Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In May 2015 I pulled my shoulder while weightlifting. My doc ordered an MRI of the shoulder, it was negative and he suggested physical therapy. About $800 later and after countless wasted sessions, I was no better than when I started. A few months down the road, I started experiencing different symptoms: neck pains, headaches, blood pressure spikes, weakness and tingling in arms. Got an MRI of the brain, showed nothing. Saw a neurologist, an allergist, an endocrinologist (all the while my deductible payments kept on ticking), all told racking up around $2 grand in bills - no result, same symptoms. My doc was still clueless, so I left him and got another primary care physician. The new one ordered an MRI of the cervical spine (neck) right away, which showed a C5-C6 protrusion. The symptoms described fit me to a T and now I can start on the road to recovery.
My question is as follows: given that my original doc completely dropped the ball while happy to refer me to half a dozen specialists, all the while I felt like crap, do I have any kind of remedy? I am not one to wave the lawsuit flag around willy-nilly, but I feel like my health was being neglected by the one person who was supposed to be helping me with it. What are my options and do I even have any, other than just grin and bear it?
You were seen by specialists and your pcp referred you to them b/c he/she did not know the answer to your issues.
Even your specialists "dropped the ball," as you term it.
Suck up your losses and move on.
You may find a lawyer if you'd like, but you don't have a legitimate case.
Doctors are allowed to make mistakes, just like everyone else.
You don't just have to prove your doc was wrong - you have to prove he was *negligent*. As far as I can tell from what you've said, he wasn't. He ordered the appropriate test and acted appropriately based on the result.
Now if you could show that the original MRI showed the damage but was misinterpreted, you might have a case, but it would be against whoever read the MRI wrong.
In May 2015 I pulled my shoulder while weightlifting. My doc ordered an MRI of the shoulder, it was negative and he suggested physical therapy. About $800 later and after countless wasted sessions, I was no better than when I started. A few months down the road, I started experiencing different symptoms: neck pains, headaches, blood pressure spikes, weakness and tingling in arms. Got an MRI of the brain, showed nothing. Saw a neurologist, an allergist, an endocrinologist (all the while my deductible payments kept on ticking), all told racking up around $2 grand in bills - no result, same symptoms. My doc was still clueless, so I left him and got another primary care physician. The new one ordered an MRI of the cervical spine (neck) right away, which showed a C5-C6 protrusion. The symptoms described fit me to a T and now I can start on the road to recovery.
My question is as follows: given that my original doc completely dropped the ball while happy to refer me to half a dozen specialists, all the while I felt like crap, do I have any kind of remedy? I am not one to wave the lawsuit flag around willy-nilly, but I feel like my health was being neglected by the one person who was supposed to be helping me with it. What are my options and do I even have any, other than just grin and bear it?
The doctor was adhering to the most practical and pragmatic Sutton's Law, which states that one should consider the obvious first, when attempting diagnosis and testing. The addage that goes along with it is "When you hear hoofbeats, think "horses" and not "zebras."
The doctor did the most useful test first - the MRI on the shoulder. He found nothing, and recommended the most typical useful treatment for a shoulder pain that comes up with no results on an MRI. That most typical useful treatment is physical therapy.
When the most useful test and treatment proved not to be of use, he then went to the next most useful options. He was systematically ruling out the most obvious options and narrowing it down in the direction of the most unlikely and exotic options.
The doctor was adhering to the most practical and pragmatic Sutton's Law, which states that one should consider the obvious first, when attempting diagnosis and testing. The addage that goes along with it is "When you hear hoofbeats, think "horses" and not "zebras."
The doctor did the most useful test first - the MRI on the shoulder. He found nothing, and recommended the most typical useful treatment for a shoulder pain that comes up with no results on an MRI. That most typical useful treatment is physical therapy.
When the most useful test and treatment proved not to be of use, he then went to the next most useful options. He was systematically ruling out the most obvious options and narrowing it down in the direction of the most unlikely and exotic options.
He did exactly what doctors should do.
Thanks, I appreciate the detailed explanation. The only thing that bugs me is that he never even so much as considered a neck MRI which wouldn't have been much of a stretch from the shoulder, especially given that I'd been complaining about neck and back of the head pain for a good four months. That's the only thing that sticks in my craw.
But, again, I went into asking this question without expecting a favorable response, so the affirmation of my original assumption is a perfectly valid outcome.
Doctors are allowed to make mistakes, just like everyone else.
You don't just have to prove your doc was wrong - you have to prove he was *negligent*. As far as I can tell from what you've said, he wasn't. He ordered the appropriate test and acted appropriately based on the result.
Now if you could show that the original MRI showed the damage but was misinterpreted, you might have a case, but it would be against whoever read the MRI wrong.
No, the original MRI was interpreted correctly - it was just the wrong MRI. Proving negligence in this case is likely going to be very difficult, as I'm gathering from everything I'm reading and I am not 100% convinced he was negligent, per se. Maybe just not very good at what he does since the thought to have a secondary MRI of the area immediately next to the one that was originally scanned never occurred to him despite my complaints.
No, the original MRI was interpreted correctly - it was just the wrong MRI. Proving negligence in this case is likely going to be very difficult, as I'm gathering from everything I'm reading and I am not 100% convinced he was negligent, per se. Maybe just not very good at what he does since the thought to have a secondary MRI of the area immediately next to the one that was originally scanned never occurred to him despite my complaints.
Once he did the initial MRI, the very next step is to suggest physical therapy. The very next step is NOT to have another MRI, anywhere. It's to recommend physical therapy. The doctor did what he was supposed to do. He did recommend the right MRI. It wasn't the one you needed, but it was the appropriate one for him to recommend.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
