If you can help it & in THIS case, could not be helped (on many levels) : NEVER GET HURT AT WORK!! I accidentally ruptured 2 cervical discs~C5-6 &6-7. Not knowing what to do; I went with OTC Back Pain Meds & returnrd to work, in such horrific, screaming pain,.....I made it until noon. After a trip to the ER at 2:AM, during that week----The Workers Compensation Insurance Company called. Considering the 'breathtaking pain in my left shoulder & neck'; the first call was a rep. named Linda Smith, instructing me to report to an orthopedic Doctor, and we'll take it from there. This first Dr. Sent me to physical therapy, consisting of mis-diagnosed treatments......consisting of 3 weeks of neck manipulation: Bending, streching, pulling, &pushing; Generally treating ruptured discs as an upper back muscle pull & Making my neck signifacantly worse, including another trip to the ER....not much they can do-there! So I was referred to a neurosurgeon.
Let me go back for a minute, and state for the record that I have NEVER Had This Degree of pain, even after 14 years as a SuperMarket butcher--Still have No Memory of such debilitation. Also the Ins. Co. in this matter, representing National Protection Service, Brick, NJ. is: Harleysville Ins. Co. located in Moorestown, NJ.
The Neurosurgeon sent me for therapy, geared to releive ruptured discs. I Honestly reported to this Dr. that I had Never had Anything Even Close to this pain in my upper back........... as Now the Ins. Co. Lawyer began digging through the history of my life. His name is even Tim Search! He/They found typical butcher injuries, sliced tendon; shelf collapse & Broken toe. My therapy turned into TWO SURGURIES, The Second being MAJOR: Grafting bone from my hip, to re-build my neck! I lost 3&1/2 inches in height, the Pain worsened; and the most horrific migraine headaches developed & I now live with DAILY-in varying degrees! Did I say now? YES, THIS MAY WILL BE 11 YEARS SINCE THIS ACCIDENT OF 1997! I was out of the butcher thing & into sales. I was changing a water cooler jug, when the discs snapped in my neck! The Ins. Co. Lawyer does NOTHING but "try" to discredit me, even claiming I had a simular accident in the 80's...........FORGETTING, CVONVIENTLY, THAT THEIR Orthopedic Dr. caused the UN-COMPARABLE PAIN!!
So, here I sit~If we take a step back and look at my whole situation over these 11 years of my Adjuster 'DECLINING' EVERYTHING My/Their Dr. Reccomends, except 1 useless pain psycologist, who was supposed to teach me to live with this Debilitation-Impossible! 'Our' Dr. has reccommended many other treatments that are out there, that did not even exist 11 years ago!
Honestly, looking back~ They brought my ENTIRE LIFE TO A SCREECHING HALT~Since The Surgury of May; 1998!!~ No Settling down, no kids, NO LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!AND ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS "SAVING MONEY" WHILE HONEST JOE IS OUT HERE IN A STATE OF TOTAL FRUSTRATION!!
My own Attorney tells me to 'wait for the up-comming hearings'. I NOW Will Do What I Have To Do To Get Some Asemblence of whatever life is left. Leagally or Otherwise and I'm open for ALL SUGGESTIONS!! Joseoh M
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 7
I am somewhat in the same thing, but I have had injuries to my lower back before, along with two surgeries when I was 18, then rehurt myself on Nov. 30,2006 again in the same place. Now I live in horrible pain that I have never had before. Loss feeling in my legs and feet, legs get very weak at times, cant walk, stand, sit, lay, along with upper back pain now, from trying to compinsate my lower back pain.
I cant work anymore and what does Works comp say? "This is not our problem, you were like this before." But I only had 2 hur. disc and not 3. I worked 40+ hours a week, without problems for this company for close to two years. Now im unable to work at all. Whos fault would you say it is?
Hugs, Lisa