When you visit your doctor with a medical concern, you put your faith in this person. You hope that they’ll do whatever it takes to diagnose your ailment, provide treatment and help you reach your former level of health.
Unfortunately, a medical misdiagnosis can happen at any time. Here are several of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions:
- Cancer: This has long been a problem, as cancer is often mistaken for something much less serious. This is particularly true of colorectal, breast and lung cancer.
- Heart attack: A heart attack shares symptoms with many less serious ailments, such as indigestion and a chest cold. If a heart attack goes undiagnosed, it can cause irreparable harm and even result in death.
- Stroke: The sooner a stroke is treated the less damage it will cause. This is why it’s critical to avoid a stroke misdiagnosis. Symptoms of a stroke typically include weakness and poor coordination;however, these signs could come about slowly. When this happens, the symptoms could be mistaken for something else.
If you don’t trust the original diagnosis you receive, immediately seek a second opinion. Even if you end up being wrong, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
If you or a loved one was the victim of medical misdiagnosis, make sure you connect with a doctor you trust to provide care in the future.
As time allows, you can also revisit the original diagnosis with the idea of better understanding what went wrong. You may be able to file a claim against the provider in an attempt to obtain compensation for their negligence.