A woman who says the removal of most of her small intestine could have been prevented has prevailed in a medical malpractice lawsuit against her surgeon. A jury recently awarded her $1.5 million.

The woman, who now suffers from what is known as short gut syndrome, was 21 when she first consulted with the surgeon back in 2003. The woman, a special education teacher, checked into the hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain.

The doctor had initially decided to perform surgery, but evidently changed his mind. He and his colleagues apparently believed the woman was suffering from a kidney problem, when in fact she had a blood clotting disorder that was cutting off the blood supply to her bowel.

After deciding against the surgery, the woman claimed, her physician went out of town. It wasn't until her pain worsened and her bowel died that emergency surgery was performed a couple of days later by a different physician. As a result of the operation, the woman lost all but about two feet of her small intestine. Most people have about 22 feet of small intestine.

There are definitely negative side effects. It takes most people about six to eight hours to fully digest food, but in the woman's case it takes only about 30 minutes. That means she cannot get the necessary nutrition most people get from eating. She also suffers from severe and uncomfortable bloating and must take medication on a regular basis.

The jury reached its verdict and found the doctor liable for the woman's injuries after a four-day trial.

Source: News and Tribune, "Jury awards $1.5 million in medical malpractice suit," Matt Thacker, Jan. 20, 2012