Doctors Messing Up

T-Bell

T-Bell

Member
So about halfway through July I broke my ankle while wakeboarding. Now at the time I knew it was the end to my wakeboarding season, but was looking forward to skiing and was going to do everything to recover as fast as I could. However my break wasn't a regular fracture, my tendons actually chipped off a good chunk of my medial malleolus, and it was just floating around in my foot.

I go to the doctor, and he says he doesn't like the look of it, but was gonna send the x-rays to and ortho clinic for further inspection. They said that the chunk of bone should float back to its original position and heal itself. I didn't understand how that would work but hey, they're doctors.

So near the end of August I start physio, all is going well and I'm getting my range of motion back, but there is still massive swelling. I go to the doctor on september 4th, went for x-rays, and then got a call back.

I went to my doctor today and he told me that the bone is still floating around, and my torn tendons and ligaments just learned how to work around it. So now I have to go get it re-broken and pinned back together.

What the hell? Now my ski season is over before it begun. How could the doctors make such a mistake? this could cause me problems for years. Dumbass doctors

/rant

Sparknotes: Broke my ankle, doctors said it'll heal, now I have to get it re-broken and pins, ski season over before it stars.

 
maybe if your bones weren't so stupid, they would've floated back into place like they do in everyone else, explaining why people with years of experience would believe that would happen. dumbass bones.
 
Same exact thing happened to me except with my wrist last November. A chipped, floating piece of bone and torn tendon that my doctor said wouldn't bother me. I have surgery scheduled for Oct 12 but it's actually getting much better (almost a year later though)... I might not need the surgery (knock on wood, right?).

I went through a couple months of PT for nothing as well. I know how you feel same so major vibes man.
 
A doctor gave me Accutane without reviewing my history to see that I had an autoimmune disorder which is known to be enhanced by Accutane. Ended up gettin really sick and lost a year of my life. I know that feel bro
 
Almost the exact same thing happened to my sister.

Tib/fib spiral fractures, had to get it rebroken, 3 surgeries later and she's back on snow.

A good friend of mine almost died at whistler like 2 seasons ago because the medical clinic there didn't know what was going on with his spleen, when a simple cat scan would have determined the problem. 2 ambulance rides later and he went straight into surgery, he woke up the next morning in the ICU with a tube down his throat and IVs coming out of everywhere.

Vibes though man, that blows. Needless to say I don't have the most faith in our healthcare professionals.
 
I've started getting second or third opinions for every injury that's even remotely serious after a couple poor knee diagnoses.
 
My cousin died 7 years ago because of a new doctor. He was 13 and cutted his leg open real bad in some woods. Stupid doctor stitched everything up while there was A FUCKING 3INCH LONG PIECE OF WOOD inside his wound.
 
this is quite sad. Unfortunately doctors are still human and even the very best will make honest mistakes. although that does not sound like a mistake anyone should or could easily make.

my experience pales in comparison. but while getting a metal plate out of my shoulder the doctor forgot about a screw still attaching it so while in the process of hammering and prying to try and get it off the nurse notices there's another screw in place. the complications as a result weren't fun.

here's a picture:

View attachment 457245
 
I had the same thing as you although my bone floated into place and healed. I also waited 6 weeks before I went to the doctor as I wanted to keep skiing so by the time I went to the doctor it has begun to heal so all I had to wear was a supportive brace and not get surgery.
 
Dude thats gnar as fuck. Left a badass scar?

@Calvin Yeah it really happened. The wood piece brought Gangrene(sp?), the infection ate him from the inside in only 2 days. Google image Gangrene if you feel like throwing up.
 
Well that's true, and to be honest my doctor has never messed up before this. However it wasn't just him, it was also a group of ortho specialists at an ortho clinic that messed up. I wouldn't sue him though like someone suggested... It's just frustrating and a huge bummer that I'm screwed over.

Also had some lols at the firstworldproblems comment. Free healthcare too
 
I don't understand how this is the doctors fault? Your bones didn't do what it should have (as defined by statistical probability). It's better to let it heal naturally if it can than to rush into surgery straight away. Unfortunately for you, you were one of the unlucky ones and now have to have it re-broken.
 
Again like I said before I know not all doctors mess up. They rarely do. My doctor never has and I put very little blame on him for it. He was the one who determined it was actually broken when the ortho clinic originally told me it wasn't (they could of just looked at net care) and he was hesitant to believing the ortho clinic on why I didnt need pins considering it was a pretty big chunk of bone floating. I'm mainly frustrated with the ortho specialists because they informed my doctor to tell me today that they thought it would float back, but was a much bigger piece than they'd seen before.
 
That sucks man, mistakes happen and there's worst things in life. I was going to suggest watching some oilers games to occupy your time... but then I remembered...

Play some NHL 13 or you can even try to find a new hobby that can keep you busy.

Best of luck dude!
 
Spark Notes: Doctors really fucked up and gave my sister a hysterectomy. She cannot have kids and is 26. Doctors are humans too they make mistakes.
 
did she have uterine cancer? I researched a lot on this topic about the new techniques. just curious
 
sorry to hear that man, same thing happened to me 2 years ago.

Not sure if anyone here knows of Greenwitch Ct. basically one of the ritches ares in the country. After being released from Mt snow clinic saying i was fine, just a bruse i went back to my dorm for 2.5 days, couldnt move/eat/go to the bathroom, slept at my desk for 2 days i started becoming unable to walk so my parents took me to Greenwitch hospital. They kicked me out after 3 hours after giving me an iv of medicine and pain killers, because they though i was addicted to pain killers and was the only reason i was there. 2 days later I went to a different hospital and they found i had 3 broken bones in my back.

Moral of the story, unless you are wealthy and donate a lot of money to a hospital they will treat you more or less like you're an addict, or at least with this experience
 
Not sure what you told your doctor or the people at the hospital but usually if you even think you have broken something they will send you to radiology for x-rays. Like pretty sure if you ask them to do it they will run the test no problem.
 
Moral of the story, get an X-ray/MRI/CT Scan if its anything to do with your back.

To the OP, if you want a good opinion on something, find the BEST specialist within an hour or two radius. If youre near NY/BOS/Chicago go there. Those cities will have some of the best medical care in the NE.
 
not to thread jack, but got x rays at both the mt snow clinic and the greenwitch hospital, wasnt until i got an MRI at the 3rd hospital they saw what was wrong it wasn't my spine so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, it was a 60%+ fracture almost clean break of L1-3 transverse processes, 'the little wings that come off the sides of your spine.
 
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