doc called blood clot on brain a virus!

[Emmie1983]

Firstly i would like to say that I have no faith in the NHS, GP's or any health care professionals, please don't take it personal if i come across as being vindictive. I lost my mum due to gross negligence of her surgeon performing the wrong operation on her, and ignoring her medical history when treating her, i was 16 at the time, and i admit that i am bitter about it all.

 

My son was 7 weeks old when i took him to the GPs emergency afternoon clinic, he was listless, had no appetite, his eye and mouth was twitching on one side and he couldn't stop dribbling (he wasnt teething).My GP dismissed it as a virus and he said "it couldn't possibly b anything else other than an extremly rare stomach disorder, which in my opinion its not" From his tone he viewed me as an overprotective mum and someone who was wasting his time.

That day he didn't improve, in the end i called NHS direct who put me straight through to a doctor, i described Jacobs symptoms to her, and she immediately called an emergency ambulance for him.

He was given anti-convulsants, and given an EEG the next day, which showed he was having 'silent seizures' (ones that were not visably apparent) He later went for a CT scan which showed a large haemorrhage on his brain, he was transferred to a specialist hospital that night with a childrens neuro ward.

He underwent many more scans, MRI, CT and monitered carefully. Due to the size of the clot they were unable to see the underlying cause. In the end they had to perform a carotid angiogram,where they found a massive anuryrism on his brain.

So when he was almost 9weeks old he had to undergo major brain surgery. The anuryrism was the biggest that his surgeon had seen in 20yrs of neurosurgery, so big he took pictures for training purposes (it was huge and a nasty pic, and very wierd to see a picture of your 8 week old babies brain)

Anyhow, he was home on anti convulsants shortly after, he stayed on them for 3 months, then was taken off of them.

Then a few months later he started having motor seizures again, and had to spend another week in hospital, where they put him back on anti-convulsants.

Since then we have had it confirmed that due to the extent of the clot on his brain he has slight brain damage. Although being only 2 now, we dn't know the extent to which it will effect him. It is likely that he will have to spend the rest of hs life on anti-convulsants which make him moody, and very sleepy, and there are no guarentees that his seizures may not get worse as time goes on, so where do i stand?

 

We have contacted a firm that claims for medical negligence, and awaiting to hear from the solicitors. But i am not sure what it all intails, and whether misdiagnosing something like this, and the fact that the extent of the blood clot caused brain damage (which may of been able to be picked up earlier) and if the clot had been found sooner, and smaller then the anuryism would have been picked up and not done so much damage. Does anyone have any experiance of medical negligence or haemorrhages etc. Or have any idea how i go about proving that my silly GP was negligent.

[poppynurse]

I'm really sorry to hear that you are going through this. But I suspect you are not going to get very far with a negligence claim against the GP, it may be that the neurological symptoms were not pronounced at the point he examined the babe. You did the right thing seeking a second opinion, it may be that a few hours delay meant that the symtoms were more apparent and therefore that a diagnosis as easier to make.

 

To prove negligence you need to establish 1. a duty of care - simple in this case, 2. you then have to prove that an act or omission took place that no reasonable practitioner would have committed/omitted, 3. then that the harm was a direct result of the act/ommission. I suspect that many GPs would have given similar advice in this situation so part 2 will be difficult to prove. I think part 3 will also be difficult as the aneurysm may have caused the damage not the delay in diagnosis.

 

I am not defending the GP here as I am not a medicolegal expert and am not fully aware of the facts, I just thought it might be helpful to explain how things work. A medical negligence case is always hard to prove on part 2. This can takes years and much grief to resolve, particularly where children are involved. You need to think long and hard before embarking on this claim.

[ScarletPimpernel]

I agree with Poppnurse.

 

It's an unfortunate fact that medical conditions do not always present with the textbook signs and symptoms, and some conditions may exhibit the signs and symptoms of others. These things are not always as clear cut as they may seem.

[Emmie1983]

Thanks for your response Poppynurse,

 

I see what you are saying, but with your medical background in mind, if you saw a child that was having seizures (constant eye & mouth twitching in jacobs case) with a stiff arm and leg (just realised i forgot to add that bit to story, soz) would you say it was a Virus?

The fact that it was all dismissed as a Virus wasted valuable time, im sure your aware that anurisyms are a time bomb, and the increase in pressure from increase bleeding from it caused more seizures, and the bigger the clot the more brain damage etc in his case.

 

On part 3 the anurism did undoubtedly cause the damage, it was bleeding, but the increase in bleeding delayed the diagnosis, the clot was so big that the only way to locate the anurism was the carotid angiogram. So on this case i am unsure whether it counts, because the anurism did do the damage, but the delay in diagnosis allowed it to continue doing damage, as they couldn't find the cause because it was hidden.

 

I know the case will be hard to prove, one way or the other i am not expecting them to accept liability, i just want some justice for my son, and for his suffering - daily seizures, medicine that stops him doing all the things he wants (it makes him so tired after taking it he has to have a 2hour nap, i have forgotten to give it to him on time before, and then i have my happy smiling boy back) I would like to think i can handle the tedious legal system in order to have something for him.

 

I think at the end of the day I know how close i came to losing him, and if i had continued to take his advice (even when i knew his diagnosis was wrong) then Jacob wouldn't be here at all today. I just think some people are so accepting of what all professionals say that they doubt their own gut feelings, and this could lead to all sorts of unnecersary suffering.

[poppynurse]

Have you exhausted the local GPs complaint procedure? Usually the first step is to complain to the senior partner that you feel the GP was negligent (copy the letter to the PCT and GMC).

 

If you are prepared to do battle, make sure that the solicitors you use are experienced in medical negligence, not just a local firm, I think you can check them out with the law society. Be prepared for years of legal wrangling - where a child is involved it is not unusual to take ten years or more to resolve as the final effects on development will not be fully apparent until your child has grown up. Also be aware that your child has the right to take a case in his own right up to the age of 21.

[niklepic]

Just to let you know that if you do decide to pursue a claim, it would probably be worthwhile to make a formal complaint first. Because your LO is a minor they should (financially at least) be entitled to Legal Aid in order to pursue a clinical negligence case. However at the moment the Legal Services Commission have a policy that they will not grant a certificate unless you have made a formal complaint and received a response. You should probably also be aware that the NHS will not deal with complaints if you have involved a solicitor.

[Panthro]

Firstly i would like to say that I have no faith in the NHS, GP's or any health care professionals

 

So two medics supposedly get it wrong and you don't trust anyone?

[Emmie1983]

Firstly i would like to say that I have no faith in the NHS, GP's or any health care professionals

 

So two medics supposedly get it wrong and you don't trust anyone?

 

I cant trust anyone, if that seems harsh then i am sorry.

 

My mum died because she had a stomach ulcer that went undiagnosed, and was sent home being told she had a water infection. It burst later that day, she had an op, which was unsuccessful. she then had another operation where they were supposed to remove her whole stomach, (being a long term steroid dependant asthmatic there was no way her body would of been able to repair itself from just a patch up job) They did a patch up job, and her body couldn't repair itself.

She then had an asthma attack, which we told the doctors she would have (her attacks were always associated with her monthly cycle) they didn't increase her medication, then followed massive organ failure and the machines being switched off.

It may seem harsh that i don't trust healthcare professionals, but during the whole time my mum was in hospital 16days, they told us she was getting better, then for them to turn around and say "we don't know what you have heard, but she is never going to get any better" and to hear that at 16 makes me bitter, and untrusting. The doctors admitted that they were negligent, but killing someone has a capped compensation,and all we wanted was for them to admit it was their mistake, and to take better precautions in the future.

With my son, the way i was dismissed as an overprotective mother, and his symptoms dismissed as a virus "couldn't possibly be anything else" I can't trust people who have caused me so much pain, and put my family through so much heartache. If it was you, and your family, im sure you would find it hard to be trusting again.

[Midori]

It does seem odd, a child of that age being twitchy, even if it had been a virus I feel it should have been investigated further.

 

When a very young child gets a virus, and the body temperature soars, siezures can occur, But It Should Have Been Investigated, not dismissed.

[fiyah]

When i was 7 i had a similar experience.

I was having trouble focusing on things like the TV or ppl's faces, i would have to turn my head to the side and look at things from a sideways angle (if you know what i mean, kind of like looking out the corner of my eye)

my mum took me to the doctors who told her that there was nothing wrong with me and i just needed glasses.

My mum took me to an opticians who examined my eyes and said they couldnt see anything wrong with my eyes.

My mum wasnt convinced as i was having terrible headaches and blurred vision so she took me back to the doctors, yet again the doctor told her they couldnt find anything wrong and that i should have a more thorough eye exam.

Once again i was dragged to the opticians who spent ages looking at my eyes and feeling the back of my neck, i dont know to this day what was said to my mum but i remember her driving like a loon from the opticians to our doctors surgery and my mum demanding to see a different doctor.

I was seen by a locum doctor at the surgery who looked in my eyes, got me to try and walk down a straight line, touch my nose with my finger whilst my eyes were closed etc etc

I can still to this day see the doctors face when he turned to mum and said "we can get an ambulance here in 30 mins or you can drive to Burton on Trent hospital yourself in 15, but she needs to goto hospital NOW for an emergency scan"

Needless to say my mum drove and as it turned out i had a tumour on my brain the size of a golf ball which was putting pressure on my brain, i also had a bleed on my brain.

I was taken to Birmingham childrens hospital where i was dealt with by an amazing consultant Dr Green.

I thank that locum doctor everyday that he found out what was wrong with me and dealt with it accordingly.

If the tumour hadnt been discovered when it was i would have been dead within 2 weeks.

I was on anti convulsion drugs for 5 years and had to have yearly check ups until i was 11.

Im now 35 and suffering no ill effects.

Ive spoken to my parents about what happened to me many times and they in no way blame any of the doctors that dealt with me before my final diagnosis.

I myself dont blame anyone, im just grateful that what i had was caught in time and im still alive and have gone on to lead a fulfilling life, even though my tumour could come back and this time it probably wouldnt be operable.

I have no hesitation in taking my son to see the doctor, and yes im an overprotective mum, maybe thats because of what ive been through myself, i dont lay blame and neither do my parents at anyones door.

Symptoms presented could mean a whole catalogue of things and you have to rule one out to get nearer the real problem.

Dont get me wrong that i think doctors do get it wrong sometimes, my grandma went to the doctors with stomach pains, she was told it was in her head, she was diagnosed with a terminal cancer 2 years later and died 2 weeks before i was due to get married so i have every reason to be bitter towards the NHS, but im not.

People might think im a bit daft in the head (well i did have a chunk removed) but im not,im just grateful for the chance ive been given and i dont hold any grudges against the GP's i saw.

[matchstickman]

I would keep a diary of the events and as jacob gets older and the extent to which his brain haemorrhage effects his ability to perform normal daily tasks (read, write, etc.) becomes clear, so too will the likelihood of your possibility to make a successful medical negligence compensation claim

So sorry to hear about your situation and I genuinely hope things turn out the way you wish...

Edited November 10, 2008 by MARTIN3030
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