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I Went into Hospital to Have Toenail Removed.. And Nearly Died From New Superbug

Posted on: Tuesday, 30 August 2005, 06:00 CDT

TEENAGER Jamie-Lee Healey has told how she nearly died from a hospital superbug after surgery to remove a toenail.

The 15-year-old became one of the youngest victims of clostridium difficile which normally strikes the elderly, is more common than MRSA and harder to tackle.

She and her family are angry at doctors they allege did not think she was ill, removed her appendix because they wrongly believed she had appendicitis and accused her of being pregnant before finally making the right diagnosis.

"I was in so much pain but they were saying it was all in my head," said Jamie-Lee. "It got so bad I thought I was going to die."

Her big toe became inflamed in May and Jamie-Lee was put on antibiotics. But the infection worsened and the nail was removed at Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Manchester.

Two weeks later she began to suffer severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhoea. She lost nearly two stone.

Doctors claimed she had either severe constipation, appendicitis, was pregnant - or, it is further alleged, was faking. Her appendix was removed at Pendlebury Children's Hospital in Manchester, but that was found not to be the problem. Mum Theresa, 36, said: "We weren't convinced it was appendicitis, but we had to listen to the doctors."

It is alleged medics also asked Jamie-Lee, who has no boyfriend, to have two pregnancy tests. She said: "I told them if I was pregnant I'd be the new Virgin Mary."

It was also feared she might have Crohn's Disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. C difficile was eventually diagnosed after extensive tests. Doctors think it could have been triggered by the drugs Jamie-Lee was taking for her infection. About five per cent of people carry the bug naturally and it can take hold if the balance of good and bad bacteria is upset, as it can be by antibiotics.

Mrs Healey said: "We were told they had never had a case with someone of her age before." The alleged refusal by doctors to accept Jamie-Lee was genuinely ill has angered the family.

Her mum added: "I felt they looked at us as if we were simple. I'll never believe a doctor again. If we hadn't been so persistent she could have died."

Jamie-Lee, from New Moston, Manchester, added: "I'm still suffering. They say it'll take time for it to clear."

According to the Department of Health, the bug infected 44,488 people aged 65 or over in England last year. In 2003, MRSA claimed 321 lives out of 7,683 infected. C difficile was linked to 1,748 deaths and was the main cause of 934 in the same year.

Age Concern said: "The very high rates of this appalling infection will worry many older people as they are the biggest users of the NHS."

Health workers' union Unison said: "The way to wipe out these bugs is to have cleaner hospitals and you must have more cleaners."

A hospital spokeswoman said it could not comment on the specific allegations because of difficulties in contacting the relevant doctors over the Bank Holiday.

HOW BUG STRIKES

CLOSTRIDIUM difficile, a bacterium, can spread from person to person.

There were almost six times more cases in hospital last year than MRSA. Four in five victims are pensioners.

Its spores cannot be killed by hand gels, as those of MRSA can. Disinfectant is needed.

It can cause diarrhoea and sometimes life-threatening bowel inflammation. Infection is normally diagnosed in lab tests. It can be treated with antibiotics or probiotics (good bacteria).

Source: Daily Mirror

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