When most people hear “it’s nothing” from their doctor, they will leave the office feeling relieved. After all, it’s perfectly normal to have a headache or feel nauseated, and just because you were worried that it could be something serious doesn’t mean that it was. Now you can go home and relax, safe in the knowledge that you’re going to be okay.
Unfortunately, many patients have this experience just days before they suffer a serious stroke—one that their doctors should have seen coming.
A stroke is an interruption of blood flow to the brain, usually in the form of a blood clot. This causes a loss of oxygen to the brain, and brain cells begin to die. A physician may dismiss many early symptoms of a stroke because the patient is too young, or is not considered “high risk,” causing a misdiagnosed patient to suffer any number of permanent injuries, including:
- Loss of mobility
- Slurred or lost speech
- Confusion or cognitive problems
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Chronic headaches
- Difficulty swallowing
- Loss of function on one side of the body
- Paralysis
- Early death
The effects of a stroke can be reversed with clot-dissolving medications, but in order to work properly, these should be administered within four or five hours. The faster you are treated for a stroke, the faster you will recover—and the less likely you will suffer complications.
If your doctor ignored your symptoms or failed to perform adequate testing prior to a stroke, you could receive compensation for your medical costs. The Louisville brain injury attorneys at Gray and White can help you understand your legal rights in your FREE, one-on-one consultation. Call us today at (800) 634-8767 or fill out the contact form on the top of this page to get started.