Meryl Davies
Born on a hill farm in Wales, I enjoyed a typical rural childhood, eventually leaving Wales to teach, and to spend a decade travelling the world as an air hostess. Returning to Wales to marry, I now live just South of the middle, amid traditional landscape where sheep still outnumber people.
The area is served by a small hospital and a medical practice and for many years it was the custom for practice doctors to have dual roles at the hospital as surgeons or anaesthetists.
In January 1988, I was admitted to this local hospital for an elective caesarean section, to be performed under general anaesthetic. Initially, nothing seemed amiss as anaesthetic was administered and I lost consciousness. However during surgery I became aware, and being paralysed by muscle relaxant was unable to alert the operating team to my plight. The pain and mental torment were such that I believed I was dying, and I experienced appalling imagery (only much later would I discover that this is well documented among torture victims).
Following the incident I told the doctors of my distress but was not taken seriously. I attempted to resume my life, but my health began to deteriorate. I developed “doctor phobia” and vowed never again to undergo anaesthesia.
Fate played a hand, however, and in 1992 I found myself back at the same hospital for an exploratory operation. I implored the anaesthetist (a different one) to be vigilant, and to my immense relief this operation, which revealed gangrenous appendicitis, was without incident. I allowed myself to believe at this point that the caesarean experience had been a “one-off” and that I no longer had to fear anaesthesia.
Thus it was, nine weeks later, following complications, I returned for further surgery and allowed myself to be anaesthetised by the anaesthetist who had carried out the caesarean. To my horror, I once again awoke, and was forced to endure for a second time the mental and physical assault that is anaesthetic awareness.
The anaesthetist again offered no explanation and I was given no help to come to terms with the trauma.
Eventually, I sought legal redress. Evidence from an expert witness revealed that the anaesthetist concerned had been using an ineffective and abandoned procedure. Crucially, I realised that I could not have been the only victim. Following the successful completion of my legal case in 2000, I began to campaign for “awareness of awareness”, being particularly concerned with better use of specialist monitoring equipment and more accurate recording of incident statistics. Other victims from the locality came forward and we united in a bid to expose what had happened and to prevent further occurrence through highlighting the need for improved safety measures.
Wishing to save others from a similar fate is a common response from those who have suffered adversity. I believe that by being prepared to share experiences, others can be helped and changes for the good effected. I believe, in this way it is possible to forge something positive from misfortune.
For these reasons, I feel privileged to be included in the Patient Safety Champion Initiative.