I did finally
find someone who's gone through precisely the same thing as I
have. I wrote something to a doctor I have it saved so if you
don't mind please read through it. Thank you and please
contact me.
Dear Doctor,
My father has passed away on the 28th of Feb this year. He was
sufforing from Non hodgkin's lymphoma in the brain. The
specific type of lymphoma was CNS (Central nervous system)
PAD, B-cell lymphoma. In our opinion he was treated very badly
here in Finland, especially in the early stages and we want
your opinion.
He's first symptoms were
extreme tiredness and he's ears starting to ring. This was in
early fall 2001. He was a very temperamentful person, but at
this stage he got tantrums much easier. This was a characteristic
of his, but of course it started to get worse. He went for
checks to ear doctors who said that there is nothing wrong
with him and if it continues he should return after Christmas.
He also went to the regular doctor during this time who
performed blood tests but could not find anything wrong with
him and said that everything is fine. usual things that exited
him did not excite him anymore. Such as going for Christmas to
Athens as we did every year, that used to be a thrill for him,
he said he didn't like so much anymore.
After we went there for
Christmas and we started noticing that he has changed
severely, he booked a time with a neurologist right after we
returned to Finland. He took a scan of my father's head and
said that the scan shows something white in his head. Like a
white liquid, but not to worry because according to him it was
at least not a tumour (cancer). This news was a big relief to
the whole family. He then said he would book my father for
tests at the hospital to find out what the white liquid was.
My father had notified this
neurologist that all dates were to be ok except for 4 days at
the end of Jan when he was out of town. Of course this was the
time my father would have been scheduled for the tests. So the
tests would take place in early March.
We decided to wait for this
date. We were sure that he did not have cancer or anything
else as dangerous because of what the neurologist had told us.
Weeks passed and my father's health was deteriorating
significantly. He started walking as if he was drunk. He's
loosed his balance while walking. At work he trembled, he was
involved in small car accidents. He stumbled over furniture
and we and him did not know what was wrong. In early March
when he went to the hospital, he was immediately taken in. The
doctors said it might be adem-virus, tuberculoses in the head
or additional nerv sicknesses.
After two weeks he was released
back home. They said that he is recovering but it will take
time. He walked with a roll on. After a few days at home, he
fell and that is when we lost his walking ability. After this
he was rushed back to the hospital. The doctors told us that
this is something very serious, but that they do not know what
it is. They ran more tests which brought no results. At this
point my father did not say much anymore, it had severely
affected his brain.
He spent a month in the Hospital whereafter, they came to the
conclusion that they have to perform a biopsy. They said that
all this time passed because it is the final thing to do,
because it is so dangerous to enter somebody's head. He was
transferred to a different hospital where this was performed.
At the very same day the doctor told us what he had, in front
of my father. The doctor told us it is cancer and more a bad
sort. He said that it is, however, treatable, and very
responding to radiation therapy. He received radiation therapy
and was transferred, yet again. He received the maximum dosage
of 10 times, not risking him becoming brain dead. They said
that everything went well and that now all we can do is to
wait for him to recover and that this will take time and that
we have to have patience.
In the middle of June he was
released back home. This time however in a wheelchair. He got
his speech back. But he was not fully clear anymore. We
suggested giving him chemotherapy. The doctors said that under
no circumstances can this be done. The patient needs to be in
walking condition at least.
We waited waited waited and
he had physical therapy, but he was all the time very tired.
At the end of October he went for another scan and they told
us that the cancer is coming back and that there is nothing to
do anymore.
They said that they will not
give him further radiation therapy and this is the only place
in Finland that is elligeble to do this. We then contacted
Sweden and they adviced us the same not to give him more
radiation therapy cause he might die of it or become brain
dead.
We then turned to the U.S.
contacted MC Anderson in Texas, the Sloan Kettering Center in
New York and John Hopkin's in Baltimore. We sent all of his
information translated to English biopsys everything and John
hopkins was the first to respond and urges us to give him a
certain type of chemotherapy that is sensitive to the head
lymphoma.
He got this two times but it
did not help. The doctor told us that according to the latest
scan it had spread even more in the head. He said in front of
my dad that there is nothing to do and that he has very little
time left in front of my dad. He was not able to move,
respond, talk, barely swallow at this time. We took him to
athens with an ambulance plane which was his dream to get
there. the doctors we found were much more helpful and
personal over there. The plane doctor on the way back shouted
that he is at his last in front of his face. And we think this
is terrible wrong.
Now this is our story. And we want your opinion as to the
following.
1. Did the doctors do everything here in order to help my
father.
2. Would you suggest us to sue the hospital?
3. Give us something that could cause this terrible terrible
disease assumptions is good and
the things that are likely.
We ponder between: cellphones, he hit his head accidentally
numerous times, he had a terrible
cough that the doctors did not know what it was
due to that lasted 6 weeks for many many years earlier,
stress. He was very stressed at his work because of C.E.O.
responsibilities.
How long could this disease
have been there before we found out about it?
8-7-03
|