'A nurse ignored my leg pain and said I was just a lazy student - I nearly died'
The then-college student is now warning people who are worried about their health to be persistent with medical professionals.
Maela Penney says she's "lost trust" in medical professionals after claiming a nurse blamed her leg pain on being a "lazy student who lay in bed too long," which was causing her muscles to "seize up". However, after being sent home with a packet of painkillers, Maela's symptoms got progressively worse. She now claims she nearly died after they eventually discovered six blood clots.
At the time in October 2019, the 22-year-old made an urgent GP appointment after experiencing excruciating pain in her left hip and leg. The estate agent, who was a 17-year-old college student at the time said she was in "agony" by the time she arrived for an appointment, and could barely walk when she was seen by a nurse practitioner.
Maela didn't originally think it was so serious (Kennedy News and Media)
But the pain got progressively worse (Kennedy News and Media)Maela, who lives in Liskeard, Cornwall, "didn't think it was anything serious at that time" and alleges the nurse dismissed her pains as being from "lying down too long". Recalling what happened, Maela said: "When I got there I was seen by a nurse practitioner. She asked if I was an active person and at the time I wasn't really doing much because I was in college. She said it could be down to me not moving around a lot and spending a lot of time in bed.
"She said spending a lot of time in bed can cause your muscles to seize up. She was basically saying I was a lazy student who wasn't getting enough exercise and staying in bed too long."
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The nurse allegedly sent Maela home with painkillers. However, the symptoms became drastically and progressively worse the next day, and she was forced to return to the GP surgery in a wheelchair. Maela said: "My whole left leg basically seized up and I was in absolute agony. I had to be wheeled into the doctors, I couldn't walk.
"I saw the same nurse again who said 'Oh I think you might have deep vein thrombosis (dvt)' and told me to go to hospital. I don't know how long I'd had that condition. My leg was really swollen at that point and was seized up. I was in absolute agony, I couldn't walk at all."
She was in 'absolute agony' (Kennedy News and Media)
She was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (Kennedy News and Media)It was then Maela was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, a medical condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. The then-student rushed to hospital the next day, where a scan revealed there were six blood clots forming in her leg - all leading up to the main artery in the heart.
Maela explained: "I went to hospital the next day and was given some blood thinning injections in my stomach. I then went into theatre where they removed all the blood clots from my leg. There must have been about six in there, some of them were about the size of a 50p coin, there were multiple clots."
Maela claims she "probably would've been dead" if she "didn't keep pushing". She added: "It wouldn't have been a good outcome. I was annoyed that during the first appointment she said it was basically me not getting enough exercise and just laying in bed.
"I probably would've been dead if I hadn't pushed it. I had a scan before all the clots were removed and the clots were all leading up to the main artery in my heart. It was only a matter of time, it could've been a bad outcome if I'd just stayed at home.
"I'm disappointed the nurse didn't spot the signs because looking back now it's obvious what the problem was. After that happened I feel like I've lost trust in medical professionals. If I can avoid going to the doctors, I will."
Maela is now urging others to keep pushing medical professionals if they think "something's not right". She said: "If something's not right, I wouldn't take that for an answer if you're not happy. I would ask for a second opinion and keep pushing because you yourself know when something's not right.
"Don't just accept the first answer if you're not happy. I knew something wasn't right. In these situations, you have to be persistent especially if it's going to save your life."
After a week in hospital and another operation to insert a stent into her leg, Maela was discharged and prescribed blood thinning tablets which she will have to take for the rest of her life to reduce the risk of further clots.
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