Second Opinion...

[neonlyte]

The continuing saga of my well documented health problems...

The best advice I've received this week?

- 'Sorry, Mr Xxxxxx, have you considered legal action?'

- This in relation to Lyme Disease. A file of letters has now come to light confirming my Consultant Neurologist knew I had Lyme Disease a full nine months before he communicated the information to my Family Doctor. He was in dispute over payment with my medical insurer and withheld client information until the dispute was settled. By that time, my Lyme had moved from easily treatable to severe complication to treat. Latest IDSA guidelines (May 2007) caution against secondary antibiotic treatment as the risk of adverse reaction increases from 1 in 23 to 1 in 3 for some patients and since I had an adverse reaction last year, the medics are not prepared to continue treatment. I'm getting a second opinion tomorrow, medical and legal.

 

[Guest]

Damn.

 

[impressive]

The continuing saga of my well documented health problems...

The best advice I've received this week?

- 'Sorry, Mr Xxxxxx, have you considered legal action?'

- This in relation to Lyme Disease. A file of letters has now come to light confirming my Consultant Neurologist knew I had Lyme Disease a full nine months before he communicated the information to my Family Doctor. He was in dispute over payment with my medical insurer and withheld client information until the dispute was settled. By that time, my Lyme had moved from easily treatable to severe complication to treat. Latest IDSA guidelines (May 2007) caution against secondary antibiotic treatment as the risk of adverse reaction increases from 1 in 23 to 1 in 3 for some patients and since I had an adverse reaction last year, the medics are not prepared to continue treatment. I'm getting a second opinion tomorrow, medical and legal.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Damn, Neon,

 

[Edward Teach]

The continuing saga of my well documented health problems...

The best advice I've received this week?

- 'Sorry, Mr Xxxxxx, have you considered legal action?'

- This in relation to Lyme Disease. A file of letters has now come to light confirming my Consultant Neurologist knew I had Lyme Disease a full nine months before he communicated the information to my Family Doctor. He was in dispute over payment with my medical insurer and withheld client information until the dispute was settled. By that time, my Lyme had moved from easily treatable to severe complication to treat. Latest IDSA guidelines (May 2007) caution against secondary antibiotic treatment as the risk of adverse reaction increases from 1 in 23 to 1 in 3 for some patients and since I had an adverse reaction last year, the medics are not prepared to continue treatment. I'm getting a second opinion tomorrow, medical and legal.

Hope everything works out well, neon.

You know, withholding information like that may be a criminal offense. If it isn't it ought to be.

And I hope you get a truck load of money suing the son-of-a-bitch.

Ed

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Damn.

Indeed.

I wish you luck with the doctors and lawyers.

 

[neonlyte]

Thanks you guys.

Not that easy to sue in UK, Ed though it ought to be for something like this. I've just finished documenting events to send to a medical lawyer in the morning. I'll know tomorrow if I have a case. Meanwhile, I'll know the result tomorrow of a medical conference between the doctors currently treating me, if they decide to treat me it will be under hospital supervision for 4 - 6 weeks, my wife and I are not sure it is worth the risk after last years scare. Without treatment the likelyhood is I'll degenerate with crippling arthritis, it's already evident in my left hand and knees. After the first injection last year, I stopped breathing... I think you can get away with that once.

 

[jomar]

Doctors first duty is to do no harm. I can't even imagine it's legal to withholding critical medical information while a legal dispute is resolved has to be both unethical and illegal. Unfortunately, you may have a good liability case. Best of luck.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

 

[Just-Legal]

Neon. I'm here if you need me.

 

[rgraham666]

Damn neon. I sure hope you do have a legal option. That behaviour is absolutely and completely unethical.

Sending strength and healing vibes your way.

 

[glynndah]

 

[MagicaPractica]

I don't know much about Lyme Disease other then what I've read about it in the last part of Amy Tan's memoir, The Oppositte of Fate, but I wish you well and hope that you can find something medically that makes matters better even if it can't fix everything, as she did. Good luck.

ETA:

If you're interested, here is her story ~ http://www.amytan.net/LymeDisease.aspx with a couple links at the bottom that you're probably already aware of. She too, had a long wait before starting treatment and mentions an adverse reaction to the antibiotics.

 

[buxxxom]

Wishing you the strength to overcome whatever comes along, be it legal hassles or medical ones.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

*Hugs*

Good luck! My thoughts are with you and I truly hope you are able to get some restitution for all you've been through and all you and your family will go through in the future.

 

[amicus]

Good luck Neon....wife of the owner of a radio station I managed was under treatment for Lymes disease, dunno if state side research and treatment offers anything better than UK, but it might be worth a look.

Keep your chin up.

amicus

 

[The_Fool]

Best of luck compadre. You are in my thoughts.

 

[cloudy]

Hope everything works out well, neon.

You know, withholding information like that may be a criminal offense. If it isn't it ought to be.

And I hope you get a truck load of money suing the son-of-a-bitch.

Ed

What he said.

I'm so sorry, Will.

Isn't the first line of the hippocratic oath "first, do no harm"? That doctor ought to lose his license.

 

[bluebell]

Neon

 

[carsonshepherd]

Be well, my friend. And get that doctor.

(My father died of asbestos-related lung cancer at age 42. Though it did nothing for our loss, I at least felt a sense of justice when class-action law suits sent many of the asbestos manufacturers into financial ruin. They - and anyone else who intentionally harms people - should have to pay for what they've done, financially and with their souls. They will get theirs.)

 

[neonlyte]

Thank you. All of you, I can't easily explain how comforting it is to have and hold your support and encouragement.

Amy Tan's story helped wake a lot of professionals to the danger of Lyme, our own family medical advisors made it their business to be informed despite the rarity of the illness in UK.

The irony in all of this is that we knew I had Lyme, we didn't need a neurological consultant to confirm its presence. My wife contracted Lyme the year before me, we knew exactly what the symptoms and treatment were and she was treated immediately through our family doctor and has suffered no long term effect. When my symptoms appeared a year later, we collectively tried to dispell the idea it might be Lyme, the betting odds against two members of the same family contracting the disease in subsequent years were huge. When medical investigation started, they immediately discovered asbestosis and it took three months of worry before that was finally confirmed to be benign. During that three month, many of the initial symptoms of Lyme subsided. My family and I were so relieved that I didn't have a malignant version of asbestosis that we too took our 'eye off the ball' accepting the neurologists platitudes that my illness must be something other than Lyme. Yet in the very first letter he wrote on my case, curiously written to my asbestosis / chest consultant rather than my family doctor (WTF???) he describes all of the Lyme symptoms in classical detail and ends the letter with, 'I believe this patient has Lyme and I've order blood analysis to confirm.'

Someone mentioned differences in UK and USA treatment. Virtually all Lyme treatment policy - including much of Europe - comes USA coordinated by Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) who examine and compare worldwide trials, tests and studies on Lyme and issue clinical guidelines. There are wide and distinct variations in Lyme type with clear specific treatments for individual sub-classes. Lyme remains, for the moment, one of the diseases for which treatment commences upon visual evidence rather than medical analysis. IDSA's standing clinical guidelines since 2000 require immediate antibiotic treatment upon visual evidence of the tell-tale Lyme rash signifying a tick bite.

I will update later when I know more.

 

[feeeriek]

 

[Chantilyvamp]

*hugs* The person withoholding the information should be tarred and feathered. Peoples lives should come first and they can dispute the bloody bill later. *sighs*

All my thought and good vibes hon.

 

[English Lady]

Oh Neon, you're not half going through it, love *hugs*

I'll keep you in my prayers and I hope you get what you need.

 

[Liar]

You know, withholding information like that may be a criminal offense. If it isn't it ought to be.

In many places, the law is crystal clear: Whitholding information from an adult patient is strictly illegal. You might have the right to refuse to treat him if you don't get financial issues resolved, but if you have medical data, you MUST share them, so the patient at least can take his business elsewhere.

And I hope you get a truck load of money suing the son-of-a-bitch.

Money or not, that guy seems unfil to do the job. I hope he lose the license.


Best of luck, neon.