I Have Been Diagnosed With Mesothelioma, What Do I Do Now?
I Have Been Diagnosed With Mesothelioma
Every year approximately three thousand families across this great country are given the terrible news that they or a loved one has been diagnosed with Malignant Mesothelioma. This disease, caused by past exposure to asbestos dust, immediately causes fear and uncertainty for Mesothelioma has a bad reputation. Questions abound. What is Mesothelioma and what does it mean, what must they do and how soon must they do it, who do they need to see, what are the medical options, and what legal issues must be taken care of immediately?
What must the victim do to get all possible treatment to beat the diseases or at a minimum treatment that will reset the clock so they can have as much time as possible with their family and are afforded time to get their affairs in order.
Medical treatment options, legal issues, family issues, estate issues and the loss of the capability to work and provide for the family are all immediately thrust upon the family and the weight of these issues can easily overwhelm. Wallace & Graham P.A. Attorneys can help answer those questions quickly and confidentially and help remove the weight of these issues.
The attorneys at Wallace & Graham P.A. have over 100 years of combined legal experience in helping the injured and their families through these trying times. Wallace & Graham P.A. has helped thousands of families answer these questions and also pursued and secured the victim’s legal rights to compensation for the illness and damages caused by the acts and omissions of the corporations that profited from unsafe asbestos products and services.
This article just briefly touches on the issues as the disease is complex and the medical and legal options are dependent upon the person’s unique situation.
What Must be Done First?
Once diagnosed the victim of the disease is advised by their physician to see a Mesothelioma specialist. This could include the preeminent Mesothelioma surgeons practicing at Duke Medical Center in Durham, NC, Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, Brigham Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, or other excellent Cancer centers to help determine their options in handling this devastating disease.
Because of therarity of Mesothelioma and the complexities of the situation and diagnosis specialist are the best to help. Due to the requirement and need for special surgical techniques and firsthand experience and knowledge of optimal medical treatment and therapy, cancer treatment in centers with established medical personnel experienced in the management of Mesothelioma have shown better results.
What Caused the Illness?
Simple research on the internet informs the family that the cause of the disease was due to their loved ones exposure to asbestos fibers and dust. It is a Signal Tumor for asbestos exposure which means if the victim has the diagnosis of Mesothelioma they are assumed to have been exposed to asbestos. Further study establishes quickly that the illness was the fault of certain corporations that, without providing safety instructions or hazard warnings and without showing concern for the ultimate user or their family, decided to profit by introducing what they knew was an unsafe and deadly asbestos containing product into the market for use by industry.
Who is Responsible for Mesothelioma?
Numerous companies that made or sold asbestos containing products, without concern or regret, knew that their products were exposing the worker to a toxic dust and to compound the matter, these culpable companies knew that the asbestos fibers and dust would be carried home by the worker on their clothes, in their vehicles and on their body thereby exposing the household, their children or spouse or other innocent bystanders to the deadly fibers and associated illnesses.
What is Mesothelioma and What Does it Mean?
Malignant Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of a person’s internal organs (mesothelium).This thin layer is very important to help protect the organs.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. Mesothelioma treatments are available,but sadly,for many people with Mesothelioma,a complete cure is not possible. Instead the doctors try to “reset” the clock to give the person more time to be with their family before the disease runs it lethal course.
What Types of Mesothelioma are there?
DoctorsdivideMesotheliomaintodifferenttypesbasedonwhatpartofthemesotheliumis affected.Mesotheliomamostoftenaffectsthetissuethatsurroundsthelungs(pleura).This type is called pleural malignant Mesothelioma.Other types of Mesothelioma affect tissue in the abdomen (peritoneal Mesothelioma), and around the heart and around the testicles.
Can Mesothelioma be Cured?
Encouragingly there are numerous cases of survivors living long past the normal survival rate and this further highlights the need to get to specialists as soon as possible. Some patients will experience long-term survival with aggressive treatment approaches.
What are the Medical Options?
Mesothelioma surgeons have performed different types of surgeries on patients with malignant Mesothelioma. One of the more common types of surgery for Mesothelioma is a surgical debulking followed by post-surgical chemotherapy. With this procedure, a heated chemotherapy agent is directly administered into the affected space immediately after the debulking portion of the surgery. This new approach to Mesothelioma treatment is also referred to as cytoreductive surgery (debulking) plus perioperative chemotherapy. Hundreds of patients have now undergone this procedure and results have been reported by the National Cancer Institute (USA). It is important you talk to and get all medical options explained to you from your physician as this article is only for informative purposes and not for purposes of medical treatment.
What Else are Doctors Doing to Try and Find a Cure?
Additionally, there are Mesothelioma Clinical Trials being performed in numerous hospitals as the medical profession attempts to find a lasting cure for this horrific disease. These matters must be discussed with your medical doctors as the requirements and specifications for the clinical trials are unique and made without any assurance of curing this asbestos related disease.
What are the Legal Options for the victim and their family?
If you or your family member has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, you should get in touch with a Mesothelioma lawyer as early as possible to determine whether there is a Mesothelioma case and to preserve the right to timely bring a legal action against the responsible corporation. Time can be of the essence both medically and legally.
What must be done to help preserve legal rights?
You want to be sure and document the treatment and care of the loved one including taking photographs and preserving medical records. You want to preserve evidence and establish facts of the asbestos exposure while the victim of asbestos exposure is still alive and able to provide information.
What are the Legal Damages?
Damages can include past and future medical bills for the treatment, documented lost wages due to inability to work and economic damages such as loss of insurance or future retirement benefits. Additional damages include pain, suffering, surgical scars and emotional trauma including fear and depression.
How can Wallace & Graham help?
At the Wallace & Graham P.A. Law Firm the dedicated lawyers and experienced staff will review your case and if appropriate try to expedite the case, as courts tend to give higher priority to Mesothelioma lawsuits where the victim is still alive. The firm will promptly and fully investigate the case, talk to witnesses and research its entire database gathering evidence to help secure the victim and their family’s rights. There are a large number of options that are unique to each victim so please call Wallace & Graham P.A. to discuss your legal rights.
We will help guide the family through the difficult decisions it faces. We will address medical bills issues, estate planning matters, Social Security and Medicare Benefits options and aggressively pursue and secure the legal rights afforded under the law. Call for a free no obligation confidential meeting to go over your concerns and answer your questions. 1-800-849-5291
