Valenzuela Law Firm, PA | Trial Attorney
Attorney Henry E. Valenzuela

The consequences of cancer misdiagnosis

On Behalf of | Aug 24, 2018 | Uncategorized

One of the last statements anyone in Florida wants to hear in the hospital is the doctor telling them, “You have cancer.” Imagine getting the news that you only have a few months or years left to live and that you should make the best out of the remaining time you have.

However, you should not be crossing off your bucket list and making final phone calls yet. Every year, nearly 1 out of 20 adult patients in America receive a misdiagnosis of some kind from their doctors. If you receive a diagnosis, you should at least get a second opinion from another medical expert to confirm if the cancer is legitimate. Not doing so can lead to several lifelong consequences.

Emotional trauma

Cancer patients and their families have to deal with some of the most emotionally straining months of their lives. Most of them truly believe that they have months to live and are depressed that they do not get to spend more time with their loved ones.

Patients that receive misdiagnoses are understandably upset that they had to endure months of mental torment trying to process their supposed incoming demise. Recently, a father in Missouri had to go through the trouble of telling his wife and two children that he was going to die soon of terminal cancer. Several days later, he found out from a voicemail of the error. He is now filing a lawsuit against the doctors who brought him and his family so much pain.

Financial damage

Cancer is one of the costlier diseases in America as patients have to endure months of treatments and surgery to either get rid of it or delay the inevitable. In addition, they try to make the last months of their lives easier on themselves or their loved ones by preparing their asset divisions.

They might divide some of their estate early to avoid some of the trouble in the post-mortem process and try to cover funeral costs as well. Some Florida victims also try to cross actions off their bucket list and might make risky investments in an effort to make the last months of their life worthwhile.

Surgery side-effects

Patients that go in for surgeries and treatments for diseases they do not have are left to deal with the physical consequences. People that go in for chemotherapy can have long-lasting damage on their lungs, heart and kidneys.

Florida has had its share of misdiagnosis complications as well. Last year, a doctor in Port St. Lucille was forced to pay millions after falsely diagnosing several patients with skin cancer to get millions from insurance. One woman underwent 20 days of two-hour radiation therapy before switching to a second doctor for surgery. When she did, the second doctor found that the wound had a bad infection from the multiple radiation therapy sessions.

With how physically, financially and emotionally devastating cancer can be to a person, you have to make sure to get more than one opinion on your condition. If you are the victim of a cancer misdiagnosis, you have the legal right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against your doctor for putting you and your loved ones through so much pain.

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