| Medical Malpratice
From California
Ten years ago my wife was diagnosed with Lipoma on her leg. At the time the Kaiser Permanente Dr. stated the lump did not need to be removed unless it bothered her. A few months ago my wife went to our present Dr. (Health net) and explained she was concerned about the lump. My wife explained to the Dr. that it hurts the muscle in her leg and sometimes her foot falls asleep. The Dr. explained that Lipoma does not hurt and my wife told her that this does. The Dr. said she will refer her to a Surgeon to remove the Lipoma.
My wife was referred to the Surgeon. I went with my wife to the Surgeon appointment. The Surgeon came into the room asked a few questions, touched the lump for a minute. Said it was Lipoma we will schedule a out patient Surgery. My wife explained to the Surgeon that it really hurts and she was concerned it was really deep. The Surgeon stated that Lipoma does not hurt. The Surgeon then prescribed my wife medication for the pain. I told the Surgeon that I believe the Lipoma was attached to the muscle. The Surgeon looked at it again and said, "No, it's not." The Surgeon did not take more than 5 minutes with us. Six days prior to Surgery my wife had a standard check up with the regular Dr. My wife stated she was concerned it was very deep and wondered if x-rays should have been taken prior to having surgery. The Dr. gave my wife an attitude and appeared to be mad and said "We could but it's unnecessary, but if you want to we will".
On the day of the surgery I waited in the waiting room of the hospital. When the surgery was over the Surgeon told me the surgery was over. Apparently when he opened the leg to remove the lump it was not Lipoma after all, apparently my wife was misdiagnosed from the beginning. The surgeon basically told me that her muscle was torn and the muscle was protruding through the tear. The lump on her leg was muscle bulging from the inside. The Surgeon said he took a biopsy and stitched her back up. On a 2 inch cut the Surgeon put 5 very tight stitches. I know people that have a 2 to 3 inch cut and received approximately 20 stitches. I told my wife in the recovery room that it was not Lipoma that it was her muscle. The Surgeon and the nurses failed to inform her of what happened when she awoke. In fact the Surgeon never spoke to my wife after the surgery at all. There were no follow up calls from the Dr. or their staff until one week exactly after the surgery.
Being very disappointed in the Dr. and the Surgeon my wife called our health provider to complain and tell them that we wanted to change Dr's. They told her that it was ok to change doctors but she would have to do it after September 1. They stated she should go to the same surgeon to have the stitches removed. My wife continued to complain and after several and dozens of phone calls they granted me on visit to the new Dr. My wife was concerned about the stitches being removed too late so she called to speak with the new Dr. personally. She explained to the new Dr. the situation, hoping he would removed, but he refused to see her. He said the original Surgeon had to finish the work. Because we were concerned about time there was no choice, seven days after the surgery my wife had to go back to the same Surgeon to get the stitches removed. That same day I requested her medical records. There was no record of the surgery after seven days. My wife said when she saw the Surgeon that day he was very much nicer he gave her a lot more time. The Surgeon told my wife he will request all her medical records to review and schedule her for a MRI. I have been told by a nurse friend of mine that a MRI would have shown what the lump (Lipoma) actually was prior to any surgery. Meanwhile my wife has missed a week of work, can not drive, is in a lot of pain. I also have missed a couple days of work to take care of her. All for nothing. Not to mention dozens of phone calls, several Dr. appointments and an emergency room (because the stitches were so tight) visit. Here is another interesting fact. The Surgeon prescribed Darvocet 100mg for the pain in her leg. After the surgery he prescribed her exactly the same medication and strength for after surgery pain. We later found after (seven days after surgery) retrieving copies of my wife's medical papers he only had the previous Dr.'s letter of referral and did not request any of my wife's medical history papers.
Do we have a malpractice suit and if so who should it be against. | 
08-26-2001, 05:28 AM
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