It has been a little over two years since Iselin Oldeide had little Hedvik. She is still ill, and does not know when she will return to work. At home in Måløy in Vestland, the contact between mother and daughter is warm and close, laughter is never far away. But at the same time, it is hard for Iselin to think about the time after the birth – she has lost so much of the first part of her life to Hedvik. – This was not how the start of life as a mother was supposed to be, she says quietly. For Iselin, it has been painful to be sick pretty much the whole life of Hedvig, who is two years old. Photo: Privat The painful time Problema started when she had a particularly demanding birth just over two years ago. Hedvik had to be taken out by emergency caesarean section. Iselin lost 2.5 liters of blood and was in extreme pain in the days afterwards, among other things due to a blood hematoma that was infected. In total, she spent 15 days in hospital. She expected that the pain would eventually subside, but it only got worse – through spring, summer and into autumn and winter. Iselin, who is a nurse herself, started asking questions. – Should labor pains last so long, without you noticing any progress? She was met by various doctors at the doctor’s office in Måløy, eight in all, where she again and again described the various symptoms she suffered from. These included large vaginal bleeding, high CRP (which can be a sign of an underlying disease), low hemoglobin, high pulse and heavy breathing. She gradually asked to have an ultrasound. According to Iselin, the answer was awaited, where she was explained, among other things, that it was probably birth pains, complications after birth and bleeding after using an IUD. But she herself felt it was something more serious. She was unable to follow up her child as she wanted. At times she struggled to climb the stairs in the house. Other days she had to go to bed at seven in the evening, completely exhausted. After the birth, Iselin has had several periods where she has been completely exhausted. Photo: Private The turning point It peaked in April 2022, over a year after the birth, when a doctor happened to see her in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. She saw how sick and pale Iselin looked, and that she was completely “on the edge”. She was therefore sent for an ultrasound and CT examination, and a seven-centimetre-long tumor in the pelvic area was confirmed – a tumor that was discovered in the vicinity of the uterus, ovaries and bladder. She was referred for further treatment through the cancer package process. – It sounds completely wrong to say it, but I was happy. I finally got an answer to why I was so bad. I thought that now I might be able to get help. She had Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT), a rare and usually benign tumor. IMT, on the other hand, can invade nearby tissues and in some cases spread to other organs. The tumor at the pelvis was seven centimeters long. Photo: Private Later in the summer, in order to speed up the operation, one of the doctors writes about Iselin in the referral: “Ever since my daughter was born 16 months ago, she has had unexplained symptoms and pains, but this has not been believed.” The doctor writes that it is “shocking” to see such a sick patient, who has also lost 34 kilos. “Night sweats, nausea and vomiting, total exhaustion. Have no energy, lie mostly all day. Mentally completely broken.” Vulnerable period Ståle Onsgård Sagabråten is a GP, head of the Swedish Medical Association’s professional board and a member of the Women’s Health Committee. He does not comment on the specific case, but says on a general basis that the period after childbirth is a vulnerable period for women, both psychologically and physically. It is therefore mandatory for a doctor or midwife to carry out a follow-up check approximately six weeks after birth, or when the woman has finished the so-called post-natal cleansing. – When people come back with questions again, you have to question whether you overlooked something in the first consultation, says Sagabråten. – Especially if they come back a third time, you have to be on guard, then there is a chance that something went wrong in the consultation, he adds. The health service should be attentive if women after giving birth, several times, come back with the same questions, says head of the Medical Association’s professional board, Ståle Onsgård Sagabråten. Photo: Privat It is important that women contact the healthcare system if they feel that something is wrong. Healthcare personnel must follow up if something seems abnormal and take it seriously, says Sagabråten. – There must be a low threshold for reporting further if there are deviations, he says. On the way back, Iselin carried out a demanding operation in August last year, where she had to remove the tumor – but also had to remove parts of the small intestine, lymph nodes and much of the connective tissue. She struggled with heavy after-effects, delayed injuries, and is still unable to work. If she exerts herself too much, she has to throw up. It still cannot be compared to the time before the operation, and everything she has missed. – You have to say no to everything you look forward to on leave. Maternity appointments, exercise, trolley rides, little things you simply can’t do anymore. It has been very tough. Sambuar Håvard Loen Myklebust has been – and is – a good support for Iselin. Photo: Oddmund Reisæter Haugen / news She has contacted the patient and user agency in Vestland, which has sent a complaint to Kinn municipality about insufficient follow-up at the doctor’s office in Måløy. The municipality replies that they cannot “go into the individual doctor’s assessments”, but nevertheless takes some self-criticism: “It has been a coincidence of situations which means that over this period you have been seen by different doctors, where it would have been reasonable for you with more stable coverage at the doctor’s office”. The municipality writes that a “review of your case” will be carried out at the office in order to learn “lessons from events that occur”. Municipal chief physician Kjell-Arne Nordgård wrote to news that he believes the health care from Måløy doctor’s office has been sound overall, based, among other things, on information contained in Iselin’s medical record. – These are medical assessments made with the information and observational basis that was available during the consultation. Patient ombudsman Ingrid Aanderud Sælen sees it this way: – It is unclear why this patient has not received more help, but we see some examples of women not being taken seriously enough when they come to the doctor with complaints and symptoms. Patient and user representative in Vestland, Ingrid Aanderud Sælen, lacks a better explanation from Kinn municipality. Photo: Oddmund Reisæter Haugen / news She refers to the report from the Women’s Health Committee earlier this winter, where one of the conclusions was that women’s health has a low status. The seal lacks a greater degree of humility – the servants often defend why they did what they did instead of spending time wondering why they didn’t do what they should have done. She also reacts to the fact that the municipality does not want to go into the assessments of the individual doctor. – It can therefore be difficult for patients to know where to send a complaint and who is responsible for responding. The case has now been forwarded to the State Administrator for supervisory assessment, which will determine whether Iselin received proper health care. Iselin does not know when she can start working again as a nurse, but hopes she will notice progress during the summer. Photo: Oddmund Reisæter Haugen / news
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Iselin never came to terms with the fact that she only had birth pains – news Vestland
