A WOMAN who has had both legs amputated above the knee has sued her doctor over alleged failure to diagnose that she may have been suffering from deep vein thrombosis.
Catherine Blake claims Dr Gerard Sullivan told her repeatedly she was suffering from a pain in her back and discounted her complaints about pains in her legs as being her “imagination”.
Ms Blake (62), Cashel Court, Cashel, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, has sued Dr Sullivan, a general practitioner practising at Mary Street Medical Centre, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, alleging negligence and breach of duty of care to her. He denies the claims.
Ms Blake also sued Dell Computer Products Ltd, but her counsel Patrick Keane SC told Mr Justice John Quirke yesterday the case against Dell, of Raheen Industrial Estate, Limerick, had been settled and could be struck out. The court was told Ms Blake had been involved in an incident at Dell in Limerick on February 5th, 1998, while she was sitting on two crates during a power failure.
In her action against Dr Sullivan, Ms Blake claimed, in the months and years after the incident, she attended him in relation to pain in her legs. She claimed, during some of her visits, her toes were purple in colour. She claimed Dr Sullivan failed adequately or at all to advise and treat her, and to make a proper diagnosis. Due to those alleged failures, she claimed her condition severely deteriorated and she had to undergo the amputations in December 2000.
In evidence yesterday, she said that when she had complained about pain in her legs, Dr Sullivan had told her it was back pain and she was imagining things.
Dr Sullivan denies he failed to adequately advise or treat Ms Blake or to make a proper diagnosis. He also denies negligence and rejects her claims her toes were purple during visits to him, or that she had told him they were.
The hearing before Mr Justice John Quirke continues today.