Sunday, March 6, 2011

Should I sue a dr. for leaving a chunk of uterus inside of me? I had 4 more surgeries due 2 this error.?

(Part 1) After a long history of heavy bleeding my hemoglobin levels diminished requiring an immediate blood transfusion. My low blood was causing my heart to skip beats; an added complication to my existing condition of heart palpitations. My ob-gyn confirmed fibroids & a cyst on my right ovary & did a supra-cervical hysterectomy leaving the ovary untouched; the dr. said the ovary wasn’t bad enough to remove; I was not happy about it but the ob-gyn informed me that a portion of my cervix was left due to scar tissue from (2) prior c-sections. A year after surgery I began having distention, constipation, constant pressure & pain in my lower abdomen. Laxatives & enemas were needed to maintain regularity. In 2008 after several months of this my condition progressed into episodes of rectal bleeding; colonoscopies revealed a mass protruding in my colon. In Feb. 2009 during laparoscopic surg. the general surgeon revealed that the prior ovary with the cyst had grown 5.8 cm, overlapped my left ovary & grew into my sigmoid colon causing a 95% intestinal obstruction. The ovarian cystic mass was removed only to be rushed by ambulance from my job back into the hospital in June 2009 due to continued intestinal blockage, severe pain, vomiting & nausea. After several tests & a week in the hospital, the doctors could only conclude the remaining ovary had begun developing cysts & that one of the cysts had ruptured leaving fluid in my womb. I was prescribed Darvocet for pain which became part of my daily regimen. My ob-gyn encouraged me to keep the ovary & he would monitor the growth patterns over several months. It was at this time after much personal research that I ask the ob-gyn could I possibly have intestinal endometriosis. He said no because I had no profuse bleeding. I continued on laxatives for relief which caused massive abdominal pain, no release of bowel & vomiting. In Sept 2009 my health began to quickly diminish. With constant nausea, vomiting, no bowel movements, severe pain & additional rectal bleeding & starting to spend several hours a day on the bathroom floor of my job I was forced to go on temp. medical leave. I was prescribed promethazine for the nausea & continued on the Darvocet. Another colonoscopy revealed that the prior ovary that was removed had left endometrial tissue in my intestine which was continuing to grow & I was now 100% blocked. In Oct 2009 I then went back to the same general surgeon who then performed a laparoscopic colon resection to remove a foot of my intestine. At 4 weeks post-op with my incision not healing & extensive pain the surgeon requested a CT scan be performed. After 3 ½ weeks with no response, I called the surgeon to get the results of the scan & I was informed the scan yielded no negative results. By January of 2010 I began passing massive amounts of blood-tinged mucus & gas with extensive pain. The surgeon told me to contact the gastro dr. who recommended an Rx of hyoscyamine to relieve the discomfort. With little or no relief for 2 additional months, I contacted the gastro Dr. to request another colonoscopy. He was very reluctant but agreed to anyway. During the pre-exam for the colonoscopy in March 2010 the gastro dr. happened upon the prior CT scan that was previously ordered by the surgeon & discovered that the CT scan did in fact reveal a prominent large mass, thickening in the recto-sigmoid colon & a profound uterus which was supposedly removed by my ob-gyn in 2006. My surgeon failed to give me the true diagnoses of the CT scan. The gastro dr. continued with the colonoscopy. After examination he recommended I see my ob-gyn for some form of treatment and/or laparotomy because he still concluded an obstruction in my womb. With this infor. in mind, being sick & tired, frustrated & let-down, I sought treatment from a new ob-gyn who suggested that I be put on a 6 month regimen of the lupron depot & additionally sent me another gastro specialist to re-assure if surg. was necessary. I was told by the gastro dr. that my situation really didn’t require another surg. By this time, with my body being toxic & inflamed along with the lupron depot shot which is pumped with steroids, I gained 30 pounds immediately. I was put on add-back therapy to offset the symptoms however the joint pain & inflammation was so bad many days I could not even get out of bed without help, the hot flashes were intense; my mood constantly fluctuating. My PCP sent to see a rheumatoid Dr. I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica, myalgia myositis, chronic fatigue & a low case of lupus. I was given lyrica to treat this but could not continue to take it because the Darvocet & promethezine were intense enough. My pcp ordered more test & learned that I had quickly developed hypothyroidism & vitamin D deficient. (Part 2 to be continued)

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