If you begin to feel poorly, the very first thing you should think about is seeking medical attention. Even if you don’t require it, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
While you hope your doctor will correctly diagnose your condition and provide the right treatment, this doesn’t always happen. It’s possible a mistake could be made, which results in additional challenges.
Here are three common ailments that are often misdiagnosed:
- Cancer: The symptoms of cancer are shared with many other conditions, which increases the risk of a misdiagnosis. The most commonly misdiagnosed types of cancer include breast, lung and colorectal.
- Heart attack: It’s easy to believe that the symptoms of a heart attack are straightforward, but since these are shared with less serious conditions, they’re often overlooked. For example, your doctor could send you home after a minor heart attack, assuming you were dealing with nothing more than indigestion.
- Stroke: In the case of a slow onset stroke, it’s possible for a doctor to make a misdiagnosis. They assume that the symptoms, often including weakness and confusion, are related to something less serious.
Unfortunately, if you don’t receive immediate treatment for these ailments, there’s a greater chance of complications and even death.
If you’re the victim of medical misdiagnosis, receive a second opinion as quickly as possible. You want to know that you’re in good hands. From there, as time allows, learn more about what went wrong in the past. You may come to find that your doctor’s negligence could have been prevented, which will lead you to take steps to protect your legal rights.