LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky woman is suing a dentist, accusing him of dropping a small screwdriver down her throat that migrated to her digestive tract and later required surgery to remove.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court in Lexington by 71-year-old Lena David of Nicholasville. David claims Dr. W.B. Galbreath told her to try to regurgitate the screwdriver and then sent her for X-rays when that did not work.
Galbreath did not return a message left at his office Friday by The Associated Press.
The lawsuit says that the X-rays showed the screwdriver in David’s stomach, and that the dentist discharged her with instructions to “eat a diet high in fiber.”
In June 2011, about a month after swallowing the screwdriver, David checked into a hospital with abdominal pain and had to have the screwdriver removed.
How could you not go to the hospital immediately after leaving the dentist. I mean really you carried around the screwdriver for a month!!!!!!!
Exactly what I was thinking!
I think I would seek immediate medical attention if I had a foreign object in my stomach! Even if it was small enough to, well, pass out through a bowel movement, couldn’t that cause significant tearing and damage to your intestinal tract?? Poor thing, I hope she makes a full recovery, but I’m baffled why she didn’t see a doctor or at least call one to find out what she should do when it happened.
I didnt know women in kentucky had teeth…
Why is this in a local newspaper?? Are they really that hard up for stories?
You and at least 3 other people read it- yes- they are that hard up for stories.
I only opened the title to leave a comment.
You have to admit that the “Dentist” was a bit of an interesting character. How did he keep his practice after that story? Have a good weekend!
I think the question that should be asked is why the dentist didn’t insist she immediately go to the ER, not why the patient didn’t decide herself to seek medical attention. He’s the one with the medical degree, not her, she was following “dr’s orders”, we are supposed to trust our healthcare providers. She is not at fault.
Wonder if he told her to bring back the screwdriver if the high fiber diet worked.