Medical malpractice: Has anyone else dealt with this?

My grandma passed away because of some "little thing." When she started feeling bad, they showed up with an oxygen machine that wasn't even working right. Since she struggled with asthma, her first symptom was that terrifying feeling of suffocating. None of her usual meds were touching it; she just needed pure oxygen. She didn't get it. She died two hours later at the hospital, and they didn't even tell us. Why? 🤷 We didn't find out until the next morning when my dad called to check on her. He couldn't believe she was gone just ninety minutes after he and my mom left the hospital. But yeah, those "little things" can sneak up on anyone. I think it helped my dad to tell himself that doctors are just people and that "small mistakes" happen to everyone. ☕

Andrew White4 said:It honestly feels most frustrating when doctors are shielded and excused by that tired old argument—"mistakes happen, doctors are only human." While I agree that errors can occur, that shouldn't be an excuse to bypass accountability; responsible parties still need to face consequences. I’ve watched several televised segments covering this exact topic, and every single time, that same spokesperson from the American Medical Association pops up to deliver that identical, hollow explanation.

In my view, doctors are being given far too much leeway—it’s almost reaching an unreasonable level. There really needs to be actual accountability, which I believe should include things like a lifetime revocation of their medical license for those who are truly responsible.

Honestly, seeing him on screen just makes me feel sick. Instantly.🙂

jadetinker85 said:I’m not sure if this topic has been covered yet, but I think there's some educational value here.

Ever heard of someone being treated for one condition, when the actual culprit was something else entirely? I recently heard about a guy who woke up one day with his arm basically out of commission. He went to the hospital, and they told him the pain was coming from his spine. They spent about three months treating him based on that diagnosis until he decided to take matters into his own hands and booked a private ultrasound and color Doppler. Turns out, it wasn't his spine at all—it was a ruptured cyst pressing against a nerve. That was the real source of the pain. He's switched over to a completely different treatment plan now. 🤷

So, here’s my story (I’m 40). Last year, my appendix burst, and the ER sent me straight to internal medicine, only for the doctor there to tell me I just had a UTI. When I asked her, "Are you absolutely sure you ruled out appendicitis?" she told me they did—by checking my blood (which was impossible, so yeah, she was lying). On top of that, she snapped at me and my mom because we showed up late at night, acting like nobody should be hitting an ER at 2 AM. 🙂
This wasn't just some mistake; it was straight-up neglect. They played with my life...
They left me lying in a hospital ward with a ruptured appendix for five whole days without even having a doctor on call. I didn't get surgery until day five, by which point I was hallucinating and basically on death's door because they kept feeding me food that was just leaking into my abdominal cavity.
I spent a month in the hospital while they tried to save my life through two massive surgeries to remove most of my intestines and organs, plus flushing out an infection that had spread deep through my entire abdomen. I've got scars running from my hip to my stomach, twice over.
To make matters worse, they ran me through four abdominal CT scans in a week and a half. That's radiation exposure roughly equivalent to 3,000 chest X-rays.
All this because some arrogant doctor decided on an ENT consult and picked a UTI (something I've never even had) instead of appendicitis—even though I rolled in with a bloated gut, intense cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and passing out.
The doctors told me that because of those two heavy-duty surgeries, I could deal with bowel obstructions anytime down the road. And I think anyone can figure out what that much radiation exposure means for cancer risks.😢
And all of this could have been avoided if it was just a routine appendectomy, provided that doctor hadn't literally said, "Don't come to the hospital at 2 AM, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep." Those were her actual words...

Did you actually file a lawsuit against her? Or at least stir the pot a little?

melloworca6 said:Did you actually file a lawsuit against her? Or at least stir the pot a little?

Nah, we didn't, and honestly, that’s what stings the most. It’s worse than having my health totally wrecked. I can deal with an honest mistake, but pure disrespect? Not gonna happen.
Why? Because I know I’d lose the lawsuit. I don't have the cash to hire a lawyer, let alone pay for both sides' legal fees if I lose. If that happened, I'd be selling my apartment just to cover the costs and end up on the streets... They've got each other covered at the hospital, protecting their own, and I haven't got a single shred of proof. My evidence is all verbal (like the doctor saying my appendix had been ruptured for five days by the time it reached the gangrenous stage in my gut). On paper, I have nothing. In fact, the surgery department—clearly in cahoots with her—wrote in my discharge papers: "Patient was transferred by mutual agreement from nephrology, where she was treated for a urinary tract infection." That’s a flat-out lie. I was on the nephrology ward because of *her* mistake, not an infection. I had a perforated appendix and never had a UTI in my life. In court, they'd just swear I was there for an infection, and according to their story, the appendix would've burst during those three days on nephrology before the transfer. See? They already rigged the paperwork to protect themselves. They cover for each other and you're stuck. No proof, nothing. Just a disgusting feeling.😢
And why didn't we even kick up a fuss? Because sooner or later, I'll end up back in their hands. Thanks to her, it won't be long before I'm back under their care again. Common sense tells me it's a bad move to piss off the people holding your life in their hands, especially when it gets me nowhere—I'd only lose.
They coordinate, write lies in the records (just like they did with me), cover their tracks, and you're powerless.😢

Michelle Sullivan3 said:Nah, we didn't, and honestly, that’s what stings the most. It’s worse than having my health totally wrecked. I can deal with an honest mistake, but pure disrespect? Not gonna happen.
Why? Because I know I’d lose the lawsuit. I don't have the cash to hire a lawyer, let alone pay for both sides' legal fees if I lose. If that happened, I'd be selling my apartment just to cover the costs and end up on the streets... They've got each other covered at the hospital, protecting their own, and I haven't got a single shred of proof. My evidence is all verbal (like the doctor saying my appendix had been ruptured for five days by the time it reached the gangrenous stage in my gut). On paper, I have nothing. In fact, the surgery department—clearly in cahoots with her—wrote in my discharge papers: "Patient was transferred by mutual agreement from nephrology, where she was treated for a urinary tract infection." That’s a flat-out lie. I was on the nephrology ward because of *her* mistake, not an infection. I had a perforated appendix and never had a UTI in my life. In court, they'd just swear I was there for an infection, and according to their story, the appendix would've burst during those three days on nephrology before the transfer. See? They already rigged the paperwork to protect themselves. They cover for each other and you're stuck. No proof, nothing. Just a disgusting feeling.😢
And why didn't we even kick up a fuss? Because sooner or later, I'll end up back in their hands. Thanks to her, it won't be long before I'm back under their care again. Common sense tells me it's a bad move to piss off the people holding your life in their hands, especially when it gets me nowhere—I'd only lose.
They coordinate, write lies in the records (just like they did with me), cover their tracks, and you're powerless.😢

We should put together a solid file with photos and evidence and blast it to the news outlets to ruin her reputation. Man, you won't get anything done with that doctor without losing everything first.

A friend of mine had her GP tell her she has leukemia... I mean, what are you even supposed to say to that? You can't just throw out serious diagnoses like that without running more tests first!
Then she called me and just started breaking down. It was a total Catastrophe. Of course they sent her for follow-up testing and everything turned out fine... She didn't just freak me out, though—she ended up stressing out everyone close to her too!!!

jadewolf16 said:We should put together a solid file with photos and evidence and blast it to the news outlets to ruin her reputation. Man, you won't get anything done with that doctor without losing everything first.

The thing is, there's zero evidence. That's why us patients are basically helpless; it’s so easy for them to twist the truth and just write whatever they want in the discharge papers. They manage to word things so perfectly that it’s simultaneously fake and technically true—you can't prove anything. And that discharge summary is literally all you get. They won't hand over any other paperwork, even after you've spent a month fighting for your life in the hospital. Just that one paper.🤷
It's wild how well they cover for each other. The guys in surgery worked their tails off trying to save me, but they ended up making it seem like the lady from internal medicine was actually at fault because they fought so hard on my behalf. Even then, they still protect her... because tomorrow, one of them might need that same kind of cover.
I'm living in a small town, too, so I don't have "tons of doctors" to choose from. It's just one hospital and one crew of doctors who are always the same. I'm totally stuck depending on them.

Michelle Sullivan3 said:The thing is, there's zero evidence. That's why us patients are basically helpless; it’s so easy for them to twist the truth and just write whatever they want in the discharge papers. They manage to word things so perfectly that it’s simultaneously fake and technically true—you can't prove anything. And that discharge summary is literally all you get. They won't hand over any other paperwork, even after you've spent a month fighting for your life in the hospital. Just that one paper.🤷
It's wild how well they cover for each other. The guys in surgery worked their tails off trying to save me, but they ended up making it seem like the lady from internal medicine was actually at fault because they fought so hard on my behalf. Even then, they still protect her... because tomorrow, one of them might need that same kind of cover.
I'm living in a small town, too, so I don't have "tons of doctors" to choose from. It's just one hospital and one crew of doctors who are always the same. I'm totally stuck depending on them.

Stuff like this needs to go straight to the media, no holds barred. If you want to, do it for your own sake or simply because you're dependent on them.
They aren't the type to treat you well just because you're polite; they only respect you if they're afraid of you. If they realize that messing up could land them on every news site or even national TV tomorrow, they'll treat you like royalty.

What allows the laziness, ignorance, and arrogance of so many of our doctors to persist is, among other things, a frightened and uneducated patient.

I think people are generally way too fearful. Out of pure intimidation, they don't even bother reporting issues, let alone filing a lawsuit, which means professionals wouldn't be nearly as careful as they should be. What's the worst that can happen? They won't just stop treating you or let you die just because you filed a complaint, right? I highly doubt it. Usually, when there's a massive panic over the threat of a lawsuit, people start sucking up to everyone instead of acting all arrogant.

I ended up suing them, though honestly, I’m not sure which is worse—the legal system or the doctors... I've been stuck in this lawsuit for three years now, thank God I have a mountain of paperwork to back me up. I spent an entire year just waiting on the first expert report that actually proved medical malpractice, and now I've been sitting around for a year waiting on an expert's response to the defendant's objections to that report... it feels like these legal battles just never end...

http://postimg.org/image/7r1xlrf2n/

So, this is basically what happens when you mess up applying a fiberglass cast wrap three years ago... 😢

rowdyscout8 said:A friend of mine had her GP tell her she has leukemia... I mean, what are you even supposed to say to that? You can't just throw out serious diagnoses like that without running more tests first!
Then she called me and just started breaking down. It was a total Catastrophe. Of course they sent her for follow-up testing and everything turned out fine... She didn't just freak me out, though—she ended up stressing out everyone close to her too!!!

😲

I remember a time when a friend of mine—who was only about twelve years old at the time and had actually just gone in because of some minor acne—was told by a general practitioner that she had PCOS, just based on a quick glance at her. The doctor went on to tell her that yes, it was clearly visible, that she would remain infertile because of it, that she’d never have children, and that she absolutely had to see a specialist immediately for an urgent consultation. The poor girl ran home in a complete state of panic to her mother, who then had to go back to that doctor's office to have a serious word with her. I truly believe 🙄

Benjamin Martin65 said:😲

I remember a time when a friend of mine—who was only about twelve years old at the time and had actually just gone in because of some minor acne—was told by a general practitioner that she had PCOS, just based on a quick glance at her. The doctor went on to tell her that yes, it was clearly visible, that she would remain infertile because of it, that she’d never have children, and that she absolutely had to see a specialist immediately for an urgent consultation. The poor girl ran home in a complete state of panic to her mother, who then had to go back to that doctor's office to have a serious word with her. I truly believe 🙄

So, did she actually end up getting an official PCOS diagnosis back then, or even now?

The American medical system is a total joke. About six months ago, I took a massive hit to the head—spinning rooms, puking, constant exhaustion, the whole nine yards. My doctor, who’s actually decent, immediately sent me for a brain CT scan (which meant driving all the way to 44 miles because they don't even have those locally, just X-rays). When I showed up for my appointment the next day, it was ridiculously early—not even 7 AM—because the bus schedule was such a mess. I walked into the waiting room thinking, "I'll just sit tight until 9 when they start working," since I was feeling pretty miserable and my head was pounding. Then this little rookie doctor walks up, asks why I'm there so early, and basically screams at me, "WE DON'T START UNTIL 9!!" I told him it didn't matter, I'd wait, since I'm still totally disoriented from the impact. And then—get this—this guy, dead serious, TEARS UP my CT referral and writes me an X-ray instead, acting like my doctor was being dramatic for wanting a CT for something potentially dangerous or whatever... blah blah blah. And guess what? Since I didn't pass out or lose my memory, his diagnosis is that I'm perfectly fine. Can you believe that? Of course, the X-ray shows nothing, because obviously, an X-ray can't see anything except a broken bone. And the kicker? I could've gotten that X-ray right here in town... so the whole trip was a waste. Fast forward to yesterday—I hit my head again and have a cut on my scalp, but honestly, going back to the doctor isn't even an option; I'm not about to let them mock or humiliate me again. I just iced the spot, and for now, it's just a minor sting. They seriously have no clue. And the worst part? When you show up in a few years with some permanent damage, they'll be like, "WHERE WERE YOU BEFORE?!!!" Ugh, I'd swear right now if I didn't have to keep it civil...

It’s taken me a long time to finally sit down and tell the truth about everything I've been through since the summer of 2009... all the way to today. I suppose I was lucky, or maybe just incredibly unlucky, to make it out alive, but since I am, I might as well write it out, even if finding the words for what happened is a struggle...
Before getting into the meat of this, it's worth mentioning that back in 1989, I had surgery for aortic stenosis. I was only nine years old. They literally cut through my ribs like I was a child, but it saved my life.
Back then, I wasn't worrying about anything except getting back up and heading home. I spent over a month in the hospital, and thankfully, everything healed up perfectly and my heart was fine.
I played basketball, went to school, didn't give a second thought to being sick. I lived life just like any other young guy, living "full throttle"...
In 2001, I got married and had a beautiful daughter. My health held up pretty well, except for that time around 2000 when I decided to cross a bridge toward a small town outside of St. Louis with a buddy...
On the way back, I suddenly realized I was staring right at those famous railings, caught right in the middle of nowhere on the bridge itself.
And look, I’ve always been terrified of heights. Beyond that, I don't really remember much, just waking up in a hospital bed with this massive question mark hanging over my head: "What state am I even in? What city is this?" I had blacked out halfway across the bridge.
My friend—who, sadly, has passed away now—was with me, looking half-covered in blood from trying to hold onto me.
"It's okay, I'm at the local hospital, I'm in SAFE hands!!"
The irony is, nine years later, I nearly bit the dust in that very same hospital.
By the summer of 2009, I started dropping weight rapidly and running fevers. I’m 6'0", and I’d always stayed around 155 pounds. Then, in November 2009, I became a father for the second time...
I managed to carry my younger daughter for about a month and a half, but after that, I haven't been able to hold her again.
On December 14, 2009, my little girl came home from school and asked, "Dad, can you drive me to my friend's house?" I remember it clearly; it was just starting to snow.
As we were leaving the building, I realized my speech had become completely unintelligible. We barely managed to
get back to the apartment. The paramedics arrived in record time, though. They were truly fast, and they rushed me straight to an emergency neurological admission.
A sympathetic young doctor—probably just an intern—met me there. He sent me straight for a CT scan. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought, "Man, the left side of my face is drooping!" I honestly thought those were my final moments. I'd never seen a CT before; first, they gave me some contrast, then I laid on a bed and got pulled into this machine that looks like a half-finished tunnel for the scan.
That took about ten minutes or so. Afterward, they told me, "It's not a stroke." I thought, "Okay, good," thinking I hadn't slipped under the dirt just yet.
I was so terrified I ended up totally dehydrated. My wife went to a nearby convenience store to grab me an iced tea. I practically inhaled it... then, after a few seconds, I realized, "Wait, I can't swallow," wtf??? It felt like my throat was completely blocked. Then the hiccups started, and I was sent back to neurology.
They found a solution for the swallowing issue called a feeding tube. They shove this thing up your nose and yell, "Swallow, swallow!" I have no idea how I actually managed to swallow it. Eventually, they use air to check the placement by injecting it through the tube. If your stomach makes a sound, the tube is in the right spot.
That young doctor from earlier looked pretty shaken up, so he decided to call in a specialist from the Infectious Disease department. That’s how December 14th ended.
I spent my first night on IV fluids just so I wouldn't dehydrate. By then, I had already dropped down to about 130 pounds. Man, if I could just skip December 15th... A specialist arrived for a consultation, a man with all the titles, the head of Infectious Disease, Dr. Nenad Pandak. At first, he seemed like the ultimate professional, super polite. But after a little while, he told me he was transferring me to the infectious disease ward because he suspected the real diagnosis. I figured, who am I to doubt him? He's the expert.
As soon as I got to the infectious disease unit, they started poking and prodding me. That's when he informed me that I had tuberculous meningitis. He told me the treatment would be long-term and that my swallowing would return once my cranial nerves recovered—but he was lying. All the TB tests had come back negative, but he kept that hidden from me and my family.
Every morning during rounds, he acted all delighted by my "miraculous" recovery. Meanwhile, I was just getting thinner and thinner... Back then, I'd be vomiting these nasty anti-TB meds against the wall, convinced it was all part of the healing process.
Back then, I was being pumped full of Nutren, Prosure, and some white stuff through an IV just to get my energy up... I sat there like an idiot all day waiting for the drip to finish, watching my brother scarf down some burgers while I waited...
The neurologist told me I needed to see an internist and get a brain MRI over at the Mayo Clinic. He kept a stethoscope draped around his neck the whole time, though it clearly wasn't doing him any good...
Around that time, the fever started coming back and these red bumps began popping up all over my body. He just brushed it off and told me they were nothing but acne...
Then the guy actually went off on a ski trip, leaving me sitting there burning up without even bothering to run a blood culture...
I was already under 110 pounds by then, and this was the morning I headed to the Mayo Clinic for that MRI, accompanied by my mom who works at the hospital...
All I remember from that morning is my mom asking, "Vanja, honey, what's wrong?" She had just come home from her boss's ski trip. I tried to sit up, but everything just went pitch black... My boss walks in and goes, "Just give him some Valium, he's just being dramatic!" And that's how he sent me to the city in a half-dead state. In the ambulance, right in front of my mother, I lost control of the left side of my body...
Literally, because of that doctor's negligence, I ended up traveling from the city back home in diapers...
That’s when my savior stepped in—the head of resuscitation—who finally pulled a blood culture and rushed me to the Mayo Clinic...
They nailed the diagnosis immediately: bacterial endocarditis...
I've filed a lawsuit against the hospital to settle this, and the case is currently moving through the US District Court, where the medical expert testimonies are leaning heavily in my favor...
Total negligence has completely wrecked my life. Even though I couldn't swallow a single drop of water, the insurance company has been playing games with my coverage for years now...
Now, thanks to a speech therapist in the city, I can actually swallow again, whereas they told me back home there was nothing they could do...
The US is my home, and I love it. I'm so grateful to the amazing doctors in internal medicine and resuscitation...
My goal now is to one day be able to carry my youngest daughter. Sadly, along the way, I've lost some people I loved dearly. I'm writing this down so this never happens to anyone else...

😢

I really hope things work out for you and you finally get to hold your little girl in your arms again. 😢 As for the lawsuit, I truly hope you win it. It won't bring back what you've lost, but at least it's something—and hopefully, it'll force some people to actually think about their actions when human lives are on the line.

I, I have to say, I’m on the same page as everyone above. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that those responsible actually face consequences. I mean, when you're talking about a human life... there just can't be any excuses.

So, a buddy of mine was dealing with some pretty intense anxiety lately, and his doctor actually told him he had serious heart issues.
He decided to go see one of the top specialists in the country over in Chicago, and honestly? The guy just burst out laughing and basically called the first doctor out for being totally off base.
Turns out, all he was experiencing was a racing heart—which is a super common side effect of anxiety and completely harmless in his case.