I had a gallbladder operation in Jan. Supposedly to be small operation. In and out. Well when I woke up I felt great went home and that evening my stomach swelled and I was in horrible pain. Spent twelve hours in emergency screaming in pain. The next day in late afternoon my doctor finally ordered me to be opened up again. I didnt know what was wrong till I was entering the operating room. She finally emerged and told me i was only 1% of the population with this extra duct from my liver. apparently the bile was filling in my abdominal cavity and it was the worst pain ever. Apparently my organs could have ceased. What would you do? I had to wear a tube to empty the liquid for weeks after..Would you sue?
2007-10-04 02:08:57 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
I was reliving the pain imagining myself sleeping with dollar bills as pillow stuffings..oh well,,back to reality...
2007-10-04 02:24:06 · update #1
If you got better i would not sue cause then you would have a major pain in your in your bank account! By the way they did nothing wrong 1% of your body did. Good Luck!
2007-10-04 02:21:07 · answer #1 · answered by fox 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
First all gallbladder surgery is not a small operation! It is a very serious condition with serious complications if not handled properly. Death is very real, or loss of kidney/liver function a reality.
The actual operation procedure is now small compared to what they did to patients 20 yrs ago. Where they literally had to move lots of organs out of the way to get at the darn thing. Dr's use to cut almost from breast plate to the far side of waist looking like half moon scar. Pain unbelievable from the organs put back inside and the actual surgery & then the baggy which drains bile and mess out of you.
Ur very lucky to have caught it early and not suffer from permanent damage to your organs. But u did suffer from undue duress etc... Whether u should sue; seek legal counsel from lawyers who specialize in malpractice to find out your states legal options. Having hospital/Dr compensate u for the extra surgery & bills plus delayed loss of healing, wheither u'll be out of work longer is something to consider. Most lawyers can provide u free consult in most law firms. The reality is unless your surgeon made errors while operating or failed to see the duct on the x-ray and/or upon opening you up... could be cause. Only the lawyers can give u options. If hospital lawyers approach you to sign something, DON'T FIND UR LEGAL OPTIONS. I bet the next time she operates, she's cks for the 1%!! Hospitals and Drs will say anything to cover mistakes. Assuming some were made... be careful and follow your Dr's discharge orders. It's very important to ur health.
2007-10-04 09:43:53 · answer #2 · answered by Staci 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all, it is wonderful that you survived that horrible ordeal and are hopefully on the path to a full recovery.
Medical lawsuits are really tricky these days. Before getting yourself all worked up, contact several reputable personal injury attorneys in your area, present your story, and listen to what they have to say. Depending on your state, there may be a cap on the amount of damages, i.e. in Texas the most amount that can be recovered due to medical negligence is $250,000.00. After expenses, the 33 1/3 your attorney will keep, that leaves you with maybe $125,000, at the most -- and that is if your attorney is able to get the maximum. Depending on how much your insurance paid for your surgery, they may be entitled to get a portion of the recovery, which may leave you with $10,000.00 or $15,000.00.
Most attorneys feel like this amount is not enough to even bother with -- so they don't.
Perhaps you could negotiate with your doctor and the hospital, they may admit their mistake and not require you to pay your patient share of the entire bill. If you are still not happy with the answers you get from the attorneys or the doctor or the hospital, contact the Joint Commission, and your state Insurance Office, and your own insurance company.
I wish you the best in your recovery, and your endeavor.
2007-10-04 12:48:56 · answer #3 · answered by tracy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
oh blbr i here that u r ill 2 the point of having 2 have surgery i wish 4 u 2 have a speedy healthy recovery i dont want u 2 b in pain any longer but being is this isnt just a simple surgery & its painful b4 & after surgery lots & lots of big bear hugs (bbh) i promise 2 be gentle :-D *********** = a doz roses ;-) keep your spirits up ck with the medical board in the state u live in 2 c if there was indeed misconduct/or neglegence stay on top of your healing u know your body another bbh
oh & exercise your rt 2 a 2nd opinion if in doubt ************
;-)
2007-10-04 22:09:25 · answer #4 · answered by nunya 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should talk to a malpractice attorney and let them make that decision. Even then, you will only get 60% of any award you might receive. And it probably won't be very much.
2007-10-04 09:18:00 · answer #5 · answered by Big Bear 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Be relieved they found the oddity and that you weren't the first one. You can bet the first few people died before they discovered WHY they died....and figured out corrective measures, and document them.
1 out of 100
Sue? Nah.... Be happy you is alive. If the gall bladder exploded, you would have died a painful death.
2007-10-04 10:03:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ask if there are standard proceedures in place intended to detect this extra duct. If there arent any standards in place, they did nothing wrong. If there are standards in place, but they neglected to follow them, then they may be liable.
2007-10-04 09:13:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to consult a medical lawyer ! There is probably nothing you can do.
2007-10-04 10:01:31 · answer #8 · answered by PortLee 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋