It may seem like the best news in the world. You were diagnosed with cancer that was going to end your life within a set period; but you get a call or a meeting with your oncologist only to find that it was a misdiagnosis.
However, legally, this is a huge issue. Many people who have been given a misdiagnosis with cancer will put actions into place which are based on this diagnosis and the time frame that has been set down. So, learning that it was all a mistake caused by negligence can have devastating effects on your life.
With that in mind, what are some of these simple issues that can occur following the misdiagnosis of cancer, and why should you seek legal redress for this issue?
Financial Loss
If you were given a diagnosis of lung cancer that was inoperable (or brain cancer), it’s highly likely that you will have started to put your financial affairs into order. This may have meant that you sold your home, your car, or other assets in order to ensure that the final months of your life with your family would be good or to provide them with financial help when you were gone. So this would have caused financial loss, and now that you have longer to live, you may be in a bad place financially. If this sounds familiar, you should seek the help of cancer misdiagnosis attorneys as soon as possible.
Emotional Distress
The emotional distress of being diagnosed with cancer should not be overlooked, and this is not only to you but to your family and friends as well. You may have held farewell parties, you may have taken round-the-world trips, and you may have begun to suffer from depression and anxiety and may have even potentially sought therapy following this diagnosis. The emotional distress caused by this misdiagnosis is not simply related to the diagnosis itself but what it also means going forward for you and your family.
Medication Side Effects
Looking at the medication that is given to treat cancer, even if you were suffering from this illness, it would have had side effects. Many people who are given radiation treatment or chemotherapy suffer hair loss and weight loss and develop issues with dysphagia and vomiting. As well as this, many people lose a considerable amount of weight. The more aggressive forms of cancer treatment could have also put complications in other parts of your body, such as your liver or your kidneys, and this will need to be explored with your legal team when putting your case together.
Secondary Health Issues
As mentioned before, many of the treatments used in cancer have secondary complications for other parts of the body. And, for some people, if you are being treated for brain cancer, for example, the medications can cause issues with memory and vision, and can even cause seizures. If you have suffered any issues with any part of your body following cancer treatment that was not needed, you need to seek legal representation as soon as possible.