by peter e. bortner
Karen Shustack testified Monday in Schuylkill County Court that her hysterectomy left her in terrible pain.
"I never hurt so bad in my life. My whole body hurts so bad," Shustack told the jury and Judge Charles M. Miller on the first day of her civil jury trial against Dr. Whitney Pollock.
However, Pollock said she talked extensively with Shustack about what would occur.
"She said, 'I trust you implicitly,' " Pollock testified.
The lawsuit, which Shustack and her husband, Joseph, filed on June 16, 2010, seeks unspecified monetary damages against Pollock for alleged malpractice in removing both of Shustack's ovaries during the operation.
The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. today.
Karen Shustack was near tears as she said how her life had worsened since the operation.
"It was just a horrible experience," she said. "I would wake up in the morning sick and nauseous. I still wake up feeling tired. The hot flashes, they come and go."
She said she wanted Pollock to leave one ovary in, although she said Pollock had permission to remove the second one if it was cancerous.
"That would be my only concern," Shustack said.
However, in previous testimony, she had said Pollock could remove the second ovary if it was diseased, not just cancerous.
Shustack said she no longer goes to see Pollock, who is expected to testify more extensively today or Wednesday.