Failure to Diagnose Cancer

090424_CSCS_APE30
Legally Reviewed by
Allan Siegel

Updated 2 years ago

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Sheldon describes how a routine elective surgery left his wife with permanent anoxic brain injury, requiring around-the-clock care. Attorney Joseph Cammarata took the case to trial and secured a jury verdict exceeding $35 million — a record in the Commonwealth of Virginia at the time.

Sheldon (00:05): In October of 2015, which we just hit our nine-year anniversary, my wife went in for elective back surgery. And the course of that surgery, the surgeon nicked a stomach artery coming from the back and it took them 22 minutes to figure out how to stop the bleeding. They didn’t know where it was coming from. So essentially my wife coded for 22 minutes, no oxygen, no blood getting to the brain, she should have died. But they finally sutured her up and she lived because she’s a fighter, but she now and then had anoxic brain injury and nine years later she still can’t perform any of the activities of daily living. She never will be able to. She’s incontinent. She requires a caregiver 24/7, and I’m that caregiver about 70% of the time. My kids were 13 and 16 at the time. So I had to kind of say, well, mommy’s not coming home from the hospital the next day, and eventually your mother’s not going to be coming home the same.

Sheldon (01:00): So they now kind of take care of her and they don’t have a mom anymore that they knew, and I can’t replace her in that sense. Her salary and she was working at the time, was going to go to the college education and I was working. So it changed a lot of things, but primarily we just lost the person we knew to love. So at the point when I finally realized I wanted to get some legal assistance, I shopped around a little bit and then I thought about Joe and I’m glad I did. So I came to this office and we talked about the case and he was aware that she’d been injured, but didn’t know any of the details, and he looked into it and said, this is a case I want to take on. I want to help you guys. The jury voted in favor of us.

Sheldon (01:49): The award was the highest in this Commonwealth of Virginia at the time. It was excess of 35 million. Help you address it. Do you know that I had anoxic brain interest? You do. So if I was in my shoes again or talking to someone about what they would do, I would call this firm. I think they’re really great. They’re good people. They’ve been doing this for a long time. So I just think you would get a fair shake here and you would be well treated. And it’s not, again, just attorneys. It’s a team of people behind the scenes that will help you. So I’m not being paid to give this endorsement, but I think they’re really good for.

Medical Malpractice & Failure to Diagnose Cancer

If your doctor doesn’t diagnose your medical condition properly or in a timely manner, you could be left in serious medical danger that could even result in death. If you go to a healthcare provider for medical advice, you expect to be given correct information about any medical conditions that you may have.

When your doctor or healthcare provider does not provide you with the right information, it is referred to as a misdiagnosis. If your healthcare provider takes too long to inform you of a medical condition, then it is referred to as a delayed diagnosis. Either of these improper diagnosis techniques can cause you in serious pain or harm.

Sometimes, a misdiagnosis can occur when a medical condition is diagnosed as not being very serious, allowing the medical condition to worsen to a point of danger. Alternatively, medical conditions can be considered far more serious than they actually are. This can lead to unneeded surgeries or treatments.

There are many different types of medical conditions that are misdiagnosed. Some of the most common types of medical problems and cancers that are misdiagnosed are:

  • Lung cancer
  • Appendicitis
  • Breast Cancer
  • Testicular Cancer
  • Heart Attack
  • Bacterial Meningitis
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Cervical Cancer
  • Tuberculosis
  • Diabetes
  • Strokes
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • Pulmonary Embolisms

To prevent a misdiagnosis of a serious medical problem, you should consult a specialist who is trained to identify the symptoms that you believe you are experiencing. You should also research the medical condition that you think you are suffering from; this will allow you to be more informed about what the doctor tells you.

Lastly, ask questions about the diagnosis and the treatment you might be able to avoid a costly mistake.If you have been injured or harmed because of a healthcare provider’s misdiagnosis of your medical condition, you may have a medical malpractice case.

Contact an experienced DC medical malpractice attorney at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. to schedule a free consultation. The attorneys at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.

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