What do I do...

trplnkl · 06-26-2008, 04:30 AM

I'm not suggesting you do anything, that is YOUR decision. I would call in and tell them I am having a relapse of the original injury and will let them know after seeing the Doc as to when I might be able to come back. Your resident surgical supervisor is not qualified to make these assessments.

06-26-2008, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by New Englander

You call in and go to your doctor. Not the companies specialist.

You lawyer can file w/ the State Board of Workers Comp for a change of physician. After being out I believe 7 or 8 days, you go back on workers comp since you never settled case. They made me go back for 1 day between shoulder surgery and when I got a different doc. and I thought I was gonna die. And they didnt make me wait 8 days to start comp again.

But Benefits Are Great! · 06-26-2008, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishbulb

spent all day yesterday with the heating pad & ice & stretching, woke up every 2 hours last nite in pain tossing & turning. ...

Second time you mentioned that - heating pad -

My Chiro said, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER, to use a heating pad. I do not know why (it was the only thing that gave temp relief) However, my incurable, must-have-surgery disk has been good for two years now.

Find a GOOD chiropractor - ask your doctor (seriously) for who he recommends, preferably a sports related one. He WILL have that stretching machine I spoke of.

As for the Asian, happy finish places, wait till your back is better.

feeder53 · 06-26-2008, 05:56 AM

I believe the bottom line is; if you are expieriencing issues with your back, you need to get professional help. I would not wait as there could be another issue or could damage the area that was just repaired. UPState is right, the first issue is the back....if the Dr brings in other items later, thats OK, but get it looked at for YOUR sake.

Fnix · 06-26-2008, 07:30 AM

I think I'm gonna goto a Doctor to get my back checked as well. Do you just go in and show them your card? What materials do I need to be prepared?

Fishbulb · 06-26-2008, 09:01 AM

Just got off the phone with the lawyer & he set up an appointment with the surgeon who cut me open for a re-evaluation. I would go to see my own doc but then I have to pay for it out of pocket due to workers comp state laws & after collecting only about 70% of my normal pay i'm not exactly rolling in dough. As for the heating pad, its what the surgeon recommended & it does ease the soreness a little. I've asked the doc about seeing a chiro & he kinda winced at me & said it works for some people & doesnt for others but I didnt expect a surgeon to recommend a chiro. Its my understanding that the 2 hate each other.

06-26-2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishbulb

Just got off the phone with the lawyer & he set up an appointment with the surgeon who cut me open for a re-evaluation. I would go to see my own doc but then I have to pay for it out of pocket due to workers comp state laws & after collecting only about 70% of my normal pay i'm not exactly rolling in dough. As for the heating pad, its what the surgeon recommended & it does ease the soreness a little. I've asked the doc about seeing a chiro & he kinda winced at me & said it works for some people & doesnt for others but I didnt expect a surgeon to recommend a chiro. Its my understanding that the 2 hate each other.

I was told after 2 level fusion surgery, you should never let a chiro touch your back, their adjustments could do damage to fused discs. Thats just what my doc and pht therapists said.

Fnix · 06-26-2008, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hseofpayne

I was told after 2 level fusion surgery, you should never let a chiro touch your back, their adjustments could do damage to fused discs. Thats just what my doc and pht therapists said.

Who are the guys with the Spinal Compression machines? I would like to try one of those.

But Benefits Are Great! · 06-26-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fnix

Who are the guys with the Spinal Compression machines? I would like to try one of those.

It's called a spinal DEcompression machine, that is what they used on me for my disc. It worked miracles for me, and only Chiropractors use them I believe

06-26-2008, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fnix

Who are the guys with the Spinal Compression machines? I would like to try one of those.

There are a lot of things you can try before surgery. Physical therapy, massage, chiro, nerve blocks, etc. I think you want a spinal decompression machine and I tried the traction machine that you lay on and it stretches out your neck, didn't really help me. This was at a physical therapy business.

But Benefits Are Great! · 06-26-2008, 05:34 PM

In fact, the DOCs said I would lose my ability to walk without surgery. Couple hours a week on this contraption I felt great. Think I got taller, too (ok, just joking)

Fishbulb · 06-28-2008, 07:36 AM

just a little update on my situation if anyone cares. I spent all day yesterday fighting with the insurance company to get me an appointment,the shcedule coordinator said she would get in touch with them & call me back, that was at 9:30am. I never heard back from her so at 5pm I called my attorney & explained the deal to him. He told me I could either wait for her to call, go to my primary doctor or go to the ER. I got a call back from him saying that the best the insurance company could do for me was to get me into their doctor on thursday, a week from now & that Liberty would not send me to another doctor. At this point I'm barely able to walk & am having trouble making bowel movements. Called my primary but he was closed so I went to the ER, which Liberty said they would not cover although my attorney said we could fight it & after a few headaches we would probably win that. I spent about 5 hours in the ER yesterday, explained to the doc there my situation & he was basically apalled at the hell that Liberty is putting me through. He gave me a shot of some kind of muscle relaxer to ease the muscle spasms I was having & sent me home with some pain killers & diazapam which i was told was sort of a like a valium to keep the spasms to a minimum. I'm still having trouble walking & going to the bathroom but i'm not in excrutiating pain like i was. The doc told me to take the meds & try & hold out until thursday when the specialist could see me. He said it was probably a relapse of the herniation but there was no defining moment at work where i felt any pain, just typical soreness which I expected since it was my 1st few days back at work after 6 months. It just amazes me that the insurance company has such little concern for my health at this point when i feel i could be doing irreversible damage to my body. I always knew the world was a wicked place but you would think & hope that a company that deals in healthcare would have at least some code of ethics. Sorry to sound so bitter but this is an injury that happened a year ago & i'm out of patience & fear that i'll be in pain for the rest of my life.

Mitty148 · 06-28-2008, 06:13 PM

hi fishbulb last summer i had an herniated disc same place you did. with my therapy, i also did pilates. this has saved me from surgery by strengthening my core. also did exercises on the big rubber ball. if your doctor says ok i would try this. Qvc has excellent prices on pilate boards if u decide to try this. i try to do these exercises 5 days a week but doctor says 3 is fine. when my leg starts hurting i know i have got to get back to my pilates. it is gentle to your body. i always thought i was strong could do anything but found out different. also go to spinal-health.com and check out mckensie exercises. alot of good info on the back. ive been with UPS since 84 and i am a driver. keep me posted. never realized painful it is to hurt your back but i do now. good luck dear

helenofcalifornia · 06-28-2008, 07:19 PM

Sorry you are in such pain, Fish. I think the above two comments could help you out. Never end your searching for something that could help you out. The thing that stood out in your commentary to me was that your lawyer actually talked to you and seems to know what he is doing. Good lawyer.

Ms Spoken · 06-28-2008, 09:53 PM

If your on high dose pain meds then that could be the reason why your having trouble using the bathroom. The pain will get better but, it does take time and don't let anyone push you back until your ready. Just grab your doctor by his tie until he turns blue and he will pay attention to you.

Good Luck

I have been in your shoes.

helenofcalifornia · 06-28-2008, 10:13 PM

Two words Fish-Bran Muffins

trplnkl · 06-29-2008, 04:40 AM

In Texas, we have the right, by law, to change treating doctors if we are unsatisfied with the original doctor. Of course you have to go through the state's compensation board to do so. You don't even need a lawyer to make the move. Although I do understand that each state has different laws.
Liberty Mutual sucks. About five months after shoulder surgery LM got impatient and sent my records to a doc 350 miles from where I live to give a second opinion. He review my records, never saw me or talked to me and came to the conclusion that I didn't need surgery to repair my rotator cuff, that PT would do just as much good. He decided that PT after the surgery was not called for and that I showed no progress, which was pure BS because the progress was obvious but not yet complete. Anyway, LM used that quacks assessment to stop PT treatment and force the MMI evaluation.
My point here is, LM could care less if you are ever healed as long as they don't fork out anymore money than they absolutely have too. LM is in the money business, NOT the health care business.

Fishbulb · 06-29-2008, 06:26 AM

LM has absolutely no code of ethics & im sick to my stomach having to deal with these people. As far as going to the bathroom I had trouble before I got the meds from the ER, its kinda weird & gross to talk about it but its not that I cant go, its that its very painful to push it out. The recommended Colace which is a softener & that seems to help. Im in NJ & my lawyer explains that it is possible to get LMto switch docs for me but its near impossible & would involve a lot of legal battles. Im really not even concerned with the courts & the fight I have ahead of me, I just want to be able to walk without excrutiating pain & be able to do basic household chores. If it wasnt for my wonderful girlfriend my house would be a mess because i cant even do laundry or dishes or take the dog out. I havent shaved all week because I cant lean over the sink.

dannyboy · 06-29-2008, 08:16 AM

First off let me throw out some information on discs.

A herniated disc is one that has the cushion pushed out of the place it should be. Sometimes it goes outward, and while painful, does not affect the nerves as much. Sometimes they bulge inward, and that does pinch on nerves, and can be very painful, and cause all sorts of issues from tingling to problems with organs working properly. After all, the nerves direct the body to work properly, or not, depending on the signals.

Case in point, what happens to your heart and the rest of your body when you break your neck? The whole thing shuts down, immediately. This could also be why you are experiencing your failure to excrete waste properly.

For the vast majority of herniated discs, a chiropractor can make the world of difference. IT will be done without surgery, and usually with 3-8 visits a week for a while, then down to maybe once a week or month.

A ruptured disc is one where the disc itself has a hole in it. This allows the gel on the inside to escape, and there is not much that can be done except surgery. In some of the more extreme cases, spinal fusion will need to be done, although some surgeons do/have done it for herniated discs. (which in my opinion is malpractice)

With any back injury, you have the right to go to a chiropractor as one of the panel of docs. Use that right. IF he cant help, then you can get the surgery done. Once they cut you, the chiro is of limited help, if any at all.

Fish. In your case, I would go to one anyway to see if he can help with the other problems that have developed since the surgery.

For all the other UPSers, regular visits to a chiro can help you prevent problems with your backs.

d

toonertoo · 06-29-2008, 11:22 AM

My husband just had the radio transmitted lesioning done, and its been 2 weeks. He is out riding his MC around the lake as we speak, so Im thinking it helped

Not a long ride, just a ride. They burn the mylar off the nerve that is giving you the problem. Its nice to see him walk tall again. This doesnt fix it, the brain just doesnt know it hurts anymore. But the arthritis that builds up over time is bad, and he still has real bad days, but seems to help quite a bit. He had to have the 6 nerve block injections, even though the doctor said they would not help, before he could have this. They said required by insurance.

06-29-2008, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishbulb

LM has absolutely no code of ethics & im sick to my stomach having to deal with these people. As far as going to the bathroom I had trouble before I got the meds from the ER, its kinda weird & gross to talk about it but its not that I cant go, its that its very painful to push it out. The recommended Colace which is a softener & that seems to help. Im in NJ & my lawyer explains that it is possible to get LMto switch docs for me but its near impossible & would involve a lot of legal battles. Im really not even concerned with the courts & the fight I have ahead of me, I just want to be able to walk without excrutiating pain & be able to do basic household chores. If it wasnt for my wonderful girlfriend my house would be a mess because i cant even do laundry or dishes or take the dog out. I havent shaved all week because I cant lean over the sink.

My lawyer asked LIB MUT to allow me to change dos, they said no. My lawyer file with the State Workers Comp board, Lib Mut called up and asked where I wanted to go. It has been a fight the whole way, and I took it personal in the begining, but now I know my rights and I know how to plat the game. You tell your lawyer to file for change of doctor, you shouldn't have to go to a doctor you have no confidence in. There is no way you are at MMI with the pain you are in. Play hard ball, I promise you Lib Mut will.

dannyboy · 06-29-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Play hard ball, I promise you Lib Mut will.

I might add, while they propose to help you, remember, they would toss you out the door any time they can. They will document every conversation, and record most if not all. Every utterance, every moan, everything. And in some cases, they will have their version of the guardian angel to watch you every day. Just to make sure you dont have any problems in your life

Besides calling in the injury originally, I would not accept a call from or talk to them. As much as I hate lawyers, I hate insurance adjusters more. So get one, even though you think you dont need one.

THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND!!!!!

d