Unbelievable! Was my reaction to The Oprah Winfrey Show on the horrific tale of a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer and then some.
According to the woman, she was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram, and a biopsy.
She then saw a few specialists who examined her, but could not find her cancerous tumor.
After numerous meetings and discussions with physicians, fearing that the cancer would spread, a team of physicians decided to perform a mastectomy.
A few days later, devastated, but finally trying to cope with her breast lost, she received a phone call from her doctor insisting that she comes in ASAP.
In tears, her doctor announced that she never had cancer.
Turns out, her mammography films and diagnostics were switched with someone else's and no one - including the team of physicians - discovered it until it was too late.
Unbelievable! I would love to say how important it is to get a second opinion, but, since this woman had several and still wound-up with a ghastly reality, my advice here might be redundant! Is this a medical mishap or is it downright delinquency? The former would put a wedge between a medical malpractice and a bunch of physicians going to jail.
The latter, however, will probably be overlooked, because unless it's not a case of the infamous Jack Kevorkian, who assisted in terminating the lives of his ailing patients, all involved will probably get off with a slap on the risk.
Apart from the obvious (a manor lawsuit), what recourse could this poor woman possibly have from this tragic experience? Perhaps, only one, the strength to move forward with her life and use her story as a cautionary tale to other women.
According to the woman, she was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram, and a biopsy.
She then saw a few specialists who examined her, but could not find her cancerous tumor.
After numerous meetings and discussions with physicians, fearing that the cancer would spread, a team of physicians decided to perform a mastectomy.
A few days later, devastated, but finally trying to cope with her breast lost, she received a phone call from her doctor insisting that she comes in ASAP.
In tears, her doctor announced that she never had cancer.
Turns out, her mammography films and diagnostics were switched with someone else's and no one - including the team of physicians - discovered it until it was too late.
Unbelievable! I would love to say how important it is to get a second opinion, but, since this woman had several and still wound-up with a ghastly reality, my advice here might be redundant! Is this a medical mishap or is it downright delinquency? The former would put a wedge between a medical malpractice and a bunch of physicians going to jail.
The latter, however, will probably be overlooked, because unless it's not a case of the infamous Jack Kevorkian, who assisted in terminating the lives of his ailing patients, all involved will probably get off with a slap on the risk.
Apart from the obvious (a manor lawsuit), what recourse could this poor woman possibly have from this tragic experience? Perhaps, only one, the strength to move forward with her life and use her story as a cautionary tale to other women.