Malpractice Or Negligence?

NEW JERSEY.
WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH SEVERE LACERATION ON ARM. ALREADY HAD INJURY TO FOOT AND DIAGNOSED WITH RSD. EMERGENCY ROOM DR. WAS INFORMED OF THIS. SIMPLE TEST OF FINGER MOVEMENT WAS DONE AND A ORTHOPEDIC DR. WAS CALLED TO ADVISE OF SITUATION BEFORE TREATMENT. ORTHOPEDIC DR. ADVISED TO STITCH WOUND. (22 STITCHES INCLUDING TENDON). NEXT DAY WENT TO SEE ORTHOPEDIC DR. TREATED VERY ROUGHLY AND NON-CHALANTLY. TOLD I DID NOT HAVE NERVE DAMAGE BECAUSE I COULD SLIGHTLY MOVE MY FINGERS. TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT 6 WEEKS BEFORE ANYTHING COULD BE REALLY DETERMINED. WENT TO PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR SIX WEEKS AS DIRECTED. THERAPIST QUESTIONED WHY THIS TREATMENT WAS ADVISED GIVING ME THE OPINION THAT I INDEED HAD MAJOR DAMAGE (NERVE). AFTER SIX WEEKS WAS REFERRED TO GO TO ANOTHER DR. A HAND SURGEON THAT SPECIALIZES IN PLASTIC SURGERY. THIS SURGEON WAS ALSO PERPLEXED AS TO WHY I WAITED TO SEE A SPECIALIST. HE STATED THAT IT CAUSED FURTHER PROBLEMS AND COMPLICATIONS BY ALLOWING MY TENDONS TO RETRACT AND MAKE IT VERY HARD IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO REPAIR AND BECOME NORMAL FUNCTIONING AGAIN IN HAND USE. ALSO DURING VISITS TO FIRST DR. I WAS ALWAYS TREATED VERY ROUGHLY, ALTHOUGH I WAS IN EXTREME PAIN. I ASKED FOR MORE PAIN MEDS 1 WEEK AFTER INITIAL SURGERY AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TWO CHOICES: CALL MY PRIMARY DR. OR GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM FOR A PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION. YES, I WAS CRAZY EVEN THOUGH MY ARM HAD 22 STITCHES, MY HAND WAS BLOWN UP AND I WAS IN NOTICABLY SEVER PAIN. I NOW HAVE RSD IN MY ARM. IS ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH RSD AND THE FACT THAT IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO SPREAD TO OTHER PARTS OF BODY AFTER INITIAL INJURY FOR NO APPARENT REASON? AND DO I HAVE A CASE WITH ORIGINAL ORTHOPEDIC DR. THAT MADE ME WAIT UNNECESSARILY FOR SURGERY??? THANK YOU.

To be honest, I don’t know much about RSD. I looked this syndrome up on the web, and it appears (from what I read very briefly on one site) that patients have -- unfortunately so -- sometimes been accused by the doctors of having "psych problems" (i.e. depression) when they complain of this severe pain and have been referred to psychiatry (only to suffer MORE on account of the lack of diagnosis, not to mention they‘re already suffering on account of the pain).

Some more info from you might help someone here respond to your situation a little better.

When were you diagnosed with RSD in your foot and in your arm? And are you being seen now by psychiatry on account of this severe pain and the depression that accompanies it?

And... how is your arm (other than pain) doing now, i.e. how is it “functionally”. Are there deficits from nerve damage, and (if so) has a physician implied this damage was due to the negligence of another physician? Are you in rehab now?

Here are some links on RSD that might help you.


[url]http://home.ptd.net/~paulbarb/rsd_pain.htm[/url]


[url]http://www.rsdsa-ca.org/Contents.htm[/url]


This one is kind of long and complicated, but you might get some useful info out of it.

[url]http://www.medforum.com/jobline-srch/lifeline/articles/pain00001/article.html[/url]


Good luck. And as always, you can always consult a medical malpractice attorney to discuss your legal options.


hmmbrdzz

[ellencee]

I don't really have anything to add except one more site for you to review:
[url]http://www.gorenlaw.com/RSD/?source=overture[/url]

I don't think there was any way for a physician to prevent the development of RSD in your arm and hand and I don't think psychiatric treatment for depression and coping with longterm, severe pain is inappropriate, but I have ZERO professional experience with this disease.

Best wishes in finding the answers you need.
EC