People often think: “It’s just an IV, it’s routine, it’s perfectly safe.” But imagine hearing these words: “Don’t worry, we’re going to try and keep you from losing your whole arm.” That is what Melissa Williams heard from her doctor about just a routine IV.
After undergoing a scheduled spinal fusion surgery, in 2017, Melissa Williams of Palm Bay, Florida, suffered an IV extravasation, which occurs when IV fluid leaks from a vein into the surrounding tissue. Melissa felt the pain in her IV site and was dismissed by clinical staff, being told that this was normal.
She was immediately discharged. Signs and symptoms continued to progress over the next several hours. She knew something was wrong, so she sought guidance. She was quickly told to head to the emergency room, because this IV injury was causing more and more damage as time went on, even after the IV was removed and she was home from the hospital. Melissa’s injury was progressing very quickly.
Unfortunately, too much time had passed, and this injury would eventually lead to more than 25 surgeries and procedures and – ultimately – the unavoidable amputation of two of Melissa’s fingers and a portion of her right hand.
“The pain was indescribable – cold, hot, stabbing – and I kept thinking, ‘God, just make it stop, just take me home,’” said Melissa. “And then I would think about my little boy and I’d be like ‘I got to do this, I can do this.’ One IV took so much, it took so many years and it took from my son and the things we used to do before. It took a part of me, literally. Physically, emotionally, mentally.”
IV insertion is the most common hospital procedure performed worldwide, yet up to 50% of them fail, even in the most experienced hands. This can lead to injuries like Melissa’s and to permanent nerve damage, scarring, and in extreme cases, even death.
Melissa lost so much more than her hand from this IV. She lost the life she had, and she lost the ability to do the things she loved to do with her son, like fishing, biking, rock climbing, and simple everyday things that she can no longer do with him. Simple things like opening a bottle of water without assistance is no longer possible for Melissa. This injury affects so many more parts of her life than just her hand.
“Everything is harder. It sucks feeling deformed and it sucks not being able to do all the things for your kid. It’s robbing him of his childhood. I’ve spent years getting to where I am right now.”
This type of injury would be devastating for anyone, but for Melissa, it has profoundly affected her ability to pursue her longtime passion and her career, painting. Everyday is a battle to adapt and learn how to accept her limitations and the life-long repercussions of her injury, including nerve damage, constant pain, and the loss of the life she once had.
Despite her setbacks, Melissa has not only persevered but continues to prosper in her creative journey and pursuit of creating for the purpose of healing and inspiring others without the full use of her dominant hand. She is strong, brave, and wants to fight for better outcomes. The bottom line is that this should never have happened to her. There are ways to prevent others from going through what Melissa has gone through.
“When I started reading the articles and watching the videos of babies, it gave me purpose and it gave me a reason to share my story, because those babies can’t talk,” says Melissa. “I thought about one of the babies I saw with a similar injury and the pain that I go through, and I wondered if when the baby cries, its parents know how much pain that baby could be in. And that made me want to put on a superhero cape and say, ‘We got this, we can do it.’ Because I wouldn’t want to relive this for any other reason, ever.”
After viewing Everly’s story and hearing her mother state that “a heart defect is enough”, she felt this powerful calling, giving her the strength to tell her story and join in ivWatch’s mission. This mission is so much bigger than just a simple IV. Changing these outcomes for those who are depending on critical IV access is changing lives.
By telling her story, Melissa Williams is changing lives. Her story will change clinician’s practice, IVs will be monitored differently, and caregivers will listen a little closer to what patients are telling them about their IVs. They will remember this outstanding woman, not for the terrible thing that happened to her, but for her strength and her commitment to change how the world views just a routine IV.