Workers Comp Help
Neck And Shoulder Injury At Work
As I look at all the story. I think should I tell mine ? and then I thought yes I should if it could someday help someone.
I was injured last winter and reported it within 24 hours. You know how it is ...you think its going to go away. I couldn't turn my neck much less hold it up on my shoulder and my right arm was useless. I reported it to my boss the next morning then went to the doctors.
I was in total spasm and extreme pain. they wrote me off for the rest of the week and told me if it wasn't better by the weekend to call them, ring ring guess what it wasn't better.
After being cared for by my regular doctor for 2 weeks I was referred to a Ortho doctor who requested a MRI of my shoulder. It showed tendonitis and he order physical therapy and put me on light duty..waiting for my insurer to approve my PT was my first bump in the road.
They finally approved it and the PT from my ortho office called and we set up my first treatment. The next day my insurer called and asked me when my appointment was I told her and she said I've got a better PT practice for you to go too here is there number call them then call me right back with you appointment and cancel the other one..bump number 2..I went back on light duty trying my hardest working 1 or 2 hours extra a few times a week to cover when I had PT or doctors appointments all this time in alot of pain it wasnt getting any better. At there wonderful PT practice they sent me too they gave you little added treatment its called assult therapy.
One day after going there for almost a month mainly being seen by the female pt I was seen by the male one and while I had heavy ice packs on my neck and shoulder he decided to hit me as hard as he could across my bottoms. On to bump 3.. in shock I hadnt a clue what to do about this so my husband went to my comp lawyer he was no help he told me he call the insurer though and let them know what happen...guess what he never did.
After 2 weeks of calling and leaving messages with my case nurse I finally got a hold of her first thing I asked her was did my lawyer call her. So I told her what happen and told her I had gotten the name of a new pt practice from my ortho doctor and needed approval. I did report him to the quality board though but have yet to hear back from them. Bump 4 still not getting any better in fact at time worse my ortho wanted a MRI of my neck..Bingo..they found my problem really I had blown 2 disc in my neck the day of my injury and also had spinal cord compression
bump 5 my insurer didn't want to hear I had cervical neck problem there view was I was going to cost them too much. As al this went on I started getting more and more down working in pain not sleeping the stress of the assault ect. I became depressed. bump 6 at my lawyer request he sent me to a wonderful doctor for treatment of depression and told me it would be covered by workers comp. Stupid me I believed him. I was sent for both a IME for my neck problem and one for depression and both came back in my favor.
Now the waiting began again. The insurer decided to play cat and mouse with my approval for my surgery not returning my doctors phone calls yet calling me to see if I heard when my surgery was. So finally I had to say well I have a date if you return my doctor phone call they need my approval. With that my case nurse started to stutter and by that afternoon the approval was at my doctors office. Next the stress hearing.. I was denied stress benefits because the judge decided there wasn't casual connection between my depression and comp..
Hello yes there was with all the delays and stalling as well as the stress from the assault it could be classified as harassment .. they wrote my psychiatrist a nasty letter ... a few days after they finally sent my approval over to my Ortho doctor they left messages on there answering machine that if I didn't have a surgery date ASP they would force me to go to another doctor. Ok wait a minute its ok for them to drag there feet but my doctor cant take a few days to set up my surgery ?
As of today I am having a multi level spine fusion with corpectomy at the end of the months.. I just got part of my 6 weeks passed due pay so my bill can be somewhat paid and my family can eat.
I am now left with a $3,400.00 and climbing bill from my psychiatrist and a appeal is out of my reach cause I can't afford it. Something got to be done but what ?