Need Advice - How to File A Complaint on a Dr

[ccooper]

To make a very long story short, I had an AN removal back in February. Many major things went wrong. They did a retro approach instead of the agreed upon Translab. They said the surgery was a success, full removal, and nobody told me until 8 weeks later that a tumor over 12 mm was left. The tumor ballooned and I had to have a second surgery less than five months later. My plate was coming loose and a screw was popping out causing me a great deal of pain. There were a few other comments the 2nd surgeon made about the mishaps of the first surgery that I won't go into.

After long discussions, I've decided not to seek a legal case but I do not want to just let this slide. So do I A) reach out to the original doctors for some closure. B) just move straight to filing complaints with the medical board?

It's been five months since I've talked with the original doctors and since then I went with another Dr to do my second surgery so I'm not sure they even want to talk to me?

This shouldn't scare any pre op patients. I believe my case it not normal at all and I did have a great recovery. I was back to work within a few weeks after both surgeries and continue to be well.

[nancyann]

I personally think you SHOULD seek legal advice with a lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice.  I don't know how long you have to file in your state, I found out in florida it's 2 years.  Usually malpractice lawyers don't charge unless you win the case, they specialize in this.  I was lied to by my surgeon, I was told my facial nerve was all enmeshed in the tumor and they had no choice but to cut the nerve. I found out 9 years later the tumor lifted easily off the nerve, but it was too late to sue.  Monetary compensation would have given me peace of mind since I deal with the repercussions of facial paralysis on a daily basis.  Best of luck to you

[ANSydney]

There are papers (haven't got them handy at the moment) that say neurosurgeons need to do 50 - 100 acoustic neuroma craniotomies before being proficient. In another paper (again not handy) I read that there are roughly 1 neurosugeon per 100,000 people. ANs occur roughly 1 per 100,000 per annum. So, in a closed system, on average a neurosurgeon sees only 1 AN per year. In Denmark, with a population of only 5.2 million, everyone is sent to a single center.

Expertise, particularly for craniotomies, is paramount