Just Bad Luck or Doctor Error
I just received a call from my cousin sister, I was both frustrated and dishearten. My cousin was operated again, it is the 6th within 2 weeks and I just visited him last Wed.
My cousin was diagnosed of brain tumor around 2 years ago; doctor said it could have been developed during his younger day. Btw, he will be just 32 this Dec. Well, the doctors said they cannot get rid of it cos it stuck to other brain tissues (fair enough) and they resolved by draining away the liquid in the tumor. They call it a "successful operation" but left my cousin paralyses by the left side of the body. We are quite unhappy of the outcome, the doctor just said we have succeeded; the tumor will not grow for now. (Ya right, you called it successful) My cousin since then took a painful 2 years to recover only able to walk a bit more normally but left hand still have no strength to hold or either control it, his speech is also less smooth than before.
We are happy for his recovery he attained for the two years. He quit a lot of bad habits, stay positive to treatment like traditional medicine and he really into Buddhism. About a month plus ago, he is readmitted to hospital because the tumor start to grow again. According to my cousin sister the reason why my cousin is hospitalized for a long time is because the doctor are not confident to operate on his tumor. After 2 to 3 weeks of been hospitalized, the doctors decided to resolve using the same solution (to drain the extra liquid in the tumor) but this time to lay a tube from his brain to his lung to expel the excess water from the tumor.
However, my cousin must be in bad luck, the tube got stuck some how, and the doctor has to do the 3rd ops to take it out. And later the 4th ops to put it back to lung again. If you are a normal person, going thru 4 ops with a month, you should count yourself strong and lucky.
The irony is that my cousin uncle and aunt are not pre informed about the 3rd and 4th ops cos according to the doctors, it's just small ops; only need consent from my cousin. I visited him last Wed, he look so thin and botak like a new recruit. Relived that he is recovering and thought that is the end of his suffering.
Last Sat, I was very surprise to hear from my cousin sister visiting my cousin only to know that he is operated for the 5th time to take out the tube due to excess water in lung. Later Sun, yet another ops; this time to drain the water directly from the brain. Today, the 7th ops to remove access water in lung. My cousin now suffer from lung inflammation, excess water in lung, lack of oxygen need to be on ventilation, and his kidney has some issues. (The doctor was force to acknowledge my cousin's kidney "malfunction" only after he cannot find any excuse to forbid us feeding our cousin with Chinese medicine, the doctor in charge has earlier agree to let us feed our cousin with Chinese medicine on Monday) When ask when the kidney failure arises, the doctor replied that he have inform my cousin, but when confront with my cousin, my cousin recalled the doctor only said that his kidney has "some little issue", not kidney failure as told by the doctor to us. That doctor was speechless at that point.
At this very point, I felt that the hospital or doctor could have properly advised my uncle and aunt about my cousin condition. Going thru so many ops within a short period of time is really too much even for a health person. My cousin weak condition is a result going thru so many "trial ops". Inflammation and disease infection is just a matter of time as our body weak after every ops. Although I am medical trained, the operation may sound logical but looking the way the ops were done, even a layman knows sometime is not right and the patient must be running into a lot of bad luck. I felt that the way the consent was asked for the ops without obtaining or informing the relative of the patient is just not right. Doctor trying to "hide" issues and little was inform to patient (I can understand that, as not to let the patient worries) but not informing relatives about his condition is just not that good.
Is my cousin running to bad luck or doctor overlook the management of sickness? I guess the doctor can advise better as they are the experts. My cousin is just bad luck? Logically Yes, Scientifically No. (Good & Bad Luck never exist in Science)
the patient or the family of the patient could have sought 2nd opinion from another doctor/hospital on the doctor's diagnosis before he went for any operation. however, i dun think any person can endure the pain or strong enough to undergo 6 noperations within 2 weeks. The family might want to seek legal advice whether the doctor/hospital can be sued?
This is a trying time for every one affected or involved.
Look on the bright side. If there was absolutely no treatment given, your cousin would not be as he is now. There is treatment, there is hope.
Your problem is largely the quality of service displayed by the doctor(s), staff of the hospital.
Be more weary of the treatment given, than of the courtesy shown.
Brain tumor, especially those in inaccessible parts of the brain is most difficult to treat. And not all doctors are brain surgeons.
Yes, we would like the best treatment, and service, but we sometimes have to contend with whats available.
Peace.
wahhh.. ur cousin very ke lian..
so many ops in a mth..
tats not right.. i think u all; as his family members has the right to voice out or bring up to higher level.
is the TS a doctor as well?
much like lawyers, the medical community is a closed community, they take care of their own, and much more so in Singapore, where the circle is so small ....
even if it really was negligence or malpractice, have fun trying to prove that, or even getting a decent second opinion ... no doctor here is likely to testify against one of their colleagues .... especially if the chap happens to be "senior" ....
so if you're a layman, can only suck it up and die sometimes ..... docs can tell you anything and what do we know to dispute otherwise, neh ? ... smoke you also dunno, right ? ....
that's why I hate docs and lawyers ..... my sympathies dude.
you can complain to the hospital and Singapore Medical Council. they will be investigating the issue. SMC has a disciplinary committee looking into complaints. if the doctor is proved to be negligent or whatever, the committe can impose punishments or even revoked the doctor's practising license.
It is apparent that the doctors/surgeon in the hospital are incapable or not experienced enough.
It would be smart for you to recommend the family for a second opinion by Another hospital by asking for the transfer of the patient's records to the other hospital.
Please let us know which hospital it is. And by all likely means, the "water/fluid" in the tumor could be benigh, not malignant, and help your cousin be able to walk and talk. Just think, by draining away the fluid, it actually make your cousin paralyzed on the left side, and just when she was recovering, it is possibly, the body trying to repair itself by refilling the benigh "tumour" with fluid (but somehow connected to some veins etc) so that the doctor when draining it cause more harm than good.
Next time, whatever the operation, they should discuss with the family and the family should also question the surgeons/doctors in the discussion to understand more about it by asking questions like:
1. Is it a benigh or malign tumour?
2. Is there any other method rather than the one proposed?
3. How many years experience have the surgeon got? Any prior similar cases they he/she has done ?
I can tell you that doctors/surgeons when through the discussions always want to gloss over the details as they always think that the parents are not educated enough to know the technical knowledge. That is bullshlt, because almost 90% of adults are secondary school educated, >50% are either poly or university educated, so we are capable of understanding technical stuffs. So dont be fool by them cause sometimes they dont explain is because they themselves are not sure or inconfident.
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medical science can ony cure disease that are not deadly and will not be able to cure killer disease.
twenty years ago, no one is yet able to break the genetic code on cancer and the workable solution is surgery and chemo.
then after 20 years of reseach, still using the same solution. sometime i really wonder that we are spending money to prolong a human life just to cut them up piece by piece.
i pity your cousin and i also angry with the little medical knowledge that we human have obtained so far.
Originally posted by Fatum:much like lawyers, the medical community is a closed community, they take care of their own, and much more so in Singapore, where the circle is so small ....
even if it really was negligence or malpractice, have fun trying to prove that, or even getting a decent second opinion ... no doctor here is likely to testify against one of their colleagues .... especially if the chap happens to be "senior" ....
so if you're a layman, can only suck it up and die sometimes ..... docs can tell you anything and what do we know to dispute otherwise, neh ? ... smoke you also dunno, right ? ....
that's why I hate docs and lawyers ..... my sympathies dude.
exactly, that is why i keep myself fit and dun indulge in funny stuff, sleep enuf and be happy. And when you really get sick, try pharmacy to medicate your ownself first. It is so much cheaper and works well too. Do like the west do, they go pharmacy to medicate themselves as they hv the internet to search for and also due to their medical consultation fee, which is very expensive, we should do the same. But our culture had been in pain, see doctor, sick also see doctor, cramp also see doctor, giddy also see doctor, too dependent and kiasee already. I find that for minor cases, what the doctor prescribed medicine can be easily bought over the counter with more variety too. But of cos, most of us are wage earners with a benefit of seeing companies' doctor.
The funniest thing here is when an american fren of mine visited me and i brought her to a pharmacy to buy some pills for her spiced stomach, she is surprise that our pharmacy are full of hair shampoo, beauti products etc etc and people are buyin it at a pharmacy. Not a the case in Florida where she lives.
She told me one phrase which i will like to share with all...."Nobody knows your health better than you yourself do"
And also if we all, so call and influence and educated society can self medicate ourselves like the west do, doctors are nothing and they will treat you better.