[MyBackHurtsBad]

Hello everyone in this forum, this is my first forum post ever, so please forforgive me if this is posted wrong. 
II was injured at work back in 2015, when I informed my employer I was going to the hospital, my employer demanded I come to the office, fill out an injury report, then they sent me to their own doc. There the doctor gave me a vague diagnosis, lower lumbar strain, and started me on pt 3 times a week, and was given ibuprofen. Within the next 3 weeks I was worsening and complaining of more pain at every pt app. After a few weeks, I 
Went from walking g with slight pain, to walking with a cane, and in the final days of the first round of pt, I ended up in a wheelchair and unable to walk. I was finally given a mri. I then went to the workers doc to be referred out to a spine specialist.The mri showed a severely herniated disc that had pinched and stretched my psiatic nerve. The spine surgeon that had seen me, insisted that I have surgery immediatly. 3 days after the mri reading I was sent in to have a l4 l5 microdisectomy.  After the surgery my body rejected the sutures and for the next month I had to return to the doctor to have it cleaned and they tried removing any sutures and scar tissue. The surgeon told me the surgery was sucessful and referred me out to a pain management dr, who I now see on a regular basis.I met wit a work comp attorney who was local and had alot of yrs experience in this sorta issues. I still am very limited at what I can and cannot do. I recently received a letter from the insurance company stating if I didn't get a return to work date I would expect an ime and they were gonna attempt a settlement. My lawyer had found the weekly checks they were sending were short of what was owed.after 6 weeks of pt, Now my doctor has sent me to have another mri, stopping pt,  which reveals a degenegate disc. Apparently I'm not surgical for a fusion but he states his only last option is epidural shots, rather than a fusion since I'm stI'll young. The doctor says I have plateau ed and the lawyer says I'm only looking at around 20k to 100k. He also wants me to reject the shot and have the ins company add that money into the settlement since I've already had surgery he says it won't help much. The ncm is extremely rude since I denied her the right to go in my exam room with me at the same time as me, and the ins company refuses to speak with me since I retained a lawyer, who rarely calls if ever at all.I still cannot sit stand or walk longer than 15 mins at a time, can't lift, or tie my shoes, bend over, or even make love with my wife. I have only ever done labor intensive jobs, have ged, and not sure where this is headed next, it has been a total nightmare so far, any help, advise or comments are appreciated.I cannot believe the low figure my lawyer was comfortable explaining would be decent. Please help me understand my situation and what is to be expected.

[1171]

you need basic information on michigan benefits and how they are determined.
you should start with the state's web site:
http://www.michigan.gov/wca/0,4682,7-191...--,00.html

make sure you review the information on vocational rehabilitation

michigan is a wage-loss state. if you want to try to understand how those benefits are calculated, download the calculation program and manual:
http://www.michigan.gov/wca/0,4682,7-191...--,00.html

you are not required to cash-out or "redeem" your future comp benefits and you have the option of leaving your medical benefits open.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/wca_WC...9606_7.pdf

if you haven't already done so, apply for SS disability insurance benefits.

[California_Help]

I am not familiar with the laws in your state.

I am familiar with spinal injuries and your injury is still very new since it happened in 2015. I was told it can take 4 years for some spinal injuries to heal. With that being said, I still recommend getting copies of your scans and get another opinion from a Nero spine surgeon just on what he recommends if anything as far as treatment. It sounds like you had some difficulties healing from your surgery and it is always good when you do not have a good surgery result to get another surgeon to look at what was done, and check for underlying infection etc.

You sound young and I also recommend to find some type of physical therapy you can tolerate under the guide of a doctor. For spinal injuries this is sometimes aqua therapy.Not all physical therapist are the same and some are not very good.

Sometimes epidurals help temporarily (3 months) but there are risks to epidurals. Google spinal epidurals risks and you can read up on it. Many people do not know spinal epidurals are not FDA approved. Who told you not to have the epidural your attorney? That seems a little weird to me.

Many people I have asked about their fusion state are worse since their fusion, but it does help some. I would not rush into a fusion and wait and also get a few other opinions before considering it.Do you have a neck or lower back injury and do you have numbness, weakness and radiating pain or is it only in the back area? Sometimes this takes time to heal these types of injuries.

Sometimes people look into going back to college or trade school when their background is in physical jobs, after a spinal injury. You may qualify for financial help.Most of these colleges have online classes available, and if you need restrictions due to pain and sitting you can meet with a disabled student services counselor at the college.

Applying for SSDI may be an option. This is for those who are out of work or their doctor anticipates you being out of work for 12 months or longer due to disability. It can take a few years to get approved and why I recommend looking into applying now. This does not mean you will be on it forever. This is to help protect you if you cannot work due to your medical condition.

These work comp attorney's usually do not call clients unless there is a reason. If you have questions he is not answering, I recommend asking for a phone or in person appointment. What you described seems normal as far as work comp attorney's go.

The nurse case manager works for the insurance company. Some try to help the patient while others are like paid spies. I am not familiar with your states laws but you can ask your attorney if there is a way to not have a NCM. Some states it is optional. I would not allow one in my exam room either. I would be careful what you say to her(JMO).

I know what you are going through is difficult. Try not to isolate yourself from friends and family. Good luck to you.

[MyBackHurtsBad]

Thanks for all the feedback, I will post updates as they are available, this is a very good start for me.