can i sue

What is the name of your state? What is the name of your state? VA

I hope you can give me some advice. Here’s my story.

I arrived to the U.S 02/18/03 as an au pair. (I'm from Estonia) After two or three weeks I got sick, I had cough and a little fever. I went to see doctor in Purcellville on 03/28/03. Diagnosis was bronchitis and they prescribed me some medicines. Those medicines didn’t make me feel any better after several weeks. So I went to see another doctor. Meanwhile I had moved from Purcellville, VA to Reston, VA and I didn’t know any doctor there. So I decided to go to the Emergency Room. In the ER nurse asked some questions and so did doctor and after that doctor prescribed me some new medicines and also they gave me the name of the next doctor in case I wouldn’t feel better. Diagnosis was bronchitis-acute. They didn’t take any blood or X-ray, although I had had cough for almost three months by then. Ok, so I started taking medicines. After taking all those medicines my condition didn’t get any better, it got maybe even a little worse. So, I decided to go to see the next doctor on 07/15/03. He also just asked few questions about symptoms and prescribed medicines again. No X-ray, no nothing again. By that time I had had same symptoms already for 5 month. He also gave me the number and the name of the next doctor. I don’t know what was the diagnosis this time, but I believe it was again bronchitis and something with allergies. Ok, I took of course all my medicines again, hoping my condition will be better, but it didn’t.
So, here comes next doctor. And this one was specialist. So my hopes were pretty high to get well at last. This doctor asked questions again and also put some kind of wire or pipe into my throat through my nose and watched something. He thought the symptoms I had had for 6 months could be caused by stomach acid or something like that. Anyway, the diagnosis was edema-larynx, subglottic. He also prescribed me medicines. So I started to take them, but my cough and all the other stuff got worse. So I called back to doctor’s nurse and told her that. After what doctor prescribed me one more medicine. Taking them all still didn’t make me feel any better, and I called back doctor’s office and told that I feel very bad. I had very bad pain in the left side of my chest for 2 weeks. So receptionist told me I have to go to see another doctor as soon as possible. I went and she was the first person who wanted to see the X-ray, so she sent me to the radiology center. I made the X-ray on 10/09/03. In the afternoon I got call from doctor’s office that I might have tuberculosis and I have to make an appointment to the next specialist. The nearest available time was on 10/21/03. Well, that’s what amazes me. How come doctor didn’t admit me to the hospital right away? It was almost clear that I had tuberculosis and that’s very infectious disease! My very good friend visited me on 10/13/03 and she told her host mother how I looked and that I still don’t feel any better. Next day her host mother decided to take me to her doctor and that doctor thought immediately that I might have tuberculosis and that I have to be isolated until they are sure of it. So she admit me to the hospital where I am right know still struggling with chest pain and cough but here I get right treatment at last.
So, how can it be, that doctors don’t really care about their patients and if you don’t know what’s wrong with you, you can’t get right treatment and diagnosis from doctors? That’s amazing! If I were doctor and somebody has told me that he or she has had cough for 2 month and medicines haven’t help him or her, I definitely would have wanted to see pictures from lungs and make more tests, because it looks very serious if somebody feels the same or even worse after 2 or 3 month. I think somebody has to be responsible for that. I could have die! Tuberculosis is serious disease!

Anyway, do I have case here and what should I do next?

Best wishes,
Helen Seppik

[pele]

While waiting for Ellencee to post, I will share with you my thoughts. TB was the first thing that popped into my mind, long before you mentioned it, especially with you coming from a foreign country. Seems to me a chest x-ray should have been done earlier. TB is serious. Depends on what kind you have just how contagious it is. Waiting for Ellencee**************.

[HomeGuru]

So Helen, were you diagnosed as having TB or not?

[ellencee]

seppi
Well, here I am but you shall still have to wait! I'm going to have to give this a little extra thought and do a little extra research before I comment on whether or not you have any claim of any kind.

Years ago, and I'm talking twenty-thirty years ago, a person who arrived on an international flight to the US and presented with a cough, in a time period of a month or less, was immediately checked for TB and sometimes isolated as a precautionary measure.

Quite honestly, I don't know why you are isolated now unless it's to keep you in one place. Whoever you have been around on a consistent basis has already been exposed and needs prophylatic treatment and possibly has developed a resistance to the TB since being around you.

I'm concerned that the other providers of your healthcare may not have been notified about your diagnosis. Please make sure your currently treating physician has notified every facility in which you sought treatment. Many people have been exposed to TB during this period of time and I am concerned for the welfare of subsequent patients as well as for the healthcare providers.

I am concerned that those on your international flight were exposed to TB, too. I hope you will accept the responsibility for notifying the airline or having your physician notify the airline and provide your flight date, time, and flight number. Recirculated air that has TB circultating with it is not a good thing to withhold from those who may have been exposed.

Except for the infiltrates that are detectable on chest x-rays after the TB has progressed to a certain stage, I do not see how you can expect someone to have made the diagnosis. A TB test does not tell you if you have TB but that you have been exposed to TB at some time in your life; a chest x-ray that shows the characteristic lung infiltrates is the definitive diagnostic tool.

I'll post again after I check some references on this issue(s).

EC

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

Does anyone remember reading about "Typhoid Mary"? We probably have another one!

IAAL

[HomeGuru]

In that case, I'm logging off now.

[ellencee]

seppi
After research, I do not believe that you have any cause of action or claim of failure to diagnose against anyone. In layman's terms, it takes a few months for the coughing and tiredness, etc. to indicate the need to evaluate for TB.

Other than progressive lung changes, which take months to develop in most cases, the definitive diagnosis is three successive first sputum of the day examinations for acid-fast bacterium, mycobacterium tuberculosis.

I still am searching to find if the history of recent international flight has any impact--not for you, but for those who may have been exposed or contracted TB because of your having it.

What preflight vaccinations, tests, etc. did you have before coming to the US? Did you have a TB test?

EC

Before I came here I had TB test and X-ray. They were negative. They wouldn't let me come here without having TB test. I also was vaccinated with BCG in 1977 and 1985.

[HomeGuru]

Originally posted by HomeGuru
So Helen, were you diagnosed as having TB or not?

Well, yes here in the hospital I was diagnosed having TB disease.

Has your case been reported to the Public Health Department? If you have not been spoken to by someone from Public Health, it has NOT been reported. Call your doctor and demand that she complete the report forms. Then when the Public Health Nurse comes, tell her your story. Some one will jack those doctors up. You probably had TB before you arrived here. Any doctor worth his salt would have X-rayed you at the first visit.

Of course it has been reported to the Public Health Department and people from there are working on my case.

Well, thanks anyway.