Taxotere is the brand name for docetaxel, a chemotherapy drug for treating various types of cancer, such as breast, stomach, prostate, head, neck, and lung. It attacks and shrinks cancer cells to prevent them from growing and spreading to other body parts.
Lawsuits alleged the drug manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis knew about the risk of permanent eye damage and hair loss but did not disclose them on original warning labels. Cancer patients suffer significant tangible and intangible losses from treating new conditions.
Tracking medical bills and other Taxotere-related expenses is crucial. You need complete and accurate records to seek the compensation you’re entitled to.
The Taxotere lawsuit attorneys of Hotze Runkle PLLC can help calculate your losses to determine the value of your case. Call us at (800) 763-6155 for a free consultation to learn more about how we can help.
Permanent Eye Damage and Hair Loss
Cancer patients are filing lawsuits against Sanofi because of the permanent eye damage they suffered while receiving Taxotere chemotherapy. Studies have shown the drug’s secretions interact with a person’s tears, causing inflammation and infections of the canaliculus, a structure in the lacrimal system of the eye.
Chronic inflammation and infections can obstruct tears from flowing normally and draining into the nasal cavity. When the obstructions cause the canaliculus to close, canalicular stenosis, an irreversible condition, can occur.
Hair loss is another adverse effect of Taxotere. Chemotherapy drugs attack rapidly growing cancer cells responsible for hair growth. Since the drugs can’t differentiate between fast-growing healthy cells and fast-growing cancer cells, they attack anything that grows and divides rapidly. Although hair loss is a common side effect of chemo, Taxotere might cause permanent hair loss, also called alopecia.
Common Medical Expenses from Taxotere
You likely require ongoing treatment to manage the adverse symptoms of Taxotere. Alopecia and canalicular stenosis are permanent conditions. However, you can manage the symptoms with various treatment options. The medical expenses you incur might include:
- Diagnostic tests
- Prescriptions
- Doctor’s appointments
- Physician bills
- Notes from physician’s assistants, nurses, and other medical providers
- Hospitalization
- Surgical costs
- Over-the-counter medications
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Ambulance services
- Appointments with medical specialists
- Medical equipment and devices
- Follow-up care
- Transportation costs if traveling for treatment is necessary
Maintaining Records of Taxotere-Related Medical Expenses
Multiple options are available to track your expenses from a Taxotere injury. You must maintain complete and accurate records of every appointment and corresponding bill to calculate the appropriate value of your case.
Below are four beneficial methods you can choose from to track your medical expenses.
Physical Filing System
You should consider keeping all your invoices, receipts, and billing statements using a physical filing system if you’re used to organizing your documents in folders or filing cabinets. Keeping physical copies of every financial document related to your Taxotere side effects is beneficial to prove your incurred costs during a case against the manufacturer.
When you receive a bill, physician statement, or other documentation related to your treatment, immediately place it in your filing system. You can label all your folders to separate different types of appointments.
For example, save receipts from paying for your prescriptions in one folder and bills from doctor’s appointments in another. Maintaining separate folders can help you easily refer to the appropriate records when necessary. It also simplifies calculating your total expenses when preparing for settlement negotiations.
Create a Spreadsheet
Some people are more comfortable with computer programs like spreadsheets to keep themselves organized. You can create a spreadsheet of your Taxotere-related expenses. You should label each cell with essential information, such as:
- Treatment date
- Type of treatment
- Cost
- Related out-of-pocket expenses
- Insurance coverage
The spreadsheet can serve as valuable evidence to show your treatment timeline and how much you had to pay for every appointment. You can provide copies of your bills and receipts with the spreadsheet to further prove the expenses you incurred from your Taxotere injury.
Keep a Medical Journal
A medical journal is a good idea to help you remember every type of treatment you receive. The problem with treating an injury is many people forget certain appointments. It might have been one imaging test or a follow-up with a specialist. If months go by without documenting those treatments, forgetting to include them in calculations is likely.
When you keep a medical journal, write down every appointment you attend. You should note the corresponding dates, medical facilities, and contact information so you can request copies of every record. You might have received an invoice, but requesting an itemized bill can help explicitly show the costs incurred by those treatments.
For example, you get charged for the visit and other expenses when you go to the hospital. They might charge you for the medical equipment the doctors used to diagnose and treat your injury. There are also separate expenses for the initial emergency room visit, admitting you to a room, and different specialists you see during your stay. An itemized bill should outline all the separate charges.
You can also list your symptoms and their effects on your daily life. Keeping a pain journal doesn’t outline your financial costs. However, it shows the severity of your injury and how it affects your routine. You can describe the type of pain you feel and whether it worsens during specific activities.
You can also note whether you can’t work or care for your family. Also, you can pursue compensation for your lost wages if you can’t return to your job due to the injury. You can also write down the cost of hiring household assistance. Those expenses are related to your medical bills.
Get Help with Your Taxotere Lawsuit
You deserve the chance to hold Sanofi liable for the hair loss or vision issues you suffered after receiving Taxotere during chemotherapy. The manufacturer should suffer the consequences of its misconduct and provide you with compensation to cover your medical bills.
If you were diagnosed with alopecia, canalicular stenosis, or another adverse medical problem related to Taxotere, call Hotze Runkle PLLC at (800) 763-6155 for a free consultation or take our case evaluation quiz to determine whether you qualify for a lawsuit.