Nerve Injury and Chronic Pain After Thoracic Surgery

[okb]

Almost five years ago I had to have a noid removed and had thoracic surgery. As a result I now have nerve damage to my right side and chest. During my follow up exams I expressed my concerns about the server pain, numbness, tingling,ect that is associated with it. I was told that it should get better as time goes on. After about a year of complaining I was refered to a pain clinic. After several blocks and being terated with narcodics I realized what was becoming of me and got off the narcodics and went thru what I thought were some bad times, to put it very mildly, for 2 more years till something had to give. I now find myself beck in pain management on narcodics with the usual injections and am being told that this is now the way it will be.
As of now life prety much is nothing more than lame, I work as I can, Income cut to 1/4 of what it was, kids dont really know the real me (one is 4yrs old) ect.

Question is: I have given this what I feel is more than enough time to heal. I have given doctors every opertunity to see if they can help. Do I have any case against the original surgen or have I been put off long enough, being told it would clear up, so that time has ran out?

Thanks in advance for any responces and I hope this post might help others as well.
Thanks,
OKB

[moburkes]

What state are you in? Did you sign any consent forms?

The statute of limitations has likely run, even IF you had a case.

[okb]

Sorry about that. Im in Tennessee. as far as a consent form I'm sure I probably did. I signed a few papers that I was told that I had to sign before they could do the surgery. However, I wasn't told anything about signing anything to do with liability release.

Time probably has ran out but isnt it funny how so many say people jump the gun and dont give wounds time to heal and create a log jam of cases. Now I see the other side. Kinda seems to me like shoot first and ask questions later is what the system is implying that the public do.

Thanks for the reply,
OKB

[aaron]

The system is designed this way to maximize the profits of insurance companies, not to ensure that only meritorious malpractice cases are pursued. You are quite correct that a short statute of limitations can force somebody to file a case where they should arguably wait and see what happens, and can cost somebody a cause of action when they give the doctor the benefit of the doubt.

[deadlock]

Okb,

I agree with the above 100%. But I am also curious to see if there might be something helpful for you. It's not unusual to have chronic pain, but what kind of treatment did you receive? Physical therapy?

What type of work-up did the doctor do before he sent you for blocks and gave you nacotics?

You had a node removed. Was it a lymph node? Was the node in your thorax or was it outside the chest cavity?

The reason I am asking is that you may have had a complication that has not been diagnosed yet.

So tell more about your diagnosis and reason for node, etc.