What to Do If Your Doctor Misdiagnosed You? Step-By-Step Guide

Realizing you may have been misdiagnosed can be scary and frustrating. You might still feel sick, your symptoms may be getting worse, or you may have learned later that the original diagnosis was wrong. The good news is there are clear steps you can take to protect your health and, if needed, protect your legal rights too.

Below is a step-by-step guide you can follow.

Why Acting Quickly After a Misdiagnosis Matters

A possible misdiagnosis can affect more than your treatment plan. It can delay care you needed, lead to medication you did not need, and make recovery harder. Acting quickly also helps you lock down details while they’re still fresh, like symptoms, test dates, and what you were told. If you end up needing a case review later, having a clear timeline and complete records can make a big difference.

How to Respond After a Misdiagnosis

Step 1: Put your health first, right now

Before anything else, focus on getting the right medical care. If you believe the original diagnosis is wrong, you may need treatment quickly, especially if symptoms are getting worse.

A good starting point:

• Schedule a second opinion with a new doctor, ideally someone who treats your type of condition often.
• Switch healthcare providers if you need to. If you feel dismissed or not taken seriously, it is okay to move your care elsewhere.
• Do not wait if symptoms feel urgent or severe. Go to urgent care or the ER if needed.

Step 2: Get a second opinion and ask direct questions

A second opinion does two things. It can help you get the right diagnosis and it can also help clarify what may have been missed the first time.

When you see the new provider, ask:

• What diagnosis makes the most sense based on my symptoms?
• What tests should be done to confirm it?
• Is it possible the original diagnosis delayed treatment?
• What should I do next to protect my health?

Also, bring a clear list of symptoms, when they started, and what has changed.

Step 3: Write everything down while it’s fresh

Documentation is helpful for medical care and it can matter later if you decide to seek legal guidance. Start a simple notes file and track:

• Symptoms and when they started
• Medications and side effects
• Test dates and results you were told about
• Appointments and what the provider said
• New diagnoses and treatment changes

Keep it basic. A clean list timeline is often more helpful than long paragraphs.

Step 4: Look for common reasons misdiagnosis happens

Misdiagnosis can happen for many reasons. Sometimes symptoms overlap and a condition is hard to detect early. Other times, something important was missed.

Common causes can include:

• Symptoms are being overlooked or dismissed
• A key test was not being ordered
• Test results are being misread
• Lab or record mix-ups

This step is not about blaming someone. It’s about understanding whether the situation may have been preventable.

Step 5: Request your full medical records

This step can be annoying, but it matters. Request records from every provider or facility involved, not just summaries.

Ask for:

• doctor and nursing notes
• lab results
• imaging reports like CT, MRI, and X-ray
• prescriptions and medication records
• referral notes and discharge instructions

Your records can help your new doctor understand your case and they can help show what was done, what was missed, and when.

Step 6: Understand what has to be proven if you consider a claim

Not every wrong diagnosis is malpractice. To prove medical negligence in a misdiagnosis case, the general building blocks usually include:

• Duty of care: There was a doctor-patient relationship.
• Breach of duty: The provider’s actions fell below the accepted standard of care.
• Causation: The misdiagnosis directly caused harm, not just worry or confusion.
• Damages: You had measurable losses, like added medical bills, lost income, or long-term harm.

A common misunderstanding is thinking, “The diagnosis was wrong, so I have a case.” The harder part is showing the diagnosis should have been made sooner or differently, and that the delay or wrong treatment caused real harm. 

Step 7: Talk to a wrong diagnosis lawyer if the harm is serious

If your condition got worse, you needed emergency care, you went through unnecessary treatment, or you are facing major bills, it may be time to speak with a wrong diagnosis lawyer.

A lawyer can help by:

• Gathering full records and building a clear timeline
• Arranging a medical review to see if the standard of care may have been missed
• Handling calls and paperwork from insurers or hospital legal teams
• Explaining key deadlines and what steps matter most

Many people wait because they feel unsure. That’s normal. But a quick conversation can help you understand whether the situation is worth investigating.

What Should You Avoid Doing after a Suspected Misdiagnosis?

Here are a few common mistakes that can make things harder:

• Ignoring symptoms
• Not doing a follow-up check up after unclear test results
• Throwing away paperwork
• Signing documents or giving recorded statements before you understand what they are for

If you feel pressured, it’s okay to slow down and get guidance first.

Ready to talk about what happened?

If you believe you were harmed by a misdiagnosis and want clear answers, contact Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. We can review what happened, explain your options, and help you decide what to do next. You deserve straightforward information and a path forward.