Workers' Compensation Discussion Forums

hi guys I need some advice, please. I will try and be as clear as i can be, without making this post too lengthy.

I work as a high risk security guard. We are unarmed security in a very, very bad projects development in the center of a very bad area of NJ. Last november while on duty i was patroling a stairwell on the upper level of one of the buildings, and the edge of one of the steps kicked out from under me. These are concrete steps with edging, and that edge broke off. My left leg twisted around hard, and i slammed my knee cap down on that concrete.

Long story short i ended up on WC after it swelled up the size of a basketball and i couldnt stand, walk, or otherwise. It took wc almost 3 months to get my claim rolling. 3 months with no doctor, money, etc. I go to the ER and they drain the knee, around 110cc's of fluid. Finally they get me to a doctor, who tells me i have a tear in each miniscus and puts me in physical therapy. Now its febuary, and no improvement. infact, its pretty much the same with some more stiffness. The doctor decides i need surgery, and does artho in march.

After the surgery, he tells me only one of the minisucs was torn, and he removed some tearing and debris. He sends me to PT and has me come back in. I explain to him that im no better, in fact i am having more problems and new kinds of pain ontop of my original pain. He tells me thats ok, the pain will go away in time. He also refuses to prescribe me any pain medication. He didnt even give me enough percocet to cover the week after the surgery. A few more sessions of pt, and i saw him yesterday. I am not improving at ALL. My knee is sensitive to the touch, i get shooting pains and pinching, swelling comes and goes, etc. He tells me again that its no big deal, he fixed the knee and it will pass in time. Clears me for work in 2 weeks.

So here we are. I'm worse off, and this doctor doesnt seem to think i have any problems. It was almost like by telling him it wasnt any better, and that it was actually worse, that i insulted him as a surgeon, and he took offense. I am not at all impressed with the attitude i am getting, and im certainly not good to go back to work. There is no such thing as light duty where i work. We work in a building where most cops wont go. I have been shot at 7 times in 2 years, etc.

So my question is, what now? Obviously i need to see another doctor, because its not fixed. But something tells me when i call the insurance company tomm they will be more dismissive than the doctor has been since my operation. What are my options?

Thanks alot for any help in advance

rod, before calling your ic check out your states workers compensation web site and you can click on the info by state tab at the top of this page. Somewhere you should be able find something about getting a second opinion. You may want to call the local department of workers compensation before you call your ic. Hopefully the others will be by to offer more info.

I'll take a look, thanks for the suggestion. Incase i didnt say it in my previous post, im in NJ.

Not exactly. I had an attorny two years ago. I was in a car accident and the company i was working for refused to cover expenses or anything even though i was driving for them. That attorny got it all squared away for me, but we never sued anyone, he never asked for money, etc and i feel kind of weird about calling him about this situation. I feel that if i do he may thing this is a regular thing for me, and that i am wasting his time trying to gold dig or something. Maybe i am being silly.

My question is this then, should i go to my regular doctor for another opinion? I need WC to approve a second doctor, etc, so that i dont have to worry about them suspending my paychecks. My last check (for 5/6 to 5/15) was a week late (got it monday) and my check for 5/15 to 5/22 hasnt even shown up. As many of you know living on wc pay is not an easy feat as it is, so a lapse in pay would ruin me.

Rod

First off - you were hurt on the job - and there is no way to "gold dig" on WC. It's not the way to get rich that is for sure and if it was - why would any one want to go through the pain and misery associated with it is beyond me.

Second off - your best bet may be to get an attorney involved if it sounds like you are being put off by this doctor. Not sure what the IC will say - but I am sure others will give their opinions as well - but sounds like you got lots going on - and from what it sounds like - you still have some major nerve damage going on as well- and I would venture to guess from reading what others have posted about RSD - maybe the beginnings of that or other neurological conditions with that knee. The swelling 2 months after surgery - doesn't sound right in my book. Sorry - I call it like it is.

You can also check out your states regulations at

http://www.workerscompensation.com/regul...step1=done

hope that helps some - But sounds like you really do need a 2nd opinion

Im going to call the IC first thing in the morning, and regardless of the outcome of that call the lawyer is next in line. Thanks for the replies guys, if anyone else reading this has something to add im all ears

Pooh took the words right outta my mouth, I would look RSD up online, a good place to start is

http://www.rsds.org/2/what_is_rsd_crps I am not saying this is what you have, it IS what I have, and

your pain sounds kinda familer(sp). Also know up front RSD is a HARD diagnosis and WC hates it. I would get a good reputable attorney who specializes in WC and is famialer(sp) with RSD if that is what you think you may have.

Good luck to you and we are here if you have ?s

Sithie

Yea i meant to ask what RSD is, but i am going to look at the site now. I cant sleep anyway, leg feels like its on fire at night. My lawyer is very reputable, and very good. A very very close friend of mine had a serious injury at work a few years back that made him, as i recall, around 75% disabled. I'm guessing on the number, but its in the neighborhood. Anyway this is the lawyer he hired. Hes now living comfortably off of his 3.5 million dollar settlement.

Obviously i am not out for money, only my health, and im no where near that level but its just a nice story about my lawyer lol. Thanks for that link, im off toread it now.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD) - also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) - is a chronic neurological syndrome characterized by:

severe burning pain
pathological changes in bone and skin
excessive sweating
tissue swelling
extreme sensitivity to touch


Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type II (Causalgia)

The presence of continuing pain, allodynia, or hyperalgesia after a nerve injury, not necessarily limited to the distribution of the injured nerve
Evidence at some time of edema, changes in skin blood flow (skin color changes, skin temperature changes more than 1.1°C difference from the homologous body part), or abnormal sudomotor activity in the region of pain
This diagnosis is excluded by the existence of conditions that would otherwise account for the degree of pain and dysfunction.


from my reading it can spread to other parts of the body, organs, limbs but if treated soon enough then the likelihood of controling it is better - still a major pain generator - but best treated in the earlier stages.

Look at the link that sithie posted for you - very informitive.

Hi.
What does your PT person have to say? Make it clear to PT that you are in pain and that it is noted on the progress reports sent to the MD. Surely it is obvious to the PT that you are no where near ready to return to work. Maybe he/she can intervene. Ask for copies of your progress reports that PT has previously sent your MD...and see what they say.
Take care, Lilly