Friday, September 18, 2009

Lawyer? Could anything be done?

My husband, Joe, and I realized shortly after my stroke, that it was not something that should have happened to a healthy thirty year old woman, so he contacted a lawyer. At the time, I was still a little out of it and couldn't focus on what our next step should have been. Truthfully, I didn't have the energy or strength to care. Sure, I was annoyed and mad, but I wanted to get better and move on with my life. I figured I would think about a lawyer after I was better. Joe did not feel the same way as me. He figured that the doctor was careless in prescribing a medicine that was not even approved by the FDA for fertility and she should be held accountable for her actions. It made sense, but it was too difficult for me to talk about what had happened to me at the time, so I dug my feet in the ground every step of the way.
When Joe first told me he had contacted a lawyer and that I needed to sign some papers I was scared. I have never been one that enjoys confrontation and I knew that once we filed a lawsuit I was going to have to deal with a lot of unpleasant stuff. I agreed to sign the paperwork and go in and talk to the lawyer. That first meeting scared me. I am a law abiding citizen and the thought of going to a lawyer made me feel like I was in the wrong. I remember sitting down in the lawyer's office and thinking that there was no turning back. This was for real. I had to remind myself to breathe. I kept thinking what is he going to ask me? Am I going to be able to remember? Will I sound stupid if I answer the question the wrong way? Do I really have a case or am I just wasting his time and mine? The lawyer was a very pleasant man. He said his wife had tried fertility treatment and IVF without success, so he understood what my husband and I were going through. It was nice to be working with someone that could identify with my husband and me to a certain extent. The lawyer said that after talking to my husband it sounded like we had a case, but he wanted to speak with me to see how much the stroke had affected my day to day life. He asked me to explain how things had changed for me since the stroke. He said he wanted to know what I was like prior to the stroke and that he thought I needed to sit down with a specialist who could do some type of testing to determine if my IQ and personality had changed for the better or worse. What I remember most from that day is trying to explain what had happened to me and crying because I couldn't think of the words to explain it. At the end of the meeting, the lawyer asked that I contact the three different hospitals that treated me during the whole stroke episode and request all the paperwork associated with the stroke. I also had to contact the fertility specialists for the records in regard to medicines and procedures done on me. He said after reviewing the records he would reschedule another appointment with Joe and me to determine if we had a case.  

2 comments:

Ally said...

I love your blog and can't wait to here more! Your girls are beautiful! Congratulations!

Dream Pregnancy said...

Ally, thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it. I started this blog as an outlet for my frustrations with my stroke, as well as, my infertility. I think my husband gets tired of hearing me talk about the stroke and how much I still want to have a biological child. It is nice to hear that someone else thinks my story is interesting and is willing to listen to me talk or should I say type =) Thanks again for your kind words. They really made my day!