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Steroid Injection Into Undiagnosed Staph Infection

14 months ago (March 2011), a podiatrist injected steroids into my staph infection, assuming without a blood test, that it was gout. Then he sent me for a blood test, no gout/uric acid, was a staph infection. 29 hours after the injection, I was in emergency and had 3 operations over 10 days to stop the raging, steroid infused staph infection.
It's still a total mess, discoloration, constant pain and swelling in ankle and foot, deformity (big toe has turned sideways and is under the next two toes), and it's only getting worse.

Do I have legal recourse?
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Avatar universal
My husband got MRSA from a shot to his knee.  Is there anything he can do?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had a terrible experience with MRSA too.
About 18 months ago I noticed a small clear blister on my calf. The next day the surrounding skin was red, about 4 inches diameter. I called my doctor's office and the receptionist was very rude and said "If it's that bad go to the ER" and made me feel like I was being silly. The next morning I awoke and couldn't walk, and my entire lower leg was red and swollen from knee to ankle, front and back, with stuff coming out every time I tried to take a step. I called same doctor's office, a different receptionist was very nice and said "Come on in." the doctor put a shot of something in it and did something to it, took a specimen, then packed it. He prescribed antibiotics.,I was told to come back in a week. I went back and they had the results back. It was MRSA. He looked at my leg, cut a hunk the size of a softball out of my calf (his words), packed it, sent me home with percocets and stronger antibiotics. That evening I ended up in an ambulance vomiting all the way to the hospital. Two weeks later I was in the ER again with a secondary infection.

I went through a lot, still, I was so much more fortunate than you. Although it still hurts, my damage was mostly cosmetic. It sound vain compaired to you, but I dont wear shorts in the summer now because of this.

I thought about sueing because if the had bothered to look at the lab results when he first got them and called me, it wouldn't have gone so far.

Good luck with your leg. It sounds like what happened to me times 10. I really feel terrible for you.

Good luck with the court case. You deserve compensation.
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Avatar universal
I had the same experience. I had 8 eight surgery after that injection with cortisone. The injection was not sterile.  My ankle was not infected. I had the steroid injection with cortisone , because I had a ankle fracture and 3 operation. My ankle has 11 operation. I am walking only with orthopedic shoes. This was happened 7 years ago. Contact me.
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Avatar universal
Yes, I would settle for a decent lump sum and focus on therapy or surgery or whatever is required to get it back to normal. I can walk but not without constant pain and limping. Closure would be nice but I would sure like to hear from someone out there who has gone through a similar situation. This CAN'T be the first time this has ever happened.
Helpful - 0
1415174 tn?1453243103
COMMUNITY LEADER
That is really terrible. Wow a whole year on antibiotics. Well MRSA is really hard to treat. I don't see how he could miss that. It looks worse than a regular Staph infection. Would you settle if they gave you a good sum  or take it all the way? Can you walk? I'm sure you would rather have had a good outcome then money but I hope you can at least compensation to help with everything.   I had a Physical therapist injure me and 3 years later I still am weak in my left leg and still have back pain. It was nothing to start with before I went to him, just a strain. I don't  have anyway to really prove it except verbal, my word agaisnt his that he did manual manipulation on the wrong side. It is hard to be stuck here at home because of a jerk. I can't cross my left leg or dress myself now either because of the bending and so forth. Another doctor in the ER set my fractured finger wrong and to have it rebroken and reset. I know these are not as bad as yours I'm just staying there are a lot of gross negligence and bad practitioners out there. I don't know. Well, try to take it easy and I hope this court case doesn't stress you too much. Maybe it will help bring some kind of closure I hope.
mkh9
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have a stack of records 6 inches high and before and after MRI's documenting the damage. It took 12 months of antibiotics and my vegetarian lifestyle to finally get the MRSA out of my body.

I had 15 doctors at the hospital (at lease that's how many send me bills), all unrelated to the podiatrist who did the injection.
Helpful - 0
1415174 tn?1453243103
COMMUNITY LEADER
Oh yes I see. It really does sound very solid. So very sorryt his happened to you. They are not supposed to wrap a steroid to start with. On top of injecting through a Staph infection and everything else. I hope you keep good records.  I hope you recover though. Sounds really terrible. Did a different doctor do the surgeries to try to save the leg.
mkh9
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
This is steroids directly into a living staph infection, wrapped tight for 29 hours (restricting all blood flow and concentrating the steroid/staph mix) until it was an enormous swelling that required 3 emergency operations to "save the leg". Damage is permanent and extreme. To me this is a rock solid malpractice case.
Helpful - 0
1415174 tn?1453243103
COMMUNITY LEADER
Well, I think you could go to court but most doctors win. I had the opposite case where I went to my GP and was treated with two antibiotics for an infection because my toe was swollen and the nail was poking me.When I went to the podiatrist he said it wasn't an infection it was a paronechia (nail digging into the skin). The podiatrist was right. So, I could have gotten a secondary infection but trying to sue for that wouldn't work either. I hope they have you on antibiotics? You might want to talk to a infectious disease specialist to get your health back.
Helpful - 0
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