I went to the hospital with severe pain in my left side. When I arrived, I was given a urine test and it concluded that I was positive for pregnancy. I was then given a ultrasound and a vaginal ultrasound. A doctor then told me they saw something in my left fallopian tube that was either a cyst or an ectopic pregnancy. They said my uterus had zero evidence of having been pregnant.
The Dr. then told me that I would be having surgery because there was blood seen in the ultrasound. I was admitted to the hospital. It was around 2am at this point, and they said an OB/GYN would be in my room in the a.m to give me all the information. In the a.m. a doctor came into my room and told me that my hormone levels had gone down and although she was "too busy" to look at my ultrasounds--she was quote "99.9 percent sure I had a miscarriage and had expelled it before being admitted."
I was dicharged immediately and told to call her office if I had any more trouble. I went home and continued to have pain. The next day I could barely walk. I called her office and she personally called me back. She sounded annoyed and told me that she was sure what was wrong with me and that I should go to a different hospital.
I took this advice and went to another hospital nearby. It was found after an ultrasound there, that I had an ectopic pregnancy and internal bleeding. I was rushed into surgery where they were unable to save my fallopian tube. The ultrasound tech at this hospital said that there had already been a significant amount of internal bleeding on my ultra from the first hospital that she saw when it had been faxed to her. The doctor at the first hospital was obviously busy and did not want to deal with me.
Do I have a medical malpractice case?
Answer: (1)
The fact that the first doctor diagnosed your condition without actually looking at the ultrasound may be grounds for a negligent diagnosis claim. It seems likely that this would deviate from the accepted standard of medical care, and potentially lead to the loss of your fallopian tube. You should contact a medical malpractice lawyer to find out what options you have to seek compensation for your injury.
References:
Posted by Staff Writer on 21 Jan 2010