A young woman who went in crying woke up to discover that her leg was amputated after she waited 16 hours for an operation.
Molly Harbron, 26, said she had 'a lot of pain' when she went her way to Dewsbury and the district hospital in West Yorkshire.
The foot and leg of the former caregiver remained numb and discolored by blood clots and she knew that “something was not good.”
But Mrs. Harbron has now received a payment of six digits, because doctors admitted that they probably should not chop her leg if she had had an operation on the same day at 9 p.m.
The then 22-year-old went to A&E to complain about a numb and cold left leg and discolored foot at 11.30 am on April 25, 2020.
Medici suspected deep venous thrombosis, or a blood clot in a vein – but did not succeed in performing sufficient tests.
A little more than a day later Mrs. Harbron woke up from the operation to discover the amputation.
She said: 'I was in a lot of pain, I knew something was wrong.
Molly Harbron post-amputation. Hospital staff that Mrs. Harbron would probably have avoided that her leg was amputated if she had had an operation on the same day at 9 p.m.
“I cried against my mother and asked her to take me to the hospital. Everything I remember was that there was a delay and when the operation woke up.
'When I woke up, the surgeon showed me that they had amputated my leg. However, I didn't really believe them because I could still feel my leg.
'When the realization came to me, I just broke and cried.
'Life was great for my amputation. I was really active, I started running three times a week and had a physically demanding job that I loved.
“But then it felt like life wasn't worth living with one leg. I could not come to terms with the fact that I had lost a leg and I had to continue because I didn't want someone else to come across. '
The staff of the hospital that Mrs. Harbron would probably have avoided that her leg was amputated if she had had an operation on the same day at 9 p.m.
Instead, her operation was postponed the next day until 1.30 pm – and doctors could not restore blood flow to her leg.
She had to spend another 18 days in the hospital after the amputation, which led her to stop her job as a caretaker.
Molly Harbron for her leg amputation. She said: 'Life was great for my amputation. I was really active, I started running three times a week and had a physically demanding job that I loved '
Mrs. Harbron had to be carried up and down the stairs every day because she could not make the journey alone.
She dedicated medical negligence lawyers in Irwin Mitchell to investigate her care under Mid Yorkshire, who gave NHS Trust, who allowed a breach of duty.
A month after leaving the hospital, she met her partner Daniel.
The couple has been married since then and she was able to walk through the aisle through the use of a prosthetic leg.
Mrs. Harbron, however, said that the prosthetic was not designed for her body and felt uncomfortable to wear.
Now, as part of an interim payment of six digits, the former caregiver has moved to a bungalow and start using a specially designed private fundamental prosthesis.
She said: “The first prosthesis I had from the NHS was very uncomfortable. I could only wear it for an hour.
“However, the new prosthetic suits me. It helps me to walk more smoothly.
Lawyers are now working on having Mrs. Harbron pay a definitive compensation package for living support, physiotherapy and maintenance of her prosthesis
'I can walk down, go to the shops, drive and I hope to run one day. It has changed my life so much and I feel like a normal person again.
“I never thought I have the life I have now. I have a brilliant husband, a great family; I never thought that was possible.
'I thought my life would be that I would stay in a wheelchair until I realized that I could do everything I focus on.
'By sharing my story, I hope that I can not only help others who might struggle with going through something similar, but also improve healthcare.
“What happened to me could have been avoided, so I want to try to prevent it from happening to someone else.”
Lawyers are now working on MS Harbron to get a definitive compensation package to pay for living support, physiotherapy and maintenance of its prosthetic.
Ashlee Coates, the lawyer of the expert medical negligence at Irwin Mitchell who represents her, said: 'Through our work we often see how errors are related to insufficient assessments and delays can lead to significant injuries.
'Molly's case vividly emphasizes the life -changing consequences that patients can be left.
Molly has confronted with an incredibly difficult time to try to lose the physical and psychological impact of her leg. However, she has always remained determined to make the best possible recovery.
'We knew that the priority for Molly ensured that she had a suitable house to live in and gain access to the specialist support she needed.
'The partial payment of compensation has made this possible. The progress in her rehabilitation has been phenomenal and Molly is now working on the life she wanted.
“Although her story is a grim memory of the need to maintain the highest standards of patient safety, it also emphasizes how people can bloom through early access to rehabilitation after losing a limb.”
