- Jurisdiction
- Florida
Finding the right type of legal help is hard, especially when you have no idea if you're grasping at straws or if one might have a case. What I am sure of, is that I have a condition that is rare in the younger population. I suffered from unbearable, left-sided abdominal pain from the summer of 2012 up until the fall of 2018.
I was initially diagnosed with having diverticula (pockets that form within the intestines) in the Spring of 2015 when I was urged by an internist to go to an ER to have a cat scan done (she explained that because I was young, I was 27 years old, and generally healthy that it would be hard to get an out patient cat scan approved by my insurance). My pain episodes were not as intense back then, but none the less, the pain had begun causing me to call out of work and had me religiously taking Tylenol as no doctor was ever able to help me truly find the cause of the pain so I continued to mask it for years.
After that ER visit which was noted as my first diverticular episode, I was referred to a Gastroenterologist. I went for my first visit and the wait was much longer than the actual face-to-face with this doctor. I described the intense pain and the symptoms I had felt for years, and he offered basic advice on diet and exercising. He said the only way to truly know what was happening was to get a colonoscopy done. Before jumping the gun, I decided to change my diet and see if maybe certain foods were triggering my discomfort. I also went for a second a opinion to another Gastroenterologist. They had me modify my diet based on something called the FODMAP diet. For a while, the diet helped me immensely, but the pain soon returned and it came back with a vengeance. I lived with chronic pain and discomfort related to my bowels everyday. That doctor said if I did not show real improvement, he also recommended a colonoscopy. Keep in mind, that second doctor works in a University system and I would have had to pay considerably more money to get the procedure done there.
I returned to the first Gastro doctor to proceed with the colonoscopy as that was something I could afford. He performed the colonoscopy in July of 2017. He explained I did in fact have diverticula in my intestines and said the pain I was feeling probably came from what he diagnosed as Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS). He made no mention of the damage the diverticula could potentially cause in someone of my age and did not make any connection to my chronic pain with the diverticula.
Diverticulosis is common and occurs in 10% of people over age 40 and in 50% of people over age 60. What I did not know at the time, is that only 10% of the population of persons under 40 years of age can develop diverticula and can lead to serious complications - as was my case. I developed acute diverticulitis.
My first episode of a ruptured diverticula due to diverticulitis (when the pockets get infested and rupture into the abdomen) was in March 2018 - this was noted by the doctor to which I went to for a second opinion as my 2nd divertuclar event (I will refer to him as Dr. B). I was hospitalized for 3 days and was placed on a no food or liquid diet and then switched to clear liquids. I followed-up with Dr. B, and he said if I were to have a third diverticular event, he would refer me to an Intestinal Surgeon.
My third diverticular event proved to be the worst. I was admitted to the hospital on July 25th, 2018 and they found one of the divertula had formed into a abscess that was slowly latching onto my bladder. They placed a drain connecting to the abscess, but it would not diminish in size. I was placed on antibiotics and a liquid diet for many days. I was released from the hospital on August 14th, 2018 with a picc line and the drain still connected to my body. The doctors were trying to avoid invasive surgery in someone my age (I was 29 at the time). I was "laid off" from my job on August 28th, 2018. My previous employer extended my insurance coverage by one month...
After I finished the intravenous antibiotic course, I developed complications and was re-admitted to the hospital on September 3rd, 2019. My infectious disease doctor, assigned hospital gastroenterologist and assigned intestinal surgeon agreed the passive therapies were not working and as such, I had a large colon resection surgery in which they removed the problematic piece of intestine on September 5th, 2018 and I was discharged with a picc line on September 11th, 2018.
Not only did I lose my job, but the trauma of the experience weighed very heavily on me and caused me to incur countless medical bills. My surgeon was shocked to hear that no one referred me to a specialist for surgery even back in 2015. He said I have the intestines of an 80-year old woman and said he could not guarantee I would not suffer a similar experience later in life.
I do not have a legal background or know anything about how to proceed - this is why i'm here. Even if I do have a case, I wouldn't know who to contact in South Florida (specifically Miami, FL). I don't think it takes a legal savant to understand that the first Gastroenterologist I saw completely failed me as a doctor. If he would have referred me to a specialist, maybe some of the pain, suffering and loss of income I endured could have been lessened or at least planned for in some way. The doctor was utterly unhelpful, never gave me meaningful advice or more than even 15 mins. of his time and completely neglected to tie in my long history of pain and discomfort and the dangerous consequences my disease could have in someone of my age.
I don't want any other patient to go through what I did - if I can help ease someone's pain or anguish I feel my job would be done. This doctor cannot go unpunished - it's just not fair to the general population to allow someone so neglectful to continue making money off the backs of innocent patients. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read my story and offer advice - I will be forever grateful to you.
I was initially diagnosed with having diverticula (pockets that form within the intestines) in the Spring of 2015 when I was urged by an internist to go to an ER to have a cat scan done (she explained that because I was young, I was 27 years old, and generally healthy that it would be hard to get an out patient cat scan approved by my insurance). My pain episodes were not as intense back then, but none the less, the pain had begun causing me to call out of work and had me religiously taking Tylenol as no doctor was ever able to help me truly find the cause of the pain so I continued to mask it for years.
After that ER visit which was noted as my first diverticular episode, I was referred to a Gastroenterologist. I went for my first visit and the wait was much longer than the actual face-to-face with this doctor. I described the intense pain and the symptoms I had felt for years, and he offered basic advice on diet and exercising. He said the only way to truly know what was happening was to get a colonoscopy done. Before jumping the gun, I decided to change my diet and see if maybe certain foods were triggering my discomfort. I also went for a second a opinion to another Gastroenterologist. They had me modify my diet based on something called the FODMAP diet. For a while, the diet helped me immensely, but the pain soon returned and it came back with a vengeance. I lived with chronic pain and discomfort related to my bowels everyday. That doctor said if I did not show real improvement, he also recommended a colonoscopy. Keep in mind, that second doctor works in a University system and I would have had to pay considerably more money to get the procedure done there.
I returned to the first Gastro doctor to proceed with the colonoscopy as that was something I could afford. He performed the colonoscopy in July of 2017. He explained I did in fact have diverticula in my intestines and said the pain I was feeling probably came from what he diagnosed as Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS). He made no mention of the damage the diverticula could potentially cause in someone of my age and did not make any connection to my chronic pain with the diverticula.
Diverticulosis is common and occurs in 10% of people over age 40 and in 50% of people over age 60. What I did not know at the time, is that only 10% of the population of persons under 40 years of age can develop diverticula and can lead to serious complications - as was my case. I developed acute diverticulitis.
My first episode of a ruptured diverticula due to diverticulitis (when the pockets get infested and rupture into the abdomen) was in March 2018 - this was noted by the doctor to which I went to for a second opinion as my 2nd divertuclar event (I will refer to him as Dr. B). I was hospitalized for 3 days and was placed on a no food or liquid diet and then switched to clear liquids. I followed-up with Dr. B, and he said if I were to have a third diverticular event, he would refer me to an Intestinal Surgeon.
My third diverticular event proved to be the worst. I was admitted to the hospital on July 25th, 2018 and they found one of the divertula had formed into a abscess that was slowly latching onto my bladder. They placed a drain connecting to the abscess, but it would not diminish in size. I was placed on antibiotics and a liquid diet for many days. I was released from the hospital on August 14th, 2018 with a picc line and the drain still connected to my body. The doctors were trying to avoid invasive surgery in someone my age (I was 29 at the time). I was "laid off" from my job on August 28th, 2018. My previous employer extended my insurance coverage by one month...
After I finished the intravenous antibiotic course, I developed complications and was re-admitted to the hospital on September 3rd, 2019. My infectious disease doctor, assigned hospital gastroenterologist and assigned intestinal surgeon agreed the passive therapies were not working and as such, I had a large colon resection surgery in which they removed the problematic piece of intestine on September 5th, 2018 and I was discharged with a picc line on September 11th, 2018.
Not only did I lose my job, but the trauma of the experience weighed very heavily on me and caused me to incur countless medical bills. My surgeon was shocked to hear that no one referred me to a specialist for surgery even back in 2015. He said I have the intestines of an 80-year old woman and said he could not guarantee I would not suffer a similar experience later in life.
I do not have a legal background or know anything about how to proceed - this is why i'm here. Even if I do have a case, I wouldn't know who to contact in South Florida (specifically Miami, FL). I don't think it takes a legal savant to understand that the first Gastroenterologist I saw completely failed me as a doctor. If he would have referred me to a specialist, maybe some of the pain, suffering and loss of income I endured could have been lessened or at least planned for in some way. The doctor was utterly unhelpful, never gave me meaningful advice or more than even 15 mins. of his time and completely neglected to tie in my long history of pain and discomfort and the dangerous consequences my disease could have in someone of my age.
I don't want any other patient to go through what I did - if I can help ease someone's pain or anguish I feel my job would be done. This doctor cannot go unpunished - it's just not fair to the general population to allow someone so neglectful to continue making money off the backs of innocent patients. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read my story and offer advice - I will be forever grateful to you.
