Need Opinions Of Any Pathologist,doctors,or Christians

I just got out the hospital yesterday,last wed I had a ultrasound guided needle biopsy done on a cyst on my thyroid.The doctor goes through the outside of your neck with a needle to stab the cyst inside a few times to get a good sample for the pathologist to examine to determine whether its cancer.So thursday nite my doctor calls me at home to tell me the pathologist is sure its cancer,doctor says I need to have my complete thyroid taken out and I should be fine after that,99percent survival rate.So I have the surgery thursday,they cut me open,doctor cuts out the cyst,they take it for another cancer test why I'm on the table,it test fine,non cancerous,doctor says wtf? finds another nodule{cyst} on the other side of thyroid and cuts it out and test it,its fine also,so he sews me up and leaves some of my thyroid,which is good,I shouldnt have to be on thyroid medication for the rest of my life.So upon waking up from surgery and finding out there was no cancer,my immediate reaction is anger.My insurance sucks and most of this expense will be out of pocket and thats a lot of money to me.The doctor says he's never had this happen to him,when the pathologist was so sure it was cancer and it wasnt,apparently its not like a pregnancy test where its either yes or no,its like an educated guess,so I guess I want to know how you guys feel about this,in some way I feel like I got screwed and wonder should I get a lawyer to see if i can get out of paying these bills{I know thats a bad reaction,this stuff probably happens all the time}my christian friends say it might have been a minor miracle because of all the people I had praying for me,I guess I should be thankful everything turned out alright and pay the bills the best I canI would say that if you thought the physician was acting in what he thought was your best interest, then don't pursue a malpractice suit. However, if in your best estimation there were other factors that were contributing to his decision outside of being in your best interest, then you have every moral right to file suit for malpractice.

I would say that if you thought the physician was acting in what he thought was your best interest, then don't pursue a malpractice suit. However, if in your best estimation there were other factors that were contributing to his decision outside of being in your best interest, then you have every moral right to file suit for malpractice.

I'm not mad at the doctor because i do think he was led to believe it was cancer,I'm mad about the misdiagnosis of the lab work,If I did decide to contact a lawyer It wouldnt be about trying to make money out of the situation,just getting the bills paid,but I dont know if any lawyers would want to take a case like that,they want to get the money

You need to talk with the hospital and whoever is going to try and collect these medical fees. If no one seems to care and if the hospital blames the lab and the lab won't talk to you then you are going to have to hire an attorney. You obviously don't want the kind of attorney who is looking for a big payday. You want the other type. The kind that actually is dedicated to protecting people just like you. Try something called Public Citizen which is a medical malpractice watchdog. It's a National non-profit public interest organization. Write them an email and they can probably get you some really helpful advice. I just checked and the Texas office is in Austin. The number is (512) 477-1155. If this doesn't work keep looking online for free legal advice in your area. You will find someone who can help you.

You need to talk with the hospital and whoever is going to try and collect these medical fees. If no one seems to care and if the hospital blames the lab and the lab won't talk to you then you are going to have to hire an attorney. You obviously don't want the kind of attorney who is looking for a big payday. You want the other type. The kind that actually is dedicated to protecting people just like you. Try something called Public Citizen which is a medical malpractice watchdog. It's a National non-profit public interest organization. Write them an email and they can probably get you some really helpful advice. I just checked and the Texas office is in Austin. The number is (512) 477-1155. If this doesn't work keep looking online for free legal advice in your area. You will find someone who can help you.

thanks for the advice

I'd say be thankful about not having cancer and tell them you aren't payiong a dime. As for damages...you didn't have cancer...you're no worse for wear(it seems)...move on and take the high road. Seeking damages would seem greedy to me in this case.

I'd say be thankful about not having cancer and tell them you aren't payiong a dime. As for damages...you didn't have cancer...you're no worse for wear(it seems)...move on and take the high road. Seeking damages would seem greedy to me in this case.

your right,seeking damages does seem greedy,I'm not looking for damages,but just telling them"I'm not paying a dime" is not going to work either,theyre not going to say,were sorry,you dont need to pay us

i would ABSOLUTELY contact a lawyer who specializes in medical malpratice to at least see what your options are. I'd also go to a couple other doctors and make sure they didn't cause undo harm in fixing what, apparently, wasn't broken.

If you do get a lawyer just to seek a no payment case, his fees would be paid by the doc/lab insurance more than likely. Try to find a christain lawyer who will be in tune with your moral beliefs and intentions right on target. Good luck and I hope the new tests come back negative as well.

yeah, the big thing is to make sure, going forward, you're not going to have issues due to what was done. cause if you find out in 5-10years this episode is going to cause you to have to take expensive daily medication, you're kinda screwed.

this stuff happens, and hopefully nothing was done maliciously, but you've really got to make sure you cover your bases now so this doesn't bite you hard later on, just in case things do go south.

you also need to see how this will affect your life insurance rates, health insurance rates (if you have/use health insurance), etc. cause that also needs to be factored in. I hope i haven't come off the wrong way, but it's really important you make sure you know EVERYTHING that could be wrong or could possibly go wrong in the future, and what its costs are going to be. If you settle now for current expenses and forget about insurance rates or end up having complications later, you're the one that'll be paying for someone else's mistakes, however benign or well-intentioned they may have been.

I just spoke with my dad who use to be a hospital laboratory director about what he thought would happen if the hospital were sued for damages resulting from a situation like yours. He said basically that a pathologist can not ever guarantee with absolute certainty that cells are cancerous. It's always opinion based and that the doctor should have conveyed to you that the diagnosis was a "best guess" based on what the pathologist sees. Most of the time they are right but it's not uncommon for this to happen.
In a nutshell, he's not sure but feels that you may lose out on the case so definitely clear it with your legal council about what you will have to pay regardless of the outcome.