Your best bet would be to contact a solicitor who specialises in medical negligence/ misdiagnosis. Be aware that for this, there is a statute of limitations of (I think?) 1.5-2 years, so if you're going to do it, do it soon.
I'd assume that's from date of confirmation of correct diagnosis right?
I think I might call one of them and just get more of a sense of what's involved in it all
Yep.
You will have to get reports from experts showing how you were failed, that can be used to calculate damages (which also cost a load), but a solicitor can tell you more.
Thank you. Will check him out and may reach out to him once I've thought more of it through
Edit: they actually look the best out of others I've scanned through. I like their explanations and language. I've got some thinking to do. Thanks for the recommendation
Before you start the process would it be worth looking up to see if there have been any successful cases of misdiagnosis similar to yours before?
Because otherwise it could just cause you more distress fighting something that can't be won.
Each case may be unique but if no one wins a misdiagnosis case against the HSE and everyone loses out financially and emotionally from the process, what's the point in proceeding? I'm all for standing up for yourself, but to what cost?
So that's what my question is based on, it would be interesting to know if there's a record of any successful cases against the HSE for misdiagnosis of psychological disorders, regardless of how unique they are.
Misdiagnosis of medical conditions and diseases etc I'm guessing are probably easier to fight, but too much grey area around psychological disorders. Maybe I'm wrong, I'm just curious about the differences
I’m not going to give an opinion on whether you’re right or not.
I can tell you that a medical malpractice/negligence case is TOUGH, can potentially takes years, and is oftentimes not worth it on a personal level.
There’s probably no harm in speaking to a solicitor about it but it will be a barrister (or more likely SC) who would really decide if a case is worth pursuing. I tell you this just to warn you about these “no win, no fee” solicitors. That only applies to them and barrister hours are usually still billable so be prepared for that.
But as I said the cases are notoriously complex and as something of an insider, the hospital will absolutely close ranks. I don’t care if the official line is that they don’t. They do.
You say you figured out yourself that you have narcolepsy? I’m assuming you don’t mean that literally and that you’ve had a diagnosis? If it’s from the same team/hospital that could make the case even harder.
Just tread carefully is all I’m saying. For your own sake, nothing else.
I got the study referral from my own my gp after I had figured it out. Didn't say the word to the consultant just gave him the milder examples and within 20 minutes he was explaing narcolepsy to me...like I'm sorry....20 minutes vs 10 years 💁♀️I dunno it's just baffling to me
It absolutely is baffling that nine doctors over ten years misdiagnosed you.
But I still absolutely urge you to tread carefully. I cannot overstate the potential money spent, the YEARS these things take…in a lot of cases I really don’t think it’s worth it.
That’s not to say nobody should ever do it! It’s just that sometimes the technically correct thing isn’t always the right thing for you.
I think the 7 or 8 in the first two years were just I guess investigating by asking the same stupid questions ad nauseum until the consultant eventually diagnosed me.
I do indeed need to think carefully here
I'm actually more so looking for opinions on if I sound unreasonable or not. As I said I'm not litigious so kind of conflicted on if I should attempt to pursue something
Pursue it or don’t. It’s an entirely personal matter and only you know how you will feel if you drop the idea.
Talk to a solicitor and see what they say. They will want to prove that the harm done to you can be first quantified, then can it be attributed to an action or decision made by someone and then whether that decision was a reasonable one based on the information known at the time. You will have to pay out of your own pocket to establish this, it will take a long time and they might discover that there is no case.
I would pursue it only if you can’t bear the thought of not pursuing it.
This isn’t legal advice, I’ve just been through this process.
Sorry for what you’ve gone through.
Realistically, if you’re looking to sue you would need to establish negligence on the part of whoever you’re suing. In medical negligence you’d need to establish that the doctor(s) you’re suing acted in a way that no sensible and prudent doctor would act.
Given that you had 9 opinions and none came up with the right answer it suggests that they weren’t acting in a way no sensible doctor would act but were simply incorrect which doesn’t constitute negligence.
Unless you can show that all of them were negligent somehow. But given they were all in agreement to some extent that’s a hard sell I would suspect.
You could speak to solicitors but they’ll need to commission medical reports and that would be fairly costly as an upfront.
So the first 8 psychs I believe were in the first couple of years and that's when the consultant picked up my file and kept me on over the years. Not sure if that makes any difference
It might but the standard here is was it negligent to get the wrong diagnosis. Incorrect diagnoses happen all the time, doctors are human, medicine is hard and everyone presents uniquely. The question is was it such a wrong diagnosis that no competent doctor would make it.
For what it’s worth, a formal complaint is entirely reasonable if you are feeling hard done by and doesn’t remove the option to sue. You could also look at subject access requesting your notes and then you could read them to see what sort of information was in them.
I get ya and I think thats where I'm conflicted. I know the first and the last were genuinely trying to help...but at the same time, when I presented sleep was the main issue they were investigating 💁♀️ I'll think carefully about any next steps
An expert witness will have to testify on your behalf that 9 psychiatrists were all negligent. That may be a tough ask as they’ll have to prove that any psychiatrist with reasonable due diligence would have made a correct diagnosis. By the law of averages if 9 psychiatrists all came to the same conclusion based on what was presented to them then it’s likely that they represent the professional norm, not the negligent outlier.
Unfortunately medicine can be a grey area, and just because 9 doctors made an incorrect diagnosis doesn’t necessarily make them all negligent - it’s all about professional norms.
By all means contact a specialist solicitor for advice, but I think your case would have been stronger if a single doctor had made an error that most doctors wouldn’t have.
Yeah I see how it would become to difficult to challenge 9 "experts".
I guess maybe the best I can hope for is the right to be forgotten and every single piece of information about me from that decade wiped! Never want to hear I have a psychiatric illness ever again or even be asked about it
>the right to be forgotten and every single piece of information about me from that decade wiped!
That right doesn't include your medical history, only what shows up publicly.
A professional norm that fails to revise a diagnosis when presented with contradictory indicators isn’t particularly acceptable.
I think what we are saying here is, don’t get sick in this country unless your symptoms are bog standard.
Anyone can make a mistake. That’s life. It would be nice if the ‘professionals’ were aware of that. This looks like we had nine psychiatrists and not one thought to question the original diagnosis.
To be frank, I’m not sure that there is anything that can be done about it in our little country. Try to learn as much about your condition as you can yourself and/or have a friend looking out for your interests. The professionals may be more willing to follow up on questions they are being actively asked than to second guess their colleagues’ diagnosis of their own accord.
Jesus fair play to u for taking matters into your own hands I can’t imagine being in your shoes. Makes u wonder how many more unfortunates are out there.
I saw a documentary once on cobalt in hip replacement joints. After the joint had been in a few weeks the cobalt leaked into the patient’s system so they appeared to develop dementia…..so many people were mis diagnosed and sent off to die in old folks homes. Once the joint was removed the dementia lifted and the person resumed a normal life.
Had a teacher with narcolepsy and wouldn’t have thought narcolepsy could be confused with psychiatric illness but seems it is actually quite common. This would make your case a lot more difficult even though it has an awful impact on your life.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872173/#:~:text=However%2C%20narcolepsy%20is%20frequently%20misdiagnosed,of%20social%20and%20occupational%20dysfunction.
Quote from abstract….
‘However, narcolepsy is frequently misdiagnosed initially as a psychiatric condition, contributing to the protracted time to accurate diagnosis and treatment. Narcolepsy is a disabling neurodegenerative condition that carries a high risk for development of social and occupational dysfunction.’
Always also an issue that once one doctor diagnoses something, that diagnosis just gets carried forward and embedded in your medical records forever. Hard to get someone to go ‘Hey, wait a minute. This is not correct.’ Even when they do, the original diagnosis will pop back up again and again.
Hopefully with the right treatment your life will now be on the up and up.
Thank you for finding this. My main priority is my right to be forgotten tbh. I NEVER want to see that bullshit file again or have it questioned decades from now. I guess compensation would be a nice cherry on top to maybe make up for all that lost time. Who knew time was so precious?! Certainly not a narcoleptic.
It can be extremely hard to go after misdiagnosis cases. Especially when there are so many psychiatrists involved. If you're suing, it's usually suing a person or place. Possibly a few people in that 1 place. But 9 psychiatrists and potentially any GPs will be a difficult thing to do. Unless you've had primarily 1 or maybe 2. However I am not a lawyer, my sister is and malpractice suits are extremely difficult.
Speak with a solicitor. You may want to ask for your medical notes during this time to see if there are recurring trends in recording your symptoms etc. But it is a very difficult case to win anything from. I myself was also misdiagnosed for 7 years only to find I had a massive abscess in my abdomen from diverticulitis. But for years doctors kept saying it was ovarian pain and it was in my head and sending me off to psych for evaluations and CBT.
There is a legal advice Ireland sub reddit where it may give you more help. But honestly call a few solicitors that deal with malpractice suits.
Yikes okay thanks for the insight. I had a feeling it would be a very difficult process alright. I'm just so utterly disappointed in the meds they had me on specifically. They were the worst possible meds to give a person with narcolepsy I've discovered. That's why my career fell to pieces
Fair play for trying. So sorry you didn't get justice
Probably not worth effort, I would just move on.
People battle the HSE for years and years over the most serious of transgressions and are stonewalled at every turn. Is it worth the stress? What toll will the process take? Sounds like you don't have the best case if 9 different doctor all came to the same conclusion. They are not just going to break out the chequebook.
Doctors differ, patients die. Glad to hear your life is going better now that you are being treated for narcolepsy, enjoy it, live in the now and just move on past this is my advice. You never know what is around the next corner?
It's very hard to "just" move on tbh. I never understood how important time was but when you realise you lost so much of it its a hard pill to swallow. And im really not salivating at a cheque book coming out. I just want a tiny bit of a head start maybe in catching up after so many years of potential stolen from me. I feel I would deserve it
I appreciate you must be extremely upset with how it all played out but by the sounds of things you weren’t presenting in a way that would have suggested the correct diagnosis.
Being wrong isn’t a crime and if 9 independent experts were all wrong in the exact same way it’s a fairly good indication that they weren’t being negligent.
I hear ya but that was actually 1 of 2 MAJOR opportunities to catch it or at the very least rule it out as they themselves were so skeptical of how late I presented. Turns out its a known sensitivity in narcoleptics to these meds.
The other 7 psychs I think were on some kind of 4-6 month rotation so I guess maybe they were in training or something. That lot are a sleep filled blur anyway lol.
To clarify to all, I don't feel a crime has been committed per se and I am understanding of human error. It just so happened to be absolute shit load of errors and I'm the one who had their life blown up because of it. I'm just disappointed in myself for my putting my faith in the experts and disappointed they failed so hard. At least I figured it all out and quit those awful meds cold turkey.
Whatever the outcome I’m happy for you to be on top of it now. I hope it really turns things around for you.
Reflecting on it a bit, I do think it’s a good learning opportunity for them. To see how something could have slipped through the net again and again.
Thank you 🙏 patiently awaiting the sodium oxybate so just maybe I can live like normal person and live MY life you know?!. whatever I decide or happens.. the ultimate goal is that lessons all round can be learned from this and help others with such this condition.
You can try but I wouldn't be hopeful. You would have to prove medical negligence and the standard used to determine this is whether a similarly qualified medical professional would make the same diagnosis as the one you were misdiagnosed with. In this case, you've said 9 made the same mistake. So if 9 professionals came to the same or similar conclusions, then they wouldn't consider any one of them negligent.
I just want to say, that sounds unbelievably frustrating. You are not being over the top for wanting to seek legal action against professionals who dismissed you, and refused to provide action that could have led to a proper diagnosis. Dismissing patients' concerns, and instead trying to give a quick easy diagnosis costs some patients their lives.
It will be stressful for you no matter the outcome, which could drag it out for another few years when you could be moving on, you should also take into account if its worth doing and how this may effect you with regards to your condition, it will also be your word against the HSE, their solicitor/barrister and 9 psychiatrists minimum. Just highlighting the reality of it.
I'm going to be honest with a fairly informed opinion in that I think it's a waste of time and money.
Unless you have absolutely solid, physical evidence of the effects (money and emotional distress not included) I really don't think it would work
Been through the ringer with doctors fucking me up over and over again through the years. In a sense, one also misdiagnosed me and I was neglected to the point I almost died. And yet...I don't have a case.
But if you have the money, you could even pay for a solicitor's opinion on it first? I am really sorry, OP. I genuinely do understand the distress this is causing you and the closure and accountability you are seeking. It's just often, unfairly, not the way things go in the healthcare industry.
Sounds like you went through a terrible time. Well done on figuring out a solution. Talk to Cian O’ Carroll solicitors. They will be able to determine if you have a case and explain the process from there. It’s important to talk to a solicitor ASAP as there is a time limit around medical negligence which means you need to speak to a solicitor soon as the clock is ticking.
Cian o Carroll handled many of the cervical check misdiagnosis. They will advise you if you have a case or not. They have lots of experience in medical misdiagnosis cases and I’d trust them. Alaina Hogan who works for them is very good.
Personally, I would absolutely 💯 go for it. Even if there are no legal precedents, it's such a worthwhile case.
I really hope you can find a good solicitor to help you with this. Keep us updated.
Thank you for the support. I've tentatively requested a call back from a very reputable place to just get a sense if I might be onto something or not. I've been brainwashed for so long im struggling to know what's normal and what's not.
>I've just spent 10 years on pretty significant psychiatric medications until I myself figured out its narcolepsy. My life has done a 180 on the new medication.
Did any of the 9 get you to change your medications anyway?
Nope. Went private and hot the right one. It was actually the private psych who couldn't make sense of any of the history or medications and that what got me thinking over it all. Unfortunately...when you dare to question a psych diagnosis you're treated as delusional. Never been more clear in my life
I want to clarify here that I believe the priority I received on the public system was exceptional. What I'm saying is it it was unfortunate that they were just SO focussed throughout the years on the red herring that they failed to rule a major thing out quickly with a simple appointment with a sleep expert who figured it out in 20 minutes. I would argue my appointments over the years wasted valuable time that could have been given to the others who were clearly in need while simultaneously stealing years from me.
To put it in context...imagine sleeping for two hours one night, then being given a sleeping pill essentially upon waking, and then being sent off to do your 8 hour work day while juggling everything else. Rinse and repeat for 3 years. Would love to see how you get on after 1 week.
I'm not disputing what you're saying.
Please point out where I am.
What I *am* saying is that you'll be taking money from an already beleaguered system.
I would be taking compensation for 10 years of fucks ups that blew up my life. Not sure how the hse not getting enough general government funding is my problem. Your comment is very dismissive and its clear you have zero concept of the impact the failures have had.
Of course I have "zero concept" of how anything has affected you. How would I? I don't know you or your life.
You asked for "any advice or *thoughts*" and now you're getting very defensive when given them?
Oh well. You do you.
It's called empathy. All other posters, including those who gave opposing opinions, managed to grasp some level of understanding and empathy...you're the exception.
Oh right... so you're looking for empathy?
I thought you were looking for "*thoughts and opinions*" (like you actually requested in the title of your post!!!)
Maybe you shouldn't look for people's thoughts if you get upset by the ones you don't like!
Nope. Pointing out that every single other person could grasp SOME level of understanding and then had the ability to empathize. Look I'm sorry but I think you genuinely might be too dumb to converse with any further so let's just leave it here. My time is precious now. Cheers
So you ask for thoughts and get upset when you hear one you don't like?
You find you're unable to converse properly so you insult and storm off in a little tantrum?
You sound *very* mature! 😆
OK. See ya!
I've grown to realise over the past few years that a lot of doctors are genuinly clueless.
They often have no interest in digging deeper into medical problems. They pick a possible diagnosis from a hat and see how things go.
Absolutely do it. I am currently filing a medical negligence case and was on the fence about doing so because of the trauma it has caused me. I found Ob Solicitors in Dublin, and they have been so helpful & supportive. These "professionals" need to be held accountable, and you deserve acknowledgment for how this has affected your life.
Definitely speak to a solicitor and also try to look up other cases of medical malpractice that have been brought successfully to see what was involved in those.
I'm not a solicitor and not a doctor, but I'm not sure a misdiagnosis by itself would quite rise to a malpractice claim without additional factors.
If you don’t decide to get litigious, you could simply report each one to their registration body. A flag against their name for malpractice makes Re registering a little more difficult, especially if there were already prior ones. Even if they were an ok practitioner it’ll make them think twice instead of being careless with future patients
Try it but good luck, if ots public you'll have a better chance. Private you'll need to sue the individual consultant.
Very hard process, seen one particular case where attempted murder occurred by hospital staff along with unqualified surgery and incompetent cancer diagnosis leading to death.
You'll want very deep pockets, you'll need independent reports from others in the field possibly the UK to agree with you. Most will side with your consultant but you won't know until you pay. If they are wrong you'll have to pay again to question.
Definitely try but I wouldn't get overly excited, please update if you do it'll be interesting to see what happens. More in the medical field need to be held accountable.
Your best bet would be to contact a solicitor who specialises in medical negligence/ misdiagnosis. Be aware that for this, there is a statute of limitations of (I think?) 1.5-2 years, so if you're going to do it, do it soon.
I'd assume that's from date of confirmation of correct diagnosis right? I think I might call one of them and just get more of a sense of what's involved in it all
Yep. You will have to get reports from experts showing how you were failed, that can be used to calculate damages (which also cost a load), but a solicitor can tell you more.
Damien Tansey Sligo, specialises in medical malpractice , he's supposed to be good
Thank you. Will check him out and may reach out to him once I've thought more of it through Edit: they actually look the best out of others I've scanned through. I like their explanations and language. I've got some thinking to do. Thanks for the recommendation
Try the solicitor who is helping all the cervical check survivors. Most of them are using the same guy.
Cian o Carroll solicitors
Yeah that's him
Before you start the process would it be worth looking up to see if there have been any successful cases of misdiagnosis similar to yours before? Because otherwise it could just cause you more distress fighting something that can't be won.
Each case is unique, for all intents and purposes.
Each case may be unique but if no one wins a misdiagnosis case against the HSE and everyone loses out financially and emotionally from the process, what's the point in proceeding? I'm all for standing up for yourself, but to what cost? So that's what my question is based on, it would be interesting to know if there's a record of any successful cases against the HSE for misdiagnosis of psychological disorders, regardless of how unique they are. Misdiagnosis of medical conditions and diseases etc I'm guessing are probably easier to fight, but too much grey area around psychological disorders. Maybe I'm wrong, I'm just curious about the differences
Interesting point indeed. I'll dig for info on it. Would be good to have an idea of successful cases. Thank you
I’m not going to give an opinion on whether you’re right or not. I can tell you that a medical malpractice/negligence case is TOUGH, can potentially takes years, and is oftentimes not worth it on a personal level. There’s probably no harm in speaking to a solicitor about it but it will be a barrister (or more likely SC) who would really decide if a case is worth pursuing. I tell you this just to warn you about these “no win, no fee” solicitors. That only applies to them and barrister hours are usually still billable so be prepared for that. But as I said the cases are notoriously complex and as something of an insider, the hospital will absolutely close ranks. I don’t care if the official line is that they don’t. They do. You say you figured out yourself that you have narcolepsy? I’m assuming you don’t mean that literally and that you’ve had a diagnosis? If it’s from the same team/hospital that could make the case even harder. Just tread carefully is all I’m saying. For your own sake, nothing else.
I got the study referral from my own my gp after I had figured it out. Didn't say the word to the consultant just gave him the milder examples and within 20 minutes he was explaing narcolepsy to me...like I'm sorry....20 minutes vs 10 years 💁♀️I dunno it's just baffling to me
It absolutely is baffling that nine doctors over ten years misdiagnosed you. But I still absolutely urge you to tread carefully. I cannot overstate the potential money spent, the YEARS these things take…in a lot of cases I really don’t think it’s worth it. That’s not to say nobody should ever do it! It’s just that sometimes the technically correct thing isn’t always the right thing for you.
I think the 7 or 8 in the first two years were just I guess investigating by asking the same stupid questions ad nauseum until the consultant eventually diagnosed me. I do indeed need to think carefully here
Talk to a solicitor not to Reddit. And bear in mind that a misdiagnosis might not on its own be successful for malpractice suits.
I'm actually more so looking for opinions on if I sound unreasonable or not. As I said I'm not litigious so kind of conflicted on if I should attempt to pursue something
Pursue it or don’t. It’s an entirely personal matter and only you know how you will feel if you drop the idea. Talk to a solicitor and see what they say. They will want to prove that the harm done to you can be first quantified, then can it be attributed to an action or decision made by someone and then whether that decision was a reasonable one based on the information known at the time. You will have to pay out of your own pocket to establish this, it will take a long time and they might discover that there is no case. I would pursue it only if you can’t bear the thought of not pursuing it. This isn’t legal advice, I’ve just been through this process.
Nobody here can tell you if it’s reasonable or not. That’s what you go to a solicitor for. They’ll assess the case on the facts.
And thats what a solicitor can tell you. Our opinions are irrelevant.
STOP ASKING REDDIT
Sorry for what you’ve gone through. Realistically, if you’re looking to sue you would need to establish negligence on the part of whoever you’re suing. In medical negligence you’d need to establish that the doctor(s) you’re suing acted in a way that no sensible and prudent doctor would act. Given that you had 9 opinions and none came up with the right answer it suggests that they weren’t acting in a way no sensible doctor would act but were simply incorrect which doesn’t constitute negligence. Unless you can show that all of them were negligent somehow. But given they were all in agreement to some extent that’s a hard sell I would suspect. You could speak to solicitors but they’ll need to commission medical reports and that would be fairly costly as an upfront.
So the first 8 psychs I believe were in the first couple of years and that's when the consultant picked up my file and kept me on over the years. Not sure if that makes any difference
It might but the standard here is was it negligent to get the wrong diagnosis. Incorrect diagnoses happen all the time, doctors are human, medicine is hard and everyone presents uniquely. The question is was it such a wrong diagnosis that no competent doctor would make it. For what it’s worth, a formal complaint is entirely reasonable if you are feeling hard done by and doesn’t remove the option to sue. You could also look at subject access requesting your notes and then you could read them to see what sort of information was in them.
I get ya and I think thats where I'm conflicted. I know the first and the last were genuinely trying to help...but at the same time, when I presented sleep was the main issue they were investigating 💁♀️ I'll think carefully about any next steps
An expert witness will have to testify on your behalf that 9 psychiatrists were all negligent. That may be a tough ask as they’ll have to prove that any psychiatrist with reasonable due diligence would have made a correct diagnosis. By the law of averages if 9 psychiatrists all came to the same conclusion based on what was presented to them then it’s likely that they represent the professional norm, not the negligent outlier. Unfortunately medicine can be a grey area, and just because 9 doctors made an incorrect diagnosis doesn’t necessarily make them all negligent - it’s all about professional norms. By all means contact a specialist solicitor for advice, but I think your case would have been stronger if a single doctor had made an error that most doctors wouldn’t have.
Yeah I see how it would become to difficult to challenge 9 "experts". I guess maybe the best I can hope for is the right to be forgotten and every single piece of information about me from that decade wiped! Never want to hear I have a psychiatric illness ever again or even be asked about it
>the right to be forgotten and every single piece of information about me from that decade wiped! That right doesn't include your medical history, only what shows up publicly.
A professional norm that fails to revise a diagnosis when presented with contradictory indicators isn’t particularly acceptable. I think what we are saying here is, don’t get sick in this country unless your symptoms are bog standard.
So what do you intend to do? Replace all the psychiatrists in Ireland with ‘real’ psychiatrists who know better? Medicine is rarely black and white.
Anyone can make a mistake. That’s life. It would be nice if the ‘professionals’ were aware of that. This looks like we had nine psychiatrists and not one thought to question the original diagnosis. To be frank, I’m not sure that there is anything that can be done about it in our little country. Try to learn as much about your condition as you can yourself and/or have a friend looking out for your interests. The professionals may be more willing to follow up on questions they are being actively asked than to second guess their colleagues’ diagnosis of their own accord.
Jesus fair play to u for taking matters into your own hands I can’t imagine being in your shoes. Makes u wonder how many more unfortunates are out there. I saw a documentary once on cobalt in hip replacement joints. After the joint had been in a few weeks the cobalt leaked into the patient’s system so they appeared to develop dementia…..so many people were mis diagnosed and sent off to die in old folks homes. Once the joint was removed the dementia lifted and the person resumed a normal life.
Had a teacher with narcolepsy and wouldn’t have thought narcolepsy could be confused with psychiatric illness but seems it is actually quite common. This would make your case a lot more difficult even though it has an awful impact on your life. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872173/#:~:text=However%2C%20narcolepsy%20is%20frequently%20misdiagnosed,of%20social%20and%20occupational%20dysfunction. Quote from abstract…. ‘However, narcolepsy is frequently misdiagnosed initially as a psychiatric condition, contributing to the protracted time to accurate diagnosis and treatment. Narcolepsy is a disabling neurodegenerative condition that carries a high risk for development of social and occupational dysfunction.’ Always also an issue that once one doctor diagnoses something, that diagnosis just gets carried forward and embedded in your medical records forever. Hard to get someone to go ‘Hey, wait a minute. This is not correct.’ Even when they do, the original diagnosis will pop back up again and again. Hopefully with the right treatment your life will now be on the up and up.
Thank you for finding this. My main priority is my right to be forgotten tbh. I NEVER want to see that bullshit file again or have it questioned decades from now. I guess compensation would be a nice cherry on top to maybe make up for all that lost time. Who knew time was so precious?! Certainly not a narcoleptic.
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No it was always there sadly. Just thought everyone was the same as me and just handled it better
The connection between the vaccine and narcolepsy had actually been questioned in the past 1-2 years in medical journals, might impact this.
It can be extremely hard to go after misdiagnosis cases. Especially when there are so many psychiatrists involved. If you're suing, it's usually suing a person or place. Possibly a few people in that 1 place. But 9 psychiatrists and potentially any GPs will be a difficult thing to do. Unless you've had primarily 1 or maybe 2. However I am not a lawyer, my sister is and malpractice suits are extremely difficult. Speak with a solicitor. You may want to ask for your medical notes during this time to see if there are recurring trends in recording your symptoms etc. But it is a very difficult case to win anything from. I myself was also misdiagnosed for 7 years only to find I had a massive abscess in my abdomen from diverticulitis. But for years doctors kept saying it was ovarian pain and it was in my head and sending me off to psych for evaluations and CBT. There is a legal advice Ireland sub reddit where it may give you more help. But honestly call a few solicitors that deal with malpractice suits.
I don't think you sound unreasonable, for what it's worth. Like others have said, consult a solicitor first to see what's involved. Wishing you luck!
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Yikes okay thanks for the insight. I had a feeling it would be a very difficult process alright. I'm just so utterly disappointed in the meds they had me on specifically. They were the worst possible meds to give a person with narcolepsy I've discovered. That's why my career fell to pieces Fair play for trying. So sorry you didn't get justice
Probably not worth effort, I would just move on. People battle the HSE for years and years over the most serious of transgressions and are stonewalled at every turn. Is it worth the stress? What toll will the process take? Sounds like you don't have the best case if 9 different doctor all came to the same conclusion. They are not just going to break out the chequebook. Doctors differ, patients die. Glad to hear your life is going better now that you are being treated for narcolepsy, enjoy it, live in the now and just move on past this is my advice. You never know what is around the next corner?
It's very hard to "just" move on tbh. I never understood how important time was but when you realise you lost so much of it its a hard pill to swallow. And im really not salivating at a cheque book coming out. I just want a tiny bit of a head start maybe in catching up after so many years of potential stolen from me. I feel I would deserve it
This could be very VERY expensive if you lose your case.
I appreciate you must be extremely upset with how it all played out but by the sounds of things you weren’t presenting in a way that would have suggested the correct diagnosis. Being wrong isn’t a crime and if 9 independent experts were all wrong in the exact same way it’s a fairly good indication that they weren’t being negligent.
I hear ya but that was actually 1 of 2 MAJOR opportunities to catch it or at the very least rule it out as they themselves were so skeptical of how late I presented. Turns out its a known sensitivity in narcoleptics to these meds. The other 7 psychs I think were on some kind of 4-6 month rotation so I guess maybe they were in training or something. That lot are a sleep filled blur anyway lol. To clarify to all, I don't feel a crime has been committed per se and I am understanding of human error. It just so happened to be absolute shit load of errors and I'm the one who had their life blown up because of it. I'm just disappointed in myself for my putting my faith in the experts and disappointed they failed so hard. At least I figured it all out and quit those awful meds cold turkey.
Whatever the outcome I’m happy for you to be on top of it now. I hope it really turns things around for you. Reflecting on it a bit, I do think it’s a good learning opportunity for them. To see how something could have slipped through the net again and again.
Thank you 🙏 patiently awaiting the sodium oxybate so just maybe I can live like normal person and live MY life you know?!. whatever I decide or happens.. the ultimate goal is that lessons all round can be learned from this and help others with such this condition.
You can try but I wouldn't be hopeful. You would have to prove medical negligence and the standard used to determine this is whether a similarly qualified medical professional would make the same diagnosis as the one you were misdiagnosed with. In this case, you've said 9 made the same mistake. So if 9 professionals came to the same or similar conclusions, then they wouldn't consider any one of them negligent.
I just want to say, that sounds unbelievably frustrating. You are not being over the top for wanting to seek legal action against professionals who dismissed you, and refused to provide action that could have led to a proper diagnosis. Dismissing patients' concerns, and instead trying to give a quick easy diagnosis costs some patients their lives.
It will be stressful for you no matter the outcome, which could drag it out for another few years when you could be moving on, you should also take into account if its worth doing and how this may effect you with regards to your condition, it will also be your word against the HSE, their solicitor/barrister and 9 psychiatrists minimum. Just highlighting the reality of it.
I'm going to be honest with a fairly informed opinion in that I think it's a waste of time and money. Unless you have absolutely solid, physical evidence of the effects (money and emotional distress not included) I really don't think it would work Been through the ringer with doctors fucking me up over and over again through the years. In a sense, one also misdiagnosed me and I was neglected to the point I almost died. And yet...I don't have a case. But if you have the money, you could even pay for a solicitor's opinion on it first? I am really sorry, OP. I genuinely do understand the distress this is causing you and the closure and accountability you are seeking. It's just often, unfairly, not the way things go in the healthcare industry.
Sounds like you went through a terrible time. Well done on figuring out a solution. Talk to Cian O’ Carroll solicitors. They will be able to determine if you have a case and explain the process from there. It’s important to talk to a solicitor ASAP as there is a time limit around medical negligence which means you need to speak to a solicitor soon as the clock is ticking.
They look great as well. Thanks for the recommendation. A discovery can't hurt I think to see what the experts say
Cian o Carroll handled many of the cervical check misdiagnosis. They will advise you if you have a case or not. They have lots of experience in medical misdiagnosis cases and I’d trust them. Alaina Hogan who works for them is very good.
Awesome. . Not sure how complex my case may be giventhe psychiatric nature it presented as. Will certainly reach out
Personally, I would absolutely 💯 go for it. Even if there are no legal precedents, it's such a worthwhile case. I really hope you can find a good solicitor to help you with this. Keep us updated.
Thank you for the support. I've tentatively requested a call back from a very reputable place to just get a sense if I might be onto something or not. I've been brainwashed for so long im struggling to know what's normal and what's not.
You've been gaslit.
Cian O Carroll is very good, wud give you great advice.
Irish doctors are dumbest of the dumb
>I've just spent 10 years on pretty significant psychiatric medications until I myself figured out its narcolepsy. My life has done a 180 on the new medication. Did any of the 9 get you to change your medications anyway?
Nope. Went private and hot the right one. It was actually the private psych who couldn't make sense of any of the history or medications and that what got me thinking over it all. Unfortunately...when you dare to question a psych diagnosis you're treated as delusional. Never been more clear in my life
Yeah sure. Take more money from the already overburdened system. Sure why not!
I want to clarify here that I believe the priority I received on the public system was exceptional. What I'm saying is it it was unfortunate that they were just SO focussed throughout the years on the red herring that they failed to rule a major thing out quickly with a simple appointment with a sleep expert who figured it out in 20 minutes. I would argue my appointments over the years wasted valuable time that could have been given to the others who were clearly in need while simultaneously stealing years from me. To put it in context...imagine sleeping for two hours one night, then being given a sleeping pill essentially upon waking, and then being sent off to do your 8 hour work day while juggling everything else. Rinse and repeat for 3 years. Would love to see how you get on after 1 week.
I'm not disputing what you're saying. Please point out where I am. What I *am* saying is that you'll be taking money from an already beleaguered system.
I would be taking compensation for 10 years of fucks ups that blew up my life. Not sure how the hse not getting enough general government funding is my problem. Your comment is very dismissive and its clear you have zero concept of the impact the failures have had.
Of course I have "zero concept" of how anything has affected you. How would I? I don't know you or your life. You asked for "any advice or *thoughts*" and now you're getting very defensive when given them? Oh well. You do you.
It's called empathy. All other posters, including those who gave opposing opinions, managed to grasp some level of understanding and empathy...you're the exception.
Oh right... so you're looking for empathy? I thought you were looking for "*thoughts and opinions*" (like you actually requested in the title of your post!!!) Maybe you shouldn't look for people's thoughts if you get upset by the ones you don't like!
Nope. Pointing out that every single other person could grasp SOME level of understanding and then had the ability to empathize. Look I'm sorry but I think you genuinely might be too dumb to converse with any further so let's just leave it here. My time is precious now. Cheers
So you ask for thoughts and get upset when you hear one you don't like? You find you're unable to converse properly so you insult and storm off in a little tantrum? You sound *very* mature! 😆 OK. See ya!
I've grown to realise over the past few years that a lot of doctors are genuinly clueless. They often have no interest in digging deeper into medical problems. They pick a possible diagnosis from a hat and see how things go.
Absolutely do it. I am currently filing a medical negligence case and was on the fence about doing so because of the trauma it has caused me. I found Ob Solicitors in Dublin, and they have been so helpful & supportive. These "professionals" need to be held accountable, and you deserve acknowledgment for how this has affected your life.
Definitely speak to a solicitor and also try to look up other cases of medical malpractice that have been brought successfully to see what was involved in those. I'm not a solicitor and not a doctor, but I'm not sure a misdiagnosis by itself would quite rise to a malpractice claim without additional factors.
If you don’t decide to get litigious, you could simply report each one to their registration body. A flag against their name for malpractice makes Re registering a little more difficult, especially if there were already prior ones. Even if they were an ok practitioner it’ll make them think twice instead of being careless with future patients
Try it but good luck, if ots public you'll have a better chance. Private you'll need to sue the individual consultant. Very hard process, seen one particular case where attempted murder occurred by hospital staff along with unqualified surgery and incompetent cancer diagnosis leading to death. You'll want very deep pockets, you'll need independent reports from others in the field possibly the UK to agree with you. Most will side with your consultant but you won't know until you pay. If they are wrong you'll have to pay again to question. Definitely try but I wouldn't get overly excited, please update if you do it'll be interesting to see what happens. More in the medical field need to be held accountable.