What are the chances of an air bubble during an epidural?
The incidence of back pain is the same in women who had epidurals as in those who did not. It is likely that pregnancy and delivery messed your back up. Also, air in the epidural space is harmless. Many of us actually inject air in there on purpose, to confirm that we are in the right spot. (It's all done by feel). The chance that the anesthesiologist messed your back up is very slim, and would likely be impossible to prove. (Read that as "No lawyer is going to take your case, unless you have overwhelming evidence that something was done horrifically wrong") I had back and pelvic pain following one of my pregnancies for about 3 years, and I did not have an epidural. It comes with motherhood.
If my child is being bullied by another kid, can I report to the police?
Yes, though how the police respond will largely depend on what happened, where, how long it’s been going on, how the school has responded (if it’s at school), and whether the police officer in question believes in protecting kids from peer abuse. Many people don’t, whether they’re police officers or not. If your child was physically attacked in a way that left visible injuries, report it. That tends to be the most successful reason for the parents of peer abuse victims. For anything verbal, your best chance of success, that I’m aware of, is if it is happening at school or somewhere else that adults are in charge and the adults are willfully neglecting to intervene. This includes failure to properly protect your child after they have already been made aware of an issue. Document everything, including:what happenedwhat physical/psychological damage was donewhenwherewho was presenthow the adults in charge respondedyour conversations with the bully’s parents and how they respondedyour conversations with the school (or other organization) and how they responded, etc.Include photos of physical injuries. If you have video footage of any kind of abuse, include it also.Edit: This advice is not a representation of how serious abuse is or whether it’s illegal. It is serious and it is illegal. All forms of abuse are illegal—on paper. However, not all forms of abuse are treated justly in practice. Peer abuse is possibly the most under-represented area of abuse, societally and legally. Many lawyers/courts don’t want to handle cases against schools, while much of society will villainize you for daring to object. However, there are lawyers/courts that will handle cases—as long as you have the money and determination to wait out the school’s lawyer and as long as you have the aforementioned evidence in-hand. (Always keep the original copies for yourself.) If you have a good lawyer and a good judge, plus this evidence, there have been cases of peer abuse where the victim and/or victim’s family won.
What happens if you are maliciously reported to CPS/DCS?
CPS will investigate you, and unfortunately nothing will happen to your BMIL. I wouldn't hire a lawyer yet - only if actual charges come about, which is very unlikely. Remember thqt the CPS rep is not your friend or buddy. Be brief, to the point, and professional. They're government oficers. P.S. Don't sweat this - it's very anxiety-provoking (yes, even for people who've done nothing wrong!) but your concern as a parent will show through. They're mostly looking for obviously dangerous and inappropriate parenting - like severe beatings and locking your kid in a closet.
Can I file a lawsuite against my doctor for postpartum hemmoraging 3 weeks after my son was born?
You always have the right to sue. Winning is the problem. My girlfriend is a court reporter and has seen thousands and thousands of cases like the one you are thinking of doing. She constantly tells me of medical malpractice that is happening. It's really more prevalent than you can imagine. The problem is always getting expert testimony that will back up your claims and then having a jury that will be sympathetic to your situation. In many cases, there are extenuating circumstances that cloud the real issues and juries are not sophisticated, so it usually comes down to how good the attorneys present their case and has little to do with the real facts. "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit," no matter how many other supporting facts you have to prove your case. Also, it can be very expensive to take on this type of litigation, unless you can find an attorney that will take it on as contingency. Be aware also, that the attorney's usually get most of the money. good luck to you
My neighbors keep calling the police on me and falsely accusing me of criminal acts. I am afraid to go outside of my house. What do I do?
I have a neighbor that is fixated on my husband. She seemed a little off, but once she found out about his time in prison she developed a full blown obsession. She wrote the association board for our community a complaint about him slamming doors and watching her when she was outside. This was nonsense but they still had to address it with us. She wrote subsequent letters to the board stating he has a key to her car, and gains entry to turn on her radio...that he lets air out of her tires...that he's getting in her home and releasing ants...and he's poisoning the food in her refrigerator. We'd see police at her door, but they never stopped by to talk to us. One day last fall, my husband was riding his bike. This neighbor pulled her car in front of him and slammed on her brakes, causing him to fall off his bike. Her behavior was now endangering him so we went to the police to file a report. The police were helpful, and knew our neighbor well. Apparently she'd filed lots of police reports about my husband and a few other men from the neighborhood. The police recognized she has mental health issues and never pursued her later complaints. So what can you do? Try to have your cell phone ready to record if you think your neighbor will confront you. Keep a cool head, there's nothing wrong with not engaging in an argument. Don't be afraid to talk to the police to see what your options are if you're being harassed. You don't want to end up on the wrong side of this problem.UPDATE: my local police department reached out to the neighbour's daughter, the daughter called my husband to apologize and let him know she will be intervening in a medically supervised care program for her mother. She made sure he has her contact info should we have any problems. I give her all the credit in the world, she was wonderful and it's great that she wants to be involved in her care! Here's hoping my neighbor gets back on track.