I posted this on another site but just wanted to see if any of you have any opinions on it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay i have a serious question that seems to come up everyday for me.
I have an on going medical dilema and everyday i'm asked why I have not sued, or told I should sue. So I'm wanting opinions of you all.
I was diagnosed with a Acoustic neuroma (nerve/brain tumor) in Novemeber of 2004.
January of 2005 I had the tumor removed. The results seemed good. I lost hearing in one hear (the as assured as the hearing nerve was removed) and was out of the hospital in two days.
Surgery was on Wednesday, by sunday I had developed a spinal fluid leak from the incision.
I was under the impression that a lumbar drain was usually used to treat this however my doctor said he would prefer to fix it and get it done with. I told him that I would do what he thought was best.
2nd surgery to repair the leak was 1 week from the first surgery. (recovery was aweful) total facial paralysis of the left side followed. (it resolved itself in 6 weeks or so) headaches began to occur and balance was affected.
approximately 3 weeks later, my incision began leaking again. My doctor was out of town so I was sent to another doctor. He said it was a spinal fluid leak. (I asked them if there was anyway it would heal on it's own and he said it would be a miracle but he believed in miracles) I was told to go home and wait until the following tuesday to see my doctor.
On tuesday my doctor was unable to get the incision to leak much (it did leak a bit) so he decided that there wasn't a problem and that it was resolved.
3 weeks later I begin leaking again. I'm back in the office (the leak looks much like the one the other doctor saw) he told me it was an abcess and he wanted to drain it. It tested positive for Staph. My doctor said he had never seen anything like this and had no idea what was going on.
This surgery took place and was taken all the way back to the bone. three weeks later he told me it had healed well.
three weeks later it began leaking again. ( looks the same as before the abcess surgery)
The doctor said he now believes it is a reaction to the bone cement that was placed in my head on the second surgery and that he wants to go in and remove the bone cement.
The first two surgeries required cutting my stomach about 3 inches across and removing fat to plug the hole in the head. The next surgery will be the third time that I will be cut in the stomach.
Even though my incision was still leaking my doctor said that we will wait to do the surgery (mostly because I have been out of work this whole time and I had a job interview which didn't not work out) It has continued to leak and is sore to the touch.
my question is when do you say, maybe i should see a lawyer?
I asked my primary care doctor if I should let the doctor do this next surgery and he said "that's a joke"
My mom recently told her neurologist about it and he simply asked "did he have a neurosurgeon help him" when she said no he said "oh" made a funny face and ended the conversation.
My doctor would not sign my long term disability paperwork because he said I didn't need it. Now i'm going on 7 months unemployed and I still have a leaky head.
SO, what do you think? I'm not really the sueing type and I know it won't make me better but so many people keep telling me that I need to get a lawyer that I'm starting to wonder if they are right.
thoughts?
__________________
