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Man Sues Hospital..
Second Opinions FTW!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...ll/6615351.stm A man who spent his life's savings after learning that he had terminal cancer is seeking compensation from a hospital after his diagnosis changed. John Brandrick from Newquay was first told by Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske that he had pancreatic cancer and later diagnosed with pancreatitis. The 62-year-old said after "living life to the full" he risks losing his home. The Royal Cornwall Hospital's NHS Trust sympathised with him but said there was "no clear evidence of negligence". Mr Brandrick said his life had been turned "upside-down" as a result of the new diagnosis of pancreatitis, an inflamation of the pancreas. If they have made the wrong decision they should pay me something back. "I was told certainly, by the doctor, that I had cancer and from that day I lived life in full. "I was told I had limited time to live. I got rid of everything - my car, my clothes, everything." He said he would be seeking an out-of-court settlement as he did not want to pay solicitors' fees. A spokesman for the Royal Cornwall Hospital's NHS Trust said the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was based on the outcome of a series of investigations and the symptoms that Mr Brandrick was experiencing early in 2005. He said: "Whilst we do sympathise with Mr Brandrick's position, clinical review of his case has not revealed that any different diagnosis would have been made at the time based on the same evidence. "The NHS Litigation Authority has agreed that there is no clear evidence of negligence in Mr Brandrick's treatment." "I'm really pleased that I've got a second chance in life... but if you haven't got no money after all this, which is my fault -- I spent it all -- they should pay something back." |
Sad part is, he'll probably get something just to shut him up (other than the kick in the ass he deserves for being a dumass)
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correct me if im wrong, but that wasnt in the US, was it? i saw no US location. every location i saw was in europe. "Cornwall, west of England"
youd think at 62, hed have learned the value of second opinions and responsibility. hospitals arent God, they cant tell you how long you have to live. they have only educated guesses. any decision you make based on one of those educated guesses is just that -- your decision. if i represented the hospital, id be sorely tempted to offer the quote "We sincerely apologise for any miscommunication which occurred. It should go without saying that any estimate on the remaining life of a patient is NOT a guarantee." |
Originally Posted by jwakamud
correct me if im wrong, but that wasnt in the US, was it? i saw no US location. every location i saw was in europe. "Cornwall, west of England"
youd think at 62, hed have learned the value of second opinions and responsibility. hospitals arent God, they cant tell you how long you have to live. they have only educated guesses. any decision you make based on one of those educated guesses is just that -- your decision. if i represented the hospital, id be sorely tempted to offer the quote "We sincerely apologise for any miscommunication which occurred. It should go without saying that any estimate on the remaining life of a patient is NOT a guarantee." |
Originally Posted by BonneMeMN
Yeah it's not US, but we kinda lead the world this this kinda crap thinking..
and we might have more of the cases than the rest of the world -- but that doesnt mean we are the cause of the thinking. that means that we provide the outlet and publicize it more than other countries. but theres a huge difference between providing the outlet and being the cause of the way of thinking. we do the former, but we are NOT the latter. its just from being human. |
There are no guarantees in life but frankly, I feel for the guy. Receiving news of cancer is devastating even when there are reasonable odds for a cure. I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with pancreatic cancer but it has an enormous mortality rate. This in itself was probably a big factor in his decision to live what life he felt he had left. I'm not suggesting any error on the part of the hospital or physician. I don't doubt this was the diagnosis they believed to be correct. Most people, most of the time put complete or near complete faith in the medical community. We aren't a society of doubting everything we're told until getting a "second opinion" (although I do support asking questions and seeking additional advice when necessarty). It's quite possible he did receive a second opinion.
People who are on the receiving end of such a diagnosis are often lost and and don't know what to do next. Now they must believe and trust in what others say even more. This man goes out, tries to enjoy what time he believes he has left, takes care of his affairs and 'SURPRISE', isn't expected to die after all (at least not anytime soon). Now he has little or nothing to carry on with. Possibly not even enough to survive day to day. So who's at fault? I think this is a shared responsibility. My comments and opinion are based soley on the information seen in the release earlier in the thread. Having access to more facts from both sides may alter my viewpoint. |
I do agree, it really sucks what happened to him, but he did everything else on his own accord. Would I be in shock? Of course, would I try to live out life as much as possible? sure.
and jwakamud, I do believe that there are plenty of good people out there as well, but suing McD's because you got fat IMHO is pretty bad. My favorite is the one where the excessively large lady sued a city in Ohio because the forklift they needed to get her into the ambulance for a trip to the hospital wasn't fast enough for a 911 call. I guess I just think some people need to be more responsible for themselves. :? I guess I went to high school in a town where some kids would total out cars, only to have their parents get them another brand new car, etc... |
Originally Posted by BonneMeMN
...I guess I just think some people need to be more responsible for themselves. :? I guess I went to high school in a town where some kids would total out cars, only to have their parents get them another brand new car, etc...
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I don't see how long it was between diagnosis's (diagnosii?). That would certainly adjust how I feel about what happened. If he went out and ditched everything right away, he's an idiot. if it were a year or two, still not the brightest bulb on the tree, but not as bad
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Damn doctors and their guesswork. :roll:
Seriously though, I agree with you John. I want to know how long this guy spent every last penny. I can't imagine it was that long though, since pancreatic caner under most circumstances would mean he'd only have a few short months to live. If I lived for a couple years after being diagnosed with it I'd probably be a little curious why I wasn't dead yet, in all honesty. Something tells me this guy really lived it up. :lol: I laugh because he's still alive...but I DO feel sorry for him. Not everyone would have done what he did to that extent, and it's a shame he's now in a tough place with little left. I wonder how they would diagnose someone with pancreatic cancer unless they were sure there was a tumor. I guess what they thought was a tumor was something else. :? Probably did other tests that may have confused the two. |
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