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Anaesthetic didn't work

Posted By sambadj33

"Anaesthetic didn't work"

About: King Edward Memorial Hospital / Maternity

(as the patient),

I was booked in to have my child, and afterwards, I experienced some tearing which needed to be repaired. I waited a fairly long time for the doctor to be available which was ok. But when the doctor injected me with the local anaesthetic, I believe it didn't work. I don't know why, I think it numbed some areas but not others, and I could feel agonising pain every time the doctor tried to sew me up. I was screaming and crying out and had an anxiety attack. I begged them to stop but they didn't seem to believe that I could feel anything. 

Eventually, a more senior doctor took over. I believe they couldn't give me any more anaesthetic as I had had the maximum amount, so I was given the option of going to theatre under general anaesthetic. I really didn't want to be away from my new baby, so I told this doctor please just do it quickly. It was so painful but at least it was over faster than before. 

I felt very traumatised by this experience and am afraid of getting pregnant again and going through this again. 

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Responses

Response from Jodi Graham, Executive Director, Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group 4 years ago
Jodi Graham
Executive Director,
Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group

Submitted on 20/01/2020 at 11:23 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 11:23 AM

picture of Jodi Graham

Dear sambadj33,

Firstly, I would like to extend my congratulations to you and your family on the birth of your child. I appreciate the time you have taken to raise your concerns regarding your experience with the Women and Newborn Health Service (WNHS). WNHS strives to provide quality, patient-centered care and I am sorry that this was not the case on this occasion.

Unfortunately, local anaesthetic can be variable in effectiveness. Sometimes part of the site which has been administered the local anaesthetic responds well, whilst it is less effective in other areas of the site. Generally if you are experiencing pain after local anaesthetic infiltration the clinician will stop to give the area more time to respond and/or give more local but even with this, though some patients will experience ongoing pain. I am sorry you did not feel the doctor suturing you believed you when you stated that the pain continued.

There is a maximum amount of anaesthetic that can be given safely and once this is reached the options of going to theatre for a general anaesthetic or continuing with imperfect anaesthesia are the choices left. I am so sorry that these were both suboptimal alternatives and that this was such a painful and traumatic experience for you.

When you have a difficult birth experience, it is common to feel traumatised and scared about future births. Sometimes a debrief of the events can help and we would be happy to offer that for you at the King Edward Memorial Hospital. Additionally, it can help to discuss these concerns with your General Practitioner or a mental health professional. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, or if you would like to arrange a time for a debrief, please call the WNHS Consumer Liaison Service on 6458 1466.

Kind regards

Jodi Graham

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