Smith’s Questionnaire (version 11) (For more Questionnaires please click here)

*this questionaire is constantly evolving and so some people may not have been asked or had chance to update their informaion to the new version, that is why some questions will have not asked next to them

needs formatting :-)

Background

Age at hysterectomy? ….. 32 (March 1970)
Questionnaire completed ..... June 2005
How arrived with us ..... link from traumatic birth organisation
Address .... South England
Children ….. Daughter nvb, Daughter NVB, Son (Deceased) 28 March 1997- 4 May, Daughter SVD, Daughter Em C, Daughter Em C E sub hysterctomy bladder damage
Religion ..... Lost my religion 8 years ago
Marital status before ….. Married
Relationship changed? ….. Changed but still together
Ethnic group ….. White
What academic level did you hold prior to hysterectomy ..... O level
Did you / do you smoke ….. yes
Mother survived ….. yes
Baby survived ….. yes
Job or career before / after ….. Bus driver now unemployable

Before Pregnancy

What was your menstrual cycle like before you became pregnant? ..... Like clockwork.
Did you have any, diseases, std's etc, that may have afftected your fertility? ..... None

Pregnancy

Was it 'normal' ….. No
Whist expecting did you develop any conditions? ..... Aph Ruptured membranes at 26 weeks
Where was the birth wanted/planned home or hospital ….. Home
If a planned home birth why a change of plan ….. Broken waters, son died previously from infection couldn't take that chance !!!
If c/s, planned or elective, why ….. N/a
Hospital ……
Doctor/s …..
Previous 'childbirth' vaginal, c/s etc ….. v,v,v,v,ec
Did you want to / plan to breast feed ….. yes
Have you breast fed before, if so for how long ….. 2 months

Labour and birth

Date that labour began? ….. 13th Sept 02 (Broken waters, Full labour 24th sept 02
Were you induced? ..... no
Date of delivery? .....27 September 2002
Problems during delivery? ..... Plenty
If emergency caesarian why? were you happy with this? ..... No
Problems after delivery? ..... Where to start.Surgeon nicked bladder causing stent siting and permanent damage, pph,blood transfusion sub hysterectomy WITHOUT my permission
****
1. Where you induced and if so what reason was given? ..... No
2. Did you have an epidural? Did you have any problems with your epidural? ..... No N/a
Any other pain relief ..... Everything by then !!
3. How long was the first / second / third stage? ( My second stage was quite short and as it turned out it was a blessing as that could have lead to further complications) ..... 1st stage days 2nd 12 hours 3rd 4 hours with no results.
4. Were you aware of any precautions made for the delivery eg saving blood units / not allowing a birth in the 'home suite', being given 'senior' midwives for the delivery? ..... Only for premature daughters arrival
Did you have any other intervention? ..... No
5. Were you allowed to eat / drink and if not what reasons were given? ..... No
6. What procedures were followed immediatley after delivery? ..... Don't know woke up in ICU 2 days later
7. When did you realise that there was a problem? ..... Waking up in ICU with male patients
8. Was your husband allowed to stay in the delivery suite whilst they attempted to stem the bleeding? .....
9. What was done to stem the bleeding? ..... I don't know
10. Did you have any bi-manual compresions and if so did you have any pain relief? ..... I don't know
11. Were you conscious whlist they attempted to solve the problems? ..... No
12. Did you ever feel as though you were not going to survive? ..... N/a
13. Did you feel as though everything (ie the staff) were completely in control of the situation? ..... No
14. Were you fully informed at all times about what was happening and why? ..... No
*****

Before operation

If planned c/s how long was the consultation? (should be no less than an hour) .….
Were any risks including hysterectomy given to you? ….. No
Was sterilisation talked about / planned / agreed to? ….. planned but I was out of it.
Were you asked if you would consent to a blood transfusion? ….. No
If after arrival of baby were you given any transfusion? ….. yes
What were the circumstances for you to be taken (back) in? ….. no
If taken (back) in were you told it was for a hysterectomy or warned it may result in hysterectomy? …..
Were you asked if you suffered from depression? ….. no
Were you asked if you had ever been abused? ….. no
If you were abused in the past has this come to mind more than before the operation .....

During operation

Hysterectomy date ….. 27th September 2002
Were you conscious or under general anaesthetic? ..... genreal
What did they try before undertaking the hysterectomy ….. nothing
How much blood transfused before / during hysterectomy ….. can't remember
Consent specifically given for hysterectomy? ….. Not by me
How many minutes from death, if applicable ….. they told my husband iminant
Did you go into cardiac arrest ….. Don't know
Was your partner/husband told they were going to do it before they did it? …..

After hysterectomy

How did you learn of your hysterectomy ….. in hdu
Reason for hysterectomy ….. Placenta acreait pph
How much blood were you transfused after hysterectomy? ….. lots
Type of hysterectomy, sub/total? If total were you told straight away that it had been done and were you given a reason for this? ….. sub
Do you still have both ovaries? If not were you told straight away that it had been done and were you given a reason for this? ….. 1 lost 1 at 17 ectopic.
Was your vagina pleated? If so were you told straight away that it had been done and were you given a reason for this? ….. no
What incision scars have you? ..... 1
If more than one do you know what was for caesarian and what was for hysterectomy? .....
Intensive care/ how long? ….. Can't remember
On recovery/ward care? ….. 2 days
Infections post hysterectomy, either in hospital or shortly after ….. both
How was pain managed eg good bad with what? ….. very badly to start but better as time went on
When expected to fend for self and baby? ….. 2nd day on ward 6th day after delivery
How were you treated by the staff? ….. some well other terribly
Did they care for you well? ….. if you call forgetting the drain stitches for a week good then hum!!!
Did they care for your child/ren well? ….. For baby very well in NNICU
If you were crying were you given compassion? ….. Very little, you have enough children !!!
Were you told that you should be grateful you had a partner/husband (many women in here do not)? ….. no
If you had your ovaries were you told you could still have children with surrogacy? ….. no
Were you told to adopt ? ….. no
If you were very unhappy were you told to change your attitude or you may well loose your partner / husband? ….. n/a
Did a counsellor see you? ….. no
Did the physiotherapist see you/ Were you given exercises to make your uterus contract? ….. NOT funny !!
How long was your hospital stay? ….. 4 weeks after birth
Were you encouraged to stay as long as you needed or not? ….. not needed bed
Were you told how often this happened? ….. once every 2 years
Were you given any information about how long your ovaries would 'last'? ….. no

(After) Leaving hospital

Were you given information on family planning? ….. no
How much help did you at home and for how long? ….. not much baby in intensive care for 3 months and 4 other children
How were you treated by your GP? ….. very well
How were you treated by your midwife? ….. Didn't really get the chance to see her much
How were you treated by your Health Visitor? ….. carefully
If you wanted to go though a process of more children were you helped? ….. no
Did you breast feed for as long as you wished. If so for how long? ….. no 2 months Eden got sick again and then I started to get ill

Consequences

Your well being ...

Did you bond with your baby or do you feel the operation caused problems? .... Difficult to say had counted my chickens once before and left empty handed has caused me unbelievable stress tears heartache and anger....
Do you feel like a survivor or victim?….. victim
Do you feel as though you have been raped? ..... yes
Do you still feel like a woman? ….. no
Do you feel there is anyone to blame or fate? ….. blame
Are you grateful to be alive? ….. not always
If only caesarian (s) do you feel robbed of giving birth? ..... yes
Do you tell others what has happened? If not do you have a reason? ….. not many i cannot yet it is too hard
Any legal action taken? Sucessful? ..... no but
If applicable were the police contacted? Successful? ….. may consider it now
Have you suffered post traumatic stress disorder? ..... yes seeing pyschologist weekly
Have you suffered a change in depression? ..... yes
Do you now suffer from anxiety? ..... yes
Do you suffer from sleeplessness? ..... yes
Do you have nightmares or have you had, that you feel are associated with this? ..... every night.....

Physical ...

Has / did your menopause start early? ….. na
Do you now have or a change in IBS? ….. yes
Do you now have incontinence, if so when did it start? ….. slight after catheter came out nov 02..
Do you have movement in your abdomen like a baby moving? (a couple of us guess it is just the bowel doing its job)? ….. yes
Do you now suffer from a shortness of breath? ….. yes
Can you still stretch properly? ….. no
Has you libido changed (as it altered your sex life)? …. yes
- if yes is this positive or negative? ..... nagative
- is penetration possible, if so is it painful? ..... yes and no
- if applicable are you still able to achieve orgasm, is it the same quality? ..... occassionally ... no
- do your erogenous zones still as sensitive? ..... no
Do you now have problems (pain / incontinence) coughing and sneezing? ….. occassionally
Do you have regular abdominal pain, either internal or scar related? ..... no
Do you now have a problem with weight gain? …..no
Do you now have a different figure? ….. yes
Do you suffer more headaches? ….. yes
Do you now suffer from rashes? ..... have psoriasis before but now chronicly sever....
Do you now suffermore from pains like trapped nurves or something twisted inside if you turn the wrong way? ..... yes
If you sffer from cold sores do they now scar? ..... yes
Have you had any tidy up operation/s? comments? ….. no

Hospitals reaction ...

Do you know, have you met the doctor that did the operation? Was the doctor a consultant? ..... don't know
Was an internal review undertaken to see hat happened and if mistakes coul be learnt from? (Anna was told this was standard practice with such an outcome) ..... no
Did you think about having your organ (s) returned to you? Any results? ….. not at the time but now I wish I had..
Have you obtained your notes? Were there any problems? ..... not yet but going to...
Do you beleive they are an accutate portrayal of what happened? ..... n/a
Has the doctor gone over your notes with you? ..... no
Did you have all your questions answered? If so was this straight away or did you have to go though some form of complaints procedure? Sucessful? .....
If you wish to meet or speak to the pepole involved in your 'care' are you able to? ..... don't know
Have you gone back to the hospital if so was this helpful for you? .....

Miscellaneous

When did it HIT you? ..... after my daughter came home early 03
Did you plan to be an organ donor before the hysterectomy? Are you still? Or vice versa. ….. was but now no way
Has it effected family life, if so how? ..... badly have had nervous breakdown in the last year.....
How has your husband / partner dealth with this? ..... not well
How has this changed the quality of your life? ..... yes
What are your overall views? ..... I was robbed and someone made a big mistake and isn't man enough to admit it.
With hindsight would you have done anything differently? ..... would not have become pregnant in this area
Advice for others ….. Um havent really got any still trying to come to terms with it all.
Any other thoughts or comments? …..

If IVF before hysterectomy…

Cycle number …..
Eggs retrieved - embryos …..
Embryos implanted …..
Result …..

More children wanted/hoped for ? If so how many? ….. kept going until we had another son who knows .

Surrogacy …..
Eggs retrieved - embryos …..
Embryos implanted …..
Result …..

Adoption …..

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