The Doctor Prescribed The Wrong Medication

[mikedgat]

Hi, first time here. I have a question. Just recently I went to the emergency room for a abcess. The Pr. did the evaluation and decided to give me a shot and Dicloxacillin.

Apperently the presciption was the wrong type. I am not a doctor, but I guess the difference was gram-positive as compared to gram-negative.

I do not know if I have a case. Can anybody help me.

Thank

[Anonymous]

Bacteria that are "gram positive" are stained dark blue or violet by "gram staining" - a technique of staining bacteria that is named after its inventor, Hans Christian Gram. Bacteria that are "gram negative are not stained. There are also "gram variable" bacteria, which cannot be reliably distinguised by this staining process. The difference is in the bacterial cell wall.

It sounds like you received an antibiotic that, while effective against gram-positive bacteria, is less effective against gram-negative bacteria, and had the misfortune of being infected with a gram-negative bacteria. Whether or not you have a case under Idaho malpractice law depends upon whether the doctor should reasonably have been expected to identify the bacteria with that level of specificity at the emergency room, whether appropriate tests were conducted, whether you followed your discharge instructions, and whether you suffered an injury as a result of receiving the Dicloxacillin instead of an antibiotic that would be effective (or, depending upon the bacterium, more effective) against your infection.

[mikedgat]

Thank you alot. I followed the directions to the letter and it did not get better. I am better now however after seeing another doctor.