A Nottingham mum says she has been left traumatised after her urgent calls for a scan were dismissed before she fainted outside a hospital. Francine Edwards, 33, had one of her fallopian tubes removed after it suddenly ruptured due to an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy.
The removal of a fallopian tube is common for the type of pregnancy, however the mum-of-one, who was eight weeks pregnant, said nurses at Queen's Medical Centre missed an opportunity to give her a scan just before. After leaving an appointment she fainted in the car park and began to lose blood.
"I've been left absolutely traumatised and with no trust in the NHS," Ms Edwards, from Bulwell told Nottinghamshire Live. An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.
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Unfortunately it is not possible to save the baby. Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) expressed condolences to the family but said it could not comment on individual cases.
Ms Edwards was advised by a midwife to go to hospital on Friday, May 7 after experiencing severe pains in her stomach. "[The midwife] filled out a form over the phone on the scale of a possible ectopic pregnancy and it was at nine, one away from the highest," Ms Edwards recalled.
However, upon arriving at QMC later that morning, she said a nurse assured her that a scan was not needed. "The first thing I said was that I need a scan, the pain I was feeling was horrendous and I knew it must be something to do with the baby," she said. "She acted as though she had no information as to what was given over the phone."
But as she was leaving hospital Ms Edwards suddenly felt her fallopian tube "explode" and she fainted, leaving her lying on the floor of the car park. Tunisha Johnson, a family member who had come to QMC to give her a lift, managed to help her back into hospital.
"I couldn't pick her up by myself, one of my friends was in the car so got out to help me, I was proper panicking," the 35-year-old said. "It was very traumatic to experience."
Ms Edwards underwent surgery, where she had a blood transfusion and one of her fallopian tubes removed, before being told she had lost her baby. "I was grieving for my child, I'm very lucky to be alive," she said.
"I feel if my notes were read, all of that could've been avoided. Not only was it traumatising for me but I have a four-year-old autistic little girl. She is absolutely traumatised, my child could have been left motherless."
Michelle Rhodes, Chief Nurse at NUH, said: “We offer our deepest condolences to Francine for the loss of her baby. We cannot comment on an individual case but we will take her concerns seriously and would welcome the opportunity to talk to her.”
Ms Edwards says she has been left with no feeling on one side of her body after the operation. "I'm on crutches, I'm in so much pain," she said. "I've been left absolutely traumatised and with no trust in the NHS. No trust whatsoever, I'm terrified. I'm disgusted by the NHS and people deserve to know.
The hospitality worker added: "I can't work and statuary sick pay is a lot less than what I would've been earning, so it's a loss of income. I'm left with this sick worry of how I'm going to support my daughter."
Her fiancé Dean Hines, said the couple had been left "really hurt" by their experience. "We're still suffering every day, it's still very hard for Francine to walk and I'm suffering mentally," said the 50-year-old from Arnold.
"Every single day I'm trying to run away from what's happened. I feel really, really bad and hurt, disrespected."
An independent review of Nottingham hospital's maternity services is currently underway, with more than 1,200 families so far contacting senior midwife Donna Ockenden. Families wishing to contact the review can do so by emailing nottsreview@donnaockenden.com or by filling out an online form here.
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