A warning to all of our clients who plan to get epidural injections.
Oct 25th, 2007 | By Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. | Category: Blogs, Common Injuries from Car AccidentsMany personal injury victims resort to a pain management doctor to deal with their day-to-day pain from a car accident or a fall down. This is usually only after these individuals have undergone chiropractic care or some sort of physical therapy.
A common form of pain management care utilized today are epidural injections. An epidural injection is actually considered a surgery…and rightfully so. The epidural injection procedure usually involves a patient lying down still on an operating room table while a neurosurgeon or anesthesiologist administers a large needle guided by a computer or camera. This large needle is inserted directly into a disc in the spine where the pain is originating. Through the epidural needle comes pain medication to numb the pain in the area.
These epidural injections do not work on all individuals. Sometimes these epidural injections cause more pain and discomfort then they help. There are many risks involved with this procedure.
A New Jersey women just settled a medical malpractice case with her anesthesiologist for $2 million dollars. Her doctor improperly administered epidural injections and caused holes in her spinal cord. This caused the NJ woman in her 30’s to have additional pain and discomfort. The doctor failed to follow proper procedure in at least three (3) different instances, resulting in the medical malpractice.
This woman was lucky not to be paralyzed by this negligent doctor. Doctors should follow the rules just like anyone else. For example, if a automobile driver doesn’t follow the rules of the road, he or she will cause an accident. Doctors, lawyers, engineers and all professionals must follow proper procedure in order to protect the public.
Has anyone undergone an epidural injection and is willing to share his or her thoughts on the procedure?
The author of this Blog, Philadelphia car accident lawyer, Michael L. Saile, Jr., Esq. of Saile & Saile LLP, Attorneys-at-Law focuses his practice on fighting for plaintiffs’ personal injury and car accident victim’s rights in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We handle all serious injury cases including, car accidents (both limited and full tort), wrongful death, slip & fall downs, construction accidents, Septa, NJ Transit, dangerous products, and other cases other cases. We are located just outside of Philadelphia in lower Bucks County. We also handle Philadelphia plaintiffs’ personal injury and car accident cases. Please visit our personal injury only website at www.pa-nj-injurylawyer.com for more injury information.
I watched my father die from Multiple Myeloma Plasma Cell Lumemia , at the age of 70.
The illness went undiagnosed foe 2 years after he went to the doctor with a broken back, whcih had no cause.
This man was in great shape, a marathon runner. He ran the NYC Marathon form age 45-65 every year. I am looking at trophys at plaques from marathons he ran and races he won all through out NJ as I type.
He would do 15 miles of running at 5am in the morning, every day, before getting on a bus to NYC for a 90 minute commute. He commuted to NYC for 40 years, dedicating his life to his family.
He was finally diagnosed with the illness in Febuary of 2002. two year after he went to the doctor with a broekn back. This should have been investigasted, why his spine broke. It turns out the the Lukemia starts in the bones ogf the spin and hips and, where blood is produced, falsely make false blodd cells, and weakens the spin, back , and hips.
After the first round of Chemo therapy, the “blasts” were all gone under microscopic examination. Blasts are the bad blod cells.
However after the 2nd round of chemo a month later, the blasts were raging and causing oragn shutdown, speciifcaly , and common to multiple myeloma, kidney shutdown.
Doctors were changes by Robert Wood Johnson Universiuty Hospital, as policy , between the two rounds. They were giving my dad shots of Nupigen, for free eveny other day, as my mom drove him there to get them, at 600 a pop, for free, nit even chargesd to the insurance. Durning this time full chemistry analysis was done everytime, the results should have saw a problem! No problem weas detected until it was too late and the doctor was patting me on the back, that the end was near.
My dad lasted 2 months after diagnosis to death!
he came home from ther hospital for the last 5 days, to lay in the family room, with his family around him, as his body ate away at him from inside, puking up black bile.
I can not get it out of my head. Nor will I ever.
He was not afraid to die. He held strong to the end.
At the same time, my mother’s mother, my grandmother, was dieing in the nursing home in Oldbridge, and died. about 2 weeks after my dad died.
I had spent that time running from the hospital to the nursing home, back and forth, crying at work, and being completely devastated.
I held up well though. I took on the repsonsibilites. Contacted the priests, and did what i had to for my mother.
my grandmother, in contrast to my dad, was very afraid of dieing and would scream constantly about the pain and for help, echoing throughout the nursing home for weeks.
Both situatiuons were taking a toll on me mentally i guess, although I did not know it at the time.
I miss my dad.
I will continue this….
Epidural’s sure are a dangerous procedure, but that has to be expected when you get something injected into your spinal cord, which is one of the most sensitive things in your body. Some risk has to be shared or placed upon the patient. This is an elective procedure and not mandatory or life or death. The patient has to assume that there is risk involved with sticking a foreign object into their spinal cord. This is a rediculous case. What’s next??? These types of lawsuits have to go away, such a waste of the courts time and the people who allow them to even make it to court should be sued themselves for this non-sense.
If the doctor did not use the proper imaging technology instruments, then yes, it is a viable lawsuit.
Kevin, I CAN SEE YOU ARE A VERY INSENSITIVE PERTSON, MOT ONE COMMENT ON MY SAD SAD STORY
Kevin, ok, maybe you did not see my posts before you posted.
Would yoyu rather a suffering person become addicted to pain killers the rest of their lives?
Appearantly, the procedure could of been performed without drilling holes into the person’s actual spine bones.
The insurance will cover it, what is your problem?
My dad died of lukemia because a doctor refused to conduct basic blood tests for over 2 years, at age 68, he was still eligilble for a bone marroow transplant. the formermanager for the chicago cubs as well as the former pitching coach for the ny yankees are stll walking around after having multiple myeloma
Jim,
I did not see your post prior to my reply to the article.
I am not generalizing as to all cases of the procedure. When I comment I am commenting on the case presented in the text provided by Mr. Saile. It doesnt say the person was a lukemia patient, it says they were a personal injury patient, which I am taking to mean that they had some sort of accident such as a car accident or a slip and fall, as noted in the forefront of the article.
Please keep your personal attacks about the content or context of my comments and my opinions to yourself in the future as I have proven you to be incorrect on two other occassions thus far. I am not interested in hearing you opinions on my views as I dont really care what your opinion is about me and I bet nobody else wants to read them either.
I am sorry to hear about your father and his case is certainly a pro for the use of that type of procedure. I would never deny anybody in that type of situation the benefit of some relief of the pain that they have to live with everyday.
KEVIN, YOU HAVE NOT PROVEN ME WRONG ONE TIME, and i will continue to attack any attempt to underminee the constitution of thbe united states.
I asked you to make arguments, you refused.
i ON THE OTHER HAND, AM HERE TO LUIDSTEN TO ASRGUMENT, AND WILL NOR GIVE IN TO PEOPLE WITH CLOSED MINDS LIKE YOURSELF
There are always many sides to an argument, even thousands of sides. To ignore anyone of the’ arguments, even personal, is disregarding your ability as a human being to think.
We are alive to expand our minds , our knowledge, our belifs, and expand our arguments, for the bettermant of mankind.
Kevin, you drew first blood as to personal attack, not me. YOU DREW FORST BLOOD.
I OFFERED A DEBATE ON WHY DRAGER WAS NOT RESPONIDBLE TO REPORT THE FINDINGS OF BASE ONE TO THE CPSC, YOU REFUSED, YOU DID NOT PROVE ME WRONG, YOU REMAINED SILENT!
KEVIN, DEATH, PAIN, SUFERING, AND THE LIKE, ARE NOT FUN THINGS.
IF I FELT THE NEED TO EXPRESS MY PAIN ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO DO SO.
Jim,
I have proven you to be incorrect on the faulty air compressor article and now on this article entry. You have either have no reading comprehension in your little pea brain size head or you get all amped up and over excited to comment on here. I am guessing it is a little bit of both judging by your times of submission on these blogs. You make comments like a lunatic and sound like a raving loon. You post a 5-6 paragraph post on here, then not 5 to 10 minutes later you post again.
I am not “undermining the constitution of the united states”, but by voicing my opinion I am enforcing what the constitution stats for and that is my right to free speech!!! I can voice MY OPINION on here and so can you. I don’t attack your incoherent rambelings, because that is just what they are. I have no need to. Now if you were to make a valid point on here I would acknowledge that accordingly, which I believe I did the other day. You must be so bored with your life (or lack there of) to sit around all day and look for things to keep rambeling on and on about.
I allow you to speak your mind without knocking you down and I will continue to type what I want to voice on here. Let Mr. Saile decide what content he would like on his website and let Mr. Saile decide whom is “undermining the constitution of the united states”.
KEVIN, TO SAY THAT THE EXPRESSIONB OF PERSONAL PAIN IS NOT RELEVANT, WELL, THAT IS JUST WRONG.
People in the United States have been expressing pain through song, books, radio, tv, and movies for a very long time, dating back to the old blues palnatation songs in the 18th century! And n in web blogs.
Tell Eric Clapton no one wants to hear it, after his 12 grammys and 3 tinme inductuion to rock n rol hall of fame!
People do want to hear it!!!!
I agree Jim!
Freedom of speach is wonderful in this country.
I am sure you both can make good arguments. Personal attacks will get you nowhere in life. Only in election campaigns do they work.
I know I am not incoherant on my posts. Mr Saile himself said the Chun defense should have hored me!
TKE A LISTEN AND RELAX.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goLpZyEM03w&mode=related&search=
(side 2 abbey road, full achestra, paul and eric_
The reason I am posting is soley A RESULT OF THE STATES FAILIRE TO adide by the united states constitution and the nj constitution.
I am on here because of the unresolved prosecution hangin gover my head for over 2 gd years.
it is a lawyers ploy, no offense Mr Saile, to say to soemone they havbe no life, in order to get them to say theopposite. it is like a divorce attorney for a husband saying to the wife she makes no money, to get the wife to admit to income, to lower the alamony paymenyts.
It is aploy and i see righ tthrough it.
Regardless of what you rhink, the STATE HAS TAKEN MY LIFE.
Jim,
I didnt see your article on here when I posted my first blog entry!!!!!! I not one time imposed on you saying what is on your mind. I did not say that people such as your dad or anybody else who was in pain should not get the shots. I said that they should bear some of the responsiblity and take on the burden that there is a great risk associated with the shots.
Furthermore, I do not need to debate with you, as I make my point in one blog entry not 100 ones like yourself!
You are making this into a constitutional issue and it is not. It was a case that a person with a back problem got an epidural shot and sued the doctor when something went wrong. When anytime you get a shot in your spine it can go horribly wrong. That is what this article and blog is about! Learn to read and learn to spell!
KEVIN, HOW DID I MISINTERPET THIS STATEMENT IN THE ARTICLE?
” This caused the NJ woman in her 30’s to have additional pain and discomfort. The doctor failed to follow proper procedure in at least three (3) different instances, resulting in the medical malpractice.”
I dont think i misinterperted it or was incoharnat about the NUPIOGEN injectios my father receieved, which the article reminded me of.
When you watch your dad puking up balck bile for 5 days to death, you will understand what i am saying! i do not want anyone to see what i saw!
KEVIN, LAisten to this and try to understand the pain we all suffer,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IegFE8d7BZM&mode=related&search=
while my guitar gently weeps, by eric and paul, live
Certainly, you must see the pain in my soul, well i can only pray.
OPEN YPOUR HEART AND MIND
Jim,
I DID NOT SEE YOUR ARTICLE WHEN I FIRST POSTED TO THIS STORY!!!!!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING????
I did not personally attack you or your father, I said I sympathise with you for the loss of your father. DO YOU UNDERSTAND??? I AM SORRY THAT YOUR DAD DIED! I am also sorry that you are a total loser and have nothing better to do with your life othen then to continue this nonsense into another week.
However, I am not commenting on the life of Jim and the happenings in your life. I am commenting on the blog posted by Mr. Saile. I don’t read your blog entries because they are incoherent drivel concocted by a nut job. Grow up and stop harping on this nonsense. I’m sorry your dad died a horrible, painful death, but this is not the forum to discuss your personal life, or to project what you mistakenly feel about the kind of person that I am. Maybe your dad passed away as a gift from above, so he could get away from your blog entries??
kEVIN, mR sAILE AGREED WITH ME AND NOT WITH YOU. gIVE IT UP!
Kevin, you must be a prosecutor, who for some reason is taking my assault on the Alcotest personaly.
You have no arguments against my analytical arguments, so you choose to attack me persoanly, in hopes to discredit me.
That approach will not work, nor will it deter my entusiasm for attacjking to Alcotest on an analytical base.
Kevin, or anyone.
Instad of attackingme personaly, explain to me why you think the Alcotest should not have with it an instrument dectection limit, a method dection limit, and show linearity down to and below the electronic response of what a breath would have to result in a BAC of 0.08.
You may think it is incoherant, but it is not. There are 10,000 chemists in NJ that understand what I am talking about.
The FDA and DEP kno what I am talking about.
But make an argument on the facts, rather than attack me personaly.
Hello Mr. Saile… I just stumbled upon this blog and was reading on your nj lady and her lawsuit. I am just wondering what type of testing did they do to confirm the holes in her spine? I am just wondering only because I had a baby 6 mo. ago and had an epidural prior to delivery. The anesthesiologist took almost and hour to get the epi in and poked me 7 times before he was sucessful. This was my second baby and second epidural and it was AWEFUL! Of course I was relieved when I finally recieved the meds via epi but the nurse told me I had a large hematoma and would probably be sore for a few days at the site. It was terrible. My back was so incredibly sore for weeks and still, six months post partem I have recurring back pain. It is not a constant pain but occurs on a daily basis and prevents me from living my normal life! I addressed this with my physician and it was basically brushed off. I am fairly certain it is due to the problems with my epidural as I could physically feel the needle hitting bone repeatedly during the procedure. How did your client go about getting more info or finding out it was in fact the epi that caused her back pains? Thanks for reading…
JC:
The NJ case that I wrote about was not my case.
If you are having consistant pain the area of your back where the epidurals were administered, you should be examined by a pain management doctor or perhaps a neurologist to have your condition checked. You shold also request a copy of your medical records from the doctor who gave you the epidurals.
If the reviewing doctor believes that the original doctor did not properly administer the epidural injections, you may want to speak with a medical malpractice lawyer. We may be able to direct you to one. Good Luck!
On 5/10/11 I had a thoracic transforaminal epidural, i was told i would be sedated for, i was never sedated and became uneasy on the table, as the dr explained, they choose to hold me down when i wouldnt put my head down, because i was asking to be properly sedated (i have been many time before), and performed the procedure, 12 hours later i was in jfk with severe pain, they couldnt reduce my pain and sent me away with no further help, i went back to the pm doctor who sent me away with 2 scripts and told me i need to see a surgeon, there is nothing they can do and they dont know why im in so much pain, ive taken the medication as prescribed and im still at a high level of pain, I just got off the phone and with my PCP and he just told me theres nothing he can do sorry, my pain is getting increasingly and starting to radiate down my left leg and cause pain and weakness, im about to go to raritan hospital, Im really in severe pain and the people that im pleaing for help from and that i pay are making me suffer, im lost like my 15th day today from wok and now im goin to miss the day tomorrow the the extended pain and suffering im experiencing is wrong, The doctor who made my pain worse actually told me to find someone else, instead of helping me further, Im going to probably be out of work because of this, and its seems like no one cares, its been a week now and i have been suffering, i cant walk right. if i bend my right knee i will fall the whole left side of my back spasms worse than before, i have been awake for 3 days now from the pain which has increased in my lower back and both legs, i cant even get in and out of the car or drive now, i cant beleive this is happening, the er recommended i se a shrink who just put me on a mood stabilizing medication because of the frustration im experiencing her, i really never understood why people would sue for pain and suffering till now i have been trying to get this dr to refill my scrript to control my pain and they wont return my calls, i have been to 2 different ERs already i cant believe this dr did this to me and is really not willing to help me till i find another DR ive been callin specialists in my network but non have immedate appt or they dont return my calls, im literitly shaking from the pain im in now.
Walter, What condition caused you to require the epidural injection? Were you involved in an auto accident? Was it a natural degenerative condition?