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Recent Blog Posts
How Does Breast Cancer Get Misdiagnosed Or Go Undetected?
If a woman finds a hard lump in her breast, a doctor generally orders a mammogram, breast ultrasound, or breast biopsy to determine whether or not it is breast cancer; however, sometimes this doesn't happen and a doctor fails to diagnose breast cancer.
How Long Can You Have Breast Cancer Without Knowing?
While there is no straight answer to this, some cancers are more easily detected than others. Some cancers can form and grow undetected for 10 years or more, as one study found, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult. Many women diagnosed with breast cancer never have any signs or symptoms, and their cancer is found during a mammogram.
Understanding Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the growth of breast cells that cannot be controlled. Those cells continue to divide and produce more cells that are just like it and can eventually form a tumor. A tumor can develop under breast tissue and form a lump that can be detected in a breast exam. When a tumor forms, it can be benign (not dangerous) or malignant (cancerous). Malignant tumors left untreated can spread throughout the body and lead to death. Sadly, this may occur if a doctor acts negligently in the care of a patient.
Coping With The Ramifications Of Amputee-Related Depression In D.C.
When you're forced to lose a limb -either from a personal accident or from a health-related issue such as diabetes-it doesn't just affect your physical body, it affects your mentality. If you are struggling with anxiety or depression since your amputation, you're not alone. There are hundreds of victims in Washington D.C. who continue to suffer on a daily basis as a result of amputation-related depression.
Losing a limb is much like losing a loved one. Your brain needs to mourn and cope with the feelings of loss, much as you mourn a deceased friend or relative. This process affects everyone differently and requires several stages of grief processing in order to gradually accept the loss. These steps include the following and may take longer for some individuals than others to fully process:
- Denial that the limb needs or needed to be removed as a result of the injury
- Anger at the person or situation that caused the injury
- Bargaining-with the doctors or with the universe-for a different outcome
After A Traumatic Brain Injury: The Impact Of Personality Changes
For brain injury survivors, life can change drastically in every way possible. Their loved ones and caregivers may even notice extreme personality changes. This is because traumatic brain injuries can result in a multitude of neuropsychological issues, including behavioral problems and personality changes.
It's not uncommon for a person living with a brain injury to become frustrated or lose his temper without warning. This is because damage done to certain areas of the brain causes people to be unpredictable in their emotions and behavior. As a result, some brain injury victims experience unexplained anger, confusion, and mood swings.For some people, personality changes may simply mean certain aspects of their personality are exaggerated. For example, someone who was quick to anger may become even more easily angered after suffering head trauma. For others, a brain injury could result in a complete personality change from easy going and complacent to aggressive and hostile, for example.
Was Your Lyme Disease Misdiagnosed In Virginia?
Did you visit numerous doctors, suffer with symptoms whose cause could not be found, and have every test come back negative? Were you told that it was all in your head? Unfortunately this story is all too common for victims of Lyme disease. It is considered one of the most misdiagnosed of all the autoimmune diseases. Blood tests carry a high probability of false negatives and doctors are treating patients for various other diseases after the test produces a negative result. Misdiagnosis of Lyme disease in Virginia has led to a Lyme disease task force in the state. Their goal is to uncover ways to diagnose and treat the dreaded disease in its early stages.
The most common early symptoms of Lyme disease are:
- A circular rash caused by a tick bite, although this only occurs in half of Lyme disease patents
- Flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, headache, stiff neck, fever/chills, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes
If left untreated, symptoms can progress to include:
Collision Flood Dangers: When Waters Rise, So Do Your Risks
It has been constantly raining for three days straight, and you're about sick of it. You have puddles that could be considered small ponds in your backyard, your flower beds are underwater, and you can barely see eight inches past your windshield.
Thankfully, you know how to drive in poor weather, and you take it slowly. Unfortunately, nothing could prepare you for what was about to happen. You're driving down Chain Bridge, about to make the turn onto Judicial, when all of a sudden the intersection fills up with water. Without any warning whatsoever, a flash flood wipes out the entire road in front of you, trapping you in your car.
Although you're stopped, the flood water currents are starting to push your car toward the vehicle in front of you. Your brakes aren't working and turning your wheels aren't helping either. You brace yourself for impact.
CRASH
Your windshield breaks, showering you with glass, as your airbag deploys and slams your head back into your seat. Instantly your entire body starts to ache. You manage to turn your head to the door, and see that the flood waters are still rising and are about halfway up your door.
How A Disabling Injury Can Affect The Victim Emotionally
Those who become disabled due to an injury not only have to overcome the physical challenges of their new disability, but they may also have to cope with difficult and destructive emotions. Sadly, emotional impairments are often the result of physical disabilities.
Someone who suffers a disabling injury will typically go through stages of denial and mourning before learning to cope with their new reality. During this time, many people experience the following difficult emotions:
- Anger. One of the first emotions someone with a new disability often experiences is anger. This is a normal reaction to have when finding oneself suddenly disabled and needing to rely on others for help. The victim may be reacting to losing his freedom and independence and realizing life has changed due to his disabilities. Another cause of anger is the realization that he will not be able to participate in the sports or hobbies he once loved. Even doing certain things in his daily routine, such as getting dressed and brushing his teeth, may not be possible anymore.
Aphasia: A Possible Result Of A Serious Brain Injury
You suffered several serious injuries in your motorcycle crash several weeks ago, but you did not think a brain injury was one. You were wearing a helmet and there were no indications of brain damage in your follow-up exams. Now, however, you are having some trouble coming up with the right words when you are having a conversation. You've made people laugh unintentionally by using the wrong words for things. You are starting to wonder if this may be an effect of the crash. While most common with stroke victims, it is possible that you are suffering the effects of aphasia.
What Is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a communication disorder that can be caused by a traumatic brain injury if the parts of the brain that contain language have been affected. Depending on which area of the brain has been damaged, the victim may have trouble speaking, listening, reading and writing. Victims will need to be assessed by a speech and language pathologist to determine the severity of the disorder, but the following communication functions may be affected:
Aggressive Driving: A Major Cause Of Trucking Accidents
Did you know that speeding and aggressive driving are the leading causes of trucking accidents on our nation's highways? According to a truck crash causation study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 38% of the truck accidents they reviewed were caused by poor driver decision. Poor driver decision includes truck drivers who do the following without regard for the safety of others:
- Driving too fast for conditions
- Misjudging the speed of other vehicles
- Following other vehicles too closely
Although this should be common sense, this study confirms that speed and following too closely increase a truck driver's risk of causing a crash. As we know, any driver who is speeding and tailgating can cause a wreck, but a truck driver behind the wheel of a massive 80,000 pound tractor-trailer may not only cause an accident but serious injuries and fatalities.
How To Tell When A Serious Brain Injury May Have Occurred
If you or your child suffered a bump to the head during a car accident, you may be wondering if it is a serious head injury. While any type of injury to the head is a concern, some are much more serious than others
Identifying a Serious Brain Injury
If great forces are involved, it is possible that a blow to the head can be serious enough that it causes bleeding around the brain-resulting in a serious head injury. So how can you tell when a blow to the head is serious and when it isn't? The speed, impact, and force involved will help determine if a serious injury actually occurred. Additionally, serious head injuries typically involve some of the following symptoms:
- Severe headache
- Bleeding
- Loss of consciousness
- Fluid draining from ears, nose, or mouth
- Stiff neck
- Vision loss or blurred vision
- Slurred speech
- Loss of smell
- Loss of taste
- Hearing loss
- Convulsions and seizures
Therapy Can Help Decrease Long-Term Effects Of Diffuse Axonal Brain Injury
In the United States alone, approximately 1.7 million people suffer from some sort of accidental brain trauma every year according to the Brain Injury Association of America. Of these incidents, 50% result in diffuse axonal damage-a devastating diagnosis for many victims.
Diffuse axonal brain injuries are caused when the brain jostles around inside the skull, causing bruising and damage over a widespread area. This jostling effect is generally brought on by severe acceleration or deceleration of the head, which can be seen in car accidents, falls, violent shaking, and sports injuries.
When the brain accelerates or decelerates within the skull, axons, or nerve fibers, become disrupted. In addition, these types of injuries can cause:
- Shearing injuries as brain tissue is dragged and skids over the inside of the skull as well as over other patches of tissue.
703-591-0067
10513 Judicial Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
