By Kevin Martel

Woman losing fingers, claims mistreatment at Regina hospital

May 27, 2015 | 8:20 AM

WARNING: This story contains images that some may find graphic.

A family who claimed their pregnant daughter was mistreated and misdiagnosed at the Pasqua Hospital in Regina says she will now lose her fingers and thumb.

Earlier this month, 25-year-old Krystal Schwan went to the emergency room with a sore hand. As she writhed in pain in the waiting area, her family explained how hospital staff was disrespectful to her, believing she was high on some sort of drug.

The family said the doctor initially found nothing wrong and released her. However, the next day Schwan returned to the ER. Tthis time her hand was black and the pain was excruciating. Her mother, Sheila Bolen, explained Schwan was eventually found to have compartment syndrome and a bacterial infection.

Schwan was moved to the Regina General Hospital. She’s still there three weeks later.

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“She has something called dry gangrene and they dried up her fingers that they will not be able to be saved,” said her mother.

“She thinks she’s going to be a handicapped, ugly person.”

Bolen explained how her daughter was given the choice of having the operation now or later. However, since there’s a risk the gangrene could act up and cause further bacterial complications or even kill Schwan, the decision was made to have the fingers and thumb removed as soon as possible. They’re waiting for that operation to happen this week.

Bolen described how the bacterial infection had spread up her daughter’s arm. As a result, she said incisions had to be made for the fluid to be drained. To close those wounds, she described how Schwan had dozens of staples in her arm used as part of the skin-grafting process.

“She’s in a lot of pain. It’s very painful. She’s scared,” admitted Bolen.

Once the fingers and thumb are removed, Bolen said she was told there wouldn’t be enough skin to cover the knuckle. She said doctors revealed their options were limited.

“They’re going to cut a slit in her stomach and they’re going to sew her hand in there and they’re going to leave it in there for three weeks,” she explained, adding the intention is that new skin will grow over the hand.

In case Schwan goes into labour, her mother maintained that doctors would still be able to perform a c-section. Bolen figures that her daughter will remain in hospital for another three to four weeks if all goes according to plan.

The entire incident has left Bolen disgusted and her daughter confused.

“She didn’t understand why it’s happening to her, why they just didn’t figure it out in the first place. She just doesn’t understand what else she could have done differently to make them see that it was that sore,” said her mother.

This life-altering experience could have gone very differently for their family, Bolen suggested, if their daughter would have been properly diagnosed nearly a month ago.

“I certainly think this could have been avoided definitely.”

She wants more than just an apology from the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region. Bolen stated that somebody needs to come forward and help this poor girl, saying that could mean financial compensation as her daughter gets set to lose the ability to perform everyday tasks with her hand. She’s also losing out on spending time with her three other children.

The family filed a formal complaint with the RQHR shortly after the incident. The health region had previously indicated that a review would be started immediately. Bolen insisted she hasn’t heard anything back yet on how that review is progressing.

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow