UVA Medical Center review: Medical Negligence 3

In November 2010 Dr. Todd Bauer did a surgery, a distal pancreatectomy and spleenectomy. The reason was to remove a cyst that he stated needed removed after having a biopsy done by Dr Shami via ERCP. He said the surgery was needed didnt give any other option, said that he done them all the time, recovery time was 8 wks and i would be back to normal with no lifesytle changes. A few weeks after the surgery complications started. He was always very quick to say it was nothing he would have a jp drain placed by radiology and send me home I was in and out of my local hospital and transferred back to UVA every month since November of 2010. In May of 2011 he was doing the same thing put a drain in and send me home but radiology said they would not place the drain he needed to to something else. He then sent me to a GI Dr Andrew Wang. Dr Wang did and ERCP trying to place a drain thru my stomach into the abscess also wanting to put a stent in my pancreas. He was unable to do either of these and caused me an acute pancreatitis attack. I was extremely sick and in very much pain. He discovered that I had pancreas Divisum which was likely the cause of all the complications. In June I returned back to him and he was able to place the drain and do a sphinctertomy and place a stent in my pancreas. I returned in July the drain had fell out so he removed and replaced the stent and placed a new drain. On 7/26/11 I was terminated from my job and lost my insurance. I contacted Dr Wangs office to advise them and they cancelled my August appointment, I questioned the stent being in and they stated it would be ok for the few extra weeks, In September I received WVs medicaid card I called to notify his office and was advised they do not accept it. The again cancelled my appointment. I was extremely concerned upset and crying I asked what am I going to do, doesnt this have to be removed before it causes harm. I asked to have him refer me to a Dr in WV that could remove it. Never received a call back regarding that. I called several times to try to have them to see me was transferred all around the hospital. Finally got an answer that since I was already a patient he could make an exception and see me and they were trying to work things out with him. His office stated the that he would see me it was the hospital that would not allow it. On Sept 8, 2011 I went to my local er because of pain and complications. They contacted Dr Wangs GI fellow on call they explained my situation and were very concerned about the length of time this stent had been in. UVA refused for me to be transferred. My local GI referred me do another Dr in Morgantown WV. I seen him on 10/21/11. He was upset by the whole thing. He stated that what had happened to me was a train wreck. He said first of all I was originally misdiagnosed, that the pancreas divisum caused the cyst and surgery was absolutely not nescessary, this caused all of the complications. He stated that the Drs have done everything backwards and as for the stent he said that the Dr was obligated to remove it if he put it in he had to remove it. He said it was immoral unethical and illegal. He said at most he only leaves stents in his patients 2 or 3 wks 4 would be the max. At this point mine had been 12 weeks plus. He said that this caused permanent scaring and damage and that at this point I would never be normal again. He said I would always be in pain and be in and out of the hospital due to the complicated chronic pancreatitis that these drs caused. I had felt since the complications started that the surgeon was very fast to get rid of me. He did not want to deal with me at all. He was so relieved in May when he put me off on the GI dr and he has not called to check on me the first time. I have always had a gut feeling that something went wrong, but now after hearing another Dr say it I am sure that he mishandled my case. I am upset I feel that he just used me to do a surgery to fill up his clinical study. I think that if he would have cared about me as a patient all of this could have been avoided and I would not be in the shape that I am now. At this point I have no quality of life, I am in constant pain, I miss so many events that mean alot to my family, my lifestyle has been forever changed, I cant eat but 3 tiny meals a day, I lost my job which I had worked 15 years now I will never be able to start a new job making the same amount of money as I was having the loss of income has made my family suffer, my son has been left without a mother for almost a year now, my husband without his wife, lost health insurance for my family, I am so deeply depressed, and I have to deal with the fact that I will never be the person I was before all because these Drs cared more about money than the patient. I just would like to see them not be able to ever do this to another human being. No one should have to go thru what I have went thru.