My Vasectomy May Cause Me To Lose My Right Testicle. What Legal Options Do I Have?

My question involves medical malpractice in the state of: Pennsylvania

i am a 35 y/o production welder for a very promenant steel company. on friday the 25th of april 2008, i under went what was supposed to be a simple procedure. i had a vasectomy done. now the whole thing should have only taken 1 hour tops instead it took over 2 hours due to some unforseen biological anomolies. i was given antibiotics and pain meds and sent on my way with instruction to remain laying down and keep the area iced for the next 2 to 3 days to reduce the swelling. my doctor informed me weeks prior to the procedure that he would be out of town the week following my procedure to a medical confrence but gave me the phone number to his answering service just in case i needed to contact him if i had any complications after the procedure. well after i got home i followed the doctors orders to the letter. my genital sack swelled up to the size of at least a softball, turned black, got really heavy and sore. i grew concerned and called my doctor. disspite being out of town and having to go threw his answering service to contact him, he always responded to my calls within 20 mins or less of calling his service. he told me that the swelling, bruising and soreness was normal and to continue with the regiment i was on and to call him back if i had any further concerns. over the next few day i followed the regiment and really didnt see any changes other than what looked like bruising spreading out into my upper thigh areas and lower stomache. everything else was staying the same and my soreness was increasing. by that wednesday i was in extreme pain and called my doctor. who immediately sent me to the local hospital to see a urology specialist. he looked at me for about maybe 5 mins told me i had a hematoma and wanted to shedual an ultrasound. i asked him if he could drain it and his response was that he didnt see the need for him to drain it. asked him if there was anything i could get for the pain and he said that the only thing i could get or that he would recomend was advil or tylenol. they were going to have me wait till the following week for the ultrasound due to the lack of male techs on duty that week. i convinced them to setup the appointment that day so that i didnt have to wait and i could get some answers. when the person doing my ultrasound took one look at me and seem the size of my scrotum sack she became concerned and asked me what the doctor was going to do about it she was shocked when i told her he didnt see the need to do anything. she proceeded with the upmost care for my comfort with her ultrasound readings. the left side checked out fine dispite the swelling from the right side over into that area but the right side on the other hand was a different subject. due to the massive swelling and the hematoma on that side it made things difficult to read. the right testical was pushed way to the bottom and had restricted blood flow due to the amount of pressure. i was sent home and started my new regiment of advil for the pain and swelling. now mind you the specialist never told me how much advil to take for any of this, so using my best judgment i started on a 1000mg - 1200mg doseage every 4 -6 hrs or as needed. by friday the swelling started to go down enough for me to start being able to move around my house. i was able to sit upright for a small period of time also. well i was sitting at my computer when i had an itch. reached down and felt a wet spot in my shorts, pulled my hand back to find that i had blood on it. my insision on the right side had split open and i was seeping out the old blood that had been trapped inside. i took proper measures to make sure i would be okay till morning when i could contact my doctor, who at that time was still out of town. he told me the following morning to continue doing what i was doing and that everything was fine but he wanted to see me in his office monday morning first thing. i arrived at his office first thing monday morning and when he saw how much swelling and brusing i had he was shocked. he was even more shocked when i told him that my swelling was much worse when he sent me to the specialist and that the specialist didnt see any need to open me up to drain me to relieve the pressure or to remove the hematoma and find out if there was anything else wrong. my doctor told me to continue with the advil and notify him if the blood changes to a bright red color, which was a sign of fresh bleeding. two days later i had a follow-up visit with the specialist. this visit might have taken a total of ten mins and that included what i guess he considered an exam of the swelling, bleeding and soreness of the region. i was then setup an appointment for the 27th of may for another follow-up visit. everything seemed to be going good till last weekend, the 15th - 18th of may, when i started having sharp shooting pains in that area and the blood had changed to a cloudy pinkish red color. i gave it till that monday before i contacted my doctor about it just in case it was just a passing thing. he immediately set up an appointment to see me the following day. well much to my relief my doctor informed me that it wasnt blood seeping out but more of a plasm type fluid that you would find in a blister. after the exam my doctor expressed his concerns over the treatment the specialist was giving me and gave me the option to go see another specialist and i said yes because i too had my own concerns over the care i was getting from the specialist and would like to go see a different one for a second opinion. an appointment was set for the following day the 21st of may @ 10:15am. well after a full indepth conversation and exam with the new specialist the next day i was given the news that due to all the complications that i had expirienced and was presently going threw, there was a strong possability that i might loose the right testical. he prescribed a very strong antibiotic in an attempt to possibly save the testical. i have a follow up visit this wednesday the 28th of may for an ultrasound with the new specialist and if they find any problems they are removing the testical. i have not been back to work since i had the procedure done and i found out that since i have been out for so long i am required to go back threw the entrance physical and if i am unable to pass that i loose my job on top of possibly loosing my right testical. i am just wondering what legal options do i have concerning this whole matter. thank you for any helpful advise anyone could provide me in this matter.

If you lose your right testicle AND a specialist (remember that many of them are friends in the medical community) is willing to testify that an error was made and it was not a complication from a biological anomoly then you may have a case.

Most medical malpractice attorneys will see you for 15-30 minutes at no charge; this is an initial consultation. They will tell you what they can and can't do as well as tell you what you can expect at trial, what they expect it will cost you, whether or not they will take it on full contingency or contingency with you fronting the expert witness fees. Contingency is where they pay for their time and expenses and you don't pay if the case is not "won".

The scrotum swelling up and turning black is not normal. Generally it is indicative of bleeding out internally, also known as a hematoma. This can be common and the first thing that I would have done was tell you to call 911 and get rushed to a hospital. Swelling more than a lemon is not common. Turning red or black or blue is not either.

Note - I am not a doctor, I am not a laywer, I am no longer in law enforcement, and I am no longer a firefighter or a medic. I am just an average joe.

thank you usedbranflakes for your insite into my situation. right now at this point any information is better than sitting around waiting and not knowing what if anything can or could be done. just like you i am just an average joe but have a knowledge of certain things due to things that i have done in my earier years. thank you again and if you or anyone else has anything helpful to add please by all means post something.