Focus on the miscounted prescriptions, and right now, before you forget, write down the date and time of each call you have made to try to get enough extra pills so that you can take them as he directed.
Focus on the ER visit where they threw you out on the street in the middle of the night while you were throwing up.
Is this doc the surgeon he did one of your surgeries? Because if he doesn't believe in adhesiolysis and thinks barriers are loony, then he probably violated one or more of the rules for the impeccable surgical technique that reduces the chances for adhesions when he did your surgery. And so it's not just that he is refusing to properly treat your adhesions, which is malpractice itself. It's that he CAUSED your adhesions to be worse than they otherwise would be.
In the last few days Helen Dynda posted a legal article about 2 cases where doctors and nurses got sued for undertreating pain. Print those out and take them to the lawyer. If this doctor is the one who did your surgery, and he did not take all possible precautions to reduce the probability of adhesions, then you can sue him right there for simply that. I don't mean using an adhesion barrier, because you can argue that those can cause more problems than they solve. I mean the talc-free gloves, keeping the tissues continuously moist during surgery, not over handling tissues, making sure that every cut or abraded piece of your insides has stopped bleeding before closing you up, rinsing the "blood and guts" out thoroughly at the end of the surgery, that sort of stuff. All of those things have been known for DECADES.
When doctors injure patients by being lazy and cutting corners, this is the classic meaning of "malpractice."
If the first lawyer you call doesn't understand you or take you seriously, call another one.
Oh, and one other thing to emphasize when you are talking to the lawyer: Because the doc told you to take 2 pills everyday but only gave you 45 pills for the month, you are out of pills RIGHT NOW. So keep apologizing to the lawyer. Say something like, "I'm sorry I know it's hard for you to understand what I am saying, but because of what this bastard has done to me I am in terrible agony and have not slept and it's very hard for me to think straight. So please just bear with me. And if I'm not making sense, please interrupt me and ask me to explain. It's incredibly hard for me to focus my thoughts right now."
And to repeat myself, please keep calling lawyers until you get one who understands you! The lawyers that represent injured people should be used to to talking to people who are in pain. They tend to be brash and arrogant, so if one gives you the brush off, don't take it personally! It's probably that he/she is just busy and doesn't really have the time to take on your case, so just move on to the next name in the phone book until you find someone who isn't too busy!
Oh, and one other thing -- with the new doctor, don't breathe a word about lawsuits or lawyers or any of that. In fact, don't talk to anybody but the lawyer and maybe some family members that you can trust. Because if they get a hint that you might sue them they will start destroying evidence. They will go through your medical charts and start taking things out. Having the advantage of surprise is of great value. You are much more likely to win if the first clue that the doctor has is when the process server shows up to serve him with the lawsuit. If he destroys any evidence after that then he can go to jail!
At Fri, 4 Oct 2002, Dawn wrote:
>
>Okay, so I have pi$$*d off my primary care doc for always trying to get
>the help I need to deal with endo and adhesions. I do have a new doc I
>see on Nov. 4 th.
>My doc thinks I'm a loon with talk about lysis of adhesions and adhesion
>barriers. This is the same lot that sent me into the streets of Boston
>@ 4: 30am
>puking and on morphine while I was having a partial obstruction. I
>loudly refused to sing the discharge papers and stormed out. Long
>story.
>So they don't want to deal with me.
>I went a few weeks back about being 6 mos pregnat looking w/ distention.
>He did not even examine me!!! He sat me down and said we have to get my
>mood in order before anyone would take me seriously. I took it ( his
>condecention, felt like a bad dog). He perscribed a new drug to replace
>my celexa to remeron which I am not tollerating at all.
>Horrible consitpation. Not what I need. He said he'd call when he had
>more time to spend with me. (I'm sure Thats a high priority) thank
>goodness i did not mention my plans to go to Germany...he might have
>sent me to a looney bin or put me on thorazine or something.
>I have been on klonapin since right before my hysterectomy about a year
>ago. I started out taking half a pill as needed but I was suspose to
>take a whole a day and over time he saw fit to increase the dosage to 2
>a day...half in am half in pm and full @ bed. He only perscribed
>45 a month. I never noticed the discrepency. After the last you are nuts
>talk I decided to take all my meds as perscribed...I do so want to be a
>GOOD patient. I told him about the discrepency and he said he would fix
>it.
>I thought with my new scripts he'd make that change. No change, I am
>believe he will fix it when I cal the office to remind him. Three calls
>over two days to actual person to please tell him I am almost out and I
>still believe he is going to fix it. Well I milked out the last pill to
>1/2 a night as I was getting worried. I took my last half the night
>before last......I have not slept, boy I syre want to but my jaw is just
>clenched. I have to wait another 5 days before
>insurance will give me the next refill. I have tried hame remedied but
>I don't see sleeping anytime soon. Please help with any suggestions or
>advise. I know I am ranting but you all have been there for me before.
>Oh ya. My new doc only works on mondays and is on vacation now. He is
>an internest that took care of both my grandparents as they we're dying.
>He is @ Mass General the only hospital I have not tried. I don't want
>to poision him with contact from beth israel. The head of GYN surgery @
>Brigham and womans
>did not think me a loon. Took me seriously and only read my most recent
>operative report ( all I gave him) I mentioned about Germany at the end
>of the exam and he said my best bet was to go to Germany. I know I am
>not crazy but with the shenanagans and run arounds and pain you'd be
>depressed too.
>Love to all,
>Dawn
-- cathy :-)