Zoe McGroarty knew something was wrong, but she didn't feel heard by her doctors
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
NEED TO KNOW
- Zoe McGroarty began experiencing severe pain after giving birth to her second child, but she said her concerns were initially dismissed by doctors
- She was later diagnosed with sepsis-induced blood clots, which required urgent treatment
- McGroarty said the traumatic experience has left her fearful of having more children and grateful to be alive
A new mom says doctors ignored her pain, which turned out to be a concerning diagnosis.
Zoe McGroarty gave birth to her daughter, Daisy, on April 13, 2023. Two days after welcoming her second child, the 32-year-old began to feel an "icy blast" in her body.
"The first symptom I developed was an icy cold blast, and it just radiated through my body," she explained, according to Kennedy News and Media. "My gut instinct was something was wrong, and I thought it could be an infection."
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
McGroarty called the doctor but felt like her complaint was being written off. "She said I probably just had the flu and told me the midwife was coming today and they would deal with it," she said. "I was shocked that she dismissed it without hearing me out."
"Throughout the week, my midwife rang me to check in on how I was feeling," McGroarty added. "I was so breathless, and I couldn't walk as I had to keep sitting down. I felt so lightheaded, and at that point I was starting to feel a bit disoriented and detached from reality."
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Credit: Kennedy News & Media
She soon struggled with shoulder pain and called the doctor again. McGroarty claims she was told that the pain was likely from a "strain" after holding her newborn.
"It was the worst pain I had ever felt, I could barely move my shoulder. I phoned the GP, and they told me it was a strain from holding the baby," she recalled. "They said I'd not long had sepsis, and sometimes sepsis can cause you to have pain. I thought nothing of it, and then the pain got worse."
"By this point, my collarbone had disappeared from the swelling, and I was in tears because it hurt that much," McGroarty said.
McGroarty soon went to an in-person doctor's appointment, where she was then diagnosed with sepsis-induced blood clots. She was rushed back to the hospital, and doctors discovered six DVTs in her right arm.
DVTs, also known as deep vein thrombosis, are clots that are "deep within your body," per the Cleveland Clinic, which notes, "Symptoms include pain, swelling, redness and warmth."
The clots can be caused by a "vein injury or slow-flowing blood," and they "may partially or completely block blood flow through your vein." The Cleveland Clinic adds, "You need quick diagnosis and treatment to prevent life-threatening complications."
Credit: Kennedy News & Media
Because of her ailment, McGroarty said she will have to take blood thinners for life. She also doesn't want any more kids because the experience "terrorized" her.
"Sepsis can mimic the flu, but it makes you feel a million times worse, and if they hadn't had caught it, it could have been a very different story," she explained.
"It's frightening to think it could have ended up so differently," McGroarty added. "I'm grateful to be alive."
A Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board spokesperson addressed the incident in a statement shared with Kennedy News and Media: "We cannot comment on the details of individual patient experiences, but we expect all practices across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire to provide safe and high-quality care."
"When concerns are raised directly with a practice or through the appropriate NHS processes, they are reviewed in line with established procedures," they added. "As this relates to personal medical information, we are unable to provide further comment."
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