No one is flawless. It’s simply a part of human nature that we all make mistakes. A hair dresser might cut your hair too short or a server might deliver someone else’s meal to you; either way, you’ve come across many mistakes caused by others throughout your life, some minor and some that may have had a big impact on your health. As much as we hope for the best, some times doctors make mistakes too, and these mistakes can sometimes be fatal.
Misdiagnosing ailments is medical malpractice and can occur when a medical professional fails to properly treat or neglects a medical condition resulting in the injury or death of a patient. To have a successful medical malpractice lawsuit, you need to show that the medical professional made a mistake, directly causing your injury. This can include misdiagnosing your illness, not providing proper treatment for your condition, misreading scans, not follow-up after you present symptoms and improper physical examination.
To support your case, here are some of the most commonly misdiagnosed ailments:
- Appendicitis (symptoms include: nausea and severe abdominal pain): although the removal of a ruptured appendix is one of the most common emergency room surgeries, complications and death can result from a misdiagnosed ruptured appendix.
- Lyme Disease (symptoms include: flu-like symptoms, fevers and headaches): failure to ask specific questions, identify and properly treat this tick-borne illness can lead to neurological symptoms, heart arrhythmia, chronic joint pain and lost or impaired memory.
- Lupus (symptoms include: rheumatoid arthritis, mild to severe discomfort, autoimmune disease without rash across cheek): affecting 1.5 million Americans, mostly women 15-44 years old, this autoimmune disease can produce life-threatening attacks on your immune system if left untreated.
- Migraines (symptoms include: moderate to severe reoccurring headaches, family history of migraines): if your doctor fails to ask or request information to find the severity of your condition, you can be at risk of a severe attack that may lead to paralysis, Bell’s palsy, Parkinson’s disease or stroke.
Misdiagnosis of you or your loved one’s ailment is serious and can be a complicated lawsuit to battle. Parvey & Cavenago hold medical professionals accountable for failing to examine ailments and provide expert treatment and care. If you feel like you or a family member has endured injuries due to medical malpractice, seek professional guidance and contact Parvey & Cavenago for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case.
