A bit like a Robin Cook novel . .

meer53

Why do you ask "where i can go with this" ? It was 30 years ago, your SIL was being sterilised, she didn't need her left ovary any more.

I really don't understand why you're asking. It sounds as though your SIL is looking for compensation. I hope not.

ciderwithrosie_2

meer53 wrote: »

It sounds as though your SIL is looking for compensation. I hope not.

It would be rather too late to take any legal action or even complain, there are time limits.

CathA

Just to add a bit of light relief to this thread- when I read the title originally then the posts I couldn't work out where a short, red haired member of the Labour party came into it, didn't realise he had written books. Further on I realised it was the OTHER Robin Cook, and what makes it worse is I've read loads of HIS books! My bad. X

OldMotherTucker

meer53 wrote: »

Why do you ask "where i can go with this" ? It was 30 years ago, your SIL was being sterilised, she didn't need her left ovary any more.

I really don't understand why you're asking. It sounds as though your SIL is looking for compensation. I hope not.

Just to find an answer . . . . . My SIL had a gut feeling that her ovary had been removed and now she knows it's not there. Why did that happen?

Do you not find the thought of having a piece of your body removed (and not to be informed about it just because you don't 'need' it any more) as crossing a boundary? You've got 2 kidney's and you don't need both of those so would it be okay to whip one out?

I'll repeat again - we didn't get to this level of medical technology without massive experimentation and failure. It wouldn't be the first time tissue has been taken without permission:(:(:(:(



Some people aren't that interested in compensation - how could you put a value on someone's feelings?

Person_one

Honestly, the dwelling on the idea that the ovary was 'stolen' for nefarious purposes sounds completely paranoid and a bit mad. It seems like you almost want that to be the case, despite lots of people assuring you it's highly highly unlikely and explaining why.

LilElvis

OldMotherTucker wrote: »

Just to find an answer . . . . . My SIL had a gut feeling that her ovary had been removed and now she knows it's not there. Why did that happen?

Do you not find the thought of having a piece of your body removed (and not to be informed about it just because you don't 'need' it any more) as crossing a boundary? You've got 2 kidney's and you don't need both of those so would it be okay to whip one out?

I'll repeat again - we didn't get to this level of medical technology without massive experimentation and failure. It wouldn't be the first time tissue has been taken without permission:(:(:(:(



Some people aren't that interested in compensation - how could you put a value on someone's feelings?

I hope you're not repeating your unfounded conspiracy theories to your SIL - that would be extremely cruel.

OldMotherTucker

Person_one wrote: »

Honestly, the dwelling on the idea that the ovary was 'stolen' for nefarious purposes sounds completely paranoid and a bit mad. It seems like you almost want that to be the case, despite lots of people assuring you it's highly highly unlikely and explaining why.

It's not there - and 'lots' of people probably think it's 'unlikely' that it was stolen but my SIL feels that it was. It's a theory I've heard for nearly 3 decades so I feel, albeit on behalf of someone else, that she deserves an honest answer.
I still have a fond attachment to my ovaries despite not wanting any more children for the last 17 years and I don't want to face menopause without them!!

Person_one

OldMotherTucker wrote: »

It's not there - and 'lots' of people probably think it's 'unlikely' that it was stolen but my SIL feels that it was. It's a theory I've heard for nearly 3 decades so I feel, albeit on behalf of someone else, that she deserves an honest answer.
I still have a fond attachment to my ovaries despite not wanting any more children for the last 17 years and I don't want to face menopause without them!!

Maybe she needs counselling to come to terms with 30 years of anxiety about this rather than somebody feeding into her irrational paranoia and making it worse?

jackyann

Many (not all) women get specific symptoms of ovulation, sometimes on the side it is taking place, so sensing an ovary's absence is very likely.

I wonder who she raised this with initially? I have the sense that she was fobbed off and this made her upset & resentful - hence the distress that lingers today.

Tissue for "experimentation" is donated by consent. I think the cases you may have read about relate to the keeping of post-mortem samples without consent.

Most likely scenario is the one proposed by many: that the ovary was removed for a very good reason, that the patient was not informed at a time she could take it in, and that the letter to the GP has gone astray.

However, it is also quite possible that the ovary is still there, that it was not a large or well-functioning ovary to begin with (sometimes only one functions well) and cannot be seen now for a variety of reasons.

So:
It is most likely that your SiL is correct (although she may not be)
It also appears that whatever happened, she was not properly informed and/or recording was poor, and this has quite rightly distressed her.

She is conflating several issues, and if she is to follow this up, needs to be very clear.

It would be most helpful at this point to ask for records simply in order to know what has happened. She does deserve an honest answer - and it is sadly possible that she may not get a definitive one.

However, she is more likely to get help towards her answer if she approaches this as a question that deserves an answer, rather than using emotive terms that make people defensive.
.
People in medicine and medical records know that theorising about "stealing" an ovary is rather ridiculous; they also know that poor record keeping and bad communication are highly likely. I suggest you ask about the latter, and don't mention the former until you are in a better position.

OldMotherTucker

LilElvis wrote: »

I hope you're not repeating your unfounded conspiracy theories to your SIL - that would be extremely cruel.

Lol - I never really believed her - only offered to pay for a scan to put her mind at rest. I honestly thought forking out a couple of hundred quid would reassure her with visual proof that she is 'intact'.