Medical Malpractice Do i have a Case? how much can i get?

Question

I was two months pregnant about to turn 3 months. I visited the local emergency room because I was not able to keep any food or liquid in my stomach for about 2 days. The emergency room put me on I.V. gave me nasuea medication and sent me home. They told me they were gonna do an Ultrasound but never did. Two days later I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, my child was growing in my phelopian tube. My baby got so big that my tube burst. I almost bled to death. I lost my ovary and phelopian tube. Plus have a scar for the rest of my life. I am 16 years old turning 17. i cared about my kid i was in the hospital for 5 days i almost died if they would of gave me and ultrasound i would of never lost an ovary i would of never had to spend 5 days in the hospital if they would of just looked i still would of lost my kid regardless and i wouldnt of had to go through all the pain im going through i had to get 5 bags of blood pumped into me.i didnt have no pulse i couldnt breath on my own i was practicly dieing. i would of never been through all of this if they gave me the ultrasound like they said they would i told them i couldnt hold food down and i got alot of cramps. and please dont judge me for my age because people do make mistakes nobody in the world is perfect

Answer 1

Yes I would think you have a case. I would consult an attorney right away....don't wait. You can also contact the American Medical Association in your state and notify them in WRITING what happened and at what hospital and what treating physician(s) were involved. They will get involved quickly.
I am so sorry for your loss and for the rough time ahead of you when you are older and want a family of your own. So sad. Patti

Answer 2

I am soooooooo sorry that you went through such a horrible experience at your age. And, yes, no one should judge you; we have all made mistakes.

Probably what happened is the folks at the hospital figured you had a simple case of "morning sickness" from the pregnancy. If that is the case, and you had no other symptoms, then an ultrasound would not have been appropriate.

However, if you were having severe pain on the side where the tubal pregnancy happened, they should certainly have done an ultrasound to see where the pain was coming from. Doing so may have picked up on the tubal pregnancy. Then, they could have done surgery and removed the part of the tube that had the problem.

Again, so sorry you went through that. Do not hesitate to seek counseling for parents who have lost unborn children, as this is precisely what you have gone through and you may need help.

God bless and good luck.

Answer 3

I am sorry for your loss. I would never judge you. I think you were brave to make the decision to keep your child. As for medical malpractice, it is extremely difficult to prove. There is a difference between malpractice and negligence. What you should do is contact an attorney in your area who will review your situation and decide if you have a case. Most attornies will take cases on a contingency basis. In other words, if you have a case the lawyer will handle it for a perecentage of the amount you get (usually 20-30% of the total). The one thing they will ask is if you were getting care from an Ob/Gyn before this happened, because I think a Dr would have ordered an ultrasound before 3 months...Good Luck and I am sorry for your loss.

Answer 4

I am sorry for your loss. However you do not have a case. What happened to you is very common in Ectopic pregnancy. It is not uncommon to not do an ultrasound as the symptoms especially in young mothers are not always distinct enough to make a Ectopic diagnosis. The condition is most prevalent in women between 35-44 so you are well out of the normal risk range. Also one of the most common symptoms you do not mention having, vaginal bleeding. The other common symptoms are dizziness or fainting, low blood pressure, and lower back pain. You didn't list any of these symptoms. The symptoms that you do list having are quite common an early healthy pregnancy. Even if they would have given you an ultrasound it is not uncommon for them to not be able to detect an Ectopic pregnancy through ultrasound. Here is a website that is quite helpful http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/ectopic.html
Again I am sorry for your lost, but it was not something that could be helped.

Answer 5

you have definitely had a rough time of it, and I am sorry for that. However, you do not have a case for malpractise or negligence, your symptoms of nausea and cramping are pretty common in teenage mothers and the doctors treated you accordingly. That they mentioned an ultrasound, doesn't necessarily mean that they would do it, but rather that you should likely have followed up with your own doctor to have one done. As for a tubal pregnancy, also common in teenagers who get pregnant too soon, you would indeed have lost your ovary anyway, even if the fallopian tube had not ruptured when it did. That you survived the ordeal is proof of the good care you got, and for that you should be grateful.

Answer 6

You definitely have a case. Seek the advice of an attorney. How much would be given depends on the area of the country you're in but your attorney could give you appropriate amounts to ask for. Many attorneys give free consultations so keep looking until you find a good one. Good luck and I'm sorry for your loss.

Answer 7

I'm sorry that you lost your baby and went thru sooo much! I think you should go see an attorney for a consultation with all the facts. You may have a case! Good luck to you!

Answer 8

Well, first off, I doubt it... Things go wrong... But if you really want to purse the issue go for it...

seek a lawyer in the medical malpractice field....