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June 17, 2009 01:44 pm
—
The Indiana Fallen Officers’ campaign, the family of Frank Denzinger, and the American Red Cross will hold an “in honor” blood drive for Floyd County Police Officer Frank Denzinger on the second-year anniversary of his death from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Schuler-Bauer Building, 4206 Charlestown Road, New Albany.
The entire Denzinger family will attend the blood drive. Denzinger was shot and killed when he and another officer responded to a domestic disturbance call on June 18, 2007. They were responding to a report of a family confrontation in Georgetown.
Miller, 62, still suffers from severe pain at times and goes to therapy twice a week. He walks with a cane, has to wear an adult diaper and cannot stand for long periods of time. That is a major change for the man who played in a tennis league for 35 years and would golf two or three times a week.
Since the surgery, Miller has had his share of setbacks. The most recent came earlier this month when he lost a lawsuit against his anesthesiologist, Dr. Art Duncan, for unspecified damages. After a three-day trial, a jury decided Miller would take nothing from his complaint.
“I don’t think there was any doubt I was surprised,” Miller said of the jury’s decision. “My opinion is different than their opinion.”
In October 2005, Miller went to Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services because of a hernia. He said the doctor told him that he always used epidurals when performing hernia surgeries.
Miller said he expressed some concern to his doctor because he was not completely familiar with what an epidural was.
“He said, ‘Well, it’s a piece of cake. There’s no problem,’” Miller said. “They called it a routine surgery. This one didn’t turn out to be routine. This one turned out to be catastrophic.”
The epidural damaged his spine and left him partially paralyzed, and he lost control of his bladder and bowels.
Duncan’s attorney, Tracy Prewitt, said her client is a well-respected doctor and had no way of knowing the procedure would harm Miller.
“Every procedure has certain risks associated with it. In Mr. Miller’s case, he had an unfortunate and rare reaction to a certain anesthetic, we believe,” Prewitt said. “We have the utmost respect for Mr. and Mrs. Miller and wish them the best.”
Miller said he is not bitter about what happened but wants to warn others about the dangers of surgery. He believes doctors should do more to alert patients about potential risks from common procedures. He pointed to recent reports showing that some people die from anesthesia.
While recognizing that such cases are very rare and epidurals are sometimes necessary, he believes that if he had been explained how an epidural works that he would have reconsidered having the surgery.
“You take it for granted when your surgeon tells you it’s no problem,” he said.
He encourages people facing surgery to ask plenty of questions, research the potential risks and demand to meet any doctor or nurse who will be involved in the surgery or the anesthesia.
“When people tell you something’s a routine surgery, even when you go to the dentist, don’t let him tell you, ‘We’ve never had a problem with this,’” Miller said.
He said he is thankful for the response from the community. People brought his family food during the trial, sent letters and called to express their support.
“I’ve got a lot of great neighbors, friends and family members who rallied around me,” he said.
Shortly after the surgery, members of his tennis team spent the night at the hospital with him. The next weekend, his team competed in state finals.
Miller went to support his team, even though he was in a wheelchair and unable to get close enough to coach. He said the only movement he had from the waist down was in his big toe.
Miller said coaching tennis kept him active and motivated, even if he is limited in how much he can do. In the past, he competed with the students on his team, but that is no longer an option.
The hardest part for Miller was talking about the effects on his family. He said his wife has given up her retirement because they cannot easily travel, and his children moved closer to home to help him. He said he taught his granddaughter to ride a bicycle, but was unable to teach his grandson.
His attorney, Michael Hance, said it would be premature to make any decisions about the future, but said they have the option to request a new trial. For now, Miller is ready to look forward.
“I’m trying to make my life as normal as I possibly can, and I’m trying to keep going,” he said.
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