Miscarriage Went Septic And Emergency Surgery Needed After Misdiagnosis, Then A Year Later Almost Septic Again After Finding 7 Week-old Tampon Noted In Charts And Ignored.

Location: Miami, FL.

I know medical malpractice cases are difficult but I have two occurrences of misdiagnosis and negligence that lead to one septic miscarriage that needed emergency surgery, and now after a week long hospitalization and discharge,

1. How my TWIN miscarriage was mishandled and turned septic: Back in Feb 2024, I started bleeding heavily at 7 weeks pregnant with twins (about 1 pad an hour). I went to the ER multiple times with bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, nausea, vomiting, and fevers. Each time, they told me I had “passed everything” and to just let the miscarriage finish on its own. No ultrasounds, no labs, no follow-up. By March 11, I was back in the ER with the same symptoms plus worsening pain, fever, and discharge. Finally, they did an ultrasound and discovered I still had retained pregnancy tissue — I was in a septic abortion. I had to be rushed to emergency surgery (D&C) and put on IV antibiotics. The only reason I stabilized was because I finally got the surgery I should have had weeks earlier. Fast forward to June 2024, I was still having bleeding, pain, nausea, and vomiting months after the D&C. I went back to the ER, but again they said it wasn’t an emergency and just told me to follow up outpatient — even though my labs showed anemia.

2. On Aug 2 I went to the ER for foul-smelling vaginal discharge, abdominal pain, and nausea. They didn’t do a pelvic exam or swabs, dismissed it as an STD, and sent me home with antibiotics. A week later, my symptoms got worse, so I went back. This time they did a swab, but again sent me home on the same antibiotics. My labs were negative except for BV. I told them I felt like I did when I previously went septic after a miscarriage they mishandled in this same ER. Another week later, I returned because I had rotten-smelling discharge literally running down my legs, plus chills and fever. They finally did a CT and found intussusception (a bowel issue), so I was admitted. I was vomiting nonstop, with nerve pain, pelvic pain, bleeding, and diarrhea. GI decided I didn’t need surgery. I asked about my vaginal symptoms, and OB/GYN only did more swabs — no exam. I kept saying my bleeding didn’t feel like a normal period, but they ignored me. Sent home again with the same antibiotics. The next day, I was back in the ER with severe vomiting, fever, and migraine. Again, they just gave me antiemetics and the same antibiotics. At home, I read my CT report and saw it mentioned a tampon in my vaginal canal. My last period was July 7 — it was now August 22. I went to the bathroom, checked, and pulled out a tampon that had been inside me for 7 weeks. I called the hospital, went back, and only then did they take me seriously. They did labs and an ultrasound, but said “no remarkable findings” and sent me home again with antibiotics — even though I had classic symptoms of sepsis. Now I’m at home, in pain, with ongoing symptoms, after multiple missed opportunities where they could have easily prevented this.

Here’s my timeline of events that are all documented on my patient notes:

CASE 1: February 19, 2024 – Onset of Symptoms • Vaginal bleeding at 7 weeks gestation • Patient report: Changing ~1 pad/hour; persistent bleeding since miscarriage • Action: No immediate OB/GYN intervention • Negligence highlight: Delay in evaluating miscarriage complications; risk of retained products of conception and infection increased

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Feb 19 – Early March 2024 – Multiple ER/Outpatient Visits • Events: • Patient presented multiple times and was repeatedly told she had passed the fetuses and that miscarriage could complete on its own (expectant management) • Providers did not order definitive imaging or labs to confirm if tissue had passed • Patient condition: Ongoing heavy bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, nausea, vomiting, and intermittent fevers • Negligence highlight: Misdiagnosis and dismissal allowed retained products of conception and infection to progress, leading to septic abortion

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March 11, 2024 – Emergency Department Presentation • Chief complaints: • Persistent vaginal bleeding • Lower abdominal pain • Foul-smelling discharge • Dysuria • Vomiting and subjective fever x1 day • Vitals: Stable • Lab results: WBC 11.4 → mild leukocytosis; Hgb 11.1 • Ultrasound: Retained products of conception (1.6 cm), some fluid, vascular flow • Assessment: Septic abortion • Plan: IV antibiotics, GYN consult, surgery recommended • Negligence highlight: Condition deteriorated due to prior misdiagnosis; emergency surgical intervention required

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March 11, 2024 – Surgery • Procedure: Suction D&C, pelvic exam under anesthesia. • Findings: • Uterus 12 weeks • Cervix 1 cm dilated • Minimal yellow discharge • Estimated blood loss: 20 mL • Specimen: Retained products of conception sent to pathology • Outcome: Stable, no complications

Negligence highlight: Emergency surgery required because earlier providers failed to accurately diagnose or manage miscarriage

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March 11–13, 2024 – Inpatient Course • Observations: Stable, vitals WNL, IV antibiotics transitioned to oral • Lab 3/13: WBC normalized, Hgb 9.2 → mild anemia • Discharge: Stable, no distress, telehealth follow-up scheduled

Negligence highlight: Definitive treatment only occurred after weeks of delayed care, highlighting the direct consequences of mismanagement

June 4, 2024 – Post-Surgery ED Visit • Chief complaints: • Vaginal bleeding x 3 months, increasing over past 2 weeks • Intermittent left lower quadrant abdominal pain since D&C • Subjective fever, nausea, vomiting x1 week • Vitals: Stable, afebrile • Labs: Mild anemia (Hgb 10.4), low MCV/MCH, otherwise WNL; negative pregnancy test • Imaging: Pelvic US — no acute abnormality • Assessment & Plan: No acute emergency found; patient advised outpatient OB/GYN follow-up • Negligence highlight: Continued complications post-D&C without proper follow-up or monitoring; highlights ongoing medical oversight failure

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Medical Negligence Summary 1. Multiple misdiagnoses pre-D&C: Told miscarriage was complete, despite ongoing heavy bleeding and infection risk 2. Failure to confirm miscarriage: No imaging or labs early on; delayed detection of retained probably caused ducts 3. Delayed surgical intervention: Emergency D&C only after sepsis developed 4. Post-operative neglect: Continued symptoms months after surgery without timely follow-up care 5. Consequences: Hospitalization, IV antibiotics, risk to fertility, prolonged pain, physical and emotional trauma 6. Causal link: Direct link between initial mismanagement and progression to septic abortion requiring emergency care, compounded by post-surgical oversight failure

Case 2 Relevant prior history: Septic abortion and emergency D&C (March 11, 2024)

March 11, 2024 * Procedure: Dilation & Curettage (D&C) following miscarriage and septic abortion. * Note: Establishes gynecologic history relevant to later care.

September 7, 2024 * CT Abdomen/Pelvis: Hypervascular liver lesion (FNH) documented. * Follow-up: No documented intervention.

August 2–16, 2025 – Multiple ED/Outpatient Visits * Chief complaints across visits: * Persistent pelvic and lower abdominal pain * Ongoing nausea and vomiting * Foul-smelling vaginal discharge unresponsive to outpatient Flagyl * Emotional and physical distress due to lack of resolution * Findings/Management: * Patient repeatedly treated empirically for “bacterial vaginosis” without improvement * No imaging ordered until Aug 17 * No pelvic exam documented identifying tampon or foreign body * Concern: Early opportunity to identify retained tampon was missed. Despite ongoing infection-like symptoms, providers defaulted to BV diagnosis and prolonged antibiotics. * LMP: Patient’s last menstrual period: July 7th 2025.

August 17, 2025 – 3:55 AM * CT Abdomen/Pelvis with Contrast * Findings: * Short segment jejunal intussusception (transient, no obstruction). * Hypervascular liver lesion (FNH). * Corpus luteum cyst (right ovary). * Tampon visualized inside vaginal canal. * Symptoms at presentation: Severe abdominal/pelvic pain, nausea, vomiting, physical distress. * Concern: The tampon remained in place but was not addressed by providers, despite being clearly noted. This oversight directly explained ongoing discharge, pain, and later sepsis-like symptoms.

August 21, 2025 – Hospital Admission * Diagnosis: “Transient intussusception,” vaginal discharge noted. * Treatment: Antibiotics (Flagyl prescribed). * Symptoms during admission: Persistent pelvic pain, nausea, vomiting, significant distress. * Concern: Vaginal discharge was treated empirically but not linked to tampon clearly seen on CT four days prior.

August 22, 2025 – ED Visit * Chief complaints: * Nausea and vomiting ×1.5 weeks * Severe abdominal pain and headache * Persistent vaginal discharge * Findings: * Hypokalemia (K+ 3.2) * Microcytic anemia (Hgb 10.7) * Abdominal ultrasound reported “no acute findings” * Treatment: Oral potassium, antiemetics (Zofran), IV fluids. * Disposition: Discharged. * Concern: Ongoing pain, nausea/vomiting, and foul vaginal discharge not fully investigated. Tampon noted on Aug 17 CT was ignored.

August 23, 2025 – ED Visit (“Today’s Visit”) * Chief complaints: * Intermittent pelvic pain ×3 weeks * Persistent foul-smelling vaginal discharge * Still taking Flagyl (3 weeks) * Associated nausea, vomiting, weakness, and distress * Labs/Imaging ordered: CBC, CMP, Lactic acid, Lipase, Urinalysis, Vaginal wet prep, hCG, US pelvis. * Treatment provided: Ketorolac, morphine, ondansetron, IV fluids. * Diagnosis: “Bacterial vaginosis,” “pelvic pain.” * Disposition: Discharged, told patient was “not septic.” * Critical Event: After discharge, patient discovered tampon herself, retained for 7 weeks, and removed it at home.

Key Possible Negligence Points 1. Failure to act on CT finding (Aug 17, 2025): Retained tampon explicitly documented on imaging but ignored by providers. 2. Failure to link persistent symptoms to retained foreign body: Multiple admissions/visits with pain, nausea, vomiting, foul discharge, and distress—all repeatedly dismissed. 3. Prolonged mismanagement with antibiotics: Treated for “bacterial vaginosis” with unnecessary Flagyl for 3 weeks instead of addressing tampon. 4. Failure to consider sepsis risk: Despite nausea, vomiting, pelvic pain, foul discharge, and prior septic abortion history, patient was discharged repeatedly without appropriate intervention. 5. Direct harm: Patient endured 7 weeks with retained tampon, risk of sepsis/toxic shock, prolonged pain, emotional trauma, and unnecessary medication exposure

I’m 27, broke, and these cases have severely affected my quality of life and prevented me from working and taking care of my son properly.