Hearing the news that you have cancer is a distressing and life-changing event that will impact your relationships, work life and plans for the future. So, when you discover that the doctors actually got it wrong, and you’ve been misdiagnosed, then this can be a deeply upsetting time as you battle with a range of emotions. A misdiagnosis can also be a huge drain on your finances and leave you having to fork out even more cash to find out what your medical issue actually is. If you’ve gone through a cancer misdiagnosis yourself, there are some steps you can take as you navigate this difficult time in your life.
Understand Why the Misdiagnosis Happened
The first thing to do after a cancer misdiagnosis is understand why it happened in the first place. Take some time to speak freely with your doctors to investigate what exactly went wrong – was the doctor a junior new to practicing medicine, or was it simply a case of human error caused by confusion around a certain element of your tests? It’s also important that you get a second opinion on your diagnosis so that you can understand whether this was an easy mistake to make, or if there should have been closer attention paid to your medical concern beforehand.
Gather All of Your Documentation Together
Next on the list is to make sure that you’ve got all your documentation together so that you have the clearest picture of exactly what happened throughout the period of discussing your symptoms and eventual diagnosis with your doctor. You should ask for a full copy of your medical record, and combine this in a file with any prescriptions, appointment letters and scan images where relevant, so that you can have a comprehensive file relating to your journey and diagnosis, as this will come in handy if you want or need to discuss the event with a legal professional.
Hire a Reputable Attorney
Lastly, if you’ve suffered a cancer misdiagnosis, you should consult with a reputable attorney who is experienced in dealing with misdiagnosis cases to ensure that you receive the right level of compensation for your distress. A good cancer misdiagnosis attorney will ensure that you receive monetary compensation and can hold medical staff accountable if they have been responsible for any mental, physical, or economic health damages. While fighting a case in court can seem daunting, if you find a reputable attorney, you can rely on their experience in the field to support you during this time and help you to rebuild your life.
Going through a cancer diagnosis and then hearing the news that it was incorrect is a distressing and harmful time, so it’s right that you receive the correct level of compensation for the damage that this has caused. By staying calm, speaking with a range of doctors around your diagnosis and gathering the right documentation together to approach an attorney, you can be sure that your legal team have everything they need to support you and win your case. Before you know it, you’ll have a positive outlook towards the future and can begin moving on from this difficult period.
