A WOMAN claims she nearly died from six blood clots after a nurse blamed her leg pain on her being a ‘lazy student who lay in bed too long’.
Maela Penney said she has ‘lost trust’ in medical professionals after her leg pain was allegedly misdiagnosed as being from her ‘muscles seizing up’ from ‘staying in bed for too long’.
Kennedy NewsMaela Penney, 22, claims she nearly died from six blood clots after a nurse blamed her leg pain on her being a ‘lazy student who lay in bed too long’[/caption]
Kennedy NewsMaela was seen by a nurse practitioner twice before being diagnosed with deep vien thrombosis and being sent to A&E[/caption]
The estate agent said she was in agony and could barely walk from the pain in her legKennedy News
The 22-year-old made an urgent appointment at her local GP surgery in October 2019 after experiencing excruciating pain in her left hip and leg.
Maela – who was a 17-year-old college student at the time – said she arrived at the practice in ‘agony’ and barely able to walk when she was seen by a nurse practitioner.
Maela, who lives in Liskeard, Cornwall, claims the nurse attributed her pain to ‘lying down in bed for too long’ and sent her home with a packet of painkillers.
However, the following day, Maela’s symptoms became progressively worse – and she was forced to return to the doctor’s using a wheelchair.
My leg was really swollen at that point and was seized up. I was in absolute agony, I couldn’t walk at all
Maela Penney
There, Maela said she was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) – a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein – and told to go to hospital the following day.
After rushing to A&E, a scan revealed six blood clots had formed in Maela’s leg, which were all travelling up to the main artery in her heart.
The estate agent said she ‘probably would’ve been dead’ if she hadn’t pushed for another appointment – and is urging others concerned about their health to be persistent.
Maela’s advice comes after the tragic death of musical theatre performer Emily Chesterton who died due to a blood clot in her left leg after a physician’s associate reportedly dismissed her symptoms as ‘anxiety’.
The actress’s death prompted calls for patients to not be fobbed off with under-qualified medics – as health chiefs plug staff gaps at hospitals and GP surgeries with physician associates, who only study for two years compared to up to seven for a doc.
Recalling her own alleged misdiagnosis, Maela said: “I started to get really bad hip pain. It was aching and keeping me up in the night. I didn’t think it was anything serious at that time.
“I rang my doctors in the morning and I explained I was in agony. At this point, I couldn’t walk very well but I could still walk. My grandad came with me and helped me walk to the doctors.
“When I got there I was seen by a nurse practitioner. She asked if I was an active person and at the time I wasn’t really doing much because I was in college.
“She said it could be down to me not moving around a lot and spending a lot of time in bed.
“She said spending a lot of time in bed can cause your muscles to seize up. She was basically saying I was a lazy student who wasn’t getting enough exercise and staying in bed too long.”
Maela was sent home with some painkillers but returned the following day after her pain symptoms drastically worsened through the night.
What is deep vein thrombosis?
DVT – deep vein thrombosis – is a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg, that can be dangerous if not treated.
You should get medical help as soon as possible if you think you have it.
Symptoms include:
Throbbing pain in one leg (rarely both legs), usually in the calf or thigh, when walking or standing up
Swelling in one leg (rarely both legs)
Warm skin around the painful area
Red or darkened skin around the painful area – this may be harder to see on brown or black skin
Swollen veins that are hard or sore when you touch them
You’re more likely to get DVT if:
Are over 60
Are overweight
Smoke
Have had DVT before
Take the contraceptive pill or HRT
Have cancer or heart failure
Have varicose veins
You may also have a higher chance of getting it if you’ve had a hospital stay and couldn’t move much, are confined to your bed, have gone on a long plane, car or train journey, are pregnant or had a baby recently, or you’re dehydrated.
Source: NHS
Maela said: “My whole left leg basically seized up and I was in absolute agony. I had to be wheeled into the doctors, I couldn’t walk.
“I saw the same nurse again who said ‘oh I think you might have DVT’ and told me to go to hospital. I don’t know how long I’d had that condition.
“My leg was really swollen at that point and was seized up. I was in absolute agony, I couldn’t walk at all.
“I went to hospital the next day and was given some blood thinning injections in my stomach.
“I then went into theatre where they removed all the blood clots from my leg. There must have been about six in there, some of them were about the size of a 50p coin, there were multiple clots.”
If it had been left any longer and I didn’t keep pushing, it wouldn’t have been a good outcome.
Maela Penney
After a week in hospital, and a further operation to insert a stent in her leg, Maela was discharged and prescribed blood thinning tablets which she will have to take for the rest of her life to reduce the risk of further clots.
Looking back, the estate agents believes she ‘would be dead’ if she hadn’t pushed for a further appointment at her GP surgery – and is now urging others to always be persistent with medical professionals.
Maela said: “If it had been left any longer and I didn’t keep pushing, it wouldn’t have been a good outcome. I was annoyed that during the first appointment she said it was basically me not getting enough exercise and just laying in bed.
“I probably would’ve been dead if I hadn’t pushed it. I had a scan before all the clots were removed and the clots were all leading up to the main artery in my heart. It was only a matter of time, it could’ve been a bad outcome if I’d just stayed at home.
“I’m disappointed the nurse didn’t spot the signs because looking back now it’s obvious what the problem was. After that happened I feel like I’ve lost trust in medical professionals.”
She urged others to trust their gut when it comes to their own symptoms and be persistent if they feel they’re not being listened to.
“If something’s not right, I wouldn’t take that for an answer if you’re not happy. I would ask for a second opinion and keep pushing because you yourself know when something’s not right,” Maela said.
“Don’t just accept the first answer if you’re not happy. I knew something wasn’t right. In these situations, you have to be persistent especially if it’s going to save your life.”
Maela claims she could have died if she hadn’t pushed for a second appointmentKennedy News
Kennedy NewsShe urged others to ask for a second opinion if they feel something isn’t right[/caption]