Your life depends on the surgeon you pick, so make sure you investigate their past for malpractice.
Many years ago I had a hernia operation consultation. The surgeon had a posh corner office in the hospital and looked like he knew what he was doing. I had no concerns at all about him, and it looked like I was working with a true professional.
During the consultation, I pointed out the hernia and the doctor said he felt it. He marked it on my belly and told me to come back for the already scheduled surgery. When I went into the surgery, I was confident that he was going to fix the hernia.
When I woke up from the operation however, the doctor told me that he couldn't find it. I had gone through a major surgery and incurred a huge bill for nothing. I was very unhappy and looked into suing.
Lawyers told me the case wasn't worth it though since so little money was involved and I was not gravely harmed in the process. I still owed the surgeon for the surgery, and I didn't even get the problem fixed.
My experience was minor compared to my spouse's.
A few years ago my wife needed back surgery. She was recommended to a surgical center that her pain management doctor owned. That should have been our first clue things were not going to go well.
The surgeon made multiple mistakes and ended up harming my wife's main left leg nerve. She went into the surgery with no leg problem at all, and she came out of it with severe nerve pain and permanent damage.
After being harmed by the surgeon, we found out he had been sued twice before for malpractice. No one told us though, and we didn't look it up. My wife's damages probably would have been avoided if we had investigated the surgeon's past.
Look up the surgeon's civil court records in the county they work within. You can also speak with malpractice attorneys in your area, but they will usually be tight lipped about past cases. However, they may tell you, "avoid that person." For the best and most thorough investigation, consider hiring a private investigator.
Simple, yet priceless reminder @finnian. Something we often overlook while assuming all surgeons are created equal - they're not. I'm very sorry to hear about you and your wife's mishap with surgery. We never think about it happening to ourselves, but when it happens to those we love it becomes very plain to see.
Before my son was born, at 22 weeks gestational actually, we found out that he had a congenital heart defect. We live near Johns Hopkins hospital (Maryland) and we never allowed our locale to determine the care we would seek. We went Phildelphia, to C.H.O.P., met with the surgical team and then to Boston Children's Hospital to meet their surgical team.
We finally found a team, that we had extensively researched, in Boston Children's Hospital. They had the best numbers by comparison, hands down, for the procedure my son would face at only 6 days old. It matters. It truly matters who the surgical team is. They were the most confident of the three teams we had met and they had the best track record. They were also optimistic - which is important when the odds are not at all in your favor.
My son is almost 4 and has undergone 3 open-heart surgeries. Each performed at Boston Children's Hospital, where he was born. An incredible place my friend. Three successful operations and one very strong boy. It's a blessing to have found the best surgeons in the world for the problem. It truly makes all the difference.
Strength and Health in abundance to you and yours buddy!!!
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I am VERY thankful that your experience was a good one. It sounds like you did a lot of research. For my wife's back surgery, she got a few opinions. We just didn't look into the surgeon's backgrounds much. I'll always regret not doing it. Hopefully this tip will help people avoid the problems we had and help them have a positive experience as you did!
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Yes, very thankful @finnian! It was a blessing to have had some time to first learn about the condition, then identify the surgical teams that had the most cases AND highest success rate.
Your words are wise - it really can make a large impact if more people decided to heed your advice. I never realized how much of a difference it can make until I saw the results. I'm fortunate to have positive results. I also feel for you, your wife, and others that have had negative experiences. Don't blame yourself, take comfort in the fact that you might spare many people misfortune with your message.
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