Ｒｅａｌ Ｐａｔｉｅｎｔ Ｓｔｏｒｉｅｓ: Speak up for Safety

Jennifer had three pre-op appointments and remembers asking a ton of questions. When the surgeon was filling out the informed consent sheet at the final pre-op, she thought, “I know there’s one more question I better ask, is there anything else I should know?” The answer she received was, “No”. Jennifer knew exactly what was being removed and was sure she was aware of the risks, like infection and pain. With all of her questions answered and putting her trust in the medical community, she had done her best.

When recovering from surgery, Jennifer noticed a sensation that bothered her and after 5 weeks saw her family doctor, where they read the surgical report and found mesh had been left inside of her. Not only was it left inside, it was intentionally a permanent implant that she had not been told about, and therefore was also not informed of the adverse reactions. A medical device was planted in her body without her permission, which ended up debilitating her with chronic pain. Jennifer learned how to speak up for herself to get the answers she needed and to fight for better information shared with patients.

Come prepared with questions, but also be prepared to speak up for your safety. Say something as soon as it seems wrong. It’s your health – be part of the conversation.

* 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺.