Surgeon failed to properly inform patient

DEAR DR. GOTT: In mid-September 2009, I had a lung lobectomy and was in the hospital for about 2-1/2 weeks. There were complications, including atrial fibrillation and a delay in the lung sealing, which caused the drain tubes to remain in for most of my stay.

I was told that I would be in the hospital between five and seven days and back at work within three months. As yet, I have not been able to return to work.

Prior to the surgery, the only thing that was brought to my attention was that sometimes things “go wrong,” and when I was discharged from the hospital, I was given minimal instructions. For some naive reason, I thought that if I woke up from the anesthesia that things had “gone right.”
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