You may be one of those people who seeks medical advice whenever something doesn’t feel right. On the other hand, you may frustrate your family by avoiding the doctor at all costs. In either case, if your confusing and persistent symptoms found you sitting on an examining room table, you were probably hoping for answers and advice.
While you may understand that diagnosing someone’s medical condition is often a process of elimination, it can still be frustrating when you do not get well despite following your doctor’s treatment plan. You are not alone if you begin to worry that your doctor has made a wrong diagnosis. Misdiagnoses are among the most common reasons for medical malpractice claims in New York and across the country.
Did my doctor make a mistake?
It may be easy to shrug it off and say that you must simply have an unusual biology that resists your doctor’s cure. However, if something is seriously wrong, the illness may continue to worsen. It is not uncommon for misdiagnosed patients to suffer irreparable damage or to become ill past the point of help while continuing with a prescribed regimen that is inappropriate for their condition. But how do you know your doctor got it wrong? Some signs that your doctor may have misdiagnosed you include the following:
- You are not getting better or continue to get worse despite following doctor’s orders.
- You sought a second opinion, and the result was different from your doctor’s diagnosis.
- Your doctor sticks with a diagnosis even when there are other illnesses with similar symptoms.
- Your doctor did not run the tests that would rule out other ailments.
- Your doctor did not do a physical exam during your appointment.
- Your doctor did not seem interested in listening to your symptoms or concerns.
- The medical staff did not take a complete family or medical history, or your doctor never asked about it.
The road to misdiagnosis often takes place within the first few moments of your visit. If no one asks about your personal history, recent surgeries, prescriptions, allergies and other concerns, critical information is missing from the diagnostic process. Additionally, while many doctors’ are busy, this is no excuse if your medical provider failed to give you his or her full attention, which resulted in a misdiagnosis that left you suffering. If this is your situation, you have a right to seek legal advice about your options.