Spinal Cord Damage from Epidural Spinal Block

[cutecaroletx]

I am in Dallas.  And I need some help.  On July 18, 2007, I went into the hospital for a hysterectomy.  My OB/GYN Douglas Smerkar told me that he was going to use an epidural for the procedure.  I told him I had a significant curvature in my spine (scoliosis) and when pregnant with the twins, it took the anesthetist 13 to 14 times to get the epidural to take.  He told me that he had the 'best in the business' and not to worry.  Since I hated medication, he said he would do an epidural vs. a general.  The next morning, I informed Larry Stephens, the nurse anesthetist,  of my prior problems and he told me  that the  anesthetist that did my epidural did not know what he was doing...and that he had done thousands of these. I was sitting bent over the table when the first epidural needle went in...then Larry decided to put a spinal block needle in.  A sharp electric bolt went down my right leg and my leg jolted backwards and hit the side of the bed and I rose up and screamed...MY LEG.  The anesthetist decided to do a general anesthesia anyhow and I awoke after the surgery to a paralyzed leg that had no response.  Today, I visited a neurologist, Dr Paul Hurd, a friend to my OB/GYN.  Dr Hurd did an EMG test and found that my L4, L5 nerve roots have no response. After four months, there is no activity in these roots. My foot is on fire... I have an electrical pulsating pain which brings me to tears. My ankle swells and my foot drops.  What can I do...here it is four months later and I feel so forlorn.  Does anyone have any information that this may regenerate or is there some thing I can do...or some place I can visit for treatment?

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

It is indeed unfortunate that even after warnings, you have to suffer. The injury is most likely due to the needle. I guess there is a possibility of some salvation through physiotherapy. I guess the Neurologist you are seeing is the best person to guide you in this matter.

All the best.

DrAbhijeetMD

[JOEY54]

DID YOU FILE SUIT ? DID YOU TRY SOME B VITAMINS?

[kay290]

How do you prove damages from the epidural needle if a MRI or othere testing doesn't show it?

[skeetelmore65]

I am in the same shoes as ur. I feel ur pain. What are we going to do? THey even want to do another Myleogram on me next wk. and I have done told them what I went through and it seems not to resonate in their minds. I am so scared and have suffered so much. They don't have a clue to what we are going through. I just @ want to leave things as they are. I feel if I have another one I will have to go through what I did the summer of that test. I was wrething and feeling so painful that I was in a fetal position.I have put the test off for a couple of wks. prior to this next one and afraid the doc while get tired of fooling w/me,but they really don't understand. I feel I have a hole in back after I had those nerve blocks,espec. the last one that felt like a lightning bolt struck me. I thought I was the only one and was beginning to think I was crazy or something.Get back to me so we can talk some more. Having a bad morning. It must be the weather..gonna rain.

[ZeeIn]

Lawsuit..lawsuit..lawsuit.  Get the name of the nurse that witnessed it and sue the pants off of him.  I have Scoliosis and hephosis (something like that where it's also curved front to back). I had my Hystectomy with anesthesia, no problem. I have been having Nerve blocks, epidurals and steroid injections regularly since 2004. I'm very particular on who does them and that they have xrays and/or MRIs before touching me.

On the hand, my daughter went into labor (induced labor) and found she could not handle the hours worth of pain. She asked for an epidural, and she told him as I also did, that she has scoliosis. This was a military hospital.  That idiot must have stuck my daughter at least 10 times (not as many as yours) before he got it right. I was livid, but not healthy and nearly passed out. He was reported and dissaplined (sp) harshly.