Post your Medical horror stores..........

Dr. Righteous · 03-31-2008, 12:30 PM

How many of you or a family member nearly died or maybe did DIE because of doctor's screw ups?

There are 2 cases that I am bitter still today about. I have NO FAITH in the health care industry at all.

First, my wife. Our first child was due in about a 2 months. My wife started complaining about always being tired and short of breath. Well, this is not to be unexpected with a late term pregnancy. Repeated doctors visits and being sent home as NORMAL symptoms. It turns out her heart was a little weak, and because the doctors pretty much ignored her symptoms, she got worse and worse. Finally when they realized what was going on. She was in ICU after the baby delivered with a 50/50 chance to survive. Thank God she did survive. It came down to a matter of hours. If they would have delayed rushing her to ICU any later, she would not have made it.

Second, a best friend of mine. He was having headaches. Serious ones. He went to see a doctor, the doctor said sinus problems. OK. Drugs. Headaches got worse. Doctor said you need sinus surgery. Had surgery.
Still not any better. Went to a different doctor for a second opinion. Doctor looked at records, said you need drugs. Proscribed more drugs. Still no better. He started having problems seeing out of his left eye. he looked in the mirror to his horror his left eye was protruding from it's socket! This time he went to a 3rd doctor. The doctor reviews the x-rays and notes in his medical records. When this doctor saw a several months old X-ray he nearly fell out of his chair. There, plain as day, was a brain tumor. They rushed him to the hospital, for a battery of test. The brain tumor has grown the size of a lemon and was pushing his eye out of the socket. AT this point, it was too late. Inoperable. All they could do was radiation, chemo, and pain meds. He died a few months later. He was 30. That has to be the saddest funeral I was ever at. He had a wife and a 2 year little girl. His brother, my brother and myself stood there in a huddle with our arms around each other crying. We had all grown up together, and now one is gone.

Anyone else?

**War Eagle** · 03-31-2008, 12:42 PM

Last year I went to the doctor with severe knee pain and they accidentally amputated my head.

WhtJeep · 03-31-2008, 12:42 PM

you know, i typed out a long winded rant to what you said but its not worth it.

GLANGA88 · 03-31-2008, 12:47 PM

A friend of mine sells prosthetic limbs, joints, etc. so he has to be in the operating room during a surgery if the doctor has a question about the part. He said I don't even want to know what goes on in there but it's along the lines of.... Doctor severs tendon/ligament or whatever it's called with scalpel, doctor says "whoops" doctor sews it back up without patient ever knowing.

**gtowngirl** · 03-31-2008, 12:48 PM

Well, I believe fate is fate and sometimes even though we think they would have been saved, we never really can know the truth.

My husband ended up in the hospital with Pancreatitus, I was told at the moment he went into intensive care that he had an 80% chance of survival. The doctor there told me that if he had to have surgery, he woul be flewn to Winston Salem, because that was where the specialist was. After a week at the local hospital (he was unconsious after the second day), The doctor came to me and said that they were going to transfer him....but since it was the weekend (Sunday) they were going to wait until tomorrow to contact the other hospital. Well tomorrow came and I waited all day for them to tell me he was leaving......about 5:00, the doc cam to me and said, well they have accepted him for a transfer, but since it is so late, we are going to wait until tomorrow....(I'm serious). That night, he developed blood clots in his lungs and almost died. It took them the rest of the week to try to get him stable enough to fly out. On Friday the 13th they decided to send him and told me that he would be lucky to live through the flight (about 30 min) somehow he hung on. Everyday after that was the worst roller coaster ride of my life. Everyday the nurses would come and stand next to me and say...do you know how sick your husband is....and I would reply, I know he could die at any moment...I got so sick of hearing that.

The doctors at Winston were great and I do believe they did all they could for him....but it just wasn't meant to be. He passed on Halloween day of 2000....the day after our 6 year anniversary.

**War Eagle** · 03-31-2008, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhtJeep

you know, i typed out a long winded rant to what you said but its not worth it.

Don't get all worked up just because Dr. Righteous has a problem with the health care industry.

**HighLonesome** · 03-31-2008, 12:53 PM

Not horrorific, but comical...

I was in my early 20s and developed a lump on my butt cheek. Doctor said it was a cyst and needed to be removed by cutting. I was in his office where the procedure was to be performed (this was a military doctor), and I looked at his diploma. Some university in Mexico. Anyway I stood there bending over and he starting working with a scapel. I then a heard a 'ssssttt', and the nurse exclaimed "oh no". I turned around to see he was sprayed by bloody puss...all over him, face and all. Even the nurse took a little overspray. He was not happy.

GLANGA88 · 03-31-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtowngirl

Well, I believe fate is fate and sometimes even though we think they would have been saved, we never really can know the truth.

My husband ended up in the hospital with Pancreatitus, I was told at the moment he went into intensive care that he had an 80% chance of survival. The doctor there told me that if he had to have surgery, he woul be flewn to Winston Salem, because that was where the specialist was. After a week at the local hospital (he was unconsious after the second day), The doctor came to me and said that they were going to transfer him....but since it was the weekend (Sunday) they were going to wait until tomorrow to contact the other hospital. Well tomorrow came and I waited all day for them to tell me he was leaving......about 5:00, the doc cam to me and said, well they have accepted him for a transfer, but since it is so late, we are going to wait until tomorrow....(I'm serious). That night, he developed blood clots in his lungs and almost died. It took them the rest of the week to try to get him stable enough to fly out. On Friday the 13th they decided to send him and told me that he would be lucky to live through the flight (about 30 min) somehow he hung on. Everyday after that was the worst roller coaster ride of my life. Everyday the nurses would come and stand next to me and say...do you know how sick your husband is....and I would reply, I know he could die at any moment...I got so sick of hearing that.

The doctors at Winston were great and I do believe they did all they could for him....but it just wasn't meant to be. He passed on Halloween day of 2000....the day after our 6 year anniversary.

Sorry to hear that. That is extremely negligent on the first hospital's part in my opinion. To keep postponing and important surgery like that due to stupid little circumstances. "To practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try to avoid harming them." That to me doesn't sound like they were following their Hippocratic oaths very well.

**ReconMill** · 03-31-2008, 01:03 PM

What pisses me off is when doctors claim a patient as "inoperable" when they are probably going to die anyways if they dont get operated on. If you are inoperable because of the high chance of death and you are gonna die if you dont get the procedure, which would you choose?

Dr. Righteous · 03-31-2008, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Don't get all worked up just because Dr. Righteous has a problem with the health care industry.

I wish I was making it up.
A lot of the details left out for brevity's sake.

AlTheKillerr · 03-31-2008, 01:07 PM

my mom went in for some real routine cosmetic things and ended up getting a blood clot and passed away. wasnt anyones fault but still it sucks

**gtowngirl** · 03-31-2008, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlTheKiller

my mom went in for some real routine cosmetic things and ended up getting a blood clot and passed away. wasnt anyones fault but still it sucks

I am sooo sorry to hear that. I lost my mother in 1993 to Cancer.....ya never get over losing your Mom.

Dr. Righteous · 03-31-2008, 01:12 PM

My point is not that someone got sick and died. I mean doctor visit after doctor visit. Test after test, and they ignore obvious symptoms, because in their opinion, it isn't serious.
In the case of my wife, she probably would have died if I wouldn't have gotten that doctor's face and demand he do something.

**Poor Boy** · 03-31-2008, 01:12 PM

Medical Horror Store!

AlTheKillerr · 03-31-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Righteous

My point is not that someone got sick and died. I mean doctor visit after doctor visit. Test after test, and they ignore obvious symptoms, because in their opinion, it isn't serious.
In the case of my wife, she probably would have died if I wouldn't have gotten that doctor's face and demand he do something.

ah ok. then ive got nothin. ive never had to go to the doctor for anything other than strep or flu.