Vernon, B.C. parent frustrated by hospital ER doc’s response to child who needed care

The mother of a four-year-old boy who went into medical distress just minutes after leaving Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s emergency room is reminding parents walking a similar path to trust their gut.

Last Thursday,  Ashley Laybourn’s son Maddox woke up in pain, with only a mild fever, and she knew he wasn’t struggling with any garden variety bug. He needed medical intervention.

She packed her son into the car and arrived at the hospital just before 6 a.m. and while they moved through the queue quickly, resolution wasn’t found on the doctor’s table.

“She looked him (over) quickly and said he was fine, might be a stomach bug,” Laybourn said.

“I told her that he had done a full-on twitch before she came in. She also saw a twitch and said that was probably because he was overly tired.”

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Laybourn pointed out that in her experience, her son didn’t twitch from exhaustion, but she was nonetheless sent home and told to keep an eye out for a stomach bug or appendicitis taking shape.  There was no blood work ordered and no further care was offered.

Driving home, only a kilometre or so away from the ER doors she’d walked out of, her son had a seizure.

“I noticed in my side view that his blanket had gone up, his arms were ascended and his eyes were rolling back,” Labourn said. “He was foaming at the mouth and full-on (having a seizure) so I quickly slammed on my brakes and pulled over.”

Laybourn said she was hysterical. She ran out of the car, dialled 911, and tried to wave a car down to help her.

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Help pulled over, and the person helped Maddox out of the car, and laid him down on the ground as he continued to convulse. He was unconscious when paramedics arrived and took him back to the hospital.

“He was there overnight, and he ended up going into the ICU after being in the trauma room,”  she said.

It’s still unclear what Maddox is grappling with, though he was sent home with seizure medication and will be tested for epilepsy in the days to come.

What Laybourn does know, however, is that her son was in need of medical attention, starting when she put him in the car that morning, and in the moments he had a seizure on the side of a road and fell unconscious.

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What she also believes is that the doctor that day failed her and her son, and that shakes her to her core.

“I am very heartbroken that we were sent home because his long seizure could have been stopped or at least not been as traumatic if I had doctors by my side,” she said.

It’s a failure that will change how she deals with doctors in the years to come, and one she hopes other parents take heed of. Next time, she will insist that more tests are done, and that she doesn’t go home with lingering fears.

Laybourn filed a complaint with Interior Health, through the patient care quality office.

Interior Health has said they can’t comment on patient cases, however, they do appreciate this was a challenging situation for this family.

“Individuals presenting at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Emergency Department will be assessed by the attending physician who determines the patient’s appropriate care based on their symptoms, acuity, history, etc.,” the health authority said in an emailed statement.

“People’s conditions may change quickly and as with all patients that present to the Emergency Department we encourage them to return if there is a change or worsening symptoms/condition.”

The health authority added, if an individual or family has concerns with the care they received, they are encouraged to contact the facility leaders or the patient care quality Office at 1-877-442-2001 (toll free) or PCQO@interiorhealth.ca.