Malpractice suit against misdiagnosed congestive heart failure?
824505
First of all, my condolences to you and your family.  I know first hand how difficult a time you are going through\n\nI'm confused about his prior tests; he went through "many heart tests" and no one picked up on his CHF?  What was tested?Was your dad persistant in following up with the doctor when the over-the counter meds didn't work on the supposed acid reflux?   Over how long a period of time was this going on?  Did he have other symptoms?  Did he tell everything to the doctor?  \n\nI don't mean to sound offensive, I know doctors do make mistakes, BUT we also have to be responsible for our own care as well.  So if, in fact your dad did everything he could have done and the doctor ignored him, then yes, you might have a case, but that still won't bring him back.
95934
Sounds like you might have the right to sue for malpractice.
285050
That's dumb.  Don't tell me you are thinking of suing for something stupid like that...\n\nPerhaps you could be recompensated for any actual medical expenses that you incurred...but anything more than that is ridiculous.
325806
you need a malpractice attorney
713377
So basically, your child has just been diagnosed with a neoplasm and you're thinking about suing the doctor presumably  for economic purposes. wow.\n\n////\n\nTo reply again: you're saying they misdiagnosed.  have you referred the child to another pool of doctors who drew another diagnose? is there no paraclinical evidence (cat,  rm scans, biopsing, etc) to back the original diagnosis?\n\nbasically, you're saying the neurologist drew the diagnosis out of thin air.
1014974
I' m not sure why at this point someone has not addressed surgery. Is she being followed by a cardiologist? Unless something else is the cause of what sounds to be heart failure, it seems like her regurg. is finally become symptomatic. Has no one approached her about surgery? Has she been told for some reason that she is inoperable? You definetely don't want to jump into surgery if you dont need to. I feel like I need more info to adequately answer your question though. What I would do is direct these questions towards her doctor, preferably a cardiologist. Has she had a heart cath yet?  If not, maybe see if its time. Email me if you find out more or if you have anymore questions. Im a RN in the cardiovascular ICU, I specialize in heart surgery. Good luck to you guys!
1042446
Don't they usually sue the physician rather than an entire hospital?\n\nAmerican Medical Association website perhaps?
665689
If this is real, you need to see a doctor.\nI believe there should be something like Medicaid in  your area regarding the finiancial situation.
533787
I thought that you might find this informative to say the least. It will give you a better idea of what you are dealing with, unfortunately I am willing to bet that because of the situation a lawsuit may not even be considered. Sounds as if this is not a ordinary condition such as dealing with your gall bladder or appendix. In cases where they try different things in order to fix a problem that is not common it makes it difficult to prove that there is really any negligence involved. Case in point, my brother in law had lung cancer, they treated him for pneumonia for the year before it was actually diagnosis as cancer. In the mean time it had turned to small cell lung cancer, which basically is a death sentence. He died. Now the thing was is that because he was a smoker and had smoked his whole life he had symptoms of lung disease the cancer shows up on xrays very much like pneumonia and lung disease, where they negligent, well according to the lawyers my sister talked to NO. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't consult with a medical malpractice lawyer just to be sure. The thing that I would do is get a notebook and document everything that has happened so far while it is still fresh in your minds. Have everyone that is involved write down everything they can remember. That will help when you go to talk with the lawyer. Also don't let anyone from the hopital know that you might take action. The lawyer can and will request all information and records involved in his care. Then they have people(experts) who can really tear things apart and decipher what just went on to see if there was medical malpractice.\n\nhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000068.htm\n\n\nAlso upon reading that article above from the link, a collapsed lung is not an uncommon thing with this condition. That I am sorry to say. Meaning, it can happen spontaniously without any trauma but just because of what is going on. Sounds like you are in for a tough time. I am truly sorry for your family and brother. My prayers will be with you.
157880
In order to win a malpractice claim or "get your money back" it is not enough that you lost your case when you thought you would win it.  Rememebr, there was always another side that thought they would win too.\n\nYou don't say whether this was a criminal or civil trial.  You can always seek another attorney for an appeal (but do it quickly.) It will cost you though, unless you qualify as a criminal defendant for a public defender.  If so, ask for another is you don't have one.
968011
Actually someone may have suggested to you that you may have heart problems,  You have gone through the tests and nothing has showed up.  If there was a problem believe me you would have been notified or admitted to the hospital from the emergency room.\n   Now you are dealing with a little anxiety, better address this problem before it starts ballooning into full scale panic attacks. \n   Trust in the doctors diagnosis, If you still are not convinced get a second opinion, make sure you also submit all your lab work and tests  so the new doctor has something to work with.\n   Just kick back smile and say to yourself It wasn't a heart attack or I wouldn't be sitting here right now.
946461
To be brutal it is pretty much impossible to completely recover. True CHF is weakening of the heart muscle to the point where it can no longer pump enough volume to keep the blood from backing up. The weakening itself is going to be there. It is very possible you were diagnosed very early and with proper diet and medication you are able to keep the area beating strong enough to not have problems. If you stopped taking care of yourself, however, it would return as it was. This is mostly a conjecture since I don't have any history or medication or what the MD actually told you but, no a complete disappearance of the disease isn't possible.
976743
There is a number called 1-800-Dentist - it can help you find a good dentist in your area and tell you if a dentist has had problems in the past w/ patients, malpractice suits, etc.  Also, I would start calling different dentists in your town or surrounding towns and tell them some of your story...  ask them if they are willing to take on a charity case.  I was a dental asst. and we did this a few times a year to lend a helping hand in our community.  HTH & GL to you!
362314
I'm not sure if it is classic fraud, such as billing for services not rendered, but it does sound like there is a problem in the billing department.  I'd write the doctor a letter explaining what happened and telling him your concern.  He/she may not be aware of the problem.  The billing department is filling in the wrong information on the form.  \n\nHowever, if the problem persists, you have your letter as proof that he knows it.  Change doctors and get all of your medical files forwarded.  Then, send a formal complaint to your state attorney general with a cc to the insurance company and the doctor.  Be sure to enclose a copy of the letter previously sent to your doctor, and his response, if any.
536078
See another physician for a second opinion... Second of all, if you feel that dr did not do there job, file a complaint with the state health department.
473611
There are many symptoms that should send you to the doctor. All of which have been listed. Shortness of breath, swelling in the legs, etc. My 78 year old dad has congestive heart failure and his heart is extremely enlarged at this point. There are several medications that can be taken to help ease the symptoms, but should be noted that there is NO cure for this problem! There are things you can do so slow congestive heart failure down, but it IS a fatal condition. Below is a link that has a lot of good information on it. I read thru quite a bit of it after my dad was diagnosed. His was also, by the way, caused from excessive drinking. There are many other causes for the disease though.
1140699
Perhaps you can tune us in as to what mistakes the hospital performed. Was it the physicians, the nurses, the structure of the building? You see, some lawyers are offered plenty of money to keep their mouths shut. My father tried suing a company who almost caused his death. All I can say is money that slid under the table did not cause the court to rule in his favor. His lawyer wasnt the best guy out there either.\n\nMy advise to you is hold on to that determination. Go to court, if you feel your case needs to be heard again appeal. If it closes wait a while and then re-open it. Whatever you do though, DO NOT GIVE IN, DO NOT GIVE UP.\n\nI hope you resolve this matter successfully.