Lung Cancer

[nkalisch]

I am sharing this story in hopes to find someone with good advice on the subject. My mother had been suffering from severe chest pain, shortness of breath (she described it as a suffocating feeling), back pain, severe cough, weight loss and fatigue. She complained that she wasn’t able to walk half a block without feeling winded. She’d been seeing her primary doctor since March 2006 with the same reoccurring symptoms sometimes she would visit his office 2 to 3 times a month. He immediately diagnosed her as having severe allergies. Even after her symptoms worsened, he merely changed her inhaler and her allergy medications. My mother being very submissive, trusting and especially having lots of faith in our medical professionals never questioned his diagnosis. From the time that she started to see him till January 25, 2008 she became noticeably ill. She continuously used her inhaler in order to try to control her hacking cough (she was a NON SMOKER) and took so much Motrin that she started having stomach complications. We all (her children) grow every concerned, insisting that she get a second opinion. Nonetheless, she visited her doctor religiously and had faith that he knew what he was doing.

On or about October of 2007 her heath started to deteriorate dramatically and my sister who lived close by had to step in and help her with her cooking cleaning and taking her to all her appointments. As soon as my sister meet this doctor, she realized that all he did at every appointment was take vitals, change medications and send my mother home. Finally during one of her visits in early December, my sister insisted that this doctor send my mother for diagnostic imaging or refer my mother to an allergist/specialist who would be more qualified to assist my mother with these severe allergies he had diagnosed her with. As soon as the allergist examined my mother he determined that it wasn’t allergies, and immediately gave her a referral for imaging (chest x-ray). The x-rays reveled that she had developed pneumonia and they sent her back to her primary doctor. When she went to his office he assured her that the pneumonia would get better gave her medications and sent her home. She went back to him a few days later with unbearable pain and requested to be hospitalized. Her request was denied but he sent her for more x-rays which showed that she had broken ribs. He prescribed stronger pain medication and sent her home. On January 6, 2008 she was awaken early because she was not able to breath. My sister rushed her to the ER and while there, they preformed a CT scan. The scan showed a large nodule in her right lung which was also in her bone as well as in her liver. When my sister took her back to the primary doctor, he acted surprised to find this out. As a matter of fact, once my sister ordered the reports from the first two x-rays that were done, it clearly stated “suspicious nodules spotted, further imaging recommended”. The doctor pleaded ignorance and apologized to my mother. The biopsy was scheduled on the 15th of that month, he told her that she would be okay and sent her home. My mother had the procedure done and sent home the same day. On the 16th she became very ill and she went to see the doctor to advise him that she was on her way to the ER. He gave her a shot and told her she would be fine. However, my sister argued and told him that she was going straight to the hospital with or with out his permission. Once she was hospitalized the treatment started. She received one session of chemo and then the doctors said the pneumonia was to severe. They said that there were large amounts of liquid forming in the outer layers of her lungs and they would have to remove that before they started any other treatments. Once the pathologist and oncologist reviewed all scans and test they determined it was Stage 4 NSCLC Adenocarcinoma very aggressive matasized to her liver, lymph nodes, bone and head. The tumor in the lung was now blocking her esophagus blocking her airway therefore they recommended a stinting procedure. The procedure was preformed and just 2 days later, on the 25th of January, she passed away.

We are so angry at this doctor for not doing his job. As far as I’m concerned, he has murdered my mother with his incompetence and negligence. In so many words, we were told by the oncologist that my mother would have a fighting chance if it would have been diagnosed sooner (even 12 months earlier). My mother went to this doctor for almost 2 years and the only time he sent her for an x-ray was when my sister fought for it. I know that some of you might be thinking that my mother should have been more persistent with him or changed doctors. The problem with my mother was that she was to trusting and believed that the doctor was really helping her. It is a doctors responsibility and duty to help us with our health problems when we go to them… this is the role they chose when they decided to become health care professionals and in my opinion he failed her and us!

I dread this happening to another family and it possibly will or has in the past. We have been getting advise from family member and friends who tell us to first report him to the Medical Board and secondly to sue him, but we are still going through such grief we don’t know how to even pursue it. Do any of you have any advice or know of a good Medical Malpractice Attorney in the Northern California area.

Thank you for your time.
NK

[Davy9]

Your sharing of this sad episode should help others be more circumspect with their medical management. Physicians are people too and are subject to human fallacies. Whether this constitutes malpractice and to what degree would be up to the professionals to determine. The Board of Medical Quality Assurance in Sacramento is where you should report your concerns. I have no particular knowledge about any legal avenues but would think that there is no shortage of capable attorneys in the great state of California.

For whatever it is worth I am medically knowledgeable and my mother does very much as yours did despite my earnest interventions. She latched onto a cardiologist and decided that he was the one, and the only one, with all the proper answers. Though her story is nowhere near as dire it is similar.

Anytime symptoms persist or worsen while undergoing treatment further and deeper investigation is merited. By all means it is sometimes warranted to enlist a second or third clinician to be certain that all the bases are covered and that all the diagnostic avenues are explored.

You all have my sympathy.