A teenager fears she may not be able to have children after having major surgery.
Doctors at Tunbridge Wells Hospital had to remove Alice Tribe’s right ovary after discovering a 10cm cyst.
Just two months later she found out that there was a second cyst on her remaining ovary.
The 15-year-old from Maidstone says she tries not to think about the consequences too much.
“It’s still sort of processing in my head. It hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” she explained. “The last few months have been very chaotic.
“I haven’t really understood what’s been going on or what has been done.”
Alice is studying for her GCSEs and wants to be a childminder when she leaves school.
However, she says this may have to change due to the mental impact of her situation.
Her mum, 39-year-old Jade Stibbles, was stunned after hearing the news.
“It's heartbreaking,” she said. “The realisation is that the chances of me becoming a grandparent are quite slim.”
Alice was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, January 9, after a visit to A&E at the Maidstone site.
The day after she was rushed into surgery at 5pm.
Doctors carried out a Laparoscopy, also known as keyhole surgery, to look at her lower abdomen.
They discovered that there was a 10cm cyston Alice’s right ovary and due to it twisting on itself, they would have to remove the organ altogether.
Jade says she had previously signed papers to permit doctors to carry out this procedure if needed.
“It got to 8pm and I started to get a bit anxious, not knowing if she was still in theatre or what was happening,” she said.
“They said somebody would come and explain what they had done to her.
“At about midnight, a nurse came in to tell me that nobody would be coming until the following morning to explain what had happened.”
The mum-of-two praised the nurses for their help and support, however she claims there was a distinct lack of communication overall.
Jade and her daughter didn’t find out what had been done for more than 12 hours after the surgery – at around 8.15am the next day.
“Alice was asking me questions and I wasn’t able to tell her. It was really hard because I didn’t know either,” she explained.
“I couldn’t sleep properly, couldn't rest or settle. The sitting, waiting and not knowing was really stressful.”
“All sorts of things go running through your head,” she added. “Was there anything sinister? Did she still have an ovary? Was it just a cyst they removed?”
Alice was discharged four days later on Friday, January 12. She spent the next six weeks at home recovering.
They were advised by the consultant that if she was in any pain to immediately go to A&E.
Jade was surprised that there was no aftercare or appointment following the recovery stage.
She also claims they were promised counselling – due to the nature of the surgery – but this has not been arranged.
“There wasn't any discharge letter or anything like that,” she added. “We were just given pain medication.
“I assumed after having that kind of surgery you would have to go see somebody for a checkup.”
Around two months later on Friday, March 8, Alice was in a lot of pain at school and passed out. She was then taken to Maidstone Hospital.
Jade said: “We were asked about our follow-up appointment and when they realised we hadn’t had it, they pushed for it.
“The urgency in the doctor's face – you could see that it actually should have already happened.”
Following another MRI scan they found a 20mm dermoid cyst on Alice’s remaining ovary.
“We were completely shocked,” Jade said. “It was only going to be a 50/50 chance of her being able to conceive later on, but now it’s probably going to be less.
“This cyst is going to grow. We've been told that it's just going to be a yearly checkup.”
The family filed a complaint on Thursday, March 7, concerning the lack of communication from the two hospitals.
Jade received a reply on Thursday, March 14, requesting a mobile number to call them on, which she provided. They did not receive a phone call.
“It was only going to be a 50/50 chance of her being able to conceive later on, but now it’s probably going to be less.”
On Friday, March 22, an official investigation into the complaint was opened.
The hospital says it aims to respond within 40 working days. Jade claims they have not had any contact since that date.
She added: “If somebody had even just pulled me aside and explained to me what happened.
“I do feel that I should have been told before and then had somebody else come out and explain it to Alice as well. She's only 15 years old. She’s my baby girl.”
A spokeswoman from the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: “We aim to reply to complaints as quickly as possible and are very sorry for the delay in responding to Ms Stibbles.
“We have been in touch with her today and will stay in regular contact to help answer any questions she has.”
