Osteopathic physicians almost killed me....

[emc2]

Avoid this school at all costs. The attendings almost killed me. They misdiagnosed me when I was just starting my 4th year. I had symptoms of Tuberculosis(TB) as well as 2 previous exposures. After 2 months of seeing the school's family practice doc and constantly requesting a control study I went to the school's pulmonologist and Infectious Disease(ID) doctor. They said the same as the family practice doc, that it's pneumonia and gave me more antibiotics. Then the ID doctor said it wasn't even bacterial. Then in December the pulmonologist does a bronchoscopy on me and tells me I have Sarcoidosis. ( This is an inflammatory condition of the lung. ) So he gives me oral prednisone which is used to decrease inflammation. The prednisone also shuts down your immune system. So from Jan 2002 to Feb 2002 I was basically growing tuberculosis(TB) in my lungs full blast. So after almost 6 months of dealing with Osteopathic frauds and 3 cracked ribs from coughing I went to an Allopathic Pulmonologist. He saved my life, one look and he told me that he was 99% sure it was TB. I ended up having a thoracotomy (opening up my chest to biopsy the lung) and the surgeon explained to me that my lungs were full of infection. So now my lungs are scared bilaterally, and I have chronic inspiratory chest pain. That's just the start of my problems. So go ALLOPATHIC if you can. If not, then avoid UNTHSC of Fort Worth, the attendings are FRAUDS.......YES, I AM TAKING THEM TO COURT.

---

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[group_theory]

Hmmmm

Thanks for the warning

I will go pure allopath from now on - because we know that allopathic doctors never make a misdiagnosis

In fact, it's amazing why osteopaths don't bow down onto their knees in the presence of allopaths - I mean, they are MDs. The DOs are not even worthy of kissing the floor where the MDs walk.

I must go now - my MDs are calling me - they want me to bow down so they can polish their alligator shoes on my head

 

[Bull's eye]

Wielding his ignorance like a battleaxe! That's too bad. Oh well, If you think its the medical degree that made the difference then that is your own closed minded stupidity.

 

[Fenrezz]

Yeap, he's convinced me too. I'm dropping out and getting a job at 7-11. Thank you for making me see the error of my ways. What was I thinking???

Funny how every time there's a post criticizing osteopathic medicine, it's always by someone with under 5 posts to their name.

 

[jkhamlin]

LOL. 4th year, huh? And you never were aware of being exposed to a patient with TB? The hospital you work in and the med school do not require annual TB tests which probably would have picked up the exposure?

 

[RockandRolldoc]

Listen Doc Holiday,

You are an angry fool. Your logic is beneath all of the intelligent people who post on this board. One instance is always grounds for generalizing, eh? In that case, you must also hold the opinions that all priests are child molesters, all african americans are good athletes, all women belong in the kitchen....you see where i'm getting at here bub? Now I do not think you're biggoted even though you are using the thought process of a bigot. I just think you're very angry and being reactionary. This type of logic never brings about a positive outcome. We don't need another angry reactionary Texan... we already elected one president . Happy Suing, better do it soon before they cap your damages.

 

[smgilles]

Rock: You took the words right out of my mouth. I was just getting ready to say he had better hurry up before his mountain of cash becomes a mole hole.

 

[Homunculus]

Originally posted by emc2
3 cracked ribs from coughing

wow that's some pretty hard coughing.

Originally posted by emc2
the surgeon explained to me that my lungs were full of infection

well, you're full of something, but i don't think it's infection

Originally posted by emc2
now my lungs are scared bilaterally

this is a most serious problem. i bet the surgeon was ugly-- that's probably what scared them. don't let them run away with fright when you're not looking-- it's hard to live without lungs.

Originally posted by emc2
That's just the start of my problems.

please don't hold back. tell us what other grave misjustices have befallen you at the hands of osteopathic frauds. your other problems probably stem more from not knowing the symptoms of TB as a 4th year. lol

Originally posted by emc2
the attendings are FRAUDS.......YES, I AM TAKING THEM TO COURT.

i'm anxious to see the results of your lawsuit. i imagine a case like this will make the paper there, will it not? at least provide us the Fraud Doctors' names so we can avoid them.

 

[Iron Horse]

Originally posted by group_theory
I must go now - my MDs are calling me - they want me to bow down so they can polish their alligator shoes on my head

 

[group_theory]

4th year medical student
hmmmm

So I guess the night sweats, the coughing, and the chest pain didn't concern you that it might be TB.

I guess the graphfruit size swelling from your annual TB test didn't give any indication, right?

I guess as a smart MD 4th year, you were looking for those zebras instead of horses

Oh - and thank you for defining all those big words for us -

And following your logic

Someone in my hall is from Texas. He's stupid. I met his girlfriend. She's even dumber than he is. Later I found out that they are cousins. I met one of his friend - a fellow Texan. He's one of those types that can only count to 20, provided that he's barefooted.

therefore, by emc2 logic, all Texans are related and dumb.

I have yet to meet a smart Texan - however, I would not dare say that all Texans are idiots because I know that the 3 people that I've met from Texas must be a rarity (i hope).

But I'll stick to my original post - I will now seek the path of the allopath - for they are the true gods and will never make mistakes

P.S. I haven't met you and don't know you - but if I were to count you, then it would be FOUR Texans now whom I know are idiots.

Disclaimer: Sorry for insulting the great state of Texas - but that's where the OP is from and I had to insult his ego.

 

[Green912]

Oh great, another one of these waste of time threads. Using the same logic as the OP and initiators of other related threads I've come to this conclusion.

The reason we keep hearing about DO mistakes is becuase they're so few and far between that the drastically stand out. And the reason we never see "my MD screwed up" in the allopathic forum is because their mistakes are so frequent no one even raises an eyebrow anymore.

 

[Hedwig]

TB?!?!?!?! Stop gang-banging in the ghetto. It's bad for your health. Didn't all those "uncles" of yours teach you that?

Why is it that when one DO screws up, every other DO is branded a quack, but when an MD screws up, only he/she takes the blame?

Screw you, man. I'd rather be a DO than join the pantheon of egotistical MDs who screw up far worse than their osteopathic colleagues. Let's see....

The MD orthopods in New York who operated on the wrong limbs...

The MD surgeon in Mass. who left in the middle of a surgery because he had to run to the bank....

And then there was my (erstwhile) freakin' MD gastroenterologist, who treated my severe IBS with a LECTURE. "You seem like an anxious person. You need to sit down and say to yourself, 'I can't control the world around me, and I shouldn't try.'" He wouldn't give me antispasmodics because he said, "Patients tend to get alarmed when they don't work and they end up calling at all hours of the night to tell me that they don't work." Well thanks a lot, R. "social medicine" Goldman, MD. I went to the osteopathic GI guy, he gave me some Bentyl, end of story.

*****.

And for the record, I've been admitted to Temple, UMDNJ-RWJ, and New York Medical College, and if I get into PCOM I'm going DO--hands down.

 

[oceandocDO]

Troll. Repeat offender I bet as well. You created a screen name to tell us that? I sense this "new" user has done a tad bit of homework and hence relayed this soliloquy of fictional despair. Comical that you have that much time on your hands. Go study for the MCAT.

Isnt this what a board monitor is for?

 

[emc2]

Duh!!! I spent 3 months with Vibha Patel Family practice. She did a TB skin test it was negative. If you knew anything about TB, you'd know that false negatives are common. Thats why if unsure you do a control study. After being given Levaquin-then CXR (no change) then Z-PAck-CXR-no change-back to Levaquin????? thats what I said.....no change. So she says I had pneumonia for 3 months. I did ask her about a control and was ignored. Then to David Brickey the pulmonologist. By now on CXR I'm starting to have left lobe consolidation and apical infiltrates on left. Told I got pneumonia....Biaxin 2 weeks. CXR --no change. Then CT.....bilateral apical infiltrates and left lobe consolidation. Did you get a tb test????? yes, but no control was done... Then Barbara Atkinson called.....did sputum culture and told me I had everything in my lung. (Can u say contamination) Then she said it was not bacterial and the pulmonologist bases his case on one sample of biops with casseating granulomas. Time for PREDNISONE...... I got picks if you think I'm lying.
This is the short version, I got mounds of chart work and 20+CXR's. I do plan on paying off my loans and getting my JD. I figure that way I can eliminate the frauds. I didn't even mention the nephrologist that told me I had IGA nephropathy and did a kidney biopsy when it was kidney stones. It would be wrong to remove my post since it's all true.

 

[emc2]

Duh!!! I spent 3 months with Vibha Patel Family practice. She did a TB skin test it was negative. If you knew anything about TB, you'd know that false negatives are common. Thats why if unsure you do a control study. After being given Levaquin-then CXR (no change) then Z-PAck-CXR-no change-back to Levaquin????? thats what I said.....no change. So she says I had pneumonia for 3 months. I did ask her about a control and was ignored. Then to David Brickey the pulmonologist. By now on CXR I'm starting to have left lobe consolidation and apical infiltrates on left. Told I got pneumonia....Biaxin 2 weeks. CXR --no change. Then CT.....bilateral apical infiltrates and left lobe consolidation. Did you get a tb test????? yes, but no control was done... Then Barbara Atkinson called.....did sputum culture and told me I had everything in my lung. (Can u say contamination) Then she said it was not bacterial and the pulmonologist bases his case on one sample of biops with casseating granulomas. Time for PREDNISONE...... I got pics if you think I'm lying.
This is the short version, I got mounds of chart work and 20+CXR's. I do plan on paying off my loans and getting my JD. I figure that way I can eliminate the frauds. I didn't even mention the nephrologist that told me I had IGA nephropathy and did a kidney biopsy when it was kidney stones. It would be wrong to remove my post since it's all true.

 

[Bull's eye]

He diagnosed sarcoid with casseating granuloma's? You are so full of $hit. However, this is a good comedic thread, so I'll play along---. Acid fast stain showed no red snappers? Must be an MD pathologist. hehehehehehehehehehe

 

[group_theory]

Originally posted by emc2

I do plan on paying off my loans and getting my JD.

But law school is 3 years in length. Didn't you state that you are a 4th year student?

IF (and a big if) your story is true

please inform me and the rest of SDN's community how this relates to the osteopathic profession?

If your reply is "well, they were all incompetent and all DOs", I hope you will refer to my dumb Texan arguments to see the folly of that logic.

 

[Homunculus]

[email protected] <[email protected]>

[email protected] <[email protected]>

i don't know how libel laws work on the internet, but i think they may be interested in this thread if what you posted proves to be false.

in the very least i'm sure they'd be happy to read your take on the situation. who knows, maybe they'll be able to trace your IP and find out who you are.

i must admit, you took that one hook, line and sinker.

 

[Green912]

I didn't even mention the nephrologist that told me I had IGA nephropathy and did a kidney biopsy when it was kidney stones.

Did your Psychiatrist diagnose paranoid delusions when it should have been schizophrenia?

 

[emc2]

You're right it was non-casseating granulomas....I've been out a long while. Recovering from the Pneumothorax, TB, cracked ribs,adrenal insufficiency, pain meds, 45 pound weight loss. I was a fourth year. I had to decline my match spot due to graduating late. They did do acid fast tests, the were negative. The sputum came up with both gram + and gram - bugs. The blood cultures all 4 were contaminated. All they really had to do was check the CXR. Bilateral apical infiltrates, consolidaation....how do you get sarcoid...... maye fungal. I was actually in the pulm exam room after getting a CXR that AM. He comes in tells me he didn't see film. Calls Radman right there and says to radman that " so there was no change in CXR" then he hangs up tells me "he said there was no change, but I think it looks better??????" WTF. He even said the golf-ball sized anterior cervical lymph node in my neck (srofula) was not related to my case. He said " well life isn't fair, if it doesn't go away we'll biopsy it, maybe your an alien" ??????
Yes, I am going to Law school not sure b4 or after finish residency. I can make so much more money suing quack DO's.

 

[emc2]

I have had 2 radiologists and currently an infectious disease doc in houston going over the case. One radiologists said that it was impossible that they didn't think TB sooner, he's been practicing 30+ years. No I didn't fall for that hook, line and sinker.. It's only libel if it's not true. I got all the case info to prove it, well actually my lawyer has it. Hell even the H and P's are all different. One even says I'm circumcised. When did that happen????? There are so many holes in the medical records I have 2 firms looking into the case. Rumor has it that one doc blames the path dept. In the end it all comes down to finger pointing. No one will take the blame.

 

[Bull's eye]

Don't forget about suing quack MD's too. Sarcoid is not fungal. It is auto immune, but what do I know I am just a DO.

 

[Bull's eye]

Alright, IF you are serious. Get ahold of Ed Friedlander, MD (he calls himself a DO though) from the University of Health Sciences COM. He is a pathologist and a famous one (and phenominal). He does medical malpractice cases. Looks at both sides and is commonly used as an expert witness. His website is www.pathguy.com
Don't e-mail him call the school. I don't care if they are MD, DO, or MBBS or whatever medical letters you want to put together. If they screwed up that bad then you have a case, but it is not the degree's fault, that is for sure.

 

[emc2]

Yes I am angry, hell i've even been diagnosed with PTSD. Yes I meant it was possibly fungal, not that sarcoid is fungal.

I WAS a long distance runner. Finished 99 cowtown 10k in 13th place in my division out of 260+ people. Now I can't even run down the street without chest pain.

Thanks for the path doc info. I'll pass on to the lawyer.

Lets talk about my past 6 pack that was eliminated on the left by a nerve being cut. Then there's the 30K+ of med bills. Not to mention losing my spot. Do you have any idea what 40mg of prednisone QD does to your body, not to mention mind.

Have you ever been up 3 days straight due to not being able to lie down due to cracked ribs bilaterally. I can take call easily now, try sleeping sitting up with cracked ribs and constant cough. Ever had 6+ months of fevers at 102+ and chills. Stand outside naked when it's below freezing then have someone throw water on you. Then stay there for another 45 minutes.

Oh, I forgot the stomach ulcer from all the tylenol and advil and prednisone I was taking. One thing is for sure, if I went to better docs I would have been better off. The only good thing to come of this mess is I have a MAJOR AMOUNT OF APATHY FOR MY PATIENTS. Too me it's not losing sleep because I have an admit or a nurse call. It's actually someone in need of some relief. Except the only difference is that I still see them as patients and not annoyances.....LATER.

 

[MaggieD]

The only good thing to come of this mess is I have a MAJOR AMOUNT OF APATHY FOR MY PATIENTS.

I'm curious, do you have apathy towards your patients, or empathy for your patients?

 

[H0mersimps0n]

1.) Physicians are not gods (MD or DO) they are human
2.) No human is flawless
3.) The patient is responsible for choosing his or her own physician. A fourth year should have better sense than to let some attendings hack away at your health like that.
4.) Stop watching TV and Media stories about how medicine cures all diseases and deserves punishment in every instance when treatment fails.
5.) May god have mercy on your soul if you go through with this lawsuit and you, as a physician, ever slip up with a diagnosis.
6.) Don't forget to sue the company that makes the TB testing drugs, the company that makes the x-ray machine, the company that made the stethoscope that failed, the company that runs the hospital, the company that makes the attendings white coat that distracted him from treating you, don't forget to sue the nurses, and all the medical schools that trained those attendings, and I think that D.O. was embroidered crooked onto the white coats of the attending as well, better sue the tailor and his kitchen sink...

 

[emc2]

Your right, lack of brain use.....

It's empathy, the apathy is what I have towards the *****s that treated me if they ever get ill.

Anyway, I was a fool to trust my attendings, like I said, if the attendings are that bad then should you go to such a school????

And I did have enough smarts to question the diagnosis. Thats why I went to Dr. David Herrman MD. One thing he told me was that "a fast way to kill a person with TB is to put them on steroids." Also the law is that if you have a patient with suspected TB your supposed to notify the Health Department. The first docs never did that. I checked, the first time the health department ever heard of me was early March 2002. Even the above MD's partner was cussing out the DO docs for letting this case go so far. Just admit it, they royally dropped the ball. Would make a good news headline.....I mean if one highschool kid comes down with a positive tb test it's on the news. What would they do if they found out a medical school that caused a student to have a full blown case of TB. I bet Southwestern would love to hear it.

 

[Dr Sum Day]

Your situation is a trajedy. I hope the best for you.

 

[tkim]

Originally posted by emc2

Anyway, I was a fool to trust my attendings, like I said, if the attendings are that bad then should you go to such a school????

I certainly understand your frustration and wish you nothing but better health. However, did your attendings attend the school you're bashing? Are you implying that because they were osteopaths that they missed the dx, instead of them just being bad docs? I see a lot of anger in your posts - with good reason. But, call like it is - were they bad docs, period? Or were they bad because they went/teach to/at UNTHSC, and/or because they were osteopaths, as you seem to imply in your title and subtitle.

If I were to be misdiagnosed by an allopath, I would certainly not take such a huge step and blame the schools they went to, or the fact that they went the allopathic route. I'd conclude that I'd seen a string of bad docs.

- Tae

 

[Elysium]

Well, first of all I'd like to say that there are some intelligent people that hail from Texas.

That said, emc2 I understand that you're pissed about the ineptitude with your docs but I think that it's highly misguided to lump all DOs together as an inherently flawed profession. It would take pages and pages to list all of the egregious errors MDs have made over the years. We all have stories about *****y MDs, right? We also have some good ones too, I bet. Medicine is flawed, people are flawed, and it sounds like you got screwed. But blaming DOs is just too simple.

I would also think that if you were pursuing litigation that you would want to keep all this on the DL and not throwing names around on a public forum. This seems pretty brazen to me, and could end up damaging your case.

 

[wack]

emc2,

Your plight should make it obvious that you can do the world more good by becoming a competent doctor that can diagnose TB, than by becoming an attorney that punishes people. Unless you are just interested in money. If that is the case do what ever you want, but realize that you are not helping anyone.

 

[DrMom]

Okay, everyone. emc2 is also posting that he/she has finished a DO program.Residency Opportunities for DOs Thread

Not worth our time or effort.

 

[DW]

we can be such suckers for trolls on SDN

although, he has a point, an incompetent DO once misdiagnosed a hairline fracture of my pubocockus once

 

[emc2]

Yes, the fevers chills night sweats, scrofula, chest pain, productive cough did make me think tb. I was the one asking for the control. It was my DO docs that were looking for Zebras....I'm not a 40yo African American Female. Sarcoid in a young caucasian male is a MAJOR ZEBRA. Then again, you didn't even know how a TB test works. Better brush up on your harrisons.

 

[RockandRolldoc]

While you're suing the doctors, the hospitals, the x ray machine, the stethoscope... why don't you get some shovels, go out to kirksville , dig up AT Still and put his remains on trial. That is in effect what you mean to do by blaming the profession.


emc2, if as a physician/jd, you end up suing doctors, you will have very few friends in the medical field. You will have to go alone on everything. But don't worry, I too am thinking about getting a jd so I can defend the doctors that schmucks like you would go after. Look, whether your story is true or not is irrelevant. I actually believe you. What you still have not answered to is the fact that you blame an entire school of medicine for two individuals mistakes. Please say something coherent about this because you sidestep it like it was a mound of Texas Bullsh*t. I have to get going because my class " How to misdiagnose TB and create an angry texan 101" is about to start. Feel better.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by RockandRolldoc
I have to get going because my class " How to misdiagnose TB and create an angry texan 101" is about to start.

I feel so cheated: they don't offer that class at my school!!

Seriously, though, emc2. It seems to me that there has to be more to the story of why you are so unhappy with your own medical education.

 

[14931]

Originally posted by RockandRolldoc
" How to misdiagnose TB and create an angry texan 101" is about to start.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

HEY! don't forget to sue the tailor who embroidered the "D.O." crooked on his coat, that can cause serious emotional trauma and probably was the cause of the misdiagnosis...

 

[sketchyMcG]

Yeah! Sue the crap out of them! And try to get at least 4.5 million in punative damages as well! Screw it, I dont mind paying $250,000 in malpractice insurance per year. You fukking idiot, get over it, MD's have been known to misdiagnose as well.

 

[PACtoDOC]

I am a med student at TCOM where emc2 says all these terrible attendings work. Let me be the first one here to say that TCOM has some of the finest physicians I have ever worked with or been taught by. I have been a PA for 5 years, and I came here to step up to the physician education and I bypassed several Texas MD schools because of TCOM's known quality. In fact, I just had a lecture from Dr. Brickey this week, the so-called quack pulmonologist emc2 refers to. Except for talking fast, this man is a genuine wealth of knowledge that I don't ever expect to understand. He is a critical care specialist and pulmonary medicine board certified. He has been the chief of medicine at other more notable institutions, and he knows his ****. It sounds to me like maybe there was a problem with the path specimens or just an unfortunate strange case. The bottom line is that you readily admit by your story that the standard of care was followed in each case. You can't blame the physician when the lab results are hozed up. They did the right things all the way down to the TB skin test and the scope. It was just an unfortunate case that may or may not have been able to be helped. For you to blame all DO's is just crazy though and you know it. You will not win this case no matter how much your lawyer tells you that you will. I can already tell from what you have said that the standard of care was followed. You are not going to find a smoking gun in my opinion, and without it, your case is just unfortunate. And for you to badmouth UNTHSC on the web shows your character. I hope someone sends this to Dr. Brickey and to your own lawyer. Your lawyer will undoubtedly put a muzzle on your ass after this, if he doesn't fire you altogether.

 

[Homunculus]

I'm pretty sure the people who need to know about this poster and his rantings are already quite aware of it.

 

[alexOSTEO]

Ok, I think there is just a little too much Anger here. I am a FP doc in Dallas, out of Residency 2 years (I'm FREE ) ) Yes, I think it's wrong to blame an entire field of people for a few mistakes. Trust me, we all make mistakes. That's why it's called practicing medicine. Also, on emc2's side, he is obviousley very angry. He claims to have PTSD, but that's not my specialty. Personally, I don't think any of us can say for sure who or what went wrong or if anything went wrong without actually looking over the entire case. Therefore, I don't think any of us can say that there were or were not mistakes. Let's just all relax and take the post as an angry individual venting frustrations. Is it really going to change how you see the osteopathic/allopathic schools. Your decision to come to this sight is based on your disire to talk with people in your pre-post med boat. So lets all relax and move on to SOME FOOTBALL.......GO TITANS

Thanks for listening

 

[SawBones]

You know, maybe EMC is onto something. His original post was WAAAAAAAAY over my head. I mean, I'm a fourth year medical student and I couldn't even remember where the ribs are, much less what tooberklo... tuberkulo... uh... whatever that disease was.

And it is no wonder why I don't know this material. I just opened my copy of Cecil's Textbook of Medicine (Osteopathic Edition -- you know, only 200 pages, compared to 2000), and look what I found!!!

DISCLAIMER: If anyone actually believes there is truly an osteopathic edition of Cecil's, please take your cumulative MCAT score of 7 and voluntarily remove yourself from the applicant pool... and while you are at it, the gene pool too.

 

[SawBones]

Just so nobody looses their head over my last post, here is the true textbook we used at XCOM for our pulmonology course. I almost read the entire thing, too.

(Insomnia, folks.... I finally get time off, and look how I spend it. Wait, is that a bottle of Ambien? Zzzzzzz...)

 

[oceandocDO]

ROTFLMFAO

 

[H0mersimps0n]

yet another stunning performance by da BONES!!!

 

[slindsay198]

alexOSTEO,

The Titans suck! Just kiddin' buddy...I'm a disgruntled Steeler's fan.

Scott-MSII
PCOM

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Since you changed the subject to football, take note of the edit I made to your comment below

Originally posted by alexOSTEO
So lets all relax and move on to SOME FOOTBALL.......GO HOME TITANS

Go Raiders! Stomp the Titans like you did before! (52-25 if you others have forgotten!)

 

[alexOSTEO]

Hey, I kind of like all the teams in the playoffs. Just feel the Titans are due. I mean they missed it by a yard a few years ago. I can see that guy lying in bed every night reliving that last play where he fell so close.. You've seen the replay in that NFL playoffs commercial. Anyway, I went to Bell Highschool, Tommy Maddox was 2 years ahead of me. Not that means anything. Well in less than 24 we'll now the score.....



GO TITANS

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

HAHA, The Raiders scored 93 points on the Titans in their two meetings today. I think McNair is due some props. He carried a mediocre team all year with a lot of pain. He is a true gladiator after that one touchdown where he had a head on collision and won. He is definately a real man! (but they still lost HAHA)