ation
’
new consultant came to prep me
for theatre.
“I’m worried the tube is going
to rupture, we need to go now,”
he said. I just wanted the
nightmare to be over.
After the operation, I woke
up feeling sore and numb.
Apparently the procedure had
been a success this time, but
I felt utterly betrayed.SEVERE
DEPRESSION
The head of midwifery arranged
a meeting that day where more
apologies were issued. She said a
full investigation would be carried
out as surgical incidents like this
were a “never event”.
“I’m afraid that without fallopian
tubes, you won’t be able to have
children naturally. You’d have to
try IVF,” she said.
I stared at her, stunned. Not
only had I lost my baby, but my
surgeon’s actions had also stolen
my fertility. Everything had been
arranged so quickly, there had
never been any discussion about
how losing my fallopian tubes
would affect my future chances
of conceiving.
After being discharged, I sank
into a deep depression. I was
grieving and Steve didn’t know
how to comfort me. My stomach
was covered in angry, red scars
and I couldn’t be intimate with him.
On 26 April, we attended a
meeting with a hospital director,
where they admitted liability and
offered me a free round of IVF.
“We can do this for you straight
away if you like,” the director said.
But I’d just been through the
biggest trauma of my life. I wasn’t
strong or stable enough to begin
IVF treatment.
As I worked at the hospital,
I could access counselling, but
the idea of returning there was
too traumatising. I quit my job and
started taking antidepressants. I
found myself lashing out becauseAfter suffering an ectopic
pregnancy, a tragic surgical error
left healthcare assistant Chelsie
Thomas, 27, from Walsall, unable
to have more children naturally
REAL LIFE
Dr Matthew Lewis, the
medical director at Walsall
Healthcare NHS Trust,
admitted surgeons made a
mistake and said, “Our care
fell below the standard that
we would expect.” He
added that the Trust worked
with “patients and their
families, our own clinicians
and staff to learn lessons and
put systems in place to try
and avoid such incidents”.rror
sie
ble
ly
REAL LIFE
I felt so mistreated. Steve and I
were arguing constantly and, by
September, he’d moved out.
I was devastated but tried to
work through my pain. “Riley-Jay
needs me. I can’t let him down,”
I told my counsellor.
It’s been over a year since
my botched operation and
I still don’t feel like myself. I
worked for the NHS for nine years
and this incident has destroyed
my faith in it. I will never set foot
in that hospital again and I’m
pursuing legal action.
I may be entitled to
compensation, but no amount
of money can make up for the
hospital’s mistake. I still don’t
understand why such a
catastrophic error was
allowed to take place.
There were multiple staff
present in the operating
theatre. It’s disgraceful
that my notes weren’t
checked properly and
my life has been
changed forever.
I still want to give
Riley-Jay a sibling some
day and I’m trying to focus
on building a better future for
us. I don’t know if I’ll ever come to
terms with everything I’ve lost. I’m
sharing my story in the hope that
an incident like this will never
be allowed to happen again.
HADLEY MIDDLETON
& KATIE PEARSON