Hudgell Solicitors medical negligence specialists secured £24,000 compensation for a woman who was incorrectly prescribed a strong immunosuppressant after being misdiagnosed.
Our client, who had a known history of arthritis, visited her local outpatient clinic to complain of aches and pains along with fatigue and stiffness that she had been experiencing in a morning.
Following an examination by her doctor, our client was diagnosed as having ‘psoriatic arthritis’ and was in turn prescribed the extremely strong immunosuppressant ‘methotrexate’ for a period of two years.
This was the beginning of a painful journey which resulted in the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions, presenting new symptoms along with chronic pain.
The first couple of months the medication brought on nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. At this time the client was struggling to take the medication orally due to ill side effects, so the doctor changed the administration to daily injections.
Later that year, the levels of pain became very high. When revisiting her doctor, she was given a one week break from the medication before being told to continue.
Less than a month later she was noticing considerable weight loss and a development of mouth ulcers.
Our client was finally advised to stop taking the methotrexate eight months later due to the chronic side effects she was experiencing.
A change in medication was prescribed, again increasing pain levels, this time in her feet, arms and neck, yet the decision was taken for her to continue taking them.
It was over two years since the initial diagnosis before our client found out that she had been incorrectly diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.
The medical negligence claim legal case
Our specialist clinical negligence team were contacted, and Rachel O’Connor began to investigate on behalf of the claimant.
Having obtained medical evidence supporting negligence on the part of the doctor and suggesting that this negligence had caused pain and suffering, we put forward a formal claim.
The defendant admitted liability, however denied that the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions had arisen as a result of the negligence.
Further medical evidence was obtained by both parties and settlement proposals were made as the defendant made an initial offer of £8,000 .
Finally, following negotiations, our client received £24,000 compensation due to the extended period she suffered as a result of the misdiagnosis.
The claim settled out of court.
Comment from our expert medical negligence lawyers
Medical Negligence lawyer Ms O’Connor said: “Unfortunately we do see a number of cases where a misdiagnosis like this can cause months, if not years of ongoing suffering.
“In this case our client not only endured side-effects, further symptoms and pain as a result of receiving the wrong treatment, but also had pre-existing conditions exacerbated.
“We were pleased that, after obtaining further supportive evidence and following negotiations, we were able to able to reach a satisfactory outcome for our client.”
No win no fee medical negligence solicitors
Contact our no win no fee medical negligence solicitors if you believe that you or a family member has suffered an injury or illness, or if an existing condition has been aggravated by medical negligence. Under our no win no fee arrangement, you will only pay a pre-determined percentage of your compensation if your claim is successful.
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