16-Year-Old Girl Stricken By Flesh-Eating Disease At Montreal Hospital - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Nehkara · 03-28-2008, 07:05 PM

Family of Montreal woman stricken by flesh-eating disease slams hospital

Quote:

Relatives of a 16-year-old who contracted the so-called flesh-eating disease after giving birth at an east-end Montreal hospital are furious she was initially released despite her symptoms.

Melanie Belanger is now out of a medically-induced coma at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital, but doctors said she is still fighting for her life and they don't know yet whether they will have to amputate her legs.

Her stomach is still open because there isn't enough skin to close it.
Belanger was first admitted to the hospital on March 15 to give birth to a boy. Her family said she was feeling strong after the birth and was anxious to get home, but soon she began complaining of back and abdominal pain.

They said her skin was so sore that she would yell in pain if someone touched it.

This just a horrible situation all around... but the hospital should never have released her if she was as sick as her family is saying.

Just a very sad story. Hope she makes it.

Maritime Q-Scout · 03-28-2008, 07:10 PM

that's really surprising as from what I understand you can actually watch the disease spread across your body. It's not slow you can see the skin colour change as it spreads.

Edit: Anyone else find it shocking (not quite as shocking, but shocking none the less) that a 16 yr old was giving birth?

Nehkara · 03-28-2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

that's really surprising as from what I understand you can actually watch the disease spread across your body. It's not slow you can see the skin colour change as it spreads.

Edit: Anyone else find it shocking (not quite as shocking, but shocking none the less) that a 16 yr old was giving birth?

Slightly... I am worried that she wasn't taken as seriously because of her age and the stigma that accompanies teen pregnancy.

Dan02 · 03-28-2008, 10:15 PM

Dunno about her parents, but if i was as sick as they seem to suggest they wouldn't have taken me home. The parents at some point must have agreed it wasn't anything too abnormal.

flip · 03-28-2008, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nehkara

Slightly... I am worried that she wasn't taken as seriously because of her age and the stigma that accompanies teen pregnancy.

Not gonna lie I didn't read the link so not sure if you are just speculating that she wasn't taken seriously because of the stigma or if they have direct proof.

That being said I wouldn't be surprised if her word was taken at less than face value because of her situation.

Flesh eating disease is not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. (which by the way is a tie between Jerry Falwell, Oprah and anyone not named the Flames in the NW division)

flamesaresmokin · 03-28-2008, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan02

Dunno about her parents, but if i was as sick as they seem to suggest they wouldn't have taken me home. The parents at some point must have agreed it wasn't anything too abnormal.

I'm sure they did, bacteria breeds like crazy in hospitals and if one person didn't sanitize something properly thats exactly the cause. These things can go from initial stages to extreme in a matter of hours so i wouldn't blame judge anyone for not being cuatious enough.

Nehkara · 03-30-2008, 07:59 AM

They were saying that flesh eating disease can kill in 12 to 24 hours in some cases. That is just mind boggling.

MRCboicgy · 03-30-2008, 10:45 AM

Yes, you can't even wish this on Oilers fans.

Suomo, my roomie, had it in his chest. The story and the scar are what nightmares are made of

The worst part, because of it's location, the surgeon couldn't give him anesthesia so he was split open and had it removed with no pain killers or anything (something about thinning the blood, etc) All he got was to hold the nurse's hand...and yes this surgery was performed here, not in south america or something.

Toughest f*g ever (and I can use that word)

NuclearFart · 03-30-2008, 12:57 PM

Meh, the "flesh eating disease" is not as super rare as the media generally makes it out to be. And they always make it sound like its some solitary, super rare mutant bacteria, when in truth it can be caused by a number of common organisms, some of which live right on your skin or in your nose, and never causing any trouble. The line about "a rare and fast spreading bacteria infected with a virus" is case in point.

It sucks what happend to this girl, and retrospectively we can say she was discharged prematurely. But keep in mind that getting the boot after 2 days is the norm, and having pain in those regions should be expected given that she just gave birth. 99.99% of the time this is not attack of the flesh eating bacteria.

LChoy · 03-30-2008, 01:30 PM

From CMMB class: Flesh eating disease or Necrotizing fasciitis is caused normally by the Streptococcus A group bacteria, the kind that would normally give one Strep throat. It's normally already present in your body, but I think it gets bad if it's gets into your blood stream through a wound to cause septicemia, or blood poisoning. The bacteria starts to release exotoxins that damages the cells around the affected wound. Your body makes it worse by over stimulating the immune response and all sorts of chemicals and free radicals are released. Together, that's what causes the surrounding tissues to die. It's rapidly spreading, but actually hard to diagnosis at first since initial signs are just pain and reddness. With pregnancy, that's normally expected so I don't think anyone was looking that it was flesh eating disease right off the bat.

Nehkara · 03-30-2008, 01:49 PM

I would still say that if her condition was as described by the family, the hospital should be held responsible for her premature release:

Quote:

Her family said she was feeling strong after the birth and was anxious to get home, but soon she began complaining of back and abdominal pain.

They said her skin was so sore that she would yell in pain if someone touched it.

The hospital released Belanger two days after her delivery, but according to her sister, Kathy Huard, she had to be brought by wheelchair to the exit and couldn't get into the car on her own power.

That doesn't sound like someone who is well enough to go home from the hospital. Skin that is so painful that you react violently if someone touches you is not a side effect of giving birth, AFAIK.

Mayer · 03-30-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Edit: Anyone else find it shocking (not quite as shocking, but shocking none the less) that a 16 yr old was giving birth?

Not at all. My girlfriend and my mom work at the Calgary Pregnancy Care Center here in Calgary, and 16 year old pregnancies are not uncommon at all. In fact, just last week they had a 13 year old client. And that wasn't even a first. It's actually pretty sad.

NuclearFart · 03-30-2008, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nehkara

I would still say that if her condition was as described by the family, the hospital should be held responsible for her premature release:

That doesn't sound like someone who is well enough to go home from the hospital. Skin that is so painful that you react violently if someone touches you is not a side effect of giving birth, AFAIK.

Well, not to sound unsympathetic, but alot of people really over-exagerate their pain, not to mention its a completely non-specific finding. We discharge people all the time with pain, as pain within reason, is not a valid reason to keep somone at the most expensive hotel in town another night.

I don't know the specifics of this case to say either way, but rest assured that the media always sensationalizes these cases, playing up the helpless patient while demonizing the health care system. Calgary's own Vince Motta is a good example.