Living with RSD

Friday, October 10, 2008

S.A.I.F. sent me a Workers compensation claim letter of denial.

The S.A.I.F. letter stating:
(Your work is not the major contributing cause of your disease.) Your denial was based in part on an insurer medical examination. Your attending physician has not commented on the findings of this examination.

Their exam doctor: The exam was 10 minuets total. Most of which was for range of motion. Not addressing the obvious pain issue. I hurt worse after the appointment. Because of the range of motion tests he forced to the range he wanted to achieve no matter my pain level.

The claim is for a cumulative lower back injury over 18 years of repetitive movements and sedentary standing positions slightly bent over.

I have had previous surgery on my lower back for 2 herniated disks between L4-L5 and L5-S1, 1 disk is the cause of sciatica nerve pain running down the back of my left leg.

The pain was relived for about 1-2 days after the surgery in February of 2006 and I felt relatively normal for about a week.

The pain started to come back in my Lower back and resumed down the back of my leg once again. The neurosurgeon monitored my condition stating some pain is normal and I should heal. He then cleared me to resume work with no restrictions on work duties.

I made an appointment to see my primary care physician about July of 2006 the pain was increasing. He informed me it might be swelling and could take a while to heal. And continued the vicodin and flexeril prescriptions for pain and muscle spasms. My primary doctor required we monitor the situation every three months. The situation with my lower back and left leg were monitored every 3 months until September of 2007. at this time the pain was increasing. At this time my primary care physician exclaimed he didn’t know what to tell me, it should have improved by now and referred me back to my neurosurgeon. My primary care physician retired before I set the appointment with my Neurosurgeon. The neurosurgeon and I had an office visit and again monitored the situation.

About January 2008 my neurosurgeon suggested pain management epidural injections to try to alleviate the pain and inflammation.

The first injection procedure went relatively ok and relived some of the pain. On the follow-up office visit he prescribed Gabipentin a nerve painkiller this added some additional pain relief.

On my second epidural appointment,
I waited 45 minuets past my appointment time before the medical staff took me in for the procedure.

The blood pressure cuff was slightly down in to my right elbow and pinching the upper elbow. Before I could say anything it inflated and it was way to tight it felt like a tourniquet. ( I know how tourniquets feel I was trained and acquired a certification in A combat lifesaver course in the service)

He rushed the first injection for the local anesthetic in to my lower back and it seemed like the epidural needle was going in right behind it. With almost no wait time.

This session was different. A lot quicker and more forceful than the previous session I received. The insertion of the big needle felt more deliberate and hard more pressure exerted.

The second epidural injection caused severe spiking pain to shoot down my left leg and in to my foot, there was additional throbbing aching pain in my lower back that was different from the pressure I was feeling at the injection site that was near my spine, with the needle being moved around in the procedure searching for the rite area to inject.

He exclaimed “were almost done.” At this time I was now grimacing from the intense pain with my teeth clenched and trying to stay still fearing it could get worse.

(Worse pain? I don’t see how; it was excruciating beyond my belief. and I have felt a fair amount of really bad pain in my life. Including right before my first surgery when I could no longer stand on my leg.) At least it felt somewhat better when he removed the epidural device from near my spine.

When the session was ending and I was getting up. He exclaimed and asked me. “You look a little flushed are you all right?”

My personal thoughts were; no I’m not all right, get me away from this guy!
I waited in the recovery area the required 15-20 minuets. The way I felt the minuets couldn’t end fast enough for me to be released.

After that second session I had to go home, I had to call work and inform them I was not going to be in. I had to lay down the rest of the day, I felt physically ill from the whole experience. I contemplated going in for the 3rd procedure, I didn’t want a repeat of the last experience. Not knowing what to expect going in to the series of 3 treatments, and the fact that I really didn’t receive much of a decrease in pain on the first session.

This second pain management session made my pain twice what it was before.
And now I have a sharp spiking pain down my leg Instead of the dull spiking pain that it was to begin with. The pain rose in both intensity and level of pain than I was feeling before I went in for the procedure.

I now have numbness in the last two fingers of my right hand. To this day the numbness is still in those two fingers sometimes all four fingers.

I finished the 3rd and last epidural injection in hopes it would alleviate some of the additional pain that was caused in the previous session. It didn’t help at all. After the numbness wore off from the local.

After the second session I had to increase my pain medication. It increased from 1 vicodin 3 times a day 1500mg to 2 vicodin 3-4 times a day 3000-4000mg. I have been on pain medication and muscle spasm medication for over 2 years. The pain management doctors 2nd epidural shot made the pain almost double what it was beforehand prior to the regiment of 3 injections and doctors office follow-ups.

I used to be able to stand and work before having to sit down every around 30-45 minuets with the aid of medication. I tried to work with the increased medication but could not overcome the physical burden and added mental stress endured. Attempting to work and function in the reduced capacity was not an option or solution for the company or myself.
My work and reputation had suffered greatly since my last surgery.

From the end of February in to the middle of March I was trying to make the decision to have surgery in an attempt to fix the quality and functional capacity of my life.

On March 16th I had a heart attack I had a coronary stent put in my left artery to my heart. On March 17th I informed my employer of my situation. And stated I had an increase in medication and needed back surgery to correct or at lease alleviate some of the condition I have endured science my last surgery. I had to wait for my coronary doctor’s appointment on the 28th of April and that I would know more then, when I could have corrective surgery for my condition on my lower back. My coronary doctor said he would leave it up to the neurosurgeon after the 6-week wait for the cardiac doctor.

The appointment for the Neurosurgeon was June 12th. I visited my Neurosurgeon (when I expected to and planned on having the surgery) at this point I was really focused on having the procedure, not if they would have an option to not do the surgery. It never even crossed my mind. The Neurosurgeon wanted to wait an additional 2 months which put the appointment in September.

I was thinking towards the end of April what did I do to cause the condition on my back, I am not in to sports I haven’t had any time to do any activities out side of work that could cause my back condition. The only logical decision I could come to is that it is work related, there was an increase in activity when I got put in to the production area at work and increased the amount of Computers I was lifting and boxing, per hour per day. This is why I was too tired to do anything outside of work. This disabling condition has to be work related I really wasn’t doing any outside activity to cause this issue lifting computers out in front of you and boxing computers for shipping repeatedly had to cause the condition I now have.

Now I cannot stand on my feet more than a couple of minuets without severe pain shooting down my leg and foot going numb. The more I’m on my feet the more the pain increases. It won’t stop increasing until I sit or lay down even then I cannot sit for more than a couple of minuets without the pain increasing in my leg and my hips and groin area aching. I have to constantly move to find a position that won’t hurt for a couple of minuets and then start the process all over again. I can lay on my left side a minuet or two before the pain is so great I then have to adjust to another position. And this is when I am on the medication that I was prescribed.

The amount of medication I was taking just to function at a hindered capacity.
I can no longer function at a capacity to do my job assignments safely. Nor am I helping anyone when I had to work in such a compromised physical and mental state.

I can no longer function at the mental capacity in witch I was employed at. I am currently going to mental health counseling to assess the loss and mental conditions acquired from the length of time the prescribed medications were taken to combat the affects of the physical degeneration that was caused or contributed to my present and ongoing physical state.

My hands and forearms are shot; meaning they hurt all the time, I cannot write A sentence without my hand cramping up to the point it wont release the pen or pencil.

I have had hand surgery on my left hand, 38 stitches, exploratory surgery half way up my thumb zig-zagged across the palm in the meaty part nearest my thumb and ending up at the wrist. In the mid 80’s I was sanding a bull nosing on a staircase the fibers gave way in the wood and a sharp piece popped out just in time for my stroke back.

I stabbed a 4” piece of wood in to my palm and straight up into my thumb. Almost destroyed the tendon. They patched up the tunnel for the tendon and found a few small pieces of wood. I formed a cyst on my wrist soon after it was right next to my artery so it couldn’t be popped and adsorbed. 16 years later I had the cyst removed. And lo and behold there are three pieces of wood the size of toothpicks. The surgeon couldn’t believe it. I believe him though, he was all wide eyed when he told me. They must have slid down the side of the bone in the exam room when they were inspecting me and bent the wrist forward in the exam. It hurt a little too much and I remember feeling some pressure there and then relief. I almost lost the use of my thumb.

To this date I am no longer taking Vicodin as stated above. I have been switched to Methadone for a more aggressive approach to combat my ongoing pain issue.

I have other ongoing occupational health issues that were brought up but not addressed.
The IME report has a lot of discrepancies about employment, doctor’s reports that were relevant and discussed but not put in. a little partial don’t you think?

And statements in parentheses like-

“Has recently seen his primary care physician for a multitude of problems”

Now tell me if you ignored your health issues to make sure your family was taken care of at the sacrifice of you missing doctor’s appointments for aches and pains?

Wouldn’t you?

I am trying to fix what I can now. To maybe have a little quality of life before my next heart attack

I am unfortunately at the time in my life that I cannot ignore my physical and mental state any longer. Like I have in the past,

We are a Single income family of 4. The wife is disabled and so is my younger son. No job stability, high employee turnover rate in the companies I worked for. Lost 20k after 9-11, had to pay $580 a month for health care for the wife and 2 kids. Now you know where half my house would be if I had 1 instead of having to rent.

I still had co-pays and doctor and hospital bills to pay. My average salary over the last 10 years 35k.That’s around $15 an hour, too much for any real help or assistance. No savings, 1 step from the street every day for 20 years. The company I worked for 12 1/2 years closed its doors. When I was out of work for 6 months, I made too much on unemployment for the wife to collect her SSI even though she has a neuromuscular disease CMT and was approved for SSI.

Knowing the consequences now? I would try to get in for the major aches and pains.

Social security says I’m not disabled enough, and there are jobs out there I can do. Not really when you look at my complete physical and mental state.

If you think I’m trying to freeload?

Would you quit a job making $41,000 a year to live on welfare/state assistance, always wondering where your next roll of toilet paper is coming from?
Watch your credit self-destruct, from 720 in to a high-risk negative report?
Have bill collectors call you every day, all day from 8:00AM-9:00PM?
Watch your car get repossessed because you have nothing to give them?
Don’t even have the $1200 for bankruptcy?
Almost all or the cash you receive from the state go to your landlord for your rent. The rest is maybe your electric bill.
You will have to beg family members to pay your car and renters insurance, then wonder how your going to pay it next month, until your car is gone.
I can no longer walk very far to even go to the store a mile away.
Wondering how you are going to pay for your prescriptions not completely covered by the wonderful plan the state puts you on, that won’t pay for half the prescriptions you have and their covered list keeps getting smaller or limits the amount of pills you can have a month. It wouldn’t sound so bad if you had 2 or 3 try 15 prescriptions and 6 supplements.

Yeah it a picnic, every free loaders dream.

What ever you do: don’t sacrifice your well being like I have.

Long-winded 1
3 days of hunt and peck