Description of Event or Problem · 1
ON (B)(6) 2012, I OPTED FOR LASER NAIL FUNGUS TREATMENT FOR FUNGUS UNDER MY RIGHT THUMB NAIL. ABOUT 5 DAYS LATER, EXTREME PAIN AND SWELLING IN THE KNUCKLE CLOSEST TO THE THUMBNAIL THAT WAS TREATED FOR FUNGUS. THE PAIN AND SWELLING LASTED FOR 3 MONTHS. NEAR (B)(6) 2012, THE PAIN AND INFLAMMATION SUDDENLY SUBSIDED OVER A SPAN OF TWO DAYS. DURING THE 2ND MONTH FOLLOWING TREATMENT, THE NAIL SHOWED IMPROVEMENT, THEN, IN THE 4TH MONTH THE FUNGUS BEGAN WORSENING. THE DOCTOR SAID TO COME BACK FOR ADD'L TREATMENT IF THE FUNGUS RETURNS, WHICH I DID. ON (B)(6) 2013, I RETURNED, WHEN I CLEARLY INFORMED HER THAT THE INFLAMMATION AND RESULTING PAIN HAD OCCURRED AS STATED ABOVE. SHE SAID "IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LASER." SINCE IT WAS MY DIRECT EXPERIENCE THAT THE INFLAMMATION AND PAIN FULLY DISAPPEARED PREVIOUSLY, AND THAT SHE FLATLY DISMISSED ANY CORRELATION BETWEEN THE LASER TREATMENT AND MY PAIN AND INFLAMMATION. I ACCEPTED A 2ND LASER TREATMENT TO GET RID OF THE FUNGUS. THE DOCTOR WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY PROVEN WRONG WHEN 4 TO 5 DAYS AFTER THE 2ND LASER TREATMENT. MY THUMB KNUCKLE ONCE AGAIN REACTED TO THE LASER TREATMENT WITH SEVERE PAIN AND INFLAMMATION, ONLY THIS TIME, THE PAIN AND INFLAMMATION WAS MUCH WORSE AND RAPIDLY BECAME INTOLERABLE. UNABLE TO TRUST THE LASER DOCTOR. I WENT TO A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR FOR HELP. HE PUT ME ON PHARMACEUTICAL NAIL FUNGUS MEDICATION AND SENT ME TO AN ORTHOPEDIC HAND SPECIALIST. THERE, MY EXTREME PAIN WAS PARTIALLY RELIEVED ON (B)(6) 2014, WITH STEROIDAL INJECTION DIRECTLY INTO THE INFLAMED KNUCKLE. SINCE THE 12 WEEK COURSE OF MAIL FUNGUS MEDICATION HAD NO BENEFIT, AND THE STEROID INJECTION ONLY BRIEFLY REDUCED THE INFLAMMATION AND PAIN. I REMAINED IN PAIN AND DISABLED. MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR ALSO SAW INCREASING SKIN FLAKING. HE SENT ME TO A DERMATOLOGIST WHO PRESCRIBED TOPICAL MEDICATION FOR SKIN AND ON (B)(6) 2015, SHE INFORMED ME THAT THE INFLAMMATION IN MY KNUCKLE 'IS ARTHRITIS." SHE SENT ME TO A RHEUMATOLOGIST. HE PUT ME ON A SUCCESSION OF MEDICATIONS INCLUDING MOBIC, INDOMETHACIN, SULFASALAZINE, TO WHICH I HAD: ORAL ULCERS AND STOMACH PAINS. EVEN WORSE, NONE OF THEM STOPPED THE PROGRESSION OF WHAT THE RHEUMATOLOGIST HAD DIAGNOSED AS "PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS." BOTH MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR AND HAND SPECIALIST DOCUMENTED MY CONDITION AND HAVE STATED THAT THEY BELIEVE THE LASER WAS CAUSAL IN MY KNUCKLE INFLAMMATION AND PAIN. THIS PAIN AND INFLAMMATION CAUSED BY LASER TREATMENT WAS THE TRIGGER EVENT RELATED TO MY ARTHRITIS. THE ARTHRITIS HAS SINCE ADVANCED FROM THE LASER TRAUMATIZED KNUCKLE TO KNUCKLE AFTER KNUCKLE, AND I BEGAN SHOWING SIGNS OF SYMMETRIC "MIRRORING" OF ARTHRITIS IN MY OTHER HAND. OVER THE FOLLOWING SIX MONTHS, MY THUMB KNUCKLES, FINGERS, WRISTS, NECK AND FEET BECAME INVOLVED. THE DISABILITY, PAIN, AND LOSS OF EMPLOYABILITY HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIAL. I OPTED TO HAVE THE LASER IMPACTED AREA SURGICALLY REMOVED INCLUDING NAIL BED AND MATRIX. I AM NOW ON THE BIOLOGIC HUMIRA SINCE (B)(6) 2015. SINCE THEN, I DISCOVERED THE FDA LETTER: LINK: (B)(4). THE CUTERA CORP., (MAKERS OF LASER USED ON MY HAND), ACCORDING TO THE LETTER, "ADULTERATED" THE FDA APPROVED VERBIAGE IN ADVERTISING; IMPROPERLY STATING THE LASER WAS "SAFE" AND A "SOLUTION" (THEREBY IMPLYING A CURE) FOR NAIL FUNGUS. SUBSEQUENTLY, DR. (B)(6), MD. WHO TREATED MY NAIL FUNGUS, ALSO MADE FALSE ADVERTISING STATEMENT ON THEIR WEBSITE STATING THERE WERE "NO SIDE EFFECTS" AND THE LASER WAS A "CURE", HEAVILY INFLUENCING MY DECISION TO "CURE" FUNGUS BY CHOOSING LASER. THE ADULTERATED CLAIMS OF THE CUTERA CORP., APPEAR TO HAVE SWAYED MY DOCTOR'S OPINION AS TO THE SAFETY OF THE LASER SINCE SHE IGNORED THE EVIDENCE OF MY PAIN AND INFLAMMATION, THEREBY CAUSING ME ADD'L HARM WHEN SHE PERFORMED THE SECOND LASER TREATMENT.