UT student blames misdiagnosis for loss of testicle

[TexasTowelie]

A University of Texas student is suing an Austin doctor and the Medspring Urgent Care clinic accusing the doctor of misdiagnosing him with “blue balls” and ultimately causing the loss of his testicle.

The student filed a civil lawsuit in state district court in Travis County last week. According to the suit, he went to the Medspring clinic across the street from the UT campus on March 1 because of pain in his left testicle. The doctor, Dipen Patel, told him that the pain could have been caused by “blue balls” referring to the aching in the testicles brought on by prolonged sexual arousal, the lawsuit says. Patel suggested that the man masturbate and go to the hospital if the pain hadn’t gone away after 48 hours, according to the suit.

Later that night, the man went to the St. David’s Medical Center emergency room in extreme pain, according to the lawsuit, and after an ultrasound was diagnosed with testicular torsion, a condition in which blood supply is cut off to the testicle because it has rotated. If not treated within six hours, the testicle could stop functioning, according to the lawsuit.

Even after emergency surgery, the man lost his testicle, according to the lawsuit.

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/ut-student-blames-misdiagnosis-for-loss-of-testicl/nnRKB/

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Your top of the line doctors don't often wind up working at 'urgent care' clinics.

Just sayin.

[TexasTowelie]

2. I'm curious if the doctor received his degree

online?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Well you know the old joke.

What do you call the guy who graduates last in his medical class?

Doctor.

[Ilsa]

4. Yep. My kid's pediatrician talked to me about

"If he ever complains about his testicles aching, it could be testicular torsion, a medical emergency." Yeah, even the doctor managing babies, kids, and teens knew to refer immediately to an emergency dept, not a porno magazine rack.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. It was also covered in our nursing classes.

With the emphasis on 'medical emergency' and 'immediate treatment'. I'm not surprised the pediatrician mentioned it, iirc from the nursing classes, we covered it in our pediatrics class, as it's most common in younger males, even if it can happen at any age.

[Ilsa]

7. The Dr's lecture to me was a

Reminder from the class material and pediatric textbook. I don't remember if the nursing instructor specifically mentioned this type of emergency, but I already knew what the pediatrician was talking about. He still felt obligated to remind me, though, during the checkup. I guess he'd recently had a case.

I've never minded reminder lectures from any of my or my kids' doctors. Why be upset over a free lesson, even if you already know it?

[TexasTowelie]

6. I'll be honest,

reading this article and the replies

are making my balls hurt! I might need to self-delete this thread because of the psychosomatic pain.