Gonzalez v. Feinerman, No. 11-1804 (7th Cir. 2011)
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An inmate began suffering from pain in his groin after an injury in 2004. Staff at the prison health unit recognized that his pain was caused by an inguinal hernia but gave him only mild pain medication. The inmate complained and was examined by a doctor who pushed the hernia back into his abdomen and refused a request for surgery. For several months the condition worsened, with a visible bulge and pain, but medical staff continued to refuse surgery. The inmate filed suit under 42 U.S.C. 1983. The district court dismissed prior to service. The Seventh Circuit reversed with respect to the physicians and remanded for determination of whether their response to more than two years of complaints has been blatantly inappropriate in the face of the inmate's pain and the risk the worsening hernia poses to his present and future health.
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