September 6, 2006
To All Concerned:
This letter is to inform the news media, general public and more importantly, women who use the birth control pill Levlite 28.
In February 2006 my wife Veronica was sent by her doctor to see an OB-GYN Dr. Diane Brinkman at the Austin Regional Clinic in Austin, Texas for imaging of a Fibroid Tumor. My wife should have not have been given this drug at her age. During my wife鈥檚 visit Dr. Brinkman recorded my wife鈥檚 medical history which aside from the tumor was very good health. My wife advised Dr. Brinkman of her complications with her monthly cycles and the doctor gave my wife 30 day samples of Levlite 28.
No verbal or written instructions given.
No verbal or written warnings of this drug were disclosed by Dr. Brinkman.
After about 3wks of using L28 my wife developed symptoms that appeared that she was in some type of cardiac distress and was rushed to the hospital. She was placed in intensive care for several hours and was diagnosed with massive blood clots in both legs and lungs. She was hospitalized for several days.
The damage now is that now my wife must remain on blood thinners for the rest of her life.
She cannot lift anything over 20lbs.
She must wear a medic alert bracelet at all times.
She is easily fatigued.
She suffers from chest discomfort and chronic leg pain.
She cannot work ever again. (She was earning over $600.00 p/w before this happened)
She has been diagnosed with Depression & Anxiety
The family discussed this matter and we decided that someone must be made accountable for this and we agreed that Dr. Brinkman in our opinion was negligent and careless with dispersing this drug to my wife. I did extensive research on Levlite 28 and all the appropriate warnings are posted online and with pharmacies that sell it. However samples are not accompanied with warnings and if that is the norm then the responsibility should be with the medical professionals that supply the product to their patients. But what is disturbing about his case is that my wife should never have been given this drug due to her age and history. My wife has never used birth control pills and was not educated properly on the risk. Other doctors and her current cardiologist agreed that this was improper.
We at this time have sought legal help from several firms in the Austin area only to be denied because of reasons that mystify us. We are told that Levlite 28 is considered a low hormone, low risk drug and the doctor is not responsible for giving verbal warnings and other law professionals are just interested in going after the drug manufacturer. And of course Texas wonderful lawsuit caps that protect health professionals from frivilous lawsuits. This case by no means is frivilous!
Whatever the reasons, my wife is suffering and her life has been changed from someone that was working, shopping, physically active with housework, caring for her grandchildren, etc. Now she mostly sits at home with extremely limited activity.
We have discussed this case with family members, friends and strangers and all are outraged and urge us to get legal satisfaction but lawyers are telling us that there is no case or they are not capable of pursuing this case. Well I will not accept this, nor will the rest of our families.
So we intend to advise the local public of Dr. Brinkman鈥檚 casual issue of Levlite 28 and the risks, we will advise all local & national news agencies and hope they will spotlight this incident and investigate any incidents that mirror the events mentioned above. And we will also spread the events in this letter on the World Wide Web especially to women鈥檚 magazines and health websites, and all blogs and bulletin boards that appropriately address medical issues for women. We will also advise all consumer groups and regulatory agencies about this matter as well. (For instance Rip-Off Reports.com)
The most important point is to alert the public so no other woman will suffer due to reckless medical consultation or practices.
I and the rest of the family would like to acknowledge and thank the staff at the Round Rock Medical Center in Round Rock, Texas for their outstanding care, professionalism and support for my wife throughout this crisis. You represent what other medical centers and professionals should strive to be across the USA!
Sincerely,
Calvin E. Mills
A Husband & Family Declaring War!
February 2007 Update:
Medical expenses have blown to $60,000 and growing. Her health is deteoriating and it may lead to a oncoming heart attack. She needs to be seen by Vascular surgeons and ongoing cardiac checks but when money is tight or non-existent, doctors do not want to see you unless it becomes an emergency. The Texas Medical Board is currently investigating this case and in the mean time Austin Regional Clinic wants us to pay the bill for Brinkmann's services. Basically, they want me to pay them for damaging my wife permenantly! So all bills are sent back with the simple message, "Dr Brinkmann caused the damage, she can pay for it!" I just read an article from WebMD that states that Levlite 28 should not be given if you have a fibroid tumor. The doctor that gave my wife the 30day samples should have known that. The pill were not prescribed via picking up at a pharmacy, they were given freely from doctor with no verbal or written warnings.
So Lea, I will respectfully disagree with your response. if you have to go outside Texas to get the lawyer you need then do it and nail the doctor the hospital and the drug maker. I'm 30 got prego had a miss-carry found out I have fibroids and then they stuck me on BC (lo/orval)which seems to be making my bleeding worse.I've been reading a book by John R. Lee,M.D..Very interesting. Report It
I am so sorry to hear about what the medical association DOCTORS has done to your wife. It is SOOOOO important to background check ALL medications before taking them because most doctors dont care and/or works hand in hand with the Pharmaceutical companies. I would subject that you contact a lawyer that deals with such matters asap and take all your paper works with you including your wife's medicine bottles. This doctor should NOT be allowed to just walk away from what she did!.
SAVE OTHERS FROM HER HARMFUL PRACTICE* All birth control pills increase the risk of blood clots. Blood clots the size which you are talking about would have taken months to form. Correlation does not mean causation. You have to prove those clots were formed by that drug. It is not uncommon for people to have unknown clots for years before experiencing any problems.
Women above age 35 are at increased risk for blood clots on contraceptives compared to those below that age, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't take the medication. The risk versus benefit should be carefully weighed. For it's not an absolute contraindication.
Pharmacists are required to give drug counseling, not doctors.
In the legal information of Levlite 28, in the USP or the drug monograph, it says if one has fibrocystic breast disease, risk versus benefit should be carefully weighed. WebMD is not a legal drug reference and will have no standing in court. It does say if you had endometrial or breast cancer, you should not be on Levlite. However, fibroid tumors are categorized separately because of the way they are formed. I'm sorry to hear what happened with your wife.
Unfortunately this is a problem within all fields of medicine (not just GYN). Patient's willing take a medication without knowing what it is for and what the risks are.
I tell all of my patients to research their medications. I also research all the medications anyone in my family is taking. Birth control pills are known to increase the risk for blood clots, especially for women who smoke or are over the age of 35.
The only thing I can suggest (besides your obvious battle) is making sure that you read up on each and every prescription you get from this point on.
Failure to protect ourselves is no ones fault but our own. We live in an age full of options for information. If we rely on others to protect our best interest, out lifes will only be put on the back burner to someone else's agenda. |
