JamesBrown - Illness, Hospitalization

[Georgie25]

That is horrible, I hope he can get the treatment he deserves. I would stage a protest outside of that hospital, call news stations in your area, tell everyone you know, put up fliers. All the bad public relations press may get them to finally help...Good luck James and fam.

 

[jamesBrown]

many people begin opiate withdrawal, feel the pain from withdrawal, and insist it's pain that's not from withdrawal. it's very very very common.

unfortunately he hadnt been taking his suboxone for about a month before this happened. so its impossible he was withdrawing from any opiates. he hadnt been taking any. once he got clean he only used a couple times and didnt even enjoy it. he doesnt have any money anyway. all his urine screens, blood tests, etc, they all only had kolonopin in them.

Amen to everything regulator said. Excellent advice. And Angela correct me here of I'm wrong. James is off all the opiates and on suboxone right? And he is prescribed klonipin. So he is in compliance with his medsthus there is no way he is in withdrawls. I just want to make sure that's correct so people don't think the pain he is having is because he's withdrawing atthe moment. In fact I think james is a seasoned abuser and has been throrough withdrawl before so he would know if that os what was going on. I just wanted to make sure i understood that.

In the meantime id followup with some of regulators suggestions as time allows and don't forget to be kind to you.

Peace prayers and huge hugs
Tammie

your right he was taking suboxone but he had taken a break from the suboxone about a month before this happened. apparently he figured out a way to take only a very low dose suboxone and be able to take breaks whenever you want. its pretty cool since his doctors said withdrawal from suboxone is prtty bad.
also, yes he is still taking his kolonopin. he has been taking it almost the entire time he has been sick the past few weeks. so n withdrawal there either.
your also right that james had apparently been using painkillers/opiates whatever for several years, and he had been injecting for four. we had no clue until like the last 2 years. so trust me, he would know if it had to be anything due to withdrawal, i allready thought about that and asked him about it. not to mention he has nothing to withdraw from.

so yea you were right
angela

 

[Georgie25]

Forgot to mention, out of principle I would NEVER pay ANY of them piece of shit doctors bills they are trying to make you pay. pay for what? refused treatment and killing him? Fuck that.

 

[Med Head]

Best of luck to you and your brother, Im hoping to hear good things.

 

[My happy place]

Wow i this is sickening, i mean i actually felt physically sick to my stomach reading the original post.
How can medical professionals treat a human being like that?
Those doctors deserve jail time for malpractice and torturing a being.
I can't give u any legal advice,but i do think you should start video tapeing James 24/7 so at least u can prove how bad his suffering is.
And if nothing else works you can always post the videos online and send them to news stations so that other people can see and understand how horribly he and other ex junkies are treated by doctors. It is amazing the power a video can have (just look at the Rodney King video).
Maybe if the world sees this things might start changing.

Even though i don't consider myself to be religious i am still praying for you in my own way.

 

[Depressicaa]

jamesBrown, we PMed a few times about someone being an idiot. Please get better, it was really special to me!

Angela, you're super altruistic, and I wish I have more to say, but really I appreciate that there are such good people out there in the world.

Does marijuana help? Its relatively weak at everything, but maybe it will be better than nothing.

Can you use the falsified records as a lawsuit? It will take a while, but maybe you can get something for your poor treatment, and out of that he can get the right treatment.

 

[jamesBrown]

jamesBrown, we PMed a few times about someone being an idiot. Please get better, it was really special to me!

Angela, you're super altruistic, and I wish I have more to say, but really I appreciate that there are such good people out there in the world.

Does marijuana help? Its relatively weak at everything, but maybe it will be better than nothing.

Can you use the falsified records as a lawsuit? It will take a while, but maybe you can get something for your poor treatment, and out of that he can get the right treatment.

thank you for caring. this is angela, james' sister again and i am suprised day after day at how many people actually care about whats going on with james.
he must have been well liked and very helpfull here, or all you people are just extremely understanding and generous. either way, thank you. from the bottom of my heart.

as far as marijuana goes, he cant because it will show up on his drug screens. i think it might help him a little, even if it justs distracts him from the pain a little. weed is the only drug i really know anything about. but he definitely cant be caught having it in his system. that actually might make him look like a "druggy".

and yes, i bet that falsified records can be used to help a lawsuit, but the problem is, its his word against the entire baptist/methodist hospital "system" and all there doctors and nurses. i would think it would be hard to prove that the records are false in many areas. i mean, how do you prove that james actually didnt get better during his time there like the records said? also, how do you prove that he actually wasnt refusing treatment like the records said, he was just in waaaay too much pain to lie down or move to do the tests because they refused him pain meds. there isnt any camera footage of the way he was treated and like i said, that means it comes down to there word against his. and im sure they have an entire team of attorneys to handle cases like this. also, his background as a drug addict would make it much harder to prove thigns in my opinion. they could easily just say that hes still a junky and was faking it. end of story. he had only been clean for about 6 months. which was a loooong time for him, but to a jury it isnt that long i bet.

and also, like i said earlier, he doesnt have the time to handle a lawsuit. hes still losing weight and not getting treatment. he would be under 100 pounds in just a couple weeks. and thats like a red zone for your heart and probably other organs if your 6 ft tall. thanks for the advice though. i really do appreciate it.

we dont know what were going to do but i think were gonna have to do something fast. im just not sure what that is. there are so many problems with each idea we come up with that its just overwhelming. i hope that someone on here comes up with a perfect solution and then everything becomes OK. i just dont want to lose my brother. and today he couldnt even remember my name. i think it was because of the exhaustion.

thank you all for your loving and caring support. i will send your good wishes to james. and please dont hesitate to throw an idea out there. we are grasping at straws now.

thank you
angela

 

[Depressicaa]

Angela, I am so sorry, this must be incredibly difficult for you.

A lawsuit will probably be too drawn out. Hearing about him staying up for those insane amounts of times hurts me, and I'm an upper addict.

I really hope he gets better, I remember that you guys live in some shitty crazy strict state like Texas. Have you thought of going to see a doctor who isn't in Texas? Fuck I feel so bad, I hope he gets better, and you too, poor you damn, must be hell for both of you, putting yourself through that shit, you must love him so much.

Have you thought of paying to board some bus to take you out of state and just trying another doctor in a better state? I know Texas isn't too lenient on... anything.

 

[Jabberwocky]

i'm sending regards and wishing you a speedy recovery, james. i'm sorry to hear of the problems you're facing.

keep your chin up and spirits high for all of us

 

[Cane2theLeft]

angela and james - remember that you can contact me any time if you need anything. take care and I am looking forward to seeing you back in OD very soon!

 

[slowpoke1967]

thank you for caring. this is angela, james' sister again and i am suprised day after day at how many people actually care about whats going on with james.
he must have been well liked and very helpfull here, or all you people are just extremely understanding and generous. either way, thank you. from the bottom of my heart.

as far as marijuana goes, he cant because it will show up on his drug screens. i think it might help him a little, even if it justs distracts him from the pain a little. weed is the only drug i really know anything about. but he definitely cant be caught having it in his system. that actually might make him look like a "druggy".

and yes, i bet that falsified records can be used to help a lawsuit, but the problem is, its his word against the entire baptist/methodist hospital "system" and all there doctors and nurses. i would think it would be hard to prove that the records are false in many areas. i mean, how do you prove that james actually didnt get better during his time there like the records said? also, how do you prove that he actually wasnt refusing treatment like the records said, he was just in waaaay too much pain to lie down or move to do the tests because they refused him pain meds. there isnt any camera footage of the way he was treated and like i said, that means it comes down to there word against his. and im sure they have an entire team of attorneys to handle cases like this. also, his background as a drug addict would make it much harder to prove thigns in my opinion. they could easily just say that hes still a junky and was faking it. end of story. he had only been clean for about 6 months. which was a loooong time for him, but to a jury it isnt that long i bet.

and also, like i said earlier, he doesnt have the time to handle a lawsuit. hes still losing weight and not getting treatment. he would be under 100 pounds in just a couple weeks. and thats like a red zone for your heart and probably other organs if your 6 ft tall. thanks for the advice though. i really do appreciate it.

we dont know what were going to do but i think were gonna have to do something fast. im just not sure what that is. there are so many problems with each idea we come up with that its just overwhelming. i hope that someone on here comes up with a perfect solution and then everything becomes OK. i just dont want to lose my brother. and today he couldnt even remember my name. i think it was because of the exhaustion.

thank you all for your loving and caring support. i will send your good wishes to james. and please dont hesitate to throw an idea out there. we are grasping at straws now.

thank you
angela

yes unfortunatly i had a very bad experienc also in the hospital and was gonna sue but yer rite they realy do have the power of numbers and there word against yours i was treeted the same way james was and put in a solitary room with a cop posted outside my door.Its a long story so i wont go into it .
But yes you are rite and would probaly loose.
But getting ahold of your local congress will help .
Once they contact the hospital the wheels will start to roll trust me.
Ive done it here in canada we have ombudsmon that take care of parts of the city so if anything like this happend there there for you and are very helpfull indeed .
I dont now how it works in the states but there must be some type of polatition you can contact it can realy help.
Hospitals do not like polatitions at all and change there tune very quikly.
you can print out all that has been said on this thread to give to whoever you can talk to and it wont cost a dime ..
please try that...
best wishes..

 

[*=Regulator=*]

Just quickly - I have sought legal advice on this (albeit in Australia) from several laywers and they think you at least have a shot. You have objective evidence like his weight loss and evidence of his chronic pain. All it would take is a lawyer to demonstrate that he IS in immense pain. As I said before, it doesn't make sense for him to be drug seeking as it would be infinitely easier for him to just score off the street if he needed drugs that badly.

Jame's Brown's sister: understand that the vast, vast majority of civil legal proceedings (which don't involve a jury) end up being solved before the word 'court' is even mentioned. I don't know the exact figures but I'd guess 90%+ of these cases are well and truly over before they reach a courtroom.

You may be able to get a 'no win, no fee' lawyer who could negotiate with the hospital on Jame's behalf and it wouldn't cost you a cent. If you can get a lawyer in negotiation with the hospital administration they may be willing to actually treat him properly.

Otherwise (or as well), your best bet is definitely a large, inner city hospital as they will have extensive experience with drug abusers and will hopefully treat James properly. At the very least, they'll know what Suboxone is! Could you dose him up with a large amount of Suboxone to help with his pain and then take him to to the nearest such hospital?

Good luck

 

[JamtasticX]

For the record there would be no jury in a malpractice lawsuit. It's civil litigation, and therefor would go only before a judge.

What would be required was taking some pictures and video's of James now, with the records. Then, yes, it would be your word against theirs. However, if there is even a slight chance of you winning chances are they will settle out of court. Additionally, with malpractice, their insurance covers them to settle. It would be much more costly if they lost.

I would suggest you contact a malpractice attorney, and do the things recommend. You should be able to find a lawyer who will do everything for you, for free, and only gets paid if they settle with you. Therefore, there's no reason not to do that. James wouldn't have to do anything, and the likely hood of even going before a judge could be months down the road, if that. I'm a prelaw student, for the record.

 

[ugly]

What Cane said, for sure.

 

[totach]

First i would like to say to angela that i wish my sister was more like you. Its really so nice 2 see how much love you have for your brother keep it up : ).
i also wanna suggest that you either take video footage or take pictures of james if he keeps getting worse i should hav mentioned this when i 1st saw this thread but i didnt think of it til now.It will forsure help if there will be a lawsuit which i really hope there will be only justice wise and for the hospitals being so fucked up i hope they learn a lesson that junkie or no junkie ur still a human being just like the crackhead docters.I guarente james would put all the doctors hes met so far to shame with all the knowledge he has hes probably smarter then all of them idiots.Anyways i wish you and ur family a healthy and speedy recovery : )

 

[SubDude]

For the record there would be no jury in a malpractice lawsuit. It's civil litigation, and therefor would go only before a judge.

Perhaps thats true in your geographic area. I suspect it varies by state. In the state I live [and the state bordering us] you can choose a jury [only 6 people] or a judge, in a civil matter... which includes medical malpractice. I was an insurance litigation examiner for over 20 yrs and had quite a few malpractice cases. Most all of these cases, with any merit, are settled before [or shortly after] suit is filed. Med Mal is one of the most difficult types of civil cases to prove unless you have a clear and specific injury, negligence, and damages. Proving negligence and liability is impossible without a specialist Med Mal atty [with dr's behind him/her] willing to go up against their peers. You would be surprised how most dr's are unwilling to dispute anothers medical opinion... especially when it's in a smaller city. Thats why attorneys usually bring dr's in from elsewhere who make a good living testifying in these cases.Iif you live in the big cities... there are plenty nearby.

Just from what little I know about this case... it would be a challenge for any good plantiff lawyer since there were 4 separate hospitals [and 12-15 dr's ??] that came to the same conclusion... doesn't matter so much if they were right or wrong. It's more important to have a consensus of opinion. This is something the defense attorneys would vigorously use...

Pain is considered subjective [from a legal/medical standpoint] especially without a cause... which must be shown and proven. The best way is thru all the testing [cat, mri, blood...etc] available today. I'm not sure a clear diagnosis has been provided to James yet?? But if he is able to come up with a dr who finds a clear cause for the pain and weight loss... that would change everything. If not, he may want to go the psychiatric route.

It's a different story when someone has an operation or procedure with unintended results... because the surgeon made an error. Or a medication causes side effects resulting in a permenant injury.

Even if he is able to prove negligence... then comes the question of damages. Rarely does a judge allow punitive damages even if a jury awards them. And a high percentage of big awards are appealed and negotiated downward. Otherwise it take yrs to get paid. Interst [on the award] isn't worth the wait these days. At this point, it's really to early to speculate on negligence or damages. I think the first step here... is to get a clear diagnosis of whats causing the pain and get james well. Then litigation can be considered.

That being said... a good lawyer can help a client find a dr who has a tendency to be helpful with specific ailments and later litigation.

 

[hurtin4certain]

angela I have been praying for you and james every evening. please let me know if I can help. I also wish my sister was more like you. Im not sure my sister would give me the time of day if this happened to me.

 

[SkagKush]

hoping for an update soon.....

his sis has been emailing me again, ill also update when i here from her.....

 

[Mariposa]

Dear James, Angela, and family:

My best wishes to James for a proper diagnosis. If you're in a major US state, there will be lawyers who will take the case - really it's out of a John Grisham novel. Also, you may find that if there is a major university medical school somewhere nearby, the doctors there are professors as well. I would guess they would be more tolerant of James' past than a religiously affiliated hospital. Of course, since James needs a diagnosis, they've got to be good at that, too.

My life was saved by a major university hospital when I was a young kid and had a strange infectious disease that turned out to be a variant of viral meningitis. I was cured totally in less than a week because my parents insisted I be tested for everything.

You are an absolute exemplification of your name and truly, all of you are in my thoughts. www.lawyers.com is one place to find a plaintiff's medical malpractice lawyer. A reputable one should meet with you for free and spell out his or her fees in a contract should the case proceed. Try to find one with an "AV" rating (the highest). And yes, it is possible may go in front of a jury. As others have said, the hospital will likely find it in the best interest to settle.

I have seen situations like this go in front of the media for medical expense funds. Of course James' health is first priority.

I hope the diagnosis comes sooner rather than later - did you ever find out what they were going to do surgery on him for?

 

[*=Regulator=*]

Excellent point about the university hospital, Mariposa. I was suggesting a big, inner-city hospital but professors will be even more experienced and likely to seek an actual diagnosis rather than shuffle you from room to room calling you a 'junky'.

Good luck James.