My name is Sylwia Grygierczyk-Jabłońska, I am 32 years old and I live in Poland.
In 2004 I had maxilla and palate resected.
The maxilla operation was a result of medical error. Medical Court in Poznań found the physician guilty and deprived him of the right to practise medical profession for the period of six months.
The story of my treatment is very long, therefore I will try to describe it in just several sentences.
At the beginning of October 2001 I felt “something” in my oral cavity on the right side just above the dental arch. It was a large lump which seemed not to fit in the gum and tried to “get out”.
On 4 December 2001 I had the odontogenic cyst removed under local anaesthetic. The doctor said that “at first sight” it was a typical odontogenic cyst. He did not take any sample for test.
After about two weeks following the operation I began to feel a kind of gurgles as if some fluid was retained in the sinus. I contacted the doctor who had performed the operation. He examined me and told me that he had to do puncture. He did the sinus puncture and took a large amount of fluid retained in the maxillary sinus. He showed me the fluid in the syringe and said it was amber-coloured, typical cyst fluid and that I had to undergo another operation of removing the cyst. He said there must have been regeneration of the cyst, which occurs quite often in case of odontogenic cysts. The fluid sample from the sinus was discharged into the sink.
6 February 2002. During a check-up the doctor took a sample of the sinus fluid again. He showed me the syringe filled with fluid just as he did at the first time at the end of December 2001. He said that it was amber-coloured typical cyst fluid. The fluid was discharged into the sink.
9 February 2002. I had another operation of removing the cyst under general anaesthetic. The operation took about 1,5 hour. After the operation the doctor said there was no need to send the sample for test since it was a typical cyst, there was absolutely nothing to worry about and the worst was over.
I was unsatisfied that the doctor had ignored my request again and did not send the sample for testing although he had promised me to do so.
Finally, I stopped thinking about that because I was happy to get rid of my problem.
However, at that time I did not realize yet that I was wrong.
In September 2002 I began to observe rhinorrhhoea and it occurred only on the right side. I got worried even more since the doctor who had performed my operation twice had stopped to see his patients in his private surgery.
I consulted many doctors trying to find some help – all of them said I was healthy.
On 22 October 2003 I went to the Maxillary Surgery Outpatient Clinic in Gorzów Wielkopolski. I told the doctor about all that had happened so far.
The doctor told me I should have pantomographic x-ray done. I had. Based on medical interview and x-ray images I was admitted to the laryngological ward.
On 23 October 2003 I had operation under general anaesthetic.
I stayed at hospital until 29 October 2003.
On 31 October 2003 I had a check-up at the Maxillary Surgery Outpatient Clinic in Gorzów Wielkopolski.
On 3 November I received the histopathologic test result and visited the doctor.
The result was shocking!!!
AMELOBLASTOMA (ADAMANTINOMA)
At the beginning of 2004 I visited the maxillofacial surgery ward in Szczecin.
I told the doctor the whole story of my “treatment”.
The doctor examined me. He looked at the x-ray images and said: “The treatment you had received so far was improper. The operations you underwent resulted in the disease spread. This type of x-ray images doctors ordered you to have may be used in case of sinusitis. What you need is CT examination and operation, which at this stage will be very extensive.”
On 9 February 2004 I was admitted to the Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic in Szczecin.
On 11 February 2004 I had head /sinus/ CT examination.
In the afternoon I was informed about the diagnosis = judgement: removal of the right jaw including teeth beginning from the canine, the right palate bone, the inner nasal bone. The incision will be made on the face externally, along the nose, under it and further along the lip.
I am a young woman but in Poland I have no chance of undergoing maxillary reconstruction.
I wish I could live normally one day.
Yours sincerely,
Sylwia Grygierczyk-Jabłońska
