A paralysed woman has spoken from beyond the grave to slam the terrible treatment she received in hospital by documenting her suffering in a diary before she died.
The contents of 30-year-old Katie Gray’s diary from her final days at Hull Royal Infirmary were read out at an inquest into her death.
According to the documents she was ‘accused of being an alcoholic,’ ‘wasn’t showered for three weeks’, and even asked by a nurse: ‘Is it not time you got out of bed and moved around?’
The contents of the diary written by 30-year-old Katie Gray (middle) from her final days at Hull Royal Infirmary were read out at an inquest into her death
Ms Gray, who had transverse myelitis – a condition which left her lower body paralysed – was found to have a serious pressure sore just weeks after leaving hospital in July 2016.
She was rushed back to the hospital, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful and she died at her west Hull home in September 2016.
Her mother Debra Gray said: ‘In May 2016 she went to see a GP after her leg started to swell up, and she was very yellow in appearance.
‘She spent three weeks in hospital, and deteriorated very badly and was neglected.
‘Staff recorded things on her chart which were not correct, she was not moved from her bed, her wheelchair kept getting moved from her bedside, and she was unable to get showered for the full three weeks.’
The 30-year-old had lost a lot of weight due to her illness, but hospital staff at one stage asked whether the weight loss was ‘self-inflicted,’ her mother said.
Ms Gray grew up in Hull and was described as being a ‘perfect, bright girl who did well at school’.
At the age of 13 she was diagnosed with the disease and had been wheelchair-bound since.
What is transverse myelitis? How neurological disorder causes inflammation of the spinal cord and can lead to paralysis
The term myelitis refers to inflammation of the spinal cord, transverse refers to the pattern of changes in sensation.
Transverse myelitis is the broad name of the disease, and there are various sub-types.
Causes of the condition include infections, immune system disorders, and other disorders that may damage or destroy myelin, the fatty white insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers.
Causes of the condition include infections and immune system disorders that destroy myelin, the fatty white insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers
Inflammation within the spinal cord interrupts communications between nerve fibers in the spinal cord and the rest of the body, affecting sensation and nerve signaling below the injury.
That can lead to paralysis.
Condition can affect people of any age, gender, or race. It does not appear to be genetic or run in families.
Some people recover from transverse myelitis with minor or no long-term problems, but most suffer permanent impairments that affect their ability to perform ordinary tasks of daily living.
There is no cure for the disease.
Her family noticed her health deteriorate in May 2016. She became weaker – to the extent she was ‘unable to lift a cup’ – and her legs became swollen.
She was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary, where she wrote about her alleged experiences and neglect.
After returning home three weeks later, Ms Gray complained to her mum she thought she had a pressure sore from being laid in one place for too long.
The inquest heard doctors were called when the sore was spotted, but the family claimed on two separate occasions GPs ‘refused to come out to her.’
It was only after a district nurse saw the sore that a doctor examined Ms Gray and thought she was suffering from heart failure.
Her mother claimed if Ms Gray was kept clean and washed properly at Hull Royal Infirmary then the risk of infection would be reduced
After surgery on the sore was carried out, Ms Gray and her family received the devastating news she only had 72 hours to live.
Ms Gray asked to return home to die, and she passed away with her parents by her side in Crispin Close.
Her mother said at the inquest that she was sure had her daughter been kept clean and washed, the risk of infection would have been reduced.
A post-mortem concluded Ms Gray died from multiple organ failure following a sepsis infection, caused by an infected pressure sore.
It also said the care provided by staff at the hospital ‘contributed to the development and progression of the pressure sore.’
The inquest continues.