Nerve Damage from IV

[Velcro]

I haven't had the lawsuit thing, but so far, I've had no issues changing Doctors AND telling them why when they asked.  My new Rheumy asked me if I had ever seen a Rheumy.  I answered that I had, 2 years prior and since I was giving him copies of my medical records, he would have known anyway.  He asked me who it was and why I changed.  I told him the Doctors name and told him I was very disappointed because he looked at my arm and mumbled something in German about it being very strange, ran blood work and then said, "Come back in zee year and we will zee if there is anything else that shows up!"  Didn't have a bedside manner and I didn't feel he even attempted to figure it out.  He shook his head as soon as I said the Doctor's name and said, "I don't blame you."  It was obvious from his attitude about it, I wasn't the first one to tell him about that Doctor. 

The new PCP I tried wasn't phased either when I told her I was looking for a new PCP that knew more about autoimmunes in general and that I was disappointed to find out I had some positive test results that he never told me about.  She did the same thing, as in nodded and has been wonderful.

Neither one of them dogged the Doctor, but I think if you get a good Doctor, they recognize just like we do that there is good and bad in every profession.   

[Nancy60]

You will have trouble seeing another doc in the same practice because the docs in the practice won't take patients away from another doc as a professional courtesy since they are all part of the same practice. Going to a different group shouldn't be a problem unless you have a reputation of being a "difficult patient". And yes, doctors do talk, they run across each other all the time and will often give indications if a patient has litigious tendencies.

You should be able to find out if the tech has the proper credentials to perform her job, I concur with what Irish has said about perusing that so this can be prevented, and get the medical care that might be needed for the nerve injury covered rather than perusing lawsuits at this time. Any reputable doctor, clinic, hospital would try to do this for incidents like this.

Nancy

[SjoAmy]

Yes,there is some truth in what Irish said BUT....

1) It's a personal decision.  People like us don't have an easy time getting or keeping docs because of the "complications" of our case.  That being said there comes a point to where a person becomes fed up with the occurrences of the system.  No one else can decide that for them.

2) Is it easy? No.  But anything working toward for is rarely ever easy.  Lawyers will most times take cost out of winnings....50% to you, 50% to them.  So if you won for $2 M, you get $1 M.  Not bad really.  I have a friend that is getting her lumbar surgery after suing her company for 3 years, because the company originally did not want to cover the on-the-job injury and without their admission she couldn't get company insurance to cover costs.  She got 300,000 from them and costs of surgery and 2 years of recovery costs covered.

Will she have a hard time getting a doctor in the future, likely more than not.

Sometimes you just gotta do what is right for you.  Despite other people penalizing you for it or not.

Again, only you can make that call.....when is enough, really enough.

I have managed to put together 5 YEARS WORTH of Malpractices & Negligence together.....now I am doing something about it.  Someone has to show them this is wrong to do to people.  Only you can know what method of justice is right for you.

[irish]

It is correct to say that only you can make the decision and the choice to pursue a lawsuit. I wsd just stating the other side of the issue.

Never, never think that people don't talk. There are all kinds of meetings locally, statewide and nationally in every specialty and doctors talk and talk and talk. Then there are the meetings for the nurses, meetings for housekeeping, meetings for dietary, you name it there is a meeting going on and the medical community talks just like any other business, etc.

This doesn't mean that lay people know all about a lawsuit, but you would easily find someone on the street who is knowledgeable. This is just the way life is and we have to be aware of it. Also, lawyers talk to each other. There is nothing sacred on this earth the minute it passes someones lips or occurs in some way, shape or form. Irish

[SjoAmy]

Never mind lips......we have the speed of the internet....web or email.....faster than jumping jack flash lol. 

When my financial lawyer tells me that what happened to me is worth pursuing, I have more faith than that of laymen.

Yes, hospitals & doctors are a business.....but the majority that I have encountered since my autoimmune problems surfaced......could use a course in what it takes to run a successful and reputable business.  And that is putting it mildly.