FCE and Meds.??

[Lilly]

Good luck on your FCE!
Let us all know how it went.
Prayers are going up for you now!
Lilly

[shugarcookie]

What exactly happens at the FCE? I have one scheduled for tomorrow and I'm seriously considering cancelling it and throwing in the towel on the entire thing. The Dr does not take me seriously anyway. The pain is currently at a pretty tolerable level but can and has gotten much worse then subsided again. Even during these spikes he doesn't seem to believe me and my case manager just ignores me until I quit calling. I've never been successful in finding a lawyer because it's only about getting proper medical care, I don't think a permanent disability will result if I get the right care so I don't see a settlement in my future. I'm not even getting time loss right now because I willingly stayed out of work when he released me (I knew I wasn't ready and husband is getting lots of overtime right now so no hurry) Nothing in it for a lawyer.

Anyway, what should I expect? Is this even worth my time? Today I'd do much better than I would have a month ago and two months from now I'd do much worse than today. I can't go in and pretend it's worse than it is at the moment so how do I convey that even though I can pick that weight up today, the cumulative effects of everything will be VERY painful and very slow to subside?

[chrischris]

Vickie, Good luck on your FCE. You have received good advice so just do the best you can. Let us know how it goes.


Shugarcookie, I haven't had an FCE but I've read about it here and elsewhere.

An FCE is an "objective" measure of your "current" level of function.
Your physical capabilities will be tested. The physical capabilities achieved during the FCE are compared to the physical demands of your job and are used to make return to-work/activity decisions, disability determinations, or to generate a rehabilitation plan.

The evaluator will have a copy of your job description and compare your functional capabilities to that job description.

Your complaints about how you felt last week, or how you will feel in the future are "subjective" and don't mean a darn thing to the FCE evaluator, or your doctor. If I was you, I wouldn't complain or try and explain anything to the evaluator. It will make you look like a "malingerer" and will put a red flag up. You don't want that!

My best advice would be to go the the FCE and do the best you can. If you can't do something, tell them, but be honest. Also, listen to others here and don't mask your pain with meds.

Good luck to you!

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

shugarcookie
Don't throw the towel in. For the FCE can show just what you been trying to tell those people about your pain and such. It can work for you.

A FCE is geneally a bunch of things, like carrying, pushing, kneeling, crawlinging and on and on. Like things one might do at work, but only performed a couple of times to see what you can and can't do, without creating pain, and what creates pain.

[vickinat]

Sparkey:

I have not been put at MMI yet, I'm still working sedentary light duty. My doctor thru the urging of my therapist, had me have it done since it's been 10 months and I haven't healed. The Dr. said I should be healed by now, the therapist had noticed that my re-evals since July have been getting worse and my pain levels have increased. July was also when my work had me start doing my restrictions in the shop instead of in the office. The therapist had also suggested having me pulled from work also or as an alternative to the FCE, or to have me have other test done or to send me for a surgical consult. The doctor wanted to see where I am at first, before changing my restrictions. He said it shouldn't be surgical and I don't think he wants anymore test done.

I just got back from the FCE, and I'm hurting pretty good. I took some meds. and have an ice pack on my lower back. The report will be done in a few days and I'll let you know what happens. I go back to the Dr. next Tues. and the report will be ready before I go back.

They didn't do alot of the test because they didn't feel that I could. I didn't do very well at the tasks that I did do, but I did what I could. They kept checking my pulse rate after each task. I lost my balance several times, which to me is an embarresment, but we have been working on this at PT also. They would have me stop doing something after my pain was increasing. They gave me a paper to not return to work today, I was grinding steel parts at work for 2 &1/2 hours before I went for the FCE. I'm also not to go for Pt later today.

Chrischris:
I took a copy of the so called job description that the NCM had wrote up at my work in March, my employer has no job descriptions in writing so the WC had it done. The person whom she brought to my work and wrote it up, didn't even sign it and neither did my employer. It was so far off of the actuall duties that are performed, and it didn't have any wieghts of the parts we run, they change often. This is what the Wc also has been sending to the Dr.s and the IME. The evalutaor who did my FCE wouldn't even use it, because it had so many objective things in it.

Thank you all for the good advice, and the wishes of good luck.
Take care
Vickie

[capricorn]

Vickie......Glad it's over with for you. Hope the pain subsides at least to a tolerable level. Please let us know when you get the results.


CAP