Went to the doctor yesterday and he said I might have arthritis due to the surgeries I have had. He won't know right away though because arthritis takes time to show up on a x-ray. So I would need to see him every three months. He said I should go see a pain management doctor. What can a pain management doctor do for your wrist/hand? I thought pain management was for backs?
The doctor said that down the road I would need surgery that would rid the pain, why not now? I asked him that also and he acted like he didn't want to go there. Then he asked me if the insurance company was trying to settle with me and when I said yes he's like yeah later.
My bf went with me and he said to he got the impression the doctor was trying to tell me he was washing his hands of doing surgery on me. So I reached MMI and was "done" with the doctor. Now I am to see him every 3 months, to do x-rays (for at least a year he said) take prescription anti inflamitories and now go see a pain management doctor.
I am ready to get out of this work comp system and go see another doctor that I have already saw and had a consultation with and he said he could do the surgery.
Any opinions on pain management would be great
Okay, okay, What surgery? Surgery to correct or repair what?
Pain management is for any pains...
Strange saying your at MMI, if there is still treatment that is available.
You need to seek another medical opinion, and from a hand specialist, before you do anything else. Make it a doctor you have not seen, so this way, you will have 3 different medical opinions instead of only 2. Then you can weight it out from there.
You might have to pay for this medical opinion.
A wrist fusion, sorry about that. I had a bunch of surgeries and during the surgeries I had alot of cartilage taken out. So that leaves bone on bone, which causes arthritis. Which I was told by my first surgeon that it would happen. She just didn't know when.
I was put at MMI 2 months ago from my orthopedic surgeon. Even though I told him I was still having pain, since then it has gotten worse. Nothing will touch it.
The doctor that did my second surgery(surgery listed in my signature) is a hand specialist/hand surgeon.
Everytime I see him and he "plays" with my wrist he says you are still having stiffness here and I don't know why. I don't understand how he can not know. He also moved my ulnar bone like it wasn't attached to anything it just moved back and forth. So when I saw him yesterday he gave me a referal for a PM doctor. Still keeping me at MMI.
Yes I would have to pay for another doctor cause I have already had a one time change of physician. And right now I do not have the money because the w/c insurance carrier is not paying me for my impairment income benefits which is 8 weeks now. I don't even know if they will authorize a PM doctor because they are just not giving me any of my benefits lately. No medicine, no IIB and also no mileage because they are trying to "starve me out" because after MMI they contacted my attorney because they thought I was done and wanted to settle and like someone said, if they "starve me out" I may settle for less. Which isn't going to happen. I would rather have no pain before a bunch of money. I want to get it right. At least no pain anyways.
Well, let me say, first off, with the surgery you had, or any surgery in the future, being pain free just may never be seen. Less pain maybe, no pain, unlikely. Then, there is no medication on the market that will remove pain. Take the sharpness off the pain yes, but nothing more.
If you have your wrist fused, then think of what your then left with.
When the doctor puts anyone at MMI, their saying, there is nothing more that can be done. Meaning pain managment just might help. Submit it, and see if the IC will pay for it.
If you get someone to help you pay for another opinion it might help you. Ask your attorney what you can do next. Many times they see these things more then many doctor's and might have some opinions to help you.
Well as it stands right now I have no movement in my right wrist at all. It is always painful and it wakes me up during the night. What the wrist fusion would do is at least make the pain less and something that could be barable. yes the fusion for some people would provide no range of motion and that might be something to think about but with me, I don't have any range of motion.
Unfortunately I do not have many friends and I don't have any family that is in a position to lend money.
So being that the doctor put me at MMI and is telling me to go see a PM doctor the insurance company is more then likely not going to cover it? Nothing new there if they don't I am used to that by now.
I emailed my attorney and already asked about help and I haven't heard from him yet. He answers emails faster then phone calls. The only thing he said was he was waiting to hear back from the employer/carrier's attorney. God only knows how long that could take.
Even with an attorney they deem it necessary not to give me my benefits that I need.
I cannot understand why you have not received any mileage reimbursement for doctors appointments or any other money if this was a accepted WC claim. If they paid for your surgery, then they should be paying everything else. Why isn't this lawyer getting you your money for medications, mileage, etc.?
I did not have a lawyer and did not have surgery but when I reached MMI I had a rating done and then a hearing because of the dispute and then I received an impairment award right after of 10% all within 11 months since my injury.
I also had been going to PM for over 1 1/2 yrs after I reached MMI and had many stellian blocks, shots etc. all paid for by WC. I went monthly to the PM doctor which was paid by WC to receive my medications they put me on to relieve the pain alittle. Like BB said you cannot get 100% pain free but the medications do make me comfortable enough to be able to function everyday. I also lost my career of 15 years as a phlebotomist because with my dominant hand I cannot hold a needle anymore without feeling I may drop it and hurt me or someone else for that matter. So I changed my career to a admin. for a construction co.
It is amazing what some PM doctors can do. Have you ever had PT? If you cannot bend your wrist and it is tight they may suggest you going for PT so many times a week. Maybe cortizone shots and so on. Who knows? WC should pay for you to see a PM doctor monthly. I would be very surprised if they do not. They were paying for my doctors appointments and treatments all the way till my PM doctor suggested a SCS. That is when they sent me for a IME and then lied and wiggled their way out of paying for anything else. If I had a lawyer I could fight this, but the depression I was getting from all this lieing and calling me a drug addict etc. has upset me so much that I am done with WC. I do not want a stimulator and that is what every doctor suggested. I will not fight for this. I do not want anything implanted in me. I have a Tens unit which I use every day that WC paid for. It does wonders for my pain.
My husbands insurance co. pays for my medication and doctors appointment each month and I have faced the fact that I am gonna be the best I can be right now and have exhausted all treatments/meds to get better than I am now. I have seen at least 15 doctors with so many different diagnosis that it is just getting rediculous. Even some of these doctors I paid for out of pocket to go get consultations done of what they think is wrong etc.
I have had so many different diagnosis. I am sick of doctors!!!!! My EMG shows nerve damage to the median nerve. Now I am left with a RSD diagnosis. I am seeing a primary doctor for that monthly, and should be back to work soon. I am happy to be free of WC now. I never wanted it since day 1 and was forced to sign the papers before I went home after my injury.
First I would say if this lawyer does not start getting you money soon, I would look into another one. You should be getting a rating done if you have reached MMI and like I said, I reached MMI also which means your at ( Maximum Medical Improvement) and I still had WC pay for PM after. It may be hard for you to get a rating if you are going to be having more surgery. This I do not understand if you are suppose to be at MMI.
Cookiecrum, we all want the best not only for ourselves, but for others also.
I know you been though a lot with this wrist, and as I've been reading it seems you haved weighed the quality of life VS the pain effects. Which in turn means you want out of as much pain as possible by just fusing the entire wrist. Once you done that, then I have to agree then, you made your best choice as what you want as to what is best fit for you. You need to ask these doctor's to get -er - done for you. Explain this to your attorney just somewhat as how I wrote it. That will help your attorney more to know where you sit on this. Otherwise, your attorney needs to hire a medical professional to perform a medical cost figure for your future care for this wrist. That just might be the straw that breaks the camel backs.
I don't know your age, but it sounds like your mind is set to deal with a fused wrist for life. If that is set in stone with your and your mind. Then I say go for it. Push your attorneys buttons, get your doctor to state this is your last and only available choice. Surly things will move a long then.
The Insurance company wants to settle and like someone else hear said they are "starving me out" my All I have heard from my attorney is that he is waiting to hear back from the employer/carrier's attorney
Yes I have had alot of PT a total of 9 months. After this last surgery it was 5 months of pt. Which I should have had like 70 visits and the IC only approved like 31.
I am allergic to cortisone
This attorney is my second attorney. And if I get a new attorney and do settle I will have to pay him as well as my "new" attorney. If I were to go that route. I have an impairment rating of 15%
The problem with me needing surgery my orthopedic surgeon does not want to do it.
I need a regular xray and an mri I feel the tfcc is not healed right and that is what is causing my pain, my doctor thinks the pain is from early stages of arthritis.
Oh yeah, my therapist mentioned a tens unit and no go. That was last July.
I am getting tired of everything and I am already seeing a counselor and honestly it isn't helping any. I don't know I feel like when I am seeing him I am in there for 5 minutes even though it is an hour. Between pain and these w/c people. I am just wanting out so I can get the things I need when I need them and not when someone decides when or if I get the things I need. it is frustrating.
So right now I am stuck in limbo as far as knowing anything about my case.
Bad boy, I let my attorney know everything that is going on and I let him know what the doctor wants me to do. My doctor said he would fill out a future medical expense report for me and fax it to my attorney. The only reason I would agree to a wrist fusion is one because I know I will be in less pain. yes if everything goes ok. Right now I have two bones that are fused with a permanant screw, plus an anchor the doctor left in there from the old surgery that failed. So secondly I know I will never get my range of motion back and the outcome of a wrist fusion would be the same, except I might not have as much pain. I have perm restrictions nothing over 10 lbs waste level and nothing 5lbs lift for over head.
If I could get the pain down to wear I could even bare it then I would stay where I am, but no one has offered that as of yet and even though my doctor sent me to pain management, I prefer not to take drugs. BTW I am 32
Any ways I will be calling my attorney tomorrow to see if I can talk to him.
If you want to see a pic of my wrist I put a link here
http://www.medhelp.org/user_photos/show/..._id=598154
Hey, I looked at the Pic, and that makes me wonder to why is the screw hitting the joint that can move. If you ask me, there is your pain, or part of it, the screw is in to far, touching a moveable joint.
http://www.medhelp.org/user_photos/show/105117