A woman is now suing for medical malpractice after receiving a second gastric bypass surgery instead of the tummy tuck she requested.
Rolanda Dickerson received Roux-en-Y surgery – a type of gastric bypass – in 2006. In 2009, she went to Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas for a tummy tuck. Patients who have received gastric bypass surgery routinely return, when they have healed and weight loss is slowing down, for a tummy tuck for aesthetic and health reasons. Ms. Dickerson informed her doctor, John H. Alexander, that she had received Roux-en-Y bypass surgery three years earlier.
Instead of getting a tummy tuck, however, Dr. Alexander performed another gastric bypass surgery on Ms. Dickerson.
She returned to him in March 2010 after severe digestive problems for another surgery, which unfortunately helped her very little. Because of complications related to her surgeries, she needs to eat liquefied food through a port in her stomach. This condition requires she carry a backpack for her nutritional supplements at all times.
Dickerson is suing Dr. Alexander and Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas County Court for malpractice. Her suit alleges that the surgeries caused pain and mental anguish, ongoing medical costs, and lost wages. She has been hospitalized several times, and suffers painful medical issues on a near-weekly basis. She is also suing for fraudulent concealment of the change in her surgery.
“It is medically inappropriate to perform a sleeve bypass surgery where a Roux-en-Y bypass has previously been performed,” the complaint states. “Dr. Alexander’s actions in performing this type of surgery on Ms. Dickerson constituted a breach of the medical standard of care.”
Each year, nearly 100,000 people die as a result of surgical errors, and many more suffer devastating personal consequences. Surgical errors and medical malpractice can ruin you and your loved ones’ lives, demanding time away from work and thousands of dollars in medical bills. If you or a loved one has suffered pain and continuing health problems after surgery, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We offer free consultations, so contact us today about your medical malpractice concerns. 803.252.4800.
