168 Emmaleen

Emmaleen (46 yrs) – submission made on behalf by husband Michael

Dose 1: Pfizer-BioN Tech: 26th August 2021 Batch No: FF4206
Dose 2: Pfizer-BioN Tech 12th October 2021 Batch No: FG9019

My wife Emma started having seizures after her second vaccination 12 October 2021.
We were due for our second vaccinations and went to a vaccination clinic above the A & E clinic on Lincoln Road Henderson, all vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioN Tech vaccine.
By the end of October Emma was starting to have the early stages of what we know now were possibly seizure / TIA’s.
1st November 2021 Emma was appointed the new Team leader role, she was excited about the challenges and things were definitely looking good.
The balance of November was quite a busy month, the handover needed to be done for the next person to support Emma’s previous manager and interviews completed for the new team that Emma was managing. Through the whole process Emma had been dealing with these TIA / seizures that were increasing.
26 November 2021 text sent to Nina:
“You know I’ve been feeling a bit off lately, dropping stuff and not being able to pick it up, like my phone and a few other times even when I took the dog for a walk my balance has been a bit off. Well, it’s getting more frequent now and I’m freaking out. This has only started since the end of October. I’ve booked into see the doctors but the appointment is next Friday 1 December 2021 another seizure while walking the dog (dropped dog lead unable to use right hand)”
Record of Events
• 3 December 2021 Seizure in the shower (right hand numbness and slurred speech)
• 7 December 2021 9.14am Ratanui Medical Centre Appointment (WDHB referral)
• 7-8 December 2021 Waitakere Hospital Overnight stay evidence of stroke or intracranial bleed ? Non contrast CT scan performed results no intracranial abnormality then discharged
• 21 January 2021 Ratanui Medical Centre seen by Dr in PPE protection (Vitamin B12 injection)
• 28 Jan 2022 numbness right hand Ratanui Medical Centre Second (Vitamin B12 injection)
• 2 February 2022 struggling to talk
• 3 February 2022 struggling to talk (called Ratanui Medical centre) consultation with nurse over the phone explained issues
• 8 February 2022 Ratanui Medical Centre consultation explained Intermittent neuro problems since November, condition not getting any better. Explained to the GP these symptoms started a few weeks after the second vaccination.
• Advised this is unlikely to be cause of vaccination.
• 19 February 2022 Emma and Charlotte went into town to Help Nina set up her birthday, Nina’s son Issac had caught Covid from his school teacher.
• 20 February 2022 Feeling unwell possibly covid 21 February 2022
• Ratanui Medical Centre Swab taken sore throat Covid Positive
• 28 February 2022 Took Emma to Waitakere Hospital She was kept in hospital and a covid assessment was completed. Discharged later that day advised to take ibuprofen and paracetamol. (Covid regulations at the time were only one person in Hospital no one to assist)
• 2 March 2022 Ratanui Medical Centre, phone consultation with Dr. Emma had a seizure the night before (eyes rolled back teeth grinding) was requested to do D Dimmer test (heavy period for 2 Weeks). Requested prescription to be emailed to pharmacy.
• 5 March 2022 6pm Waitakere Hospital Emma was struggling to walk, I explained to the security and nurse at reception Emma was unable to communicate. We were both given a RAT test (both came back NEGATIVE). Emma had right side weakness and facial droop, I left Emma to go home and check on the kids at 5am. Emma had a fall that morning an incident report, she seems to think this was when she had her stroke.
• 6 March 2022 she had a CT scan performed in the morning, then transferred the North Shore Hospital for further assessment.
• 6 March 2022 Once at North Shore hospital under the guidance of the covid coordinator she was put in the Covid Isolation Ward until 10 March 2022. Due to Emma not being able to communicate I was able to spend these next 4 days with her. I had to wear full PPE each day I assisted caring for her through this time. This was a very difficult time. Each day I would ask the doctors why she in the covid isolation ward.
• 10 March 2022 Emma was transferred out of the isolation ward sent to have a MRI then rushed in for another CT brain scan and other tests, I was then told by a female doctor that unfortunately your wife has had a stroke. At that time they were unsure of the actual date or time the stroke happened.

Michael

Informed Consent

From: https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/i/informed-consent/#Overview

Informed consent is the process of talking about options so you can make an informed decision about your health care. This includes the option of saying no to a treatment or procedure.

Key points:

You have the right to make an informed choice about your health care.

Informed consent is an ongoing process of talking and asking questions between you, your doctor or other healthcare provider and, sometimes, your family/whānau.

To help you decide whether you want a treatment or procedure, your healthcare provider must give you all the information you need to make up your mind.

This includes how the treatment or procedure would help your health condition and what the risks of the treatment are.
There are a few situations where you may be treated without consent, such as in an emergency.

What is informed consent?

Informed consent is the process of talking and asking questions until you have enough information to make a decision about your healthcare options. This includes the option of saying no to having a treatment (such as medicine) or a procedure (such as an operation).

To give informed consent, you must know enough about your condition and the treatment or procedure your doctor or other healthcare provider has suggested. You must have this information given to you in a language and way that you can easily understand. You should have access to an interpreter if you need one.

You also have a right to have someone else with you to provide support while you are talking about your options.

Why is informed consent needed?

You have a right under the law to make an informed choice about your health care. This is one of your rights under the Code of Health and Disability Consumers Rights.

Under the Code, health care may be provided to you only if you make an informed choice and give informed consent. You also have the right to say no to a proposed treatment or procedure, or change your mind about wanting to go ahead with it.

When is informed consent needed?

Your doctor or other healthcare provider must make sure that you have given informed consent for every proposed healthcare service.

When you are going to have a series of similar treatments, eg, dialysis or counselling, your healthcare provider will talk with you before starting the treatment to make sure you agree to it. The consent you give then covers the whole series of treatment.

If the agreed plan changes a lot, a new consent process is needed.

Examples of situations when informed consent is required include:

when you are having surgery (an operation) or other procedure

when you need to have an anaesthetic

if students or observers are going to be there for your treatment

if you take part in research

when any part of your body will be taken out during a procedure

if you will be getting blood or blood products

if you are enrolled in a screening programme

if your doctor wants to prescribe a medicine that has not been approved by Medsafe for use in New Zealand (called unapproved medicines)

if your doctor wants to prescribe a medicine for a different use than that approved of by Medsafe (also called off-label use).

What type of information should I get for informed consent?

Before giving your consent, your doctor or healthcare provider must fully and clearly explain to you:

how this treatment or procedure will help your health condition

what happens during the treatment or procedure

what other options there might be

what you can expect after the treatment or procedure

any risks that may be associated with the treatment or procedure.

You can also ask any questions you want about the treatment or procedure.

What are the different types of consent?

You will need to give either verbal consent or written consent.

Verbal consent means talking about and saying you agree to a particular treatment. This includes when your doctor prescribes an approved medicine for your condition.

Written consent means you need to fill out a form and sign it to show you agree to a particular treatment. This happens for more significant treatments, such as an operation.

How is informed consent gained for children and young people?

For children and young people under the age of 16, consent may be given by a parent, guardian or other person acting in the place of a parent. Depending on the child’s age, they will be involved as much as possible and information will be given to them in a way that they can understand.

A young person aged 16 years and over can consent to their treatment as if they were an adult.

How is informed consent gained for people who are incompetent?

In legal terms, people who cannot decide for themselves whether they want a treatment or not are called ‘incompetent’. This may be because of health conditions such as a brain injury or dementia.

Consent for people who are incompetent may be given by their welfare guardian or a lawyer who has an enduring power of attorney in respect of care and welfare for that person.

What if I didn’t get to give informed consent?

If you have any concerns about not getting a chance to talk about and make an informed decision about a treatment before it was given to you, you can make a complaint. Read more about the Code of Health and Disability Consumers Rights.