A man who was left paralysed after being given the incorrect antibiotics is launching a compensation claim against the hospital trust involved.
The problems started for Terry Clayton, who is diabetic, when he suffered a bout of pneumonia during a holiday in Lanzarote with his wife Arlene two years ago.
The couple returned home just five days into their month-long holiday and Terry was admitted to the University Hospital of North Durham.
Terry, who has seven grandchildren, had a kidney transplant 10 years ago.
He was discharged to his home in County Durham two days after his admission and given medication to last another week.
However, within hours of going home he was suffering from “terrific pain” and could not get out of bed. He was swiftly taken back to hospital before being transferred to the intensive care unit at Newcastle General Hospital.
Terry was found to be suffering from kidney failure and he was once again moved, this time to the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle.
He said: “When I was at the Freeman Hospital I was told I had been given an antibiotic that was unsuitable for me as a person with kidney disease.
“I was virtually paralysed and needed everything doing for me. I could only breathe, speak and blink. I thought I was going to die.”
Now the 58-year-old cannot leave his home, as he is unable to take more than a few steps at a time, even after months of intensive therapy.
Terry and Arlene are making their medical negligence claim against County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
He said: “I would not want this to happen to anyone else, not even my worst enemy.”
Terry’s wife Arlene, 56, added: “When I went to collect the prescription, my pharmacist asked if Terry was going to be OK on the combination of drugs but I just presumed the doctors knew what they were doing.
“It seems like such a careless mistake that has completely ruined our lives.”
