10-26-2013, 10:28 PM
Hows is going guys. I'm new here but have been reading these posts on the board for a while. Good info on here. Just a quick overview, from New Jersey, injured in New jersey. I hurt my shoulder at work 2 years ago taking a ladder off the work truck. I collapsed in burning pain. And it ached everyday after that and couldn't raise my arm high. I ended up having a choice of doctors after going to the frist doctor for immediate care that day of the injury and to file the report. Then I got a choice of doctors for my care on the shoulder , one was the Rothman Institute. I jumped on that opportunity. The specialist doctor did an arthrogram on my shoulder and nothing came up. He was baffled. For 5 months he tried to figure it out. Pain meds, physical therapy, cortisone shits, etc. Nothing worked and he was baffled. I was out of work for 7 months, checks csme from comp every time, no problems. A couple times I was on light duty, and once we tried full duty before surgery (made no sense) and I hurt it worse.
He went to my neck next. Found three minor bulging discs. He thought he found the problem. Shots and physical therapy. Nothing chsnged. Than another real good shoulder surgeon, one of the best, took a look at the shoulder MRI and said there it is. Labrum Frayed. We tried to pt it again, no improvement. Passed the strength test because my lawyer said no matter how bad it hurts I better pass it or it will look bad and I could lose my job(still confused on that one). Tried full duty for a week one more time and hurt it just as bad. Arthroscopic Surgery was already planned as the doctor said I'll fix the fraying and will find something else wrong. Left full duty again and I got surgery. He was certain he'd find something else while cleaning up the fraying. Nope. But he cleaned up the fraying, no sutures or anything. Physical thread after surgery and no better, actually worse. Finally he MMI me and said I could no longer do that job. PPD. Workers compensation never denied a visit, pt, meds, or surgery. No waiting time. They were actually great woth everything considering what I've read about them. Although my experience was no joy ride with the pain I was in and lack of good money coming in. A couple times they were bitchy and the lady who came in the doctors office visits towards the end was a complete a hole and treated me like I was lying. She wa the worst. So were a couple WC doctors in between for one visit at a time trying to act like nothing was wrong too, and of course the rating docs at the end but thats expected. Unemployment was HELL and screwed me in the beginning but thats another story. Almost ruined my relationship and came close to losing all I had. But mainly WC did there job and no hangups as far as the visits etc. So I consider myself one of the lucky ones.
My shoulder never got better, actually alot worse now. Constant pain, cant do some of the stuff i liked to and can't do heavy labor and even more technical stuff because the overhead work and little things like turning screws or light overhead work seem to really hurt it. Weird. It will give out in pain sometimes and when that happens its bad. I'm in pain everyday as I refuse to stay on pain pills and screw up my life. Almost did. They never found out why I have so much pain and why it is so excruciating if I move it real quick, to say catch something I dropped for example, that I collapse in pain for an hour or so. The neck was kinda ruled out as the main pain causing problem as the other doc thought he found the problem in my shoulder and the neck kinda was forgotten about at that point . Turns out neither explain what I'm going through. Innow make about half of what I made before but its a very good job considering my limitations. Got lucky but went though a couple hell shit jobs before I found it. Even got my Realtors license on my own to try and get my life in order but that job didn't work out.
So anyway after some back and forth my lawyer got what I said the minium I'd take is and settled on the 18th. I ended up with 22 1/2 percent on the shoulder, about 32,000 structured, minus the tender of $12,000 they already gave me a year ago, with the option to reopen in two years. And I did a section 20 on the neck for $7,000 lump sum.
My question is with everything I've told you guys, do you think I did good? Did I get good settlement compared to similar injuries of this nature. I did alot of homework during the two years and actually did most of the work. My lawyer is good at knowing the laws and negotiating but sucks at communicating with me or helping. I must say it feels liberating to be dine with this. Thanks so much for your time.
He went to my neck next. Found three minor bulging discs. He thought he found the problem. Shots and physical therapy. Nothing chsnged. Than another real good shoulder surgeon, one of the best, took a look at the shoulder MRI and said there it is. Labrum Frayed. We tried to pt it again, no improvement. Passed the strength test because my lawyer said no matter how bad it hurts I better pass it or it will look bad and I could lose my job(still confused on that one). Tried full duty for a week one more time and hurt it just as bad. Arthroscopic Surgery was already planned as the doctor said I'll fix the fraying and will find something else wrong. Left full duty again and I got surgery. He was certain he'd find something else while cleaning up the fraying. Nope. But he cleaned up the fraying, no sutures or anything. Physical thread after surgery and no better, actually worse. Finally he MMI me and said I could no longer do that job. PPD. Workers compensation never denied a visit, pt, meds, or surgery. No waiting time. They were actually great woth everything considering what I've read about them. Although my experience was no joy ride with the pain I was in and lack of good money coming in. A couple times they were bitchy and the lady who came in the doctors office visits towards the end was a complete a hole and treated me like I was lying. She wa the worst. So were a couple WC doctors in between for one visit at a time trying to act like nothing was wrong too, and of course the rating docs at the end but thats expected. Unemployment was HELL and screwed me in the beginning but thats another story. Almost ruined my relationship and came close to losing all I had. But mainly WC did there job and no hangups as far as the visits etc. So I consider myself one of the lucky ones.
My shoulder never got better, actually alot worse now. Constant pain, cant do some of the stuff i liked to and can't do heavy labor and even more technical stuff because the overhead work and little things like turning screws or light overhead work seem to really hurt it. Weird. It will give out in pain sometimes and when that happens its bad. I'm in pain everyday as I refuse to stay on pain pills and screw up my life. Almost did. They never found out why I have so much pain and why it is so excruciating if I move it real quick, to say catch something I dropped for example, that I collapse in pain for an hour or so. The neck was kinda ruled out as the main pain causing problem as the other doc thought he found the problem in my shoulder and the neck kinda was forgotten about at that point . Turns out neither explain what I'm going through. Innow make about half of what I made before but its a very good job considering my limitations. Got lucky but went though a couple hell shit jobs before I found it. Even got my Realtors license on my own to try and get my life in order but that job didn't work out.
So anyway after some back and forth my lawyer got what I said the minium I'd take is and settled on the 18th. I ended up with 22 1/2 percent on the shoulder, about 32,000 structured, minus the tender of $12,000 they already gave me a year ago, with the option to reopen in two years. And I did a section 20 on the neck for $7,000 lump sum.
My question is with everything I've told you guys, do you think I did good? Did I get good settlement compared to similar injuries of this nature. I did alot of homework during the two years and actually did most of the work. My lawyer is good at knowing the laws and negotiating but sucks at communicating with me or helping. I must say it feels liberating to be dine with this. Thanks so much for your time.
