A young Aussie mum claims a misdiagnosis at a Queensland hospital led to a potentially fatal condition that resulted in the removal of her fallopian tube.
Jessica Powell, 26, said she went to Townsville University Hospital four times last September, worried about her pregnancy, and was told she was miscarrying.
On her fifth visit to hospital, doctors identified an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilised egg implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.
By this point, Ms Powell’s fallopian tube had already begun to rupture, which caused potentially fatal internal bleeding that spread to nearby organs.
Surgeons had no choice but to remove her fallopian tube.
Ms Powell told 7News she was ‘beside herself’ when she heard the news.
‘I just started crying, like, hysterically, and I was like, they could have prevented this if they just listened,’ she told the publication.
Ms Powell, who has a history of miscarriages and endometriosis, said the pregnancy may have been her only feasible chance to have another child.
Jessica Powell says she went to Townsville University Hospital four times last September, but was sent home on each occasion before doctors discovered an ectopic pregnancy
Townsville University Hospital (pictured) has since claimed there was no initial clinical sign that Ms Powell’s pregnancy was ectopic
Townsville University Hospital released a statement saying there was initially no clinical sign that Ms Powell’s pregnancy was ectopic.
It described the loss of a fallopian tube was a common consequence in her case.
But Ms Powell claimed she would still have her fallopian tube if she had been taken more seriously by hospital staff during previous visits.
‘There was no, like, “Oh, we’re so sorry that you came here four times beforehand, and we’re sorry we should have listened”,’ she told 7News.
Raquel Moon, Ms Powell’s sister, said the young mum has been traumatised.
‘We feel helpless that, you know, they’re not caring for her like they should be,’ she told the publication.
Ms Powell shared a message with the hospital following her ordeal: ‘Take us seriously. Just listen, care. Don’t turn us away, because it’s too hard. That’s all I’d say.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Townsville University Hospital for further comment.
