beckyf

Thank you to those that replied to my post. I do have a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who did this to me. I have a trial date in July. Med mal lawsuits are extremely emotional and exhausting. Plus very expensive. It cost over 50,000 to 100,000 dollars to fight this doctor. One of the problems is he has over 15 medical malpractice lawsuits at this time. I don't know how the medical system lets him practice.

I was only to have a bone spur removed and be back to work in 3 days. I told him at least 3-4 times before the scope that if he indeed found something else I was only there for a scope and not under any circumstances could he cut me open. He promised he wouldn't. I only signed the permit for a scope. He did go out and talk to my husband but said I am in there and found a tear and should go ahead and fix it. Since he said he was already in there my husband thought he meant with the scope. He didn't say he had to cut me open or any other risks. My husband to this day is so angry at him that he was lied to. Plus when we got the medical records during the scope he took 4 pictures and they are of normal rotator cuff. No one else in surgery with him saw the tear on the screen. Most of the expert witnesses are pretty sure that he caused the tear when using the scope. That is why he couldn't take pictures because it wouldn't have shown unhealthy tissue around where the tear was suppose to be.

The funny thing about the whole deal was that my shoulder was just fine before I had the surgery. The only reason I agreed to it was I saw him one day at the hospital where I worked and he asked me how my shoulder was. I told him 90% better and that I had full range of motion in it. I could fix my hair(LOL) and change lightbulbs or do anything I wanted. He said we'll we really need to take that bone spur off because it could cause you problems and if something happened you would never work as a nurse again.

The other problem I had was his assistant took my staples out 6 days later. We told her the wound looked pretty red and she said it was fine. Nurses make the worst patients because they know too much. On the way home my incision leaks for hours. I called back when I got home and they said it was fine. It was just the fluid leaking out that they put in during surgery. The next day it was very red and looked like it was going to split open. I called again and they put my on Keflex. Two days later after many phone calls to them my incison split open. They told me to come down the next day and the doctor would look at it. They did an I and D and said it was just a hematoma. Even though I was ruuning a temp they didn't get cultures or any lab work to see if I had an infection. I found out later that this doctors infection rate is sky high.

Then he didn't order physical theraphy for 7 weeks. I had four sessions with PT and of course my shoulder was frozen. He said I had to have an manipulation under anesthesia. He charted that I was very tight and it was a very difficult procedure. I think that is when the whole thing just shredded. I have found out later that PT should be ordered immediately after surgery and a manipulation should never be done to at least 3-6 months after a RTC repair. By the time I got a second opinion the 2nd doctor tried to do a repair but he said it looked like shredded pork and it would be like sewing jello to jello.

I have had many nerve blocks, e-stimulation(which caused my shoulder to spasm) to many, many medications. Right now I take 6 oxycodones four times a day. This has been so far the best relief I've had. I kinow short acting meds aren't the best but after being on so many it really is the one that works. I also take motrin four times a day, Zanaflex prn, Elavil at bedtime, and Ambien to get at least 3-4 hours of sleep. I still after 3 years sleep in the recliner.

I feel so bad for some of people on this board as there pain seems to be unbearable. Esp. those of you with back problems. I never had a back problem in my life until this shoulder situation. My left shoulder droops so bad that it causes pain in my neck and upper back.. I still take PT to help with that and wear a sully brace to keep the shoulder in place.

I can't have a shoulder replacement because you have to have at least one rotator cuff and the deltoid stable to do it. He didn't reattach my deltoid so it is dead muscle. I was going to have a lattisamus dorsi transplant but it was ruled out because I need to have a least a little bit of RTC to do it. I have exhausted all my options. I have been to many, many specalists and no one can help me. They all tell me the same thing that it is unrepairable and I just need pain management and continues physical therapy that is pallative only.

Thanks for those of you who read my post. I know it is way too long.. It does make me feel better to release my anger against this doctor that ruined my life. I didn't go to nursing school till I was 35 and didn't practice till I was 39. It makes me so mad that I drove 120 miles every day for four years and left my family to fend for themselves while I followed my dream and in one hour of time this doctor took it all away from me. It just isn't fair!