User:TerryLoerch/sandbox

<!--Terry Loerch (I) experienced a spinal cord injury in 2003, the result of multiple lumbar punctures done incorrectly. The procedure was performed in an Emergency Room by and ER physician. I walked into the ER and after only two hours there, I couldn’t walk out. Walking would never be the same again.

Shortly after, I contacted the hospital ER for a copy of my records for my follow up appointment with my primary physician. I was still having difficulty walking, among other symptoms, my primary physician needed those records to see what happened. The hospital informed me that I would need to obtain a lawyer to get the records of my visit, the lab reports and CT Scan results.

Long story short, (through court) I later found out that I was given three times the allowed pain medication at the ER because the doctor failed to successfully accomplish the lumbar puncture after four attempts. Additionally, he performed these lumbar punctures at a level that was much too high…the T-11. During these multiple LP's he removed an unsafe amount of spinal fluid and caused a hematoma that extended up through the T-11 and below, causing pressure and damage to the spinal cord and nerves. The director of the ER failed to follow 8 out of the 10 steps used by a physician when performing an LP. Steps that have been put in place to make sure that mistakes like the one I was victim of, are not made. I was later told that it would have been better off if I had died in the ER.

In court all the doctors/hospital’s experts agreed with the findings of my experts, the ER doctor was at fault. The defense's original attorney "quit" a few months before the Superior court case. Yet, they still won the case, even though there were three sets of conflicting records (tampering), an MRI showing a hematoma in the spine and there was an Anesthesiologist that saw the multiple puncture wounds at a level never used for an LP. They failed to get my consent, the physician didn’t follow the 10 steps for the procedure, they did the procedure(s) when I had elevated fluid pressure in my spine and they performed the procedures with one doctor and no assistant. Clear negligence. During the trial, one individual who testified on behalf of the defense, refused to swear under oath, but was given the right to be heard. Additionally, they made my recovery more difficult by denying me access to my medical records from that day. My case against them went to the Supreme Court of CA. We took it to that level knowing that my odds of winning against a large corporation, like the Regents, were slim. Verdict was in favor of the defense. I lost my case and was denied my right to an out of state appeal. I was just an ordinary person with a case against one of the biggest medical facilities in the state/country. This big business used their big money to make sure their second lawyer was one of the best in the country.

At the age of 26 I had to navigate the medical field, Social Security system, legal and court system, and they have all failed me. I never thought this would happen to me, I never thought I would have to teach myself how to walk a second time and I never thought my (old)doctors would shun me because I was trying to fight for my rights as a patient.

Life goes on…

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, because of the above incident I learned about the needed changes in our government/ social system. I have learned that there isn't a voice that defends all disabilities. I learned that the wrong people tend to win while the right ones sit on the sideline and watch it happen. I learned about myself, and the new limits that others and I have to face. There is a learning curve when you are classified as disabled and we are faced with the limitations that society puts upon us and the limitations we put upon ourselves.

I have had to navigate that curve. I learned how to walk again when I was told I would never walk, I learned how to deal with the repercussions of advocating, I learned that others will try to profit from someone else’s misery.

It’s time to help others get through that learning curve, help them get the help and acquire the knowledge needed to live the life they desire. Because of my injury I have started a 501 c 3 Public Charity and www.HandicapReview.com with the hopes that I can remove the learning curve I had to deal with, change the way disabled individuals are viewed in society and help our voices be heard. -->