Career Ending Operation???

UPDATE: August 1, 2017

just had my evaluation at the P/T place. i have the same gal that worked with me at her former employer 3 years ago. funny to as i asked her when did they close up she said in the spring of 2015, after i had left them (the insurance wouldn't pay for more) in February.

she tested me, found i was way too tight in many areas, and had no reflexes in both my knees and in my left heel.

she said "it could be" the swelling, but then she checked out my scar and my back and claimed she did not "feel much" in the way of swelling...HHHMMMM.....

she also went on the say, looks like the doctor followed the old scar right to the end, then made the new cut, she could barely see the old scar.

perhaps another problem with my back, like i was presuming..?????

oh well, she gave me some things to do while at home, i see her again this thursday and twice next week.
 
Finally someone familiar with your case.
Maybe (hopefully) she has some "voice" in helping you get what you need, treatment wise.

How are the "at home" exercises working?
 
Finally someone familiar with your case.
Maybe (hopefully) she has some "voice" in helping you get what you need, treatment wise.

How are the "at home" exercises working?
the at home therapy, i do every other day, not daily. as if i were at P/T. i go there tues/thurs for now, so i have a day "in between". in fact here it is sunday, and i just did some. i did not do any Sat, but i did on Fri and then again at the p/t place on thurs. tomorrow (mon) i will not do any, then tues, back to the p/t place.

yes, the gal was very surprised i never went back to work when i had finished with her, 3 years ago..>!!!! after SEVERAL months of p/t.''i told her then that the pain is "centered at my belt line NOW< as it was back then, and yes, we all know i was just "opened up" back there. it's a deep inside pain. yes, of course, i have no more disk, but a metal ring with bone matter attached. yes, so there should be some pain...

but it is the EXACT SAME PAINS as before.

any event, she will be working with me for x amount of time. at least at this new place, she is not alone. she mentors a guy, and there are about 2-3 other p/t people there, so there is always a back up if needed.

back to my at home p/t.....like weight lifting or other exercise regimen, i was told to "skip a day" to give the body time to adjust to the movements, or something like that.

i only do a "few things" here. i do not have the machinery the p/t place has, that's a given.

and whether there or at home, the pain manifests itself, nearly half way through the exercises....so i do not push or force an outcome.
 
EXACT PAINS as before doesn't sound very good considering the procedures since.

Right Mate, do not "push or force an outcome" (I doubt a proctologist would say such) lest you do such and "force" an outcome which leaves you less able to walk, move or worse.
You should give a go, as you're able, to strengthen your Upper Body, if not already doing such.
Are those exercises for such purpose?
- - -
Talk to ya Later Mate!
CKuvNC
 
EXACT PAINS as before doesn't sound very good considering the procedures since.

Right Mate, do not "push or force an outcome" (I doubt a proctologist would say such) lest you do such and "force" an outcome which leaves you less able to walk, move or worse.
You should give a go, as you're able, to strengthen your Upper Body, if not already doing such.
Are those exercises for such purpose?
- - -
Talk to ya Later Mate!
CKuvNC
the purpose (i was told) was to loosen up my muscles?

i have already explained (i do believe, many posts ago) that exactly one month before this surgery, i had a massive pain in my left knee. prior to that, it was all on my right.

so after the surgery and in my recovery room, the pain in the left knee, went away.

when i lay flat in my bed, after say about 2 hours, my left leg is not numb.

once i get out of bed, my left leg from that knee down, is numb..clearly (to me) something is putting pressure on whatever nerve(??) that is causing this.

go back to bed at night, numbness subsides......

get up in the morning, and there it is again, when i stand up....something doesn't seem to be "kosher"

i "feel" that i still have issues, and will be seeing the surgeon again in october.

of course, i was told, that i still have "swelling" in my back where the surgery took place.

maybe so..but after my last operation of 3 years ago, nothing like this was ever an issue.

my doctor and his p/s did tell me, before this surgery took place, i may still need yet another operation...i think i can "see the day" for that to take place in the foreseeable future.
 
well, i FINALLY got my reimbursement check for the first round of oxy's that i had to pay for out of pocket. i originally got them on June 10th, only 4 days after i got out of the hospital. by state law, the comp people had 21 days to reimburse me. clearly here it is Aug 7th, and this is not with-in the 21 days limit.

bot h attorneys had to go to court last week on the 1st. but i am not sure if they had to go up in front of the judge, or they took care of it prior, then telling the judge "it's a settled situation"....

frankly, i would have hoped they both went inside the courtroom, and the comp people paid each attorney his fee of a mere $2,500.

i now await my second reimbursement, but that time clock is still ticking, it won't be until about the 16th of this month, to be in violation of the comp laws.

like i always say, get hurt...get a lawyer.........your best defense again acehole comp insurance companies....
 
UPDATE: August 10, 2017

well i had to call my doctors office, back on Tuesday for a refill of my meds. i have to pick up the prescription Friday (tomorrow) morning, and THIS TIME, mail them via Priority Mail to the new "medical supply" company my attorney advised me of, and i contacted. they will over-night the meds to me, but since the weekend is coming, i may not get them till Wednesday?

i have a few left till then, if i skip a dose, which i'd not want to do.

i reported to the doctors office, i am still in pain, sometimes high levels of it. i have reported again this morning to the p/t gal as well. i can nary even slightly bend forward without some sort of shooting pains in my back.

i am VERY careful to "barrel roll " out of bed and into bed, making sure i do not twist my body, which i was warned against doing.

the p/t gal is giving me a work out, and there is a slight (to me) twisting of my back, but she said that when she has me do that particular therapy, i am flat on my back, and only really moving my hips, ever so little.

i dunno...i end up going to and coming home from p/t IN PAIN.....

i personally DO NOT WANT to end up not being able to differentiate between therapy pain and back pain, i guess that's hard to explain.

but in the end, what i am trying to convey is that i don't want to get or be "too confident" in the p/t that i over do something either there or at home, and cause me more problems. as i will wonder, "which is actually causing me the pains, the p/t or the back"?

right now, i am going on what i have been told, MORE THAN ONCE, that this operation was done cuz the judge ordered it, rather than to LISTEN TO my doctor, that knows my back, and can READ an MRI, and that yet ANOTHER OPERATION may be imminent, and that will be my doctors recommended one, which was the first one HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, not some judges decision based on another doctor totally unfamiliar with my situation.

in the p/t office, i was talking with an elderly man. he plays golf, nearly every day. he just had a back operation a while back as well.

it's his first one. when i told him i have now had 3 over-all...he was floored. he could not believe a younger person than him, could have had it this tough, with a back.

that's the way the cookie crumbles....
 
well, i mailed off the Priority mail on Saturday. I got a call on Monday, they received it and was going to ship my meds for Tuesday. however, i had to be at home for the delivery cuz they need a photo ID and a signature (as i was going to be receiving narcotics) , and i was going to be at p/t at the time they said the meds would arrive.

so the gal at IWP (injured workers pharmacy) said she can send them to me for Wednesday by the same time, 10:30 AM.

so here i was yesterday (Wednesday) watching the UPS tracker site, and could see the UPS truck in my hood.

but...it was getting VERY CLOSE to 10:30....!!

OMG.......they promised me 10:30.......he's not even close to my house......!!!!!!



so i go and sit on the front stoop, don't you know it......

UPS ARRIVED......BUT LATE...!!

he arrived at 10:33........!!!!!!!!!

oh the travesty of it all........!!!!!


lol........that was a darned good tracking system and delivery time...........!!!!!!!!!

what did we do back in the days of waiting, and waiting and waiting........?????????


so if anyone should unfortunately get hurt and put on workman's comp, ask your attorney about the IWP pharmacy plan. they also cover auto accidents and personal injury meds.

some meds can be faxed from your doctor to them, or in my case, these were narcotics, so i had to pick up the prescription, put it into the supplied Priority Mail envelope, and find (usually at the post office) a Priority mail drop off box, and you get your meds cost free (since you are on comp) and in a very quick turn around time.

with the troubles and problems you have been reading about my case, if YOUR workman's comp insurer stops paying for your meds, or switches a meds provider, and does not enroll you like mine did to me..???

then your attorney should be aware of this, or make him/her aware of this.

https://www.iwpharmacy.com/
 
Last edited:
finally got in today's mail my second prescription reimbursement of $19.00

only 1.5 months to do so, rather than the law of paying me in 21 days..

jerkoff's......

at least now i have money for another haircut...!!!!!

"number 1 cut, if you would please"..!!!
 
UPDATE: August 30, 2017

well as of tomorrow (Thursday Aug 31) it will have been 5 weeks of P/T.

i am still in back pain, in fact as soon as i sit in the "stepping machine" the pain worsens. all through P/T the pain gets more pronounced. my left leg from the knee down to my foot is still numb.

i ache 10 times more the day after P/T and on my days off, i simply do not attempt anymore P/T at home. when i am driving my car, there are those times i come to a stop sign, and i must lean a bit forward to see out of my left side mirror. that slight bending forward causes near excruciating pains.

i have reported each day at P/T and went on "record" as "still in pain, worse with P/T"

i have emailed my attorney as well to keep him up to speed on my continued pain, and numbeness


i have an idea that what the doctor and his PA said was true, that this operation will NOT BE my last one, i feel strongly that something is still pressing up against a nerve or whatever, causing this and i was told this very well may happen, before this last operation took place back in June.

and if when i see the doctor, in the near end of October, he will order up another MRI, possibly another EMG...of course, here goes the freaking merry-go-round with the insurance company, and thier quack doctor denying these things, then a trip to court, and the court ordered doctor's opinion......

i feel that by all this time now in P/T, an improvement should have been made with the back pains and numbness.......and there just isn't any such improvements...
 
UPDATE: September 8, 2017

well Tuesday of next week, (Sept 12, 2017) will be my last official day for P/T. i was tested yesterday (Sept 7) to check on my progress or lack of it.

I still have back pains, and numbness in my left leg/foot. i still cannot bend, lean over, or walk a straight line (i tend to veer off to the right as i walk).

i still cannot lift more than about 5 pounds. in P/T they have me take a ball, can't say how many pounds, it is nearly solid however, and i must set it down on a chair, pick it up and walk, then return, set it down, over and over again for 10 times.

each time i bend to pick it up..??

sharp pains in the back, yes, the proper way to bend at the knees takes place.

the P/T people will fax the report over to the insurance morons, for more P/T sessions.

if history is any indicator of the future, they will order up me to go see Dr. Quack on thier payroll.

he very well may deny any more P/T...then off to freaking court we go.......

but, my last operation in 2014, this did not happen, no visit with Dr. quack, till it was ordered up another operation.

but from the past of you reading my adventure in workman comp land, can anyone be so sure Dr. Quack will not be involved this soon..??

i am still really as sure as can be, when i see my surgeon in October, he will order up an MRI, maybe an EMG again to see why i am still having problems, and recommend that HIS operation takes place this time.

i have reported/informed you all in the past, that i was told more than once, that ONE operation may not be enough after this latest one.

i was told that one operation may "take care of" maybe 50% of my problem...........then the next operation will be needed.


oh well...more later.
 
UPDATE: September 12, 2017

well technically, today was my last day of p/t. the therapist faxed over to the insurance company a request for more p/t. that was last Thursday/maybe Friday. As of this posting, nothing yet. I have to call Wednesday afternoon, for an update. I have Thursday already set up as another day there, but that very well may be cancelled.

on another note, my attorney said he sent my surgeon a letter, asking for him to sign a form/letter stating that i am totally disabled, but the doctor refused unless i pay him $150.

the attorney asked me to call the doctors office and ask them to waive that fee, since it's only about 3 to 4 lines of wording. i got back to my attorney (all this was by emails by the way) telling him i have an appointment with the surgeon in october, and can this wait till then, cuz there may be a possible chance for yet another surgery.

He (the attorney) has not gotten back to me on that yet.

if in the end, there is no more surgeries, and the doctor does not waive the $150 fee, this is what a credit card is for.....

but i dare not jump the gun just yet, till my meeting with the doctor, maybe a possible MRI and EMG as well..????

by the way, still in much back pains, and the left leg and foot are still numb........
 
lawyer got back to me, this is what he says.


The reason I sent the new letter is because of the surgery. People generally become totally disabled for some period of time when they undergo surgery, especially one as significant as yours.

so with that i sent him a reply, asking if this can wait till my appointment in october. (no back response yet)

i had a feeling that i might have to fight to get onto total disability, now it seems that no fight should take place, when that time comes.

i can only see this at a later time, not right now.
 
well, i got me 8 more p/t sessions coming. i called the p/t place minutes ago. so thursdays (tomorrows) appointment still holds up!
 
UPDATE: Sept. 28, 2017



i got an email from my lawyer yesterday. he was in court for me, regarding the petition for me to have another MRI. back when i was going to the hospital for the follow up exams by the doctors PA, i made it clearly known to her, that i had continued pains in the back and a numb left leg and foot, when all along when i went for that operation in June (of this year) it was my RIGHT leg that was numb, NOT the left as it is now.

i had asked her to forward her results to the doctor, which she has to, and recommend a post op MRI, to see what "might be" still wrong with my back.

i at a later time, had to go to the surgeon's office to pick up my meds prescription.

i had asked the gal behind the counter, if she knew anything about a post op MRI and maybe an x-ray, she said that does not happen till you see the doctor first, THEN he requests one for the next visit.

so now, with the lawyers email to me, and too, the PT place sending in reports of my continued problems, i am of the wondering if the surgeon DID INDEED request another MRI, BEFORE i see him later in October..???

that's the only thing that makes any sense to me right now, other than yet another fact, about 2 weeks ago, my lawyer sent the surgeon a letter, asking him to sign a note, saying that i am now totally disabled. (he, the doctor denied doing that unless he is paid $150.00) maybe from that, the reports from his PA and reports form the P/T people he gets the urgency now to request the MRI, which HAS BEEN DENIED thus far from the insurance company. (necessitating the petition which was denied by the insurance company)

the "case" is continued till later in october, which as luck would have it, the SAME DAY as my doctor's appointment....

i am not sure if my lawyer knew the doctors appointment or not, i usually keep him up to date on everything, which is why in closing in his email he said, i do not have to be in court.

as a side note, officially, it has been 3.5 years now out of work, and on workman's comp, with 2 major operations, and yes, the possibility exists for a 3rd (from this surgeon, one was done back in 2001) so 4 in total may be the lucky number of operations. until i see the doc in october, i won't know for sure.
 
somewhat additional good news for me:

today in Saturday's morning paper, there is a "cars" section. there is the man in charge of the DMV that takes questions and then answers them. well apparently, there is a 78 year old retire trucker that wants to turn in his CDL, he never renewed his DOT medical. here in my state, if you do not renew your DOT, your CDL gets downgraded to an ordinary "operator's license". (other states suspend your CDL right away, and you have to go thru the ENTIRE process all over again, written tests, road test, BS i say)

well this DMV guy said that since it has been over a year now that the CDL has been downgraded, if he is a member of the AAA, he can go there and he can turn his CDL in, and they will see he has a downgraded CDL. this is REALLY GOOD news for me, cuz all along i thought i'd have to go to the DMV and do this. lucky here though, is the the CDL section is off by itself. although i'd only be guessing, i'd have hoped that the CDL section would still take my pic for the new operators license, then from there, when the need arises, go to the AAA for all renewals..

so one more "worry" out of the way for me in the VERY near future.

frankly, i am looking SO FORWARD to, going to the AAA for all my driver license renewals, rather than the MAIN OFFICE of the DMV where ALL CDL drivers MUST go each time for renewals.

CDL drivers cannot go to any "satellite offices"
 
UPDATE: Oct. 5, 2017

i got some bad news at p/t today, it was evaluation day.

rather than to repeat what i just sent to my lawyer, i will paste that here, and delete names.



Good morning XXXX.

I had an evaluation at P/T today. The therapist that has been working with me, XXXX, said that she cannot order up anymore sessions, as I am not making progress, and I am getting WEAKER..???

I called XXXX(the lawyers assistant) as soon as I got into my car, so that she/you can get a copy of that evaluation report ASAP since you have to go to court on Oct 23rd(??).

That is also my day of my appointment with Dr. XXXXX. You had said I did not have to be there, and I reminded you I couldn't be there anyways.

I believe this is one of the reasons why Dr. XXXXX had ordered(??) an MRI?

I think that this is leading up to that operation that Dr. XXXX needed to do, rather than the one the court approved doctor said, and the judge so ordered it.

I still have next Tuesday, (oct 10th) as my LAST day of P/T.

Thanks

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

so there you have it, i am not getting any better......dammit.....

my foot is still numb(the left) the right one is a bit numb, and my right leg at times kicks out from under me as i walk, or get up from a seated position.....

ain't this all frigging grand..???????
 
I'll say from information you've posted that the "doctor" did a shabby job in all operations and that since you're not recovering as to how they prefer, it's best to drop ya and move on to the next victim....uh.....eh....patient.

I've a friend in Delaware who had a hip replaced as well a new left knee and a little while after the knee replace, she fell off some steps behind her house and of course landed on a rock with her left knee.
She was operated on and the "doctor" was hammering a metal shaft into her knee to ankle bone thereby increasing her left leg a bit which has caused her left foot to be numb and basically useless as well a littany of added pains not having before the operation. Her Hubby beleives there's to be a malpractice suit and is in the process of discovering all the routes required as well volunteer doctors in said field to corroborate the innefficiency of the performing "doctor".
She's now looking at quite probably being permanently disabled as before the fall, she was a productive Class A Team Driver with Hubby at a Large Trucking company.
She's been out 2 months and believes her employment and benefits will be terminated since her fall was not work related.
She's not recovering well and is basically a home body.

As you will my Friend, keep US updated.
 
I'll say from information you've posted that the "doctor" did a shabby job in all operations and that since you're not recovering as to how they prefer, it's best to drop ya and move on to the next victim....uh.....eh....patient.
As you will my Friend, keep US updated.

actually, the surgeon is a good doctor. it can be a situation where me in particular cannot get the results needed. many years ago, in fact just as i had started driving in the early/mid 1980's, i had to have a double hernia operation. the right side healed up in no time, the left side just would not heal at all. that doctor too was a very good doctor.

i personally believe that the operation my doctor wanted to do and was denied by the court, was the correct one for me, where he would have gone in on my left side, and basically ":jack up" the 2/3 lower joint, remove THAT disk and put in a bone ring and metal plate, as THAT disk is (from what i even saw on the MRI) is being crushed!!!

but noooo...the court doctor said for him to do this one i just had, which THEN RESULTED in spinal fusion, rather than the disc decompression the court doctor said "i would benefit from"...

my lawyer will VERY soon be getting that all important P/T report, and take that to court in about 2 weeks, to really now push for another MRI that the insurance company is denying...

if I GET the chance to talk with the judge, and i know i will, i just don't know WHEN, i will tell him, "why don't we do what MY DOCTOR said I REALLY NEEDED...this time..?????

in Workman's comp court, the person IS ALLOWED to speak up. and i c an assure you that i most certainly will.

i am already looking at total disability, that's a given..my CDL had already been downgraded to an "operator's license" which i can now go to any AAA office and renew to a new operators license at renewal time....no more DMV for me........

your friend is most likely looking total disability as well. she would need to pass a DOT physical and then most likely will have to get some sort of doctors clearance to drive trucks again. frankly, i wouldn't bother. i'd stay away from any more driving of trucks.
 
Top