Local woman sues hospital, doctors over missed MS diagnosis

By Cyndi Fahrlander and Angie Ricono

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Sara Allison has multiple sclerosis, or MS, a common autoimmune disease with no known cure. Early diagnosis and treatment are key to slowing the progression.

But Sara’s journey to a diagnosis was a long one and has led to her filing suit against St. Luke’s Health System and two neurologists.

“I started seeing a neurologist way back in probably 2007 for migraine headaches,” said Allison. But after a couple of years of treatment, she suspected something more was going on.

Her newly filed lawsuit describes a cluster of new symptoms that began emerging in 2012.

The symptoms included slower cognitive functioning, changes to vision, difficulties speaking and immense fatigue.

Her doctor ordered an MRI. It showed white spots on her brain. The lawsuit says she directly questioned her doctor whether it could be MS.

Sara alleges he dismissed her concerns, “He just said, ‘No Sara. It’s not. There’s no way. It’s a migraine. This is typical for migraine. You don’t need to worry about these white spots.’”

In her lawsuit, she argues more sophisticated testing wasn’t done, despite her questioning. The filing describes how the years rolled by, into a full decade of recurring neurological problems.

As Sara pushed back, the lawsuit claims she was eventually told to seek another doctor.

She says her doctor told her, “‘You know, a lot of people have been working hard to care for you here. And you might be happier with a second opinion somewhere else.’”

KCTV5 reached out to St. Luke’s Health System for a response:

Saint Luke’s is deeply committed to providing the highest level of care to every patient. While we are unable to comment on pending litigation, we can say we are proud of the exceptional care we provide and have the utmost confidence in our physicians who dedicate their lives to serving our patients.

Eventually, Sara went to get that second opinion with another specialist. Her new doctor ordered a battery of tests and made a diagnosis. Sara did indeed have MS.

Sara believes she has lost a lot of time for treatment — time that could have made a difference in her life.

“As time went by, you know, you start to chip away at your life,” said Sara. “There goes my career. There goes traveling, and there goes having kids if you’re going to do that.”

Sara’s days are now filled with therapy. She works on things like balance and recognition. She still plays the piano, but it’s more frustrating than it was years ago. Trying to read the music as she plays has become more difficult.

“My life completely changed in a 5-to 10-year period,” said Sara.

She’s learning to adapt but wonders what life would be like if she had an earlier diagnosis.

“I want the doctors to understand that there is a very real consequence in my life for how this happened,” said Sara. “There was a series of decisions here that were made, that that I really didn’t have any say in, and yet here I am with the broken pieces of my life, trying to put it all back together.”

Sara wants others to learn from her experience.

Second opinions are your right as a patient. Often, doctors expect it. But you must consider your insurance. Check before scheduling an appointment if the visit will be covered.

Medical experts say if you are seeking a second opinion, get all your medical records to share with the new physician. This includes labs and test results. Insurance general won’t pay for duplicated tests.

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