Families feeling ‘unheard’ after hospital visits

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This article was published 11/04/2023 (1121 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two Westman mothers claim their concerns were ignored by doctors and nurses at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, putting the health of their children in jeopardy.

The worries began for Minnedosa’s Staci and Jimmy Kawohl last week, when they noticed that their 14-month-old baby, Chandler, had swelling and redness on his scrotum.

The couple said they dialed Health Links — a telephone health information service in Manitoba that is staffed 24 hours a day by registered nurses — but became anxious when their place in the queue didn’t move. Then they registered on the website QDoc, which is a free service for Manitobans that connects patients and doctors in a virtual appointment.

When the Kawohls uploaded photos to the service showing the redness on their baby, they were told by the QDoc physician that it was nothing to be concerned about, even though Staci Kawohl said she had already conducted a web search that suggested it was testicular torsion.

“The QDoc [physician] had mentioned that it could be torsion, but that was worst-case scenario, and he didn’t think it was that because it’s so rare. He told us not to even worry about it because if it had been torsion, his testicle would have already died, and there wasn’t anything to panic about because there was nothing that could be done,” Kawohl said.

Testicular torsion happens when a testicle rotates, twisting the spermatic cord that brings blood to the scrotum. The reduced blood flow causes sudden and often severe pain and swelling and can occur at any age but is most common in those between 12 and 18, according to the Mayo Clinic, a worldwide leader in expert care, education and research.

Someone experiencing testicular torsion usually requires emergency surgery, and if treated quickly, the testicle can most often be saved. But when blood flow is cut off for too long, a testicle might become so badly damaged that it must be removed.

Kawohl said the QDoc physician consulted with a pediatrician in Brandon, and both told the parents it was not torsion. But the parents were frantic with worry when they saw the redness and swelling worsening.

So, they took Chandler to the emergency department where they waited for four hours before a medical professional looked at his scrotum and ordered an ultrasound.

“When we were in ultrasound, the radiologist and the technician were both in the room, and you could tell right away something was wrong. They were telling us that they were concerned because there was no blood flow to the left testicle, it was definitely torsion,” Kawohl said.

Fortunately, the surgeon was able to untwist Chandler’s spermatic cord. Kawohl said she has since received apologies from him as well as the physician on QDoc who declared the condition was not “emergent.”

“I felt so terrible for my baby because I knew something was wrong. Nobody was taking it seriously, and he could have been infertile for the rest of his life. I’m very, very thankful that it had a positive outcome in the end, but it was ridiculous that we had to go through all of that,” Kawohl said with emotion in her voice.

For Brandon resident Kayla Diment, her frustration began over the Easter long weekend when she took her four-year-old daughter, Isabella, who is on the autistic spectrum, to the emergency department on Saturday with suspected pink eye and was sent to a Winnipeg hospital for a consult with another doctor.

Pink eye is a viral infection that affects the whites of the eyes and causes them to appear reddish or pink when the small blood vessels become irritated, and in some cases, swollen, along with the eyelids. Sometimes there is a discharge from the eye.

Diment insisted she told the nurse and doctor that she thought her daughter had pink eye.

“I walked in telling them I was 99 per cent sure it was pink eye, but the nurse couldn’t confirm what it was, and the doctor said they had never seen anything like it, and he would need to get an in-depth assessment.”

Isabella was getting agitated when the staff tried to hook her up to an intravenous drip and administer eye drops, said Diment, and that’s when the decision was made to sedate her.

“I understand 100 per cent where he was coming from, but because he wasn’t willing to actually agree or even be able to diagnose pink eye, we ended up having to completely paralyze my child, who is on the autistic spectrum. So that to me was completely unnecessary.”

The trip to Winnipeg to see a pediatrician lasted five minutes and ended with a diagnosis of pink eye, Diment said.

“I don’t really feel that I was being heard, especially since I went in and essentially told them that I knew what was wrong with her. I just needed help getting the treatment going,” she said.

After learning about the two families’ experiences, Doctors Manitoba provided a statement to the Sun, saying “physicians are working hard every day to offer excellent and timely care to their patients, but it’s not always possible with the record high physician shortage in Manitoba.”

Back in Minnedosa, Kawohl had advice for parents who might find themselves in the same situation that her family faced with not being heard by professionals.

“Follow your instincts. If you think you need help, take them in. Don’t second guess, it could have very different life outcomes for them if you do.”

Prairie Mountain Health and Manitoba Health didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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