my babys position and size in late pregnancy but it was nowhere near as bad as what you went through. I should have been induced early but I wasnt and the first time someone picked up on it I was 40+3. xxx
lixiedixie Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 10:41
Its a hard one but i would be tempted to get this situation investigated.

I had a bad experience on the NHS and private and the incident still makes me cross and i wished i'd done somthing to get my concerns heard. All i wanted to do though was put the experience to the back of my mind at the time but ended up having a whole load of councelling to sort me out too!

I'm a teacher and we can be looked into by just a parent ringing OFSTEd and making a complaint. I don't see why this is any different and like someone has said it could happen to someone else.

It might be a lenghty and stressful time so i guess its whether you feel up to it. good luck xx
artygal Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 13:33
i would of wanted their head on a stick not just their jobs. how awful and horrible that time must of been for you. yeah we wallmakemistakes but for gods sake we have to trust these people with our lives andthe lives of our loved ones andtheyre not up to the job then they shouldnt be doing it. i would most definately think about making a complaint but only if you feel up to it, it could be quite lenghty and no doubt you will have to recountthe emotions and feelings you suffered. good luck either way xxxxx
anthony__katie Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 14:16









when i lost my baby in january at 12wks, i took my baby home and i looked in the box and i cud see my babys body, i got it into my head that they had killed my baby, but when i look back to it on my scan that i had there was no baby in the sac. if they ever told me i had a misscarige when i hadnt id bloody sue em aswell!!!!!!! i dont trust students i hate it when a student wants to do my scan i just dont trust them enough. xx
niblet Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 14:51
Hi,
I definitely think you should complain- the person who misdiagnosed you clearly at the very least needs further training, as at the moment they are a potential danger to women and their babies. If you had taken their advice it would have had terrible consequences, and I think that other women need protecting from the same error being made. If this happened at my local hospital I would definitely want the mother to make a complaint, to protect all future babies.
Having said that, I do agree that you need to feel you are up to it- you need to look after yourself and your baby first.
Take care xxx
maxsmummy84 Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 14:57
it was a senior obstetrician who been there like 20 years??!! so how he didnt see it i dont know
niblet Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 15:22
Possibly he's a tad over-confident, which is dangerous.
Allie73 Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 15:30
I wouldn't sue. I would be grateful that my baby was ok.
nooniem Platinum member
15/07/2008 at 15:50
Wow this is interesting - i would want to make a complaint as the sonographer would need to be made aware of their misdiagnosis, but i wouldn't want to cost them their job.

When i had my 2nd child i was told at 37 weeks, that he was breach, and i was given a date for an elective ceasarean, however, i knew that a few days later he turned, and it was the most amazing, weird feeling in the world. I phoned the hospital and told them so they re-examined me and told me that he was still breach. So the following week i had my ceaser and surprise surprise he was head first. They offered me the procedure to complain and seek professional advice, but i was just glad my baby boy was ok, and never took any advice or action.

I appreciate that what you were told was horrendous, and your gut feeling was to not take medication, and i'm really pleased that you are so far into your pg now.

All the very best.
xx
LindsayA26 Gold member
15/07/2008 at 17:56
Oh my goodness that's a terrible mistake to make with something so precious, I'm so glad for u that it turned out ok but what if you'd taken the tablets! That's a thought u wouldn't want to have.

I'm afraid if i were you that i would def complain, someone who has such a responsible job cant afford to make mistakes like that, what if they do again to someone else and they decide to take the tablets!!! At the end of the day though its not ur sole responsibility for the actions of this person and what they do in the future as you cannot control this.

But me as a mother and soon to be mother again wouldn't want to have this person scan me. I no you said you dont want to cost them their job but look at what they nearly cost you!

Whatever you decide its your decision as it happened to you so do what you think is best. xx


[Modified by: LindsayA26 on July 15, 2008 11:00 PM]

maxsmummy84 Platinum member
16/07/2008 at 03:47
allie of course i am gratefeul that my baby is ok?? its a little harder to forget what could of happened to my baby and why it could of?? would you really not be angry and want to know why someone so high ranking could make such a mistake?? how your beautiful baby growing inside you could have been killed or deformed from someone elses neglect??
blahhhh123 Platinum member
16/07/2008 at 03:56
I work in the NHS and used to manage a Maternity Unit, I would encourage a complaint to be made as we really do take them very seriously and undertake full investigations.
I agree with others that I would not use unless I needed the money as a consequence of a mistake that had been made. The money you would get from a pay out would be coming directly from the NHS budget so the only people that would lose out would be us as patients.
I agree that the jobs these professionals hold are responsible ones but I think everyone can make mistakes in their jobs. Making a complaint would ensure that there is some double checking mechanism in place so that it could not happen again. If I had a scan and got bad news I would want another one done before making any decisions.
Really sorry this happened to you Sara.xx
ScottsMummy Silver member
16/07/2008 at 04:00
Tbh i can see why your so anoyed but as time has now past i wouldnt bother complaining! If it was a week or even a couple ago i would but now i wouldnt bother!

I would just get on and enjoy the little bit of pregnancy you have left hun tbh! I know some one who was told the same as you that there was no heart beat etc then a few weeks later they were still pregnant etc.


Im not blaming you please dont get me wrong but they could say you too were at fault too cos you could have asked for a second opinion! I know i would have!

hugs to you and hope the rest of your pregnancy goes without a hitch x
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