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Follow up after Ruptured Appendix

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MESSEDUP

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? TN

This is the short version of what happened. I had to have emergency surgery in Aug. 2005 for my appendix that had a small hole in them. After the surgery I went back to the hospital two days later with possible Ileus, was readmitted. The next morning my white blood count was over 20,000. I was there 5 days and had a ct scan before I left, they released me with my white blood still over 20,000 and my ct scan showing infection in my abdomen. Several test, doctor visits and three weeks of not eating, the doctor kept saying my gallbladder was the problem. I went to another hospital emergency room. They diagnosed the infection right away and placed a tube to drain my abdomen. I was in the hospital another 5 days and took 32 bags of antibiotic fluids during the stay. I had to keep the tube in place for 19 days. My doctor said I would have died, if I had not went to another doctor. I am and will continue to have trouble with my stomach from now on...
Is there something I can do because the first doctor did not diagnosed the infection after 3 weeks and scarring from the infection has caused my whole right side to grow together. I have already had a partial blockage in April due to the scarring. ...
 


panzertanker

Senior Member
MESSEDUP said:
What is the name of your state? TN

This is the short version of what happened. I had to have emergency surgery in Aug. 2005 for my appendix that had a small hole in them. After the surgery I went back to the hospital two days later with possible Ileus, was readmitted. The next morning my white blood count was over 20,000. I was there 5 days and had a ct scan before I left, they released me with my white blood still over 20,000 and my ct scan showing infection in my abdomen. Several test, doctor visits and three weeks of not eating, the doctor kept saying my gallbladder was the problem. I went to another hospital emergency room. They diagnosed the infection right away and placed a tube to drain my abdomen. I was in the hospital another 5 days and took 32 bags of antibiotic fluids during the stay. I had to keep the tube in place for 19 days. My doctor said I would have died, if I had not went to another doctor. I am and will continue to have trouble with my stomach from now on...
Is there something I can do because the first doctor did not diagnosed the infection after 3 weeks and scarring from the infection has caused my whole right side to grow together. I have already had a partial blockage in April due to the scarring. ...
No way to tell, based on your post.

Get your records together and visit a medmal attorney.
 

ellencee

Senior Member
MESSEDUP said:
What is the name of your state? TN

This is the short version of what happened. I had to have emergency surgery in Aug. 2005 for my appendix that had a small hole in them. After the surgery I went back to the hospital two days later with possible Ileus, was readmitted. The next morning my white blood count was over 20,000. I was there 5 days and had a ct scan before I left, they released me with my white blood still over 20,000 and my ct scan showing infection in my abdomen. Several test, doctor visits and three weeks of not eating, the doctor kept saying my gallbladder was the problem. I went to another hospital emergency room. They diagnosed the infection right away and placed a tube to drain my abdomen. I was in the hospital another 5 days and took 32 bags of antibiotic fluids during the stay. I had to keep the tube in place for 19 days. My doctor said I would have died, if I had not went to another doctor. I am and will continue to have trouble with my stomach from now on...
Is there something I can do because the first doctor did not diagnosed the infection after 3 weeks and scarring from the infection has caused my whole right side to grow together. I have already had a partial blockage in April due to the scarring. ...
For your peace of mind, you should consult with a medmal attorney. You should not get your hopes up, though. By your own admissions, you were readmitted, received treatment, and received CT scans. Just because you did not get well as expected does not mean negligence occurred or that you incurred damages you would not have occurred anyway.

I believe you have little to no chance of a valid claim but if an attorney and/or you are willing to pay a few thousand dollars to one or more medical experts, I see nothing wrong with receiving a definitive answer from an expert witness (surgeon, in your case).

EC
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
The CT showed infection but he(or she) wasn't treated for the infection and was sent home....that's not dropping the ball?

There's still the matter of has he sustained damages above what he would have gotten if the infection had been treated promptly, but I don't see how nothing wrong was done.
 

ellencee

Senior Member
ecmst12 said:
The CT showed infection but he(or she) wasn't treated for the infection and was sent home....that's not dropping the ball?

There's still the matter of has he sustained damages above what he would have gotten if the infection had been treated promptly, but I don't see how nothing wrong was done.
It would have to be proven that sending the patient home was below the minimum standard of care. In today's healthcare 'world', the setting is often the home of the patient. Patients are dismissed with all kinds of infections, plus appropriate medication(s) and follow-up care. It is a mistake to assume that this OP's dismissal to home was less than the minimum standard of care required. Noone in their right mind wants to remain in a hospital, receiving IV antibiotics and at risk for acquiring superinfections or opportunistic infections like C-diff, not when home is an option. [C-diff is a horrible diarrhea that can lead to skin breakdown which can lead to requiring a diverting colostomy so that the skin breakdown can heal. (Fecal material breaks down the skin and 'eats' through to the bone and no amount of skin care and repositioning can prevent or heal it.)]So, there's one argument for sending the patient home; and, it wasn't like the patient was sent home without the provider's having knowledge of the physical findings.

As I stated above, fecal material 'eats' flesh. It does so because of the digestive enzymes from the GI tract. (think diaper rash) Fecal material also contains bacteria necessary to breakdown foods and maintain the normal flora necessary for GI health. (think e-coli). Now, imagine fecal material oozing into the abdominal cavity via a hole in the appendix and the effects of the digestive enzymes and the bacteria. That is the cause of the peritonitis (abdominal infection) and the adhesions (scarring, twisting, melding of the intestines with or without adhesion to the abdominal wall).

Peritonitis can be a real bugger to resolve and almost always results in intestinal scarring.

With the above information, do you still believe the patient suffered significant damages that he/she would not have otherwise suffered?

FYI--healthcare is changing rapidly. With increasing frequency, patients are going to be managed at home for conditions, that in the past, were treated in intermediate care units. Each of us should stay informed of healthcare trends.

Best wishes,
EC
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
The only thing that caught my eye is that OP didn't say he was sent home with antibiotics, just that he was sent home and 3 weeks of tests later, the doc still thought the problem was something other then an infection.

Of course, that may not have been the whole story, but that's what stood out to me as "not right".
 

ellencee

Senior Member
ecmst12 said:
The only thing that caught my eye is that OP didn't say he was sent home with antibiotics, just that he was sent home and 3 weeks of tests later, the doc still thought the problem was something other then an infection.

Of course, that may not have been the whole story, but that's what stood out to me as "not right".
I noticed that, too. Did you notice that no medications are mentioned in the description of the original surgery or the repeat hospitalization two days later and for a length of 5 days stay?

Did you notice that 32 bags of IV antibiotics are mentioned in the description of the third hospitalization?

;)
EC
 

rmet4nzkx

Senior Member
MESSEDUP said:
What is the name of your state? TN

This is the short version of what happened. I had to have emergency surgery in Aug. 2005 for my appendix that had a small hole in them. After the surgery I went back to the hospital two days later with possible Ileus, was readmitted. The next morning my white blood count was over 20,000. I was there 5 days and had a ct scan before I left, they released me with my white blood still over 20,000 and my ct scan showing infection in my abdomen. Several test, doctor visits and three weeks of not eating, the doctor kept saying my gallbladder was the problem. I went to another hospital emergency room. They diagnosed the infection right away and placed a tube to drain my abdomen. I was in the hospital another 5 days and took 32 bags of antibiotic fluids during the stay. I had to keep the tube in place for 19 days. My doctor said I would have died, if I had not went to another doctor. I am and will continue to have trouble with my stomach from now on...
Is there something I can do because the first doctor did not diagnosed the infection after 3 weeks and scarring from the infection has caused my whole right side to grow together. I have already had a partial blockage in April due to the scarring. ...
you posted this same question on another site a week before your posted here, did you even bother to follow up on their advice before posting here? http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11230 Asking the same question, endlessly on the internet will do little to have your case reviewed for it's merit, and nothing anyone on the internet say or their opinion without looking at the records will influence any finder of fact. These are forums to answer legal questions, give options and to refer you in directions based on facts presented in your posts. Perhaps you need to focus your energies.
 

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