A woman who has suffered agonising back pain since giving birth 14 years ago discovered that a portion of an epidural needle had been stuck in her spine.
Amy Bright, 41, had a c-section in a Jacksonville, Florida, hospital in 2003 to give birth to Jacob, her sixth and youngest son.
Her extreme back pain started barely two months later and has been ruining her life.
A CT scan last year revealed a three-cm-long needle lodged in her spine, allowing her to pinpoint the source of her pain.
In response to the news, she showed amazement, rage, and dread.
The needle allegedly snapped off during her epidural for Jacob’s delivery more than ten years ago.
Amy’s left foot and leg are only partially functional due to significant nerve injury.
“Every time I move, walk, bend, twist, or sleep, that needle moves inside my spine,” she claimed.
As a result of this needle movement, I’ve been causing scar tissue to grow in my spine for 14 years.
She has seen several doctors over the years, and they have all prescribed pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and other medications to help her deal with her agony.
“It feels like a poker against my tailbone, scorching.” She told WRAL that it sometimes runs down the left side of her calf and into her foot.
“It feels like fire and a poker next to my tailbone. “Sometimes it shoots down the left side of my calf and into my foot,” Bright explained.
A recent CT scan revealed a damaged three-centimetre epidural needle in her spine.
Bright and her attorney, Sean Cronin, have sued the federal government, saying that the needle caused permanent nerve damage.
“According to her medical records, she had a failed spinal needle attempt in September 2003 at Naval Hospital Jacksonville. “As a result, no one else stuck a needle in her back,” stated Cronin.
She is currently suing the Naval Hospital in Florida, where she gave birth, claiming that care employees were aware of the needle breaking off but did nothing to mend it, despite the harm being avoided.
Amy may become irreversibly paralysed if the needle is not removed immediately.
She will need medicines and physical therapy to treat the injury for the rest of her life.
