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1274514 tn?1277057923

ruptured appendix

Last year I had to go to the hospital cause of my appendix's ... first doctor ...he done laser surgery but couldn't do it that way so he cut me open ... they ruptured when he done that .. he then stapled me up and I stayed stapled up for 2 or 3 days ... by then another doctor had taken over cause the first doctor went on vacation ... by then infection was draining out of the wound soaking my bed up ..the doctor then open my wound back up and said wounds like that was supposed to been left open ... the infection spread to my pelvic area, had abceses on my pelvic area and spread behind my lungs .. I had to be transported to another hospital where they done major lung surgery ... in all  i spent nearly 3 months in the hospital and nearly died they gave me 40% chance of living ...do you think I can sue the first doctor for not leaving the wound open like the second doctor said
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Avatar universal
No, I do not believe you can sue your first doctor.  I believe you may have misunderstood your second doctor when he said, "wounds like that was supposed to be left open," which sounds more to me like he was explaining how come he had to open the wound to let it drain.  When initially the appendix is removed, it is supposed to be sewn up/stapled and bandaged.  The whole point of closing the wound is to keep bacteria out of there.  Sometimes an infection can develop despite sterile surgical procedures, cleaning the site before closing, and post-op wound care.  And if you get an infection, in which case it will weep and seep like yours did, the wound has to be reopened so it can be cleaned out and drained, which your second doc did when he took over the case.  See, could be when the first doc left, your wound was doing fine, but overnight it may have burst thru, so when your second doc arrived, your wound had gone haywire.  

But you could ask that second doctor what he really meant about the "open wound" thing, hunt around for him on your records and see can you talk to him.  Also, it's possible that when the first doc went in laproscopically (you said laser), which is "closed" surgery thru little incisions at the side, and they saw that the appendix was in bad shape, they switched to open surgery, and removed a ruptured appendix...and ruptured appendixes have a significantly higher percentage of complications than a regular appendix, it's just the way it goes.  So, what happened to you after it was all over with can indeed happen to people with an appendicitis, including a chance of dying.

If you cannot find the second doctor to talk to about this open wound thing, find a gastroenterology surgeon and make an appointment with him, simply as a private consult with you.  Tell him what you're telling us.  See what he says.  I think he will put to rest this idea of suing the first doc.  One thing that might help you, if you're thinking of suing to pay for some bills that you cannot pay, is to try to remember WHEN the wound began to run and drip all over your bed.  If it was doing that the entire time after the surgery, you might could also inquire of the consult gastro surgeon if the intensive care unit should have taken better care of your wound and/or alerted the attending doc.  But if it did not start draining out infection until the day the second doc took over, then intensive care folks did nothing wrong either.  Just ask everything on your mind of this independent gastro surgeon you pick to meet with.  I'm just sharing my layperson's general knowledge of appendicitis and wounds.

I hope you are recuperating well from everything that has happened to you!  This is why folks always say right off the bat that if you feel bad pain in your lower right abdomen, it is an emergency and you must go to the hospital right away.  Appendicitis can be fatal, you see, so the fact that you wound up with a major infection (one of the risks of appendectomy surgery), is not surprising, however unfortunate it might have turned out.  Gosh, three months in a hospital, I know you were glad to get out of there!  I hope you are able to breathe well enough.  And I hope your insurance is covering your health care.  I just guessed you might be suing over that.  If they are not covering all your bills, you can get assistance from a number of resources, like your state's Department of Social Services, your county's Health Department, the hospitals themselves, and groups like the Salvation Army, at least one of those groups can either help you financially, or can steer you to the right place, at the very least.
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1274514 tn?1277057923
thank you
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