Court upholds couple's $1 million malpractice award against Medford hospital

[TexasTowelie]

MEDFORD – A state appeals court Thursday upheld a $1 million damage award to a Medford couple who sued a local health care provider for injuries suffered during a fall after a colonoscopy procedure.

The 4th District appeals court rejected all arguments brought by attorneys for Memorial Health Center Inc. and Physicians Insurance Co. of Wisconsin, in the second appeal from the nursing malpractice lawsuit Kim Westrich filed for injuries he received during recovery from a 2005 colonoscopy.

According to the appeals opinion:

During his procedure, Westrich was given a sedative, and afterward nurse Susan Moretz monitored his recovery. Westrich complained of stomach cramps and Moretz helped him to the bathroom, told him to use the call light to summon her, and not stand up until she returned. While on the toilet, Westrich felt a sharp pain that caused him to jump up, hit his head on a wall and fall. He fell again when he tried to get back to his bed and was discovered by nurse Pamela Lugo.

A week later, Westrich told his doctor that he had lost his sense of taste and smell.

Read more: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/2018/03/15/1-million-malpractice-award-upheld-against-memorial-health-center-medford/429622002/

[strangedaysindeed]

1. Other stories

I would like to hear other people's stories about this procedure and side effects.

My doctor keeps trying to get me to have one, but I kept hearing horror stories about it.

[LakeArenal]

2. Both of us.

It’s not like it used to be. Preparation was pretty easy not pleasant. I swore I’d never do it as no one I my family has had cancer. But Dr. talked me into it. Surgeon great nurses great. Woke up. All done. I didn’t have any cramps so I can’t speak to that.

My husband was with me in recovery so don’t know if that made any difference to how I was treated.

I will say.. Since I’ve been really regular. All in all not “bad” at all. Undignified maybe.

Had a complication in another surgery. Had to spend 10 days in a nursing home. Stuff happens sometimes to ill people.

[Nitram]

3. It is only the prep that I deeply dislike, cleaning out the intestines and colon before the

procedure. Having to drink enormous qualities of bowel cleaning liquid is unpleasant. I've never had any complaints about the procedure itself. The first time, I had a local anesthetic and watched the procedure on the monitor as it was taking place. Memories of that are vague because they gave me some kind of semi-amnesia-inducing sedative. The next two times I had a general anesthetic and it was just a matter of going to sleep, waking up, and being driven home. No side effects at all.

[packman]

4. Have had two done -

First was rather annoying more than anything. In the hospital due to bleeding problems (use your imagination) and the nurse didn't bring in the cleansing junk until 5 hrs. before the procedure scheduled for first thing in the morning. Laying in bed, all comfy from the drugs and a nurse walks in with a gal. of liquid and I had to stay up all night drinking it and going to the bathroom.
All in all, it went well after that. Twilight state, no pain, no after affects.

Second time I had a full day to drink the same crap (not really all that bad tasting) - went to the hospital, registered, - bing, bang, - all done. Again, no problems.