Susan Kasperski's third Kaiser Permanente patient nightmare

Third Nightmare at Kaiser Permanente

{This is nothing yet. I haven't even started with the REAL Nightmare yet.}
November 14, 2001

Well here it is time for a mammogram. What could possibly go wrong now? {?} I went in and told the girl that I had a pacemaker and where it was. She said "OK" and without gloves and with real long artificial nails. When she grabbed my breast to place it where she wanted it, she scratched me and I bled. She did the right breast and then it was time to do the left breast where the pacemaker was placed near the collar bone. She put the machine against my chest and came down on my breast catching the pacemaker in between the glass plates. I screamed it hurts, she replied it will only hurt for a minute. I replied back, "You got my pacemaker and I'm ready to pass out in pain." She released it and said "Oh, I'm sorry. Let's get an x-ray." She said that it didn't look like any harm was done.

Bad Advice from M.D. - Jennifer Knowles, M.D.

From year 2002 through January 19, 2004

Every month I feel the pacemaker doing damage, moving around in my side chest. Shortly after that I noticed that it was moving around to the point it made canal's between my breast, up by my throat and moves to under my armpit. When I am laying down, moved to the throat, lay side ways it slams to the right side and when I turn over to the other side it hurts real bad.

I told Dr. Knowles and she replied "Don't worry about it, it is OK - they do this."

Well it stuck under my arm pit and then later it worked its way down the side to the stomach and left breast was swollen. I told her on the phone again what was going on and her response was "We put pacemakers in all parts of the body, don't worry." I said but mine isn't supposed to travel like that. She said "It's OK," but my breast is swollen. "OK then I will write you a prescription for you." After I hung up, I got another doctor and got rid of her. Because of her I had an infection and damage to my chest, and now need to get the old pacemaker out and get the damage fixed and implant a new pacemaker.