Toddler must repeat painful tests after hospital let blood samples sit too long, mother says | 24CA News
Natasha Contardi knew her daughter Teagan had an issue with gluten from delivery.
“She wasn’t gaining weight properly, and we figured out along the way it was gluten, wheat products, that was not making her well from breast milk,” Contardi mentioned.
She says she put her daughter, now three years previous, on a gluten-free weight loss plan. She tried introducing some gluten with strong meals, however Teagan by no means appeared to tolerate it.
Contardi says she was curious to seek out out if her daughter was merely gluten illiberal, or truly had celiac illness.
“There is a difference between eating gluten-free and eating gluten-free for celiac disease,” Contardi mentioned. “Someone with celiac disease, a crumb of toast getting into her mouth could make her sick for days.”
She mentioned if Teagan had celiac, gluten might bodily harm her intestinal lining. But if she have been gluten illiberal, it might merely make her uncomfortable.
Finally, this January, Contardi met with a pediatric gastroenterologist on the Montreal Children’s Hospital, and determined to undergo with exams for celiac illness. She mentioned Teagan had already examined optimistic for the celiac gene, and she or he needed to substantiate it with blood exams, after which an endoscopy if blood exams have been inconclusive.
Doctors mentioned her daughter needed to have gluten in her system for the blood exams, in any other case, she may need a false adverse. So Contardi needed to put Teagan via 12 weeks of consuming gluten with the intention to do the blood exams.
“She complains through meals, saying she is not hungry anymore and her tummy hurts and her emotions have been off the charts,” mentioned Contardi. “She has a pale rash on her skin that is itchy; she scratches until it bleeds. She cries having a bowel movement.”
Contardi says Teagan underwent blood exams in February, after which once more in March. She says nobody known as her with outcomes for weeks. So she says she saved calling the kids’s hospital and even the ombudsman.
She says she lastly obtained a name, explaining that the exams have been by no means truly completed on her daughter’s blood samples, and that that they had sat round too lengthy, and have been not viable, due to an error. She was advised her daughter must restart the entire course of, and undergo one other 12 weeks of consuming gluten once more.
“I do not even have the words to get across how physically and emotionally ruined I was when the doctor called me. It was devastating,” Contardi mentioned. “Three full months of suffering for my daughter that did not have to happen.”
The Montreal Children’s Hospital wouldn’t touch upon Teagan’s particular case for confidentiality causes. But spokesman Christine Bouthillier mentioned in an e mail assertion that basically, errors round testing are uncommon.
“Other requests are processed within one to three months, depending on the case. Urgent cases are usually seen within 24 hours. Loss of samples is very rare. However, sample processing is delayed for certain tests that are not clinically urgent. The priority of processing is determined by physicians according to the clinical importance of the tests. All samples collected that require a rapid response are processed the same day.”
Bouthillier continued to clarify that almost all exams are carried out on the hospital with out incident.
“It is important to note that the laboratory carries out 8 million tests a year, and that late tests represent 0.25% of total analyses,” the e-mail learn. “Delays are due in part to staff shortages, both for secretaries to register samples on arrival, and for technologists, who are essential for the analysis of these samples. We understand parents’ legitimate frustration, and encourage them to discuss with their child’s healthcare providers. Additional measures may be put in place to resolve the situation.”
Contardi mentioned she’s simply anxious for the testing for her daughter to be accomplished. And she says it’s essential for folks to maintain pushing once they don’t hear again from hospitals.
“Don’t stop fighting. Don’t accept long delays and professionals brushing you off and saying it’s no big deal. Take care of your children,” she mentioned.
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