A woman who suffers horrible back pain has discovered she has had part of an epidural needle stuck in her spine from the time she gave birth 14 years ago.
Amy bright, 41, gave birth to her sixth and youngest son Jacob by c-section
at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida in 2003. Shortly after giving birth, she began to experience severe back pain and it has had a debilitating effect on her life ever since.
Last year she finally discovered the cause of her pain after a CT scan revealed a 3cm-long chunk of needle buried in her spine. The needle had allegedly broken off when she was given an epidural during Jacob’s birth 14 years ago. She said she was "livid, upset and scared" at the revelation.
The needle in her spine caused extensive nerve damage, leaving Amy with limited use of her left leg and foot.
She said: "Every time I move and walk and bend and twist and sleep, that needle moves inside my spine. For 14 years, I’ve been creating scar tissue in my spine from this needle moving."
Speaking of the pain she has suffered, she explained: "It feels like fire, like a poker next to my tailbone. On occasion, it shoots down the left side of my leg on my calf, and then down and into my foot."
Amy has been told she could be permanently paralysed whether or not the needle is removed now. She will have to rely on pain medication and physical therapy to manage the damage for the rest of her life.
She said: "It has gotten to the point where it just burns constantly. I’m very scared of my future. [My leg] is getting weaker. I’m probably going to be in a wheelchair. It’s scary because I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I’m very paranoid and scared."
Amy is now attempting to sue the hospital where she gave birth, Florida’s Naval Hospital, claiming staff knew the needle had broken off but neglected to do anything about it, even though the damage could have been avoided.
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