Ectopic Pregnancy

[confusedi1977]

My question involves medical malpractice in the state of: Arizona

I will try to keep this brief.

On 3/23 at 11:30a I passed out at work. Several people in the hallway asked if I had passed out because I was pregnant. (I work in a healthcare office) 2 of the nurses there took me to a room and gave me an IV. I had horrific pelvic pain, sweating, and was vomiting. I kept asking if I should go to the ER but was told that it was really expensive. One nurse also said the other nurse was an ER nurse so i was in good hands. ( I later found out that the Emergency Room nurse, was a VA ER Nurse) They checked my blood sugar and they had me do a urine sample (only succeding after I fell off the toilet 3 times). The nurse came back and said I had a bladder infection. At one point the Medical Doctor came in and asked if he could help, they turned him away. The nurse then wrote a prescription for the infection and for pain and I left at 4p.

On 3/24 I was still in so much pain I did not go to work. I was unable to fully stand up. I was able to go and get a quick blood draw for the nurse.

3/25 I went to work for a few hours until I could no longer take the pain. I then went home

3/26 I got an email from the nurse saying my blood work showed a "wicked" infection and that I was severely anemic. He said to make sure I got with one of the nurses or doctors. I checked all of their schedules and no one was available. At this point I was in tears because of the pain. I called my gyno, explained the symtoms and they got me in within about an hour. They did a pregnancy test and hcg blood test and found out that I was pregnant. They did a pelvic exam which was extremely painful. I was then sent to have an ultrasound.

I went accross the street and had the ultrasound where I was told/shown the baby and its little heart beat. They said that it had ruptured my tube. They also said my abdomen was filled with blood to go to the ER NOW.

WIthin 4 hours of seeing my gyno, they had the ultrasound read and I was in the ER being prepped for surgery.

On 3/27 while in the hospital the nurse’s assistant left a voicemail stating I needed to go to the lab and have a stool sample given to find out why I was anemic. At this point I had already had the surgery.

**Later**
When I informed the nurses at the healthcare office, their reply was “Oh we should have sent you to the ER”. Instead I spent 4 days of extreme unbearable pain ~ because they thought I had a bladder infection. Not to mention, I was bleeding to death. Another nurse commented via email that she knew I was bleeding internally. Yet, she never said anything that day. Nor was a pregnancy test requested at any time. One of the doctors has mentioned to me, that if he was that nurse he would never be able to come back to work he messed up so badly.

I can't even sleep at night at this point. I am going to contact someone for couseling.

Is it possible this can be a negligence case?

[lealea1005]

Unless one of those Nurses was an advanced practice nurse, they were practicing medicine without a license to do so. Even if there was an NP there, s/he would have required a supervising MD available.

Symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are not so ambiguous that they are easily mistaken for a UTI. What criteria did they use to come to their "diagnosis". Did they send your urine out for a culture (the results of which would take 48 hours)? What kind of exam did the NP give you?

Is it possible this can be a negligence case?

Yes. It would not be unreasonable to speak with a med/mal attorney who will obtain your medical record, have it reviewed by an expert, and advise further.

Good luck.

[confusedi1977]

only after putting in 2 bags of fluids was I able to give them a urine sample. The nurse practitioner sees the patients, the other was a nurse but she is an office manager and does not see patients. This is a public health facility.

They used my own diagnosis because I had said that I planned on seeing my gyno on that Friday because I was having stomache pains. I said I thought I had a bladder infection or UTI. ( I have NO medical experience). They did a urine sample right there, it was an immediate read out. However, there would have been some sort of infection since I was bleeding internally. (I found out I did not have any UTI or bladder infection)