A CEO’s Fight for Survival
Throughout my career I have been a valued, strategic problem solver with the innate ability to shape formidable corporate growth and profitable outcomes for the Healthcare-Pharmacy industry that I have advised and represented for the past 27 years. However, I found myself in a battle for my survival…as well as rebuilding of my consulting practice as I physically, mentally and emotionally recovered from medical tragedy.
Each of us has a private battle, something we’re faced with, that evaluates our true character and gives us purpose and a voice. I believe, Six Feet Under Motivation is my purpose and gives voice to countless individuals who have been tragically harmed by a physician resulting in life-altering catastrophy.
On October 20th 2016, I collapsed at my residence and fell down a flight of stairs. I had felt ill for days but thought it was the flu, but little did I know I was near death. My children found me unconscious on our home’s stairs. I was rushed to UC Health in Cincinnati Ohio where I was told I had a 20% chance of living thru the night because my body was septic. It was discovered I had an Acnes bacterium in my right knee replacement joint. This bacterium was causing my body’s organs to shut down and brought me within moments of death.
Haleem Chaudhary, the orthopedic physician at Beacon Orthopedics of Cinncinati Ohio, who completed the revision in June 2016 and after 10 visits with the last one being October 19th, 2016, simply abandoned me without transferring care or my records to the ER and trauma surgeons at UC Health. Over 5 months time from June to October 2016, this bacterium grew, eating away healthy tissue supporting my knee joint.
After the June surgery as the pain, swelling and redness were getting worse, my family and I asked Dr. Haleem Chaudhary about possibility of infection. He disregarded ALL of our inquiries. He just simply said, “It not infected, I can tell”. In my opinion, his negligence and inability to act in timely manner resulted in my amputation. All he had to do was listen to ME, the patient, honor my continuous requests for a blood test to rule out infection, and I likely would still have my leg today. In Dr. Steven Graboff’s review and report of my case dated 7/21/17, he states “There was a failure on the part of Dr. Chaudhary to recognize the persistent and constant pain involving the right knee of the patient and to take the appropriate standard of care steps to evaluate for etiology of this pain, and specifically in the presence of a total knee arthroplasty, to rule out a periprosthetic infection. Had this been done in a more timely fashion, it is medically probable that an infection would have been found, appropriate treatment would have been instituted at an earlier time, and Mr. Hopkins would not have been ultimately resulted in a right above-knee amputation on October 28, 2016.” On multiple occurrences, I was told by Dr. Chaudhary and his administration, that I was “afforded the appropriate standard of care”…
I strongly disagree.
As I spent days in a hospital bed contemplating my uncertain future and how I’d provide for my family, surgeons were preparing for an exploratory surgery. The pictures they took were horrifying. The acnes bacteria had eaten away healthy tissue. The two trauma surgeons stapled the incision and woke me up as a courtesy to offer me an choice….”keep the leg and possibly die due to sepsis caused from infection OR amputation. On the chance you live through the next few days, we can fuse the knee and you can keep your leg…. Or we amputate above the knee and we save your life today. The choice is yours.”
I chose amputation.
I chose survival.
On October 28th, I looked at my right leg for the very last time.
Being a very athletic, active 6ft 3in man, I was more prepared than most for the fight in front of me…the fight to live. I remember being helped onto the table, strapped down, and a mask put over my face to sedate me. I remember looking at a badly mangled and severely infected leg.
I understand, yes, there’s always risk with surgery. But what happens when the surgeon doesn’t listen to your concerns? What happens when after weeks and months of ignoring your concerns, he then abandons you at the steps of an ER without a call or handover of your patient record? It’s not right. It’s embarrassing that Haleem Chaudhary hides behind and is supported by Beacon Orthopedics and Revelstoke Capital Partners. In my opinion, he should be relieved of the honor to practice medicine. He is an embarrassment to the Ohio Medical Board. From a patient’s perspective, regardless of the patient care and treatment received, this particular physician and his practice have no remorse and feel no responsibility. And we patients, have zero rights or recourse to hold them accountable.
Since amputation, here are my stats:
- 6 major surgeries
- a 2nd amputation (cut away more bone & tissue)
- 1 hip replacement
- 31 days in the hospital
- 120 days in a wheelchair
- 170 healthcare appointments & still counting: MD, Physical Therapy, or Prosthetic
All of this could have been prevented from just ONE simple blood test.
In today’s world, surgeons make joint replacement seem as easy as getting a tooth pulled when in fact it is not an easy procedure at all. It’s full of risk that could include amputation or death. The medical skillset and disposition of your surgeon, as well as their genuine care, compassion and interest in your questions/concerns are extremely important. Your life is in their hands.
Questions I wished I had asked:
- After surgery, what follow-up care can I expect to receive from you and your practice?
- As a healthcare provider, you take an oath act responsibly if something goes wrong. How can you ensure to me that you’ll act responsibly? And how will your practice administration support this?
- What is your experience dealing with infection following joint replacement surgery and how many infection cases have you had?
- Have you ever had a case that ended up in amputation or a catastrophic result?
- How do you or your practice handle a catastrophic situations?
- Will you participate in my care thru a catastrophic situation?
- What financial resources are available to me if a catastrophic event occurs under your care?
What happened to me should have never happened, especially with today’s medicine. But what happens when your questions are not recognized, your concerns are disregarded, and your physician fails you, leaving you abandoned to live with the mess he made?
How this surgeon and his practice handled themselves since October 2016 is unconscionable. I hope my message brings awareness to patient rights & advocacy, as well as the surgical and post-surgical risks of joint replacement surgery. In retrospect, I wish I had asked the difficult questions prior to surgery.
What I live with EVERYDAY following amputation over 3 years ago has been worse than any human being should ever experience and all because my doctor was too careless to conduct ONE simple blood test to determine infection.
What I’ve learned. What I know.
What a physician doesn’t document in your record matters
By simply not documenting my concern about infection due to swelling, warmth, redness (also not documented), he is released of liability. Read your patient record. According to your patient rights, you are legally due your patient record from the hospital’s electronic medical record. Many hospitals now have electronic portals. Review the notes and if something is missing that was discussed that causes you concern, talk to the doctor about adding a notation of your concern. If you get nowhere with the doctor, you can ask to speak to the dept director or a patient advocate.
Providers Should Be Held Accountable
Chaudhary isn’t held accountable in the legal system because as I’m told by many attorneys, “because he didn’t document infection or symptoms of infection, how could he have known about it”? And he didn’t document patient concerns of infection either in his notes, so therefore it’s as if it doesn’t exist. I’m told that my case is known nationally and discussed in legal class in college medical curriculums. It may be told as what NOT to do in orthopedic surgery, but isn’t it also showing physician’s how to not be held liable for malpractice and patient abandonment? We’re giving new physician’s a roadmap.
Listen to your Instincts
If your doctor gives you the feeling that he doesn’t need lab testing or medical tests to determine your diagnosis, get a second opinion or request a different doctor. Haleem Chaudhary never ran a lab test. He just simply said “I can tell it’s not infected”…”I don’t need a lab test to tell me that”. If your instincts are telling you something is wrong, listen to them. Move your care to a different physician.
My Reality
The infection I have will never go away…it will continue to lay dormant and will surface again. And when it does, I could lose more of my limb rendering me wheelchair dependent for the rest of my already shortened lifespan according to Dr. Steven Graboff. Everyday, I am frustrated by the complexity of my healthcare needs. My future is uncertain and could change quickly if I fall, trip or have an accident. It’s like walking on ice…eventually it cracks and you fall in. I’m one trip or fall away from a lifetime in a wheelchair.
You may not be afforded the “standard quality of care”
What is a standard of care? Each hospital dept/practice determines the standard processes, experiences and procedures that a patient can expect. Typically, these are unique to the hospital and practice, signed off by the medical director. As a patient, you are not privy to what the “standard of care” is for your medical concern. You may ask to get a copy from the physician’s practice or even perhaps from the insurance company.
Physicians and their practices are busy. People fall thru the cracks and things get missed. What happens when you have a bad experience and you do not feel you’ve been given adequate service? What happens after you’re handed over to a new team of docs without records transfer? What I have learned, is they’ll offer to listen to your complaints, allow you to vent, but Chaudhary and Beacon Orthopedics will not take responsibility. If my dog had a swollen knee, she would have been given better care and service by her vet than I was afforded by my orthopedic surgeon.
Pulling Myself Out of the Trenches
Despite physical limitations, I found strength in my work and physical fitness. Running my consulting practice transcends me to where I thrive…being a Chief Strategic Officer where I can maximize opportunities and financial outcomes for my consulting clients.
Through all of this mess, I have translated my executive leadership experience directly to my personal rehabilitation.
The world doesn’t stop. It keeps moving.
My world started over the day I lost my leg.
Tim’s Daily Grind
In Six Feet Under Motivation, I shape Tim’s “Daily Grind” principles into specific practices unique to your organization, but with impact to your own personal challenges.
No time like the present.
Tomorrow is a gift. The only guarantee is today. So make today count.
Do the work.
Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan. You can never be organized enough.
Don’t complain.
No one cares. Honestly.
Be Selfish.
Put yourself first. Train daily. Eat healthy. Keep stress in perspective.
Adapt and suck it up.
Find a way. Take your gift and monetize it.
Everyone loves a good Comeback Story
It makes for a great book someday!
