Family unhappy at delay in getting 'miracle' mum to hospital

THE family of a 'miracle' mum who lived with a brain tumour for 35 years believe she would still be alive if she had been admitted to hospital sooner.

Linda Tyler, aged 69, of Harpfields Road, Harpfields, had recovered from a heart attack and six operations to remove tumours from her brain.

An inquest heard her death could have been caused by an overdose of her blood thinning medication warfarin.

Mrs Tyler's husband, retired joiner Reginald, who was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, had usually administered the drug.

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In October, she suffered bruising to her wrist and face and was due to undergo blood tests to find the cause.

But the family claim she should have been admitted to hospital straight away.

Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Tyler's daughter, Deborah Reynolds, aged 43, said: "She died of something that could have been prevented. She was seriously ill for 35 years, but it was something silly that killed her."

Mrs Tyler was taken to her GP, Dr William Candlish, on Friday, October 14 last year, suffering from the bruising.

Dr Candlish, of Foden Street Surgery, Stoke, ordered the blood tests because he was concerned she might have too much warfarin in her system.

But a district nurse who visited Mrs Tyler at home could not find a suitable vein, so a decision was taken to wait until after the weekend.

On Saturday, October 15, neighbour William Burton called an ambulance after he was asked by Mr Tyler to look at his wife, who now had severe bruising all over her body.

Mrs Tyler was taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, but she died later that day.

Dr Candlish told the inquest: "When I saw her on Friday, there was no indication she needed to be admitted to hospital."

Mrs Tyler had first been diagnosed with cancer in 1977 and had her last operation to remove a tumour in 2000.

Her daughter said: "Mum was a walking miracle.

"They said she would never get proper speech back, she would not walk again and she even had to learn to eat. But she did it all. She was a fighter."

Mrs Tyler needed daily medication, including warfarin, to prevent the risk of strokes.

But Mrs Reynolds said despite the family's concerns that Mr Tyler was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, after serious memory lapses, he was not diagnosed with the condition until after his wife died.

She said: "He was in charge of mum's medication, which we never agreed to.

"She never administered her own drugs. My dad did everything for her, not always with our agreement. He liked to look after her."

Pathologist Dr Victoria Smith said the cause of death was bilateral hemothorax, which means blood had filled the chest cavity, caused by a complication of warfarin therapy, aided by heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Coroner Ian Smith said: "We will never know if too many drugs were administered, either by herself or more likely her husband, or if it was simply an idiosyncrasy of her body."

Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Tyler's son, Mark, aged 47, said: "She should have been admitted to hospital when she went to see the doctor."