gavpowell Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 The late Mike Towell's partner Chloe says the family has filed a complaint against the NHS for refusing him a brain scan. She says in the weeks leading up to the fight: He suffered agonising headaches after a sparring session - these were so bad, he was curled up on the floor in A&E, saying he felt his head was going to explode. A&E staff told him he needed to see his GP, had no business being in A&E. He received co-codamol and was sent home, being told he was suffering from a likely migraine. His GP agreed with the diagnosis, but took a blood test to be sure. The results have yet to come back. He received Aspirin, which can cause fresh bleeding. He begged doctors for a brain scan three times, but was unable to persuade anyone. He was dehydrated in the days before theb weigh-in, sweating himself as much as possible to get down to the weight. Hindsight's a wonderful thing of course, but to me the same questions keep occurring: Why go ahead with the fight? Even if it was a migraine, it was so debilitating he can't have been in the right condition to fight? Why did the BBBofC apparently know nothing of these issues? Did his trainers? If not, why didn't Towell say something? If others knew, why was he allowed to continue? Why aren't fighters' complete medical records made available to the governing bodies and promoters? Everyone needs as much information as possible to avoid catastrophe. It all sounds very worrying. More here: Mike Towell's partner claims tragic boxer asked for brain scan three times before fight which cost him his life - Daily Record Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonRingRules Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? --- Always difficult to diagnose from afar in the aftermath, but imaging scans very expensive so are used sparingly in addition to generating large amounts of radiation that obviously has long term effects. That local doc that put him on aspiran sounds like the proverbial village idiot though. That said, they should've cancelled the fight until he was further sorted, but sadly the fighter in him prevailed to his ultimate demise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ton Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? As inept as the medical staff appear to have been as described in the article......ultimately the lad himself knew there was a problem, yet still went into the fight...... Possibly, if there were other things in place, such as shared medical records etc etc there may have been a circumstance where the decision to fight was taken out of his own hands but how likely is it that such systems can be viably put into place? How far does it go where people don't have to take responsibility for their own actions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selij Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? If this is truly the case in hand then the lad (family) only has (had) himself to blame - he should never have fought. Period. Ultimate foolhardiness. He received Aspirin, which can cause fresh bleeding. It also thins the blood which would have exacerbated the issue He begged doctors for a brain scan three times, but was unable to persuade anyone. Could have gone private and had one within hours. I have myself on many an occasion - not brain admittedly, but irrelevant to the availability/costs. Costs circa £260 for a localised MRI scan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? --- Always difficult to diagnose from afar in the aftermath, but imaging scans very expensive so are used sparingly in addition to generating large amounts of radiation that obviously has long term effects. An MRI scan doesn't use radiation, hence the MR part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Could have gone private and had one within hours. I have myself on many an occasion - not brain admittedly, but irrelevant to the availability/costs. Costs circa £260 for a localised MRI scan. Can you just walk up and ask for one if you've got the cash then? I assumed you'd have to have professional opinion that it was medically necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repsac Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Wasn't this fight a title eliminator? I'm guessing he thought postponing the fight would've cost him the opportunity to fight for the title afterwards. Sadly he didn't take the proper precautions. If he or his team knew about his condition beforehand, i'm not gonna start pointing fingers at the BBBofC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonRingRules Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? --- Never heard of an advanced medical procedure being accessed by a walk up layman. These practices have serious liability insurance costs here that require a doctor examination and referal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittbox Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? The case seems clear, but there's one thing to consider. There are probably a lot of such medical problems we don't know about, because fighters turn out fine. I guess when the death happens, we can always find something to prove the boxer shouldn't be in the ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_budweiser Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Obviously we don't have all the facts and we are looking in from the outside. But, with the information that's available to the public, I think the family are looking to point the finger at someone rather than accept it was their sons fault. The NHS aren't going to hand out MRI scans for people walking in complaining of headaches. Rolling on the floor in pain? If that was the case then they would of done testing there and then, maybe a play on words from the reporter? Fighters have to pass pre-fight medicals before they fight and the doctors have a list of standard questions they have to ask before passing the fighter fit to fight. I think they will find it hard to prove a MRI could of saved his life considering he gets punched in the head for a living. An MRI could of said he was fine, yet, he could of still lost his life in the ring that night. If it was that serious like they claim why didn't he go private and get one done himself? I feel sorry for the family but ultimately it's Towell own fault for fighting when unwell. I'm sure there will be an inquiry and all the facts will be released soon enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_budweiser Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Wasn't this fight a title eliminator? I'm guessing he thought postponing the fight would've cost him the opportunity to fight for the title afterwards. Sadly he didn't take the proper precautions. If he or his team knew about his condition beforehand, i'm not gonna start pointing fingers at the BBBofC. British final eliminator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? . Rolling on the floor in pain? If that was the case then they would of done testing there and then, maybe a play on words from the reporter? It's a direct quote, so it's not a literary flourish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonRingRules Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? An MRI scan doesn't use radiation, hence the MR part. --- Every electrical device emits radiation, particularly a concern in western countries use MRI/CT interchangeably. Ever hear of cellphone radiation concerns? The last thing these practices need is a bunch of hypochondriacs suing them for radiation poisoning. The electromagnetic fields alone can kill without proper screening of clients. End of the day Towell needed better medical and team advice than what he got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? --- Every electrical device emits radiation, particularly a concern in western countries use MRI/CT interchangeably...Ever hear of cellphone radiation concerns? Well everything emits some form of radiation, but non-ionising and often incredibly low-frequency. The mobile phone thing is a regular scare story here too, but there's no proof of it causing any problems, any more than wifi does. There is therefore no health risk to an MRI, though a surgeon friend tells me it's rare and irresponsible for it to be used without medical opinion to back it up, simply because the results are easily misinterpreted. I can only speak to the UK in terms of MRI/CT scans, but certainly nobody who knows what they're doing confuses the two. America must be an intersting dichotomy - you can have whatever treatment you can afford, but equally everyone is terrified of litigation so you can't just have something because you can afford it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoztheMadman Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Doctos today are often shitty. They have their own policy mapped out and won't budge a milimeter outside it. Awful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Doctos today are often shitty. They have their own policy mapped out and won't budge a milimeter outside it. Awful... The trouble is it's become too risky in an age when everyone can sue for free. I could never be a doctor - I feel bad enough when a computer can't be repaired, without having to do it for people. How you get over making a mistake that could even kill someone I don't know. I hope for everyone's sake that this comes down to a decision by Towell himself - the fact he refused to spar anymore would have had me panicking, but I panic easily... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? Interesting article on the changes to laws in New York. New Law threatens to stop boxing in New York DiBella Entertainment (“DBE”), the most active boxing promoter in New York and one of the foremost in the United States, announced Friday that it has released its dates on hold with the New York State Athletic Commission through the end of the year, effectively ending the boxing program in New York until at least 2017. The announcement is a direct result of New York’s new insurance requirements, which have made it impossible for promoters to purchase the coverage necessary to do an event in the state and the New York State Athletic Commission’s failure to use its authority to alter the requirements. N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 1015, colloquially known as the MMA Law as it also served to legalize Mixed Martial Arts in the state, went into effect on September 1, 2016, requiring promoters to purchase $50,000 in medical coverage and $50,000 in death benefits for all athletes competing in an event; this is an increase from $10,000 in medical coverage and $10,000 in death benefits, but is in keeping with other states at the forefront of boxing safety such as California and Nevada. However, the law took the unprecedented step of requiring $1 million of coverage per athlete in the event of life threatening brain injury. No insurance carrier has been authorized by the state to offer such a policy and it does not appear that, despite the efforts of various promoters and the Commission, such a policy is imminent. The practical impact of the law, meant to provide increased safety to professional boxers, is the extinction of boxing in New York and shows being moved to nearby jurisdictions where the insurance requirements provide much less coverage for the athletes. Read more: New Law threatens to stop boxing in New York - - Boxing News - Ring News24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonRingRules Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Re: Did a Catalogue of Errors Lead to Mike Towell's Death? --- New York trying to cover their dirty rumps of incompetency that have led to tragic consequences. I agree insurance ought to be upped in this era, but they passed a law that no insurer can cover under the terms, the epitome of stupidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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