What if my left hand gets bad..

[lil_conner23]

I've posted here several times.. so some of you may recognize me. However, for those who don't I'm going to recap about myself real quick..

Name: Jill
Age: 19
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Injury Date: 8/9/06
Brief Detail: Cashier at local grocery store. Customer dropped 24-pack of coke on right wrist. My wrist was injured in the past, TFCC Tear requiring 2 surgeries.

Surgeries, etc for injury:
- 8/9/06-7/4/7 ..several cast in splints
- 7/12/07 ..pisiform bone removal
- 8/23/07 - Present ..Physical therapy 3x week
- 1/28/08 ..Workers comp cancelled surgery 2 wks prior. However, I was to have tightening of ECU Tendon and Ulnar nerve entrapment taken care of from ulnar nerve compression due to the pisiform removal.

My question is this. Since my injury date, 8/9/06 ..I've used just my left hand practically. I am right hand dominant, but I can no longer use it in every day life without it being extremely painful. Simple tasks such as writing is very difficult, because my fingers will tingle and go numb whenever ulnar nerve is compressed. (My avatar is my pisiform removal incision, whenever that part of my hand rocks back and forth on a table, my hand goes numb.) I'm on light duty at work, 4 days a week ..4hrs a day until I can have surgery approved. For nearly two years now, my left hand has became my dominant hand. However, I'm beginning to get very bad pains in the center of my wrist such as carpal tunnel symptoms. If I am on workers comp. for my right wrist being injured, what happens if my left wrist goes bad from a work injury to my right hand? Who covers that medical expense, etc?

[sparkey]

Well hopefully I may have a answer for you soon. I am also having trouble with recurring carpal of my dominant hand that is very painful and all the way up to my shoulder. I have been so bad that I cannot even cut my meat or open a package of anything because my dexterity is so bad.

I have been using my left hand alot more lately and I just went for my IME exam on the 3rd of April and mentioned that now that i am compensating with my left hand, it is getting terribly sore in the thumb area. I feel I cannot drive my car sometimes as I cannot even hold the steering wheel.

I should be hearing about my IME exam very soon and wonder if the doctor will suggest surgery again to my dominant hand and also have a EMG on the left for possible carpal tunnel surgery. I do not pray that, but hope that is what he says I need or I will soon be one day be without hands.

I know exactly what you are going through, and I am 45 yrs old, lost my career I had for 15 yrs. I feel worse for you as you are still young with such a long career ahead of you. It is very painful I know. If it were not for the meds, I would be alot worse and disabled. They are what gets me up and dressed each day for work.

I wish you luck, and I will be posting I am sure after I hear about my IME exam results soon. Please pray that I get relief soon, as this could be my ticket to opening up my carpal tunnel again for release.

[Lilly]

With the help of a lawyer, I'm sure an "overuse syndrome" can be proved to your left hand as a direct result of compensation to the right hand injury. But i doubt you can go this one alone.

But, one can't live life with "What if's?"

This happened to me w/ my shoulders during PT. I injured my L (dominant arm) shoulder ...and had to do hundreds of pulley exercises, which caused an overuse problem with my right shoulder! Md took my pulley exercises away, thank goodness! I filed a new WC claim which was promptly denied...but this was PRIOR to hiring a lawyer! After I didn't have to use the pullies so much, my R shoulder calmed down, so i didn't have to have lawyer fight it. He said this is not an uncommon occurance.
It's like a never ending battle

[Timothy Belt]

First, you will need a doctor to say that there is an injury to the left hand as a result of your work duties. This would be treated as a repetitive use injury, so you would give notice to your employer of a new injury and you might want to open a separate claim rather than expanding the description of injury for your current claim. Your lawyer would be able to tell you which would be more advantages in your particular situation.