That's OK Leslie, I UNDERSTAND.... TOTALLY of all people, I do understand.
Reason I was checking was that since I lost the use of my rectum and colon from (what was later determined) unneeded sigmoid colon resection and had to have MANY adhesions removed from my small intestine (result of that surgery and from which I had small bowel obstructions for 7 months), and had my ileostomy so I could once again eat, get nutreints, and pass waste, I have been NOT flying. But have been taking, trains, buses, ships to travel. Thankfully, so far, I have had no issues with recurrence of small bowel adhesion obstruction (I wrap on wood as I type this).
What made me leery of flying in terms of fear of flying triggering possible recurrence of small bowel obstruction is that I know in an air plane the air is pressurized to around 7 or 8,ooo feet like being in Denver Colorado. It is not pressurized like being at sea level like where I am used to living. It took me 13 months of seeing 11 docs nation wide before I found one that could save my life from the damages of the (unneeded surgery) until I found the one that did the lysis of small bowel adhesions and the ileostomy made necessary through the first surgery's damages.
One trip I made was out to a large mid-west medical center for testing. I flew out on a medical plane pressurized to sea level as they were aware of my issue. I was fine on that an did not have a small bowel obstruction. However, returning on a commercial airline, I started having pain and symptoms of small bowel obstruction, intestines shutting down. No gas passing, severe pain, intestines dead quiet. When we landed, I do remember miraculously this straightened out. Maybe through the grace of God, I don't know, but it did.
So, I did WANT to return to flying but DON'T think I will because I don't want to mess with "success" so to speak. I never want another small bowel obstruction and want to do all I can to avoid it. So you thought it was the air pressure that sparked your ileus?
Was it ever determined that it was a small bowel obstruction or ileus (the 2 present the same symptoms), but an sbo is mechanical blockage of bowel contents such as an adhesion from the outside of the small bowel. An ileus is an actual shutting down of the intestine. Actual ileus USUALLY happens right after a surgery, not like with you just appearing out of the blue after a flight.
Do you have your medical records, scans, etc from this "adventure" ?
In terms of your possible suit I can tell you if you "qualify". That hospital SURE WAS NEGLIGENT. However, as a result of their negligence, do you have any PERMANENT damage (result of the bleed from the NG tube, their not dealing with it, etc.).
If it could be determined that your myocarditis was CAUSED by the back up of blood in the NG tube etc AND you had lasting effects of the myocarditis, then you would qualify for suit. Was it proven the myocarditis was viral? hmmmmm? remember docs ALL cover for eachother....it's the "Brotherhood" to the max.
The only reason I know all this suit stuff is that I am in the suit process for the original surgery. It takes 2-3 years and is a TON of work. I figured out all the original lack of testing, anatomy, had records reviewed testimony written, etc. That took about
a year. THEn it took 1 year and 11 months to find an atty who KNEW the anatomy. It was an MD, JD, atty and doc all rolled into one person. I had to make a 20 minute presentation, THEN get every scrap of paper ever written about
me by any doc, get amendments made of any doc's record who lied about
me, answer detailed interoggatory questions, and pay money. THough my atty is fabulous and is NOT charging an arm and a leg. WHat cost me outrageous was that prior to finding "real" docs to review my original scan and case, I encountered some "quack" reviewers who charged an arm and a leg.
So at the end of 2 years from now, the thing will either settle or go to trial. If it settles I will be assured of good amount of $. If it goes to trial, it could go either way. Jury could not understand the whole thing and just side with the docs. OR if my atty/dr is a fabulous jury educator (which I think he likely is), then I could get a LOT more.
BUT bottom line is nobody can get me back my body. The 2 original surgeons who did the incomplete testing, test done was misread, they saw in surgery I did not have redundant sigmoid colon, proceeded to remove it anyway, did it wrong, didn't do the leak test, it leaked, did many unneeded unconsented procedures to correct prolapses I did not have or had to a millimeter of a degree, then did no follow-up to complications. WHere they took out my sigmoid colon narrowed in to the diameter of a pencil and I could not pass stool. The surgeon saw it on xray. WHen I asked what he was going to do about
it, he said "nothing time will heal." The idiot actually faxed me 6 times saying he would "Do nothing." He really set himself up.
Turns out these 2 original surgeons had close to a dozen suits on them that the state med board did not admit to when I originally checked them out with the board prior to my surgery. To check out a doc, you actually just go to the civil court clerk's office and ask for copies of suits on the doc. Who the H--- knew to do that? I didn't. AND I did go for 3 opinions prior to having that surgery, they all went by the misread scan report and could not read the actual CD of the scan themselves as they were not radiologists.
So, in the end, even if my suit goes through and it settles; it will not get these 2 out of the OR. I found out that surgeons are not responsible to any governing authority. There is no discipline for repeat offenders. These 2 original surgeons get paid per procedure, my insurer pays for all, it was an easy $2000 for each of them.....and it forever changed my life, almost cost me my life, and still may if I have any complications from the way I had to be fixed. THough, I was extremely lucky to get a doc to fix me up the best that could be done. I made it clear to him that I knew I was severely damaged and was looking for someone to just do what could be done to save me, so I made it clear I wasn't expecting to be put back together. This one doc stepped over the white wall of silence and saved me. He practices medicine for all the RIGHT reasons. This is why I've been traveling ever since.
SO there it in a nutshell of how the suit process goes. Then you need to determine if it would be worth it.
Thanks for answering my question. Hope I could shed some light on the suit process for you. SOmething I never planned to learn, never occurred to me that medicine was so political. Unreal, huh?
Rosemary
Post Edited (esoR) : 9/4/2010 9:33:31 AM (GMT-6)