A portion of an epidural needle was discovered lodged in the spine of a woman who had suffered from agonizing back pain since giving birth 14 years ago.
Amy Bright, 41, had a c-section in 2003 to give birth to Jacob, her sixth and youngest son, at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
Only two months later, she experienced her first episode of intense back pain, which has plagued her life ever since.
Last year, she was finally able to pinpoint the cause of her difficulty after a CT scan revealed a 3 cm-long piece of needle buried in her spine.
She responded to the news by expressing her amazement, rage, and dread.
The needle allegedly snapped off during her epidural for Jacob’s delivery more than ten years earlier.
Because of the serious nerve damage Amy had, her left foot and leg are only partially functioning.
Every time she moved, walked, bent, twisted, or dozed off, she stated, “That needle moved inside my spine.”
I’ve been moving this needle for fourteen years, causing scar tissue to grow in my spine.
Over the years, she has seen a number of doctors, and each of them has written her a prescription for painkillers, muscle relaxants, and other medications to help her manage her agony.
“It feels like a burning poker next to my tailbone.” It periodically runs down the left side of her calf and into her foot, she told WRAL.
“It feels hot and like a poker next to my tailbone. There are times when it shoots into my left foot and down the left side of my calf, Bright said.
A recent CT scan revealed a damaged three-centimeter epidural needle in her spine.
Bright and her attorney, Sean Cronin, filed a case against the federal government on the grounds that the needle had damaged Bright’s nerves permanently.
Her medical records indicate that a botched attempt to insert a spinal needle took place at Naval Hospital Jacksonville in September 2003. As a result, no one else put a needle in her back, according to Cronin.
The facility where she gave birth, Florida’s Naval Hospital, is being sued by the woman. She claims staff personnel knew the needle had broken off but did nothing to mend it, despite the knowledge that the harm could have been avoided.
Amy may experience irreversible paralysis if the needle is not removed soon away, the doctor warned.
She will need to use medicines and physical therapy to treat the injuries for the rest of her life.
It has reached the point where it just burns continuously. I’m very worried about the future. “[My leg] is getting weaker,” she stated.
I’ll most likely be in a wheelchair. I’m uncertain, which makes me afraid.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” you said. I’m afraid and really wary.
