Man sues hospital after wrong diagnosis
A man is suing an NHS hospital after he was wrongly diagnosed him with cancer.
The 61-year-old man, from Yetminster, Dorset, was told in April 2007, that he had only six months to live, after a doctor's checkup stated that he had advanced gallbladder cancer.
It was later revealed that it was only an abscess; however this revelation came after he had planned his own funeral with his wife and spent £18,000 on a motorbike.
Man seeking compensation
The man is in talks with injury lawyers, to help him win a compensation claim, of an undisclosed sum with his legal case.
In addition to the motorbike, the man bought his wife a car, which was meant to be used after he had gone.
The man said: "When they told me I had cancer I knew I had a chance to do everything I wanted. I was a fit man and a keen motorcyclist. I still had a lot of working life left in me."
He added: "When they told me I did not have cancer, it knocked me off balance. Now I cannot do anything. I'm an absolute wreck. If you have spent two years thinking you are going to die, then you are told you are not, it knocks you backwards."
Speaking about the change in his countenance before and after the diagnosis the man said: "I was a fit man and had a lot of working life left. Now I can't do anything. I am shutting down. My stomach is so swollen it crushes my legs."
Due to the diagnosis, the man had to take a substantial amount drugs, unnecessarily, which he said left him an "an absolute wreck".
His wife, who is aged 62, stated that the couple were delighted that the original diagnosis was a mistake, but added that it had ruined her husband's life.
She said: "We just don't understand how it could have happened. They obviously didn't look at the tests closely enough. I never used to believe in suing or compensation or anything like that."
The wrong diagnosis
The situation began when the man went to the Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester and told doctors stating that he was experiencing a loss of appetite, sudden weight loss and anemia.
He was then underwent scans that revealed he had an abnormal gallbladder and liver. After further tests and scans, doctors were led to believe that the man had cancer. It was at this point that he was told of the news and that he would only have six month to live.
The man's wife also added: "He was bitter and tearful but he took the news that he was going to die calmly. We took £18,000 out of a pension and he bought the Triumph motorbike, which had always been his dream. He even told me he wanted his coffin to be carried on the back of it at his funeral, which he had arranged."
Dorset County Hospital's chief executive, Jan Bergman, has written to the man disclosing that the initial diagnosis was made before all the test results had been examined. He said that practices had been reviewed to ensure that surgeons looked at all information before reaching a conclusion.
The man is now being treated at Yeovil District Hospital.
A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said: "We have been in contact with the man and his wife about the conclusions of our investigation."
Updated on 18/07/2009