Apparently, 'It was nothing....'

[penguinsmall]

My sister went to a number of doctors in late 2001 with an anomaly in her breast, she was 38. She was told a number of things, it didn't feel like cancer, it didn't look like cancer and my personal favourite 'girls your age don't get it'. Finally someone took her seriously and sent her for a biopsy. On December 11th they said it was nothing to worry about, a week later they said it was cancer.
She had a double mastectomy at her own insistence and the reconstruction at the same time. 5 months after her first lot of chemo ended she found a lump exactly where the first was. Her consultant said it was nothing, just the implants settling down. He told her this for 19 months til he eventually got sick of her going on about it and had her plastic surgeon do a biopsy, it wasn't nothing, it was cancer.
She had another big operation, then it turned out that on her x-rays there were some 'hot spots' on her ribs. Again the consultant said it was nothing. Probably the result of an old riding injury. Again he was sadly mistaken, but we didn't find that out til months later when she was taken into hospital with a chest infection.
It has since spread to her lungs, liver and other bones. When she spoke to someone with regard to making a claim they sent a guy from the hospitals legal team to see her. She was told the reason her consultant said the hot spots on the X-rays were nothing was that 'He knew this was going to happen.' I can't help but wonder if he knew that back in 2002 when he told her the second lump was nothing for over a year and a half. Maybe if he'd done something about that then, she wouldn't now weigh about 6 stone and feel like crap!

[Rich44]

OMG that is absolutely terrible, my thoughts to you and your family.

I think first things first you need to concentrate on helping your sister as best you all can and to just be there for her. What are they currently doing for her?

I suggest that you have a look through the law societys website to find a solicitor who specialises in Clinicla Negligence and also takes on No win no fee cases and does an initial visit in your own home for free and take it from there, I wouldnt say too much to the hospital as you dont want to "tip their hand" as such just in case some clever little so and so tries to "clean up" her medical records, this happened to my partner who had breast reduction surgery she complained and they then "lost" the before and after pictures when they made her go from massive to an A cup instead of the agreed C cup so I wouldnt bother even talking to them except for making sure they look after her properly now.

I really hope they're now looking after her to the best possible standards and that things work out in the end.

I nearly lost my dad to cancer 10 years ago the doctors wrote him off after they threw every type of chemo they had at him, at the time he was also going to reflexology and he suddenly went into spotaneous remission and has been ever since. I'm not holding alternative therapies up as a solution but it is always worth considering other options in conjunction with traditional styles of treatments but consult with the doctor in charge first of course, if nothing else reflexology, acupuncture etc may help with the symptoms and reactions to the treatment

[penguinsmall]

Everyone else seems to have been great, except for the arrogant tit of a consultant. They are currently doing the throwing every type of chemo at her known to man thing. She is into the alternative therapies anyway, so she's trying all that as well, even if it don't help it can't hurt.
She's pretty much too knackered to do much at the moment. I have a nasty feeling it will turn out that the lump she found after her chemo in 2002 will mysteriously not appear in any of her records until the consultant finally got the plastic surgeon to a biopsy 19 months after she first found it.
We just have to wait until she feels strong enough to deal with solicitors and the like as she won't let anyone else handle things because only she was there at the time and doesn't want any chance of someone else saying the wrong thing and buggering things up.

[JonCris]

Originally Posted by penguinsmall

My sister went to a number of doctors in late 2001 with an anomaly in her breast, she was 38. She was told a number of things, it didn't feel like cancer, it didn't look like cancer and my personal favourite 'girls your age don't get it'. Finally someone took her seriously and sent her for a biopsy. On December 11th they said it was nothing to worry about, a week later they said it was cancer.
She had a double mastectomy at her own insistence and the reconstruction at the same time. 5 months after her first lot of chemo ended she found a lump exactly where the first was. Her consultant said it was nothing, just the implants settling down. He told her this for 19 months til he eventually got sick of her going on about it and had her plastic surgeon do a biopsy, it wasn't nothing, it was cancer.
She had another big operation, then it turned out that on her x-rays there were some 'hot spots' on her ribs. Again the consultant said it was nothing. Probably the result of an old riding injury. Again he was sadly mistaken, but we didn't find that out til months later when she was taken into hospital with a chest infection.
It has since spread to her lungs, liver and other bones. When she spoke to someone with regard to making a claim they sent a guy from the hospitals legal team to see her. She was told the reason her consultant said the hot spots on the X-rays were nothing was that 'He knew this was going to happen.' I can't help but wonder if he knew that back in 2002 when he told her the second lump was nothing for over a year and a half. Maybe if he'd done something about that then, she wouldn't now weigh about 6 stone and feel like crap!

Forget the hospitals own Legal Team they work for the hospital no matter what they claim they are trying to run with the hare & the hounds. Strongly advise she consult an indepentent solicitor who practices in med neg