– Hello, you have cancer. Can you come here to take a CT? That was the message she got on the phone. She doesn’t remember who called. This is how what will become a nightmare for the mother of two from Molde begins. The treatment she receives ends with the uterus being removed during an operation at St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim. The woman believes she is the victim of a hospital error, and has sent a complaint to the State Administrator in Trøndelag. The 36-year-old wishes to remain anonymous. According to a document that news has been given access to, supervisory proceedings have been opened against the hospital. St. Olav does not wish to be interviewed. Cell changes were detected in the cervix, and shortly afterwards they operated on part of the cervix. Photo: Privat Cell changes detected In October last year, she detected serious cell changes in the cervix, and part of the cervix was operated on at Molde Hospital. In February they called and told her over the phone that cancer cells had been found in the part they removed. A short time later, the woman was operated on at St. Olav. The 36-year-old believes she was most likely cancer-free already after the operation at Molde Hospital before Christmas. Photo: Roar Strøm Missing an organ The uterus was removed, although none of the examinations showed remnants of cancer cells in her body. – I’m missing an organ. Losing that organ changes my whole future and that of our family. Our lives will never be the same. Especially not after finding out that it is potentially a mistake. In her complaint to the state administrator, the woman writes that after the operation she has lost the opportunity to have more children, something she takes very seriously. No remnants of cancer were found either during the PET scan, CT scan, MRI or during the gynecological examination under anesthesia at St. Olav. Nevertheless, she was referred for surgery and the uterus removed. After the operation, she got a serious infection in her abdomen, and a few weeks later she was operated on for a hernia. Although no cancerous tumor was found in the woman’s body, doctors at St. Olav’s hospital chose to remove the uterus and fallopian tubes of the 36-year-old. Photo: Roar Strøm / news Supervision case against St. Olav The spring was difficult, but the thought that the womb could be removed by mistake is worse. – It is important for me to know if what they did was right. Test results from Molde showed cancer cells, but afterwards they found no traces of cancer inside her. The state administrator has asked the hospital to explain what was done. There it emerges that no spread was found, but that they still thought it was right to remove the uterus, fallopian tubes and lymph nodes in the pelvis. In the explanation from the section chief, it says, among other things: “The treatment that was given is in line with the recommendations in the National Action Program with Guidelines for Cervical Cancer, and the decision to recommend radical hysterectomy was made after a thorough preoperative survey.” St. Olav: It is not natural to speak out. The superior also writes that it was not technically possible to perform fertility-preserving surgery. “The fact that no residual tumor was detected in the surgical preparation does not indicate that the treatment was unnecessary, but the result is prognostically favorable.” The response from the hospital also states that the recommendation to remove the uterus was discussed with the patient. “She was offered an extra call before the operation, which she chose not to take advantage of.” news has been in contact with St. Olav’s hospital. They do not wish to be interviewed, but communications manager Marit Kvikne sends the following comment by e-mail: – We are aware of this complaint, and it is never good to hear about patients who are not satisfied with the treatment. The case is now being reviewed by the State Administrator, and it is not natural for us to comment before a conclusion is reached. I doubted that they were right – I feel that in their answer they put the blame on me. They put the responsibility on me for not being part of that conversation, says the woman. She didn’t want to travel without her roommate, and it’s not just about leaving the kids in Molde either. Before the operation itself, there was still time for many conversations, because she doubted whether what they were doing was right. – I asked every day. Is that what they’re doing right? They write nothing of this in the reply to the State Administrator. They don’t tell about my thoughts and that I struggle. Eight weeks after the operation, the answer came from the pathologist. – I get a phone call from St. Olav. I don’t remember who called, but the person concerned told me that I was cancer-free and that I was most likely already cancer-free after the operation in Molde before Christmas. Great strain on the family The woman also reacts to the fact that the serious message that cancer had been found in the part that was operated on was given over the phone. Especially since it happened after she hadn’t heard anything for three months. – This is the worst thing anyone can do to people, and I think it was an unprofessional way to do it, says the woman. The case has been a great burden for her and her family, and the idea that the uterus can be removed due to an error in the healthcare system is hard to live with. The supervisory case is still being processed by the state administrator. A decision is expected in a few weeks.
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Thinks she had her uterus removed by mistake at St. Olav – complained about the case to the State Administrator – news Trøndelag
