In North Carolina and elsewhere in the United States, the procedure for a patient who feels he or she has a certain disease is generally straightforward. A visit to the doctor and some diagnostic tests usually indicate whether the disease is present or not. However, the United States is lacking in its ability to identify Lyme disease, as one man found out during a ten-month battle with the illness. He remembers pulling a tick from his ankle two days before the classic bull’s-eye rash of Lyme disease appeared around the bite.
However, tests for Lyme disease came back negative. United States tests for Lyme generally only pick up on the strain carried by one species of tick. In this man’s case (and in any others), doctors suggested that the negative test result meant something else was amiss.
However, the man was subjected to an assortment of unusual treatments. One physician gave him an IV of silver, causing kidney failure. The man obtained a test for Lyme disease only available in Europe. This test, unlike the U.S. test, looks for Lyme carried by any of 18 species of ticks. Finally, he obtained a positive result and was treated with the antibiotics he needed.
When a person is denied medical care due to a medical misdiagnosis or other error, the consequences can be disastrous and sometimes deadly. In this case, the man took initiative and still came away with severe damage, including kidney failure. A person harmed by medical malpractice may wish to talk to a lawyer about the feasibility of pursuing recourse. Damages recovered can help to cover medical costs, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
Source: Medical Daily, “Man’s 10-Month Lyme Disease Stint Exposes Holes, Confusion With Treating It In The US“, Anthony Rivas, July 08, 2014