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New to the Board...Seeking Advice on CP + Auto Accident

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Posted 2/24/2008 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

I found this board yesterday and have really enjoyed reading the many topics and posts from people going through similar issues as I am. My brief history is that I am a 31 year-old man and have been dealing with CP for about 8 years. I spent two years seeing a PM specialist where I would mostly receive epidural steroid injections and facet injections. I have bulging/partially herniated discs in my neck and lumbar area with spinal stenosis and some level of degenerative disc issue. He described my condition as 1 in a million because I had never experienced trauma to the area. He treated me with the injections and put me on Ultram and Skelaxin. My PCP had been prescribing me 4 Vicodin (7.5/750)/day and continued to. The combination of meds worked for the most part and really allowed me to function at work, through my home renovations, and especially with my now 2-year old daughter. Eventually, I chose to stop seeing my PM as he never adjusted my meds regardless of pain level and required me to come to his office often for refills and seemed only interested in prescribing things that were name-brands and only mildly effective. He was prescribing me Ultracet (name brand for Ultram + Acetaminophen) at the beginning and I had to remind him that I was taking the Vicodin (which also contains quite a bit of acetaminophen) and only then did he switch me to the Ultram, which does have a generic version. When my PCP agreed to prescribe the Ultram (4 x50mg) and a generic muscle relaxer (Parafon Forte - 500mg)in place of the Skelaxin, which I didn't find especially effective, I chose to stop seeing the PM. All has been well for about a year and a half.

That brings me to now...on Thursday morning I was involved in a car accident on I-95 where I was rear-ended. The other driver was ticketed, I felt fine, and went on to work. But as the day went on, I felt the familiar tightening in my neck and the onset of sharp, shooting pain in my neck. By evening, I was unable to turn my head, and was having sharp pain in my left shoulder and hot, electric like shocks down my left arm. I couldn't, and still can't, find a comfortable position and by morning was in so much pain that I had little sleep (upright in a neck pillow) and my wife had to help me get out of bed. I can't even support the weight of my head without the worst, sharp, stabbing, hot pain in my neck and shoulder blade that I've ever felt, and that is saying something. I called my PCP office first thing Friday morning and made an appointment. I wasn't able to go to work, but knew I had to get to the doctor. When I got there, instead of seeing my PCP, his AP came in. I explained what had happened, detailed the timeline, the pain, etc. I told her my wife was leaving town on Sunday for the week for a work conference and that I would be taking care of my daughter alone until Friday and that I couldn't function enough to get her in and out of the bath, highchair, carseat, potty, etc. It is the worst pain I've ever had. She told me she couldn't prescribe anything because my PCP wasn't in the office and he would have to sign the rx (I still have no idea why they wouldn't have told me that when I called to schedule the appt.). She told me to take Motrin, rest (even though I just told her that wasn't much of an option as of Sunday), and she wrote a rx for a Medrol Dose Pack (steroid). I reminded her that I had my other meds and she told me to continue to take those...as if that was ever a question. I asked her if I should return to PM or go to any kind of a specialist and she said we'd talk about it if the pain didn't go away. To say that I was disappointed in the visit would be an understatement as I was basically told to suck it up and be prepared for a week of hell and didn't even receive a referral or rx for any testing or anything, much less any temporary pain relief to get me through the week alone with my daughter. I followed her instructions and have been resting, using heat and ice packs, taking the steroid and my normal meds in the hopes that I would feel better by today. Unfortunately, the day and half on my back haven't done anything for me and I had to be helped out of bed by my wife this morning to get her to the airport. Luckily, my sister volunteered to come take my daughter for the day as there is no way I can do all the things I need to. Does anyone have any advice as to what to do now? Should I go to the emergency room? Would they do anything for me? I should have just gone on Friday because they couldn't have done any less for me than the AP did. Would they run any tests there? Would they do anything for pain to help me through the next 5 days? I don't know if anyone has ever been through anything similar, but I just don't know what to do. If the ER is going to turn out to be a dead end, I'd rather continue to stay on ice and heat in the comfort of my own bed rather than spend the day (and likely night) sitting in a waiting room.

Thanks to anyone who has stuck with me this far...I apologize for the length. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. I was really surprised by my visit to my PCP and feel left without options. I'm taking my normal meds and thank God I have those because I can't even fathom what this would be like without them...I can't raise or lower my left arm or turn my head or lift anything..even while taking them. If anyone has any advice on where to turn or any ER or auto accident experiences, I'd surely appreciate hearing thoughts. Thanks again for such a great forum and for taking the time to read my dilemma. It is comforting to hear from people with similar challenges.
Posted 2/24/2008 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
In my opinion you need to get some better medical care - and soon. It's bad enough to have new injuries, but added to your history you don't know what damage might have been done. Plus, since you were rear-ended it sounds like the accident wasn't your fault and you want documentation of injuries. I think if it were me and my PCP didn't send me to a specialist, I'd at least go to the ER and get checked out. They'll likely at least do some x-rays, and document new injries. Be sure you tell them your history and any new symptoms that have occurred since the accident. I wouldn't wait, if I were you. It sounds like the PA was just giving you the standard treatment for a NEW injruy, but that doesn't take your history into account.
Posted 2/24/2008 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the reply, PAlady. I am concerned about what further damage has been done and because I know my PCP office deals with auto accidents, I thought they would guide me through the process with documentation, etc. I told her I had never been in an accident before and didn't know "the process," to which she responded that I just needed to rest and be prepared for a rough week as I'd likely remain in pain for at least that long. I tried to make it clear that I was in more pain than I had ever been in which is causing waves of nausea and cold sweats, and I referenced my history and current treatment, but it didn't change her response and she provided me nothing but the rx for the steroid. I thought she'd give me paperwork for missing work, referrals, etc. But nothing but Motrin advice even upon questioning.

I think you're probably right that I should just go in to the ER. I don't know that going back to see the PCP in person now will do anything, which is what I was considering doing tomorrow...though I will still need referrals from them. Would he treat me any different now that the AP saw me? But I do need documentation, at least, even if it is 3 days after the crash. I'm not even sure which hospital to go to. Do all have PM on-staff? Would it matter? I guess I'd just be best off going to the one closest. I'm going to call my insurance company to see if it matters. I am still waiting on a return call from Friday morning from the insurance adjuster for the other driver. I presume they will be covering the expenses, but I haven't been through this before, so I'm not exactly sure how that works.

It was my first negative experience with my PCP. I had never been seen by this PA before. The other PA is wonderful and I usually deal with her when I can. I just didn't request anyone specific because I was just trying to get in ASAP. Lessons learned. Thanks again for the reply.
Posted 2/24/2008 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, definitely call your insurance first - as they may not cover an ER visit unless it's medically necessary. But maybe getting back to your PCP as soon as possible is the best route. If I were you I'd ask to see the PCP you've been seeing who knows your history. And no - not all ER's or other medical providers have PM specialists around!! I'm not a doctor, so these are just my opnions. Sounds like you have documented everything needed for the auto accident, though. If it wasn't your fault, you may want to consult an attorney, although sometimes they just make things worse. Then again, you may need to be sure all your rights are covered - and that all your medical care now and in the future that in any way relates to this accident is covered. That can be tricky as you've got pre-existing conditions, so that's the only reason I suggest talking with an attorney, especially if you know someone.
Posted 2/24/2008 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you again so much for responding...I appreciate your taking the time to give me feedback. I've been calling the insurance company and can't get a live person on the line. Just a broken, derailed, dead-end voicemail system...confidence-building! :)

I guess at this point I am going to have to wait until tomorrow and get back to my PCP. I'll still try the insurance company again and hopefully have better luck on a weekday morning. I do have all the information needed for the crash, and I do presume that my expenses will be covered, but having yet to speak with anyone, I don't want to take any large financial risks at this point by going to the hospital without knowing exactly what my coverage is and risks of the expenses not being paid are...especially when I don't even know if they will do anything worthwhile for me. I was hit by a car registered to, and insured by, a large police department, so I should be OK. I have considered contacting an attorney, but I only have interest in getting my expenses paid. I do have pre-existing conditions and this seems to be nothing more than a very aggravated recurrence of what I've dealt with for years. I do want to make sure I know my rights fully, and have done some online research, but as long as the insurance company is fair, I hope that I wouldn't need an attorney. I am not looking to cash in or try to get a payday, I just want to make sure that issues resulting directly from the accident are taken care of. My insurance rate skyrocketed the year after all of my diagnostic testing and pain management treatment began and I really can't afford to have that happen again.

While these things seem important, my biggest priority and concern right now is trying to get enough relief to take care of my little one for the rest of the week. Once my wife is back on Friday I can go back to resting. Luckily my sister is going to keep her overnight, so I have a one-day reprieve and time to hopefully feel a little bit better somehow. If I wake up feeling the same, I'm not sure what to do. Hopefully the 2nd trip to the PCP will be more helpful.
Posted 2/24/2008 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
I am going to chime in....I think you should go to the ER. I had neck problems going on and, without an accident, they became worse. I picked my son up from work and turned my head to check for traffic at an intersection and started getting those electrical shocks you talk about. I went to the ER, they called my doctor, and he had me admitted and I had surgery the next day.

You need to get x-rays or an MRI and this way documentation for when you go to your PCP. When you go to the ER, I think one of their questions is "is this related to an MVA?" and you can put the other person's insurance info in there to pay for it.
Posted 2/24/2008 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Mochiah. Now I'm swaying back your way. The only problem is, I don't have any insurance information to put in to pay for it. The traffic report just shows that the vehicle is registered to _______ Police Department and in the insurance section is says "Self Insured." There is no company or policy number. The patrolman told me that the vehicle was insured by the city. So, as per my auto insurance company, I called the city directly, told them what happened, was transferred to risk management where they took my contact information and told me that an adjuster would be calling me back. They didn't call on Friday like he said they would, so I'll be calling again in the morning, but I don't actually have any information other than what is on the report to use for payment. So I think that, in the meantime, I would be responsible for the charges. That would include, at least, a $100 ER deductible and/or a $500 hospital deductible. I don't really want to put that up front if I don't have to. That is why I'm leaning toward going back to the PCP. The last time my neck and back issues really flared up, they took care of getting the MRI prescribed and referring me to PM. I'm hoping that Friday's experience was simply due to an inexperienced Physician Assistant who didn't have the MD in-house to handle anything important. Though if I am wrong and my Dr. isn't any more help, then I will have wasted another day that I could have been in the ER.

If you don't mind me asking, what type of surgery did you have and how were you diagnosed? Also, how did the surgery go for you? Was it effective? I was given the option of surgery by my PM, but he advised against it due to my age and potential risk of it not helping or making the problem worse. I would love to solve my issues, but the thought of possibly ending up more limited than I am is frightening to me. Thanks for anything you can share.
Posted 2/24/2008 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you tspauld,

I've decided to go to the ER first thing in the morning. My wife agrees. My health insurance is no problem, it is just a matter of paying the deductible since I don't have the full information for the auto insurance of the other driver. That will hopefully get covered once we're in-touch and settle. I am still awaiting a call back from the City's adjuster. If all they have to offer now is a settlement, I obviously don't have enough information to accept it. This is all new ground for me. I've never been here or dealt with any of this.

But I think my best bet is to get to the ER early tomorrow morning and just see what they do. I don't think I have anything broken because the accident wasn't bad, just a rear-ender, and all I could have sustained (hopefully) was whiplash (which could aggravate my already problematic neck). The worst I can lose by going to the ER is my $100 ER deductible...and can hopefully gain some tests, a diagnosis, and possibly some form of relief for the next few days. We'll see what happens.

I really appreciate the replies. If anyone has any other thoughts or advice on this, I certainly am open to other views or experiences. Thank you.
Posted 2/25/2008 4:47 AM (GMT 0)
You shouldn't have to pay your deductible up front, they can bill you then hopefully you will get the info from them.

I had 3 very large osteophytes (bone spurs) growing on my vertebrae and almost pinching the spinal cord completely off by the time I had the surgery at C5-6. There was also disk herniation with impingement on the exiting nerve root to the left, which gave me pain down my left arm. The spinal cord pinching was causing the electrical shocks. My neurosurgeon made a 2-3 inch incision in the front of my neck and shaved off the bone spurs, removed the herniated disk material and implanted a cadavar bone (rather than taking the bone from my hip, which causes the patient both pain in their neck AND hip after surgery). I had great success with that surgery. I still get a knotted up, tight muscle feeling in my neck and shoulders, but certainly nothing even close to what pain I had before. Also, depending on where in your neck they fuse the bones, you lose range of motion, like maybe you can't put your chin to your chest any more, or can't look up at the sky by just bending your neck back, same thing with your ear to your shoulder move. Small price to pay for the relief I got.

So, you were hit by a police car or other county vehicle....then tell the ER that, their billing department can deal with getting the numbers, I would think.
Posted 2/25/2008 7:32 PM (GMT 0)

Hello IAQ and welcome to HW. I worked for attys for over 20yrs in personal and worker's compensation. We also did medical malpractice claims.

I will offer you some advice from my own personal knowledge, but I am not an atty. You will have 2 claims; 1. propoerty damage to your vehicle and 2. bodily injury claim. The only money you will see up front is for your damage to your vehicle. They will not pay for your medical expenses as you incur them. Your medical expenses, lost wages and pain & suffering is how they deterrmine any settlement offer on your claim.

Each state is different on their laws concerning auto accidents. I don't know where you live but you can get online for your state and find out what the laws are. Usually when a claim is made with the city they have their own claim form and a time limit on getting the form mailed back to them. Find out if the city their has a claim form for you to fill out.  Any paperwork you recive thats needs to be completed and returned to the city or insurance company, always make a copy and keep it for your records. You need to make a folder for all the accident related expenses. You need to find out what the time limit is for your state to settle your claim, thats called the statute of limitations. Here in Tx we have 2yrs to settle before having to file a lawsuit.

The city may want to take a recorded statement from you over the telephone. This is simply to get your side of what happened in the accident. Now a days nearly all ins comp take a recorded statment and the cities I dealt with required it. This is just part of the claims issues. DO NOT GIVE A RECORDED STATEMENT IF YOU HAVE TAKEN MEDS AND ARE GROGGY. Arrange a time you can do it with a clear head. You will be assigned a claim number on your claim with the city, this is how they identify you.

Yes, you could have gone to ER but at best a simple plain film x-rays would have been taken which would only show broken bones or a fracture. Maybe given something for pain and out the door you would have went. Don't worry about documenting your injuries, you did this by going to PCP's office.

From now on, stick with the PCP that knows you and make it very clear you only want to see him. He knows your previous history and he can make a determination on whats new since the accident and what was there prior to the accident. Request that your PCP makes a second chart with your accident date. I would make an appt and get in to see the PCP.

You may use your health insurance to get all of your medical treatment related to the auto accident. In return the health insurance company will subrogate at the end to get their money back off the top of any settlement. By law they are entitled to be reinbursed. This is called subrogation. You may get a letter from your health ins wanting to know if this is a third party claim and they will ask for that info which you will need to give them.

On your own personal vehicle you need to look at your insurance policy and see if you have Personal Injury Protection coverage. This will be an extra insurance you paid for and its a no fault insurance. You can file this and get 80% of any lost wages reimbursed to you as long as a dr says you are unable to work. Or you may use this to be reimbursed for any out of pocket medical expenses. You do not have to reimburse your ins coverage back if you have Personal Injury protection, its a no fault coverage. If you only have Med Pay, you really don't need to file it since you are using your health insurance for your medical care. Med Pay is what it states, it pays for medical expenses you pay out of pocket but at the time of settlement they get their money back. If there is any questions I can help with let me know. Susie

Posted 2/25/2008 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for discussing your surgery, Mochiah. I need to pull out my old MRI, but I'm pretty sure you described almost exactly what that test read. I don't know if the osteophytes are the same, but on mine, I believe I had something referred to as "spiny nodules" that were compressing my spinal cord. It sounds like your case was more advanced or severe than mine, though, as I don't believe they are pinching off the cord at that level. The disc herniations sounds word-for-word as I remember it on my report and I have a very similar condition in my lumbar area.

straydog, I can't thank you enough for the information. I appreciate you taking the time to provide me with so much valuable advice and insight. I spent the morning in the ER and it went exactly as you said it would. I went early in the morning, which turned out great, so there was only one other person there when I arrived. By the time I left there were no seats available in the waiting room and they were hurrying me out of the room to get someone into it who had overdosed. I only ended up spending about 3 hours and $100 there, so it was probably worth it, as I now have more detailed documentation of my injury, a written statement advising me to take at least 4 days off of work (which I think I will need for the settlement) and they did give me shots of Toradol and Valium...they were going to give me Norflex, but I was afraid it would be too similar to Flexeril, which has weird effects on me. So they did that, took X-rays, like you said, and gave me a rx for a small supply of Percocet, Motrin, & Skelaxin. The Percocets seem to be stronger than the Vicodin ES that I normally take...at least it seems to be working better, so that part is good. They gave me a referral to an orthopedist and that was that. But I received none of those things from my PCP office, so it wasn't a total waste. A return visit to my PCP may have resulted in more help, though. Again, I really appreciate the advice. Having never gone through this before, I'm a bit naive regarding how it all works. Your information is helpful and thank you for the offer to answer further questions. I have still not heard back from the city and I still haven't decided whether or not I need to retain an attorney. I have been keeping a file of all of my paperwork and expenses. The hospital required me to use my health insurance during registration. They said they would bill my auto insurance instead if I faxed them a copy of my card within 24 hours. I don't know if this matters and after your info on subrogation, I'm thinking it would just be more simple to keep all of the personal injury part going through my health insurance. My auto insurance agent said I could have them handle collecting from the other driver, requiring me to pay my $500 deductible up front for things, or I could deal directly with the city. They advised dealing with the city, so I don't know if the bill going to them would be problematic. Thank you in advance if you have any thoughts on this. I'm looking up statute of limitation laws in Florida now. I'm also glad you mentioned the recorded statement. I wouldn't have been prepared for that. I have only read and been told not to answer any questions from their insurance adjuster. That advice seemed a bit odd to me, as the story is pretty straight forward...but now I'm not really clear on what I should and shouldn't say. It would be clear if I didn't have a pre-existing condition...that is what fogs it up for me. I guess this is where an attorney would come in handy. I'm also double-checking my auto policy for the Personal Injury Protection and Med Pay information.

Thanks again to everyone who has chimed in. I know this isn't the most compelling topic, but I appreciate the insight.

Oh, one more question for the forum, can anyone speak to how different an orthopedist and pain management doctor are from your experience? I only have real experience with PM. I only saw an orthopedist once, at the very beginning of my neck and back issues, and it wasn't a positive experience. He was abrasive, hurried, and gave me an unsolicited and condescending lecture on the evils of pain medication after I asked him if the Motrin he prescribed me was going to be strong enough for my level of pain. He worked off of two x-rays, taken in his office, and from looking at them, was convinced that there was nothing wrong with me. I'll be providing this new orthopedist with copies of my past MRIs. Hopefully those + the accident will keep me from being blown off.
Posted 2/25/2008 11:58 PM (GMT 0)

Hi again, Florida has a 2 yr statute, we had a case that hapened down there.

I can only tell you this, if you don't cooperate with the city you are not going get anywhere. Like the R/S if that is part of their program of working up a claim to decide liability, if you decide not to talk to them, then you get nothing done. They ask standard questions including have you had any prior accidents or claims. You must tell them of any, they have already done a check and know of any claim made. If you have a speaker phone at home, you can get a little handheld recorder and record the statement too.

I see a pain mgt specialist. Pain is what they treat, they can order tests such MRI's, they can also ref you to specialists. Have you ever seen a neurologist for your neck pain? Personally I have never found an orthopedic to be helpfull on a neck problem, but did with a neurologist. Te difference is alot between an ortho & pain mgt. Pain mgt drs are deal with nothing but pain problems, they know a great deal more about pain medications than an ortho or neuro. They are not afraid to write a script for pain meds either. Orthos on the other hand is not going to give anything more than vicodan and those will be very few and not for very long. They don't like giving meds. One of our ladies on here is a transciption specialist and one dr sent a woman home with plain tylenol as her pain meds from a major back surgery. Someone should shoot him.

I think you are right in using your health insurance for your medical care. You need to have proff from your mployer to document your lost wages. The city should send you a wage statement that needs to be completed by your employer, not by you.

Don't be surprised if you don't have any MRI right away. In fact, I would not push for one right now. Things develope over time and most of the time will not show up right away. Good luck and let us know how you are. Susie

Posted 2/26/2008 10:37 AM (GMT 0)

Welcome to the forum IAQ! Sorry to hear of your accident but wanted to chime in here re just that!

First I am glad you went to the ER and found some help there at least and as for the advice re: Ortho/Neuro for a neck injury I would definately say Neuro here.

If you were rearended it was not a matter of fault as that is cut and dried and should you use your medical to cover a accident you can find yourself with a load of unpaid medical bills.

I would call an Attorney and take all of the guess work out of figuring out who is to pay and who isnt and the run around from the city and their adjuster. You are entitled to medical comp for the accident andything related to it and the PIP can be set up to pay for any and all expenses you occur as you incur them and for alot of states there is a limit moneywise here so it would be to your advantage to have an Attorney to help you pick and chose what treaments are going to be beneficial to your claim and in proving it.

The other option is using your insurance company and letting them pay for your bills at this point and then their Attorneys will collect from the city's insurance but either way you should not have to be dealing with these issues yourself as you were in no way at fault in this accident. And remember the old adage of "anything you say" may be used against you and that is especially tru when an insurance company is trying to get out of NOT paying. Please be careful what you say to the city and anyone in their employee at this point.

They may even go so far as trying to say your injuries were predisposed due to your prior injury/or disease another way of not paying for your care.

Your local phone book can give you names of Attorneys that take on these kinds of cases and be sure to ask how they expect to get paid as money at this point is an issue so one that reuires a cut should be fine just shop around as to how much of a cut they are asking for as it will vary even if most states have a ceiling on how much.

Hoping this works to your advantage here and remember alot of these tests such as MRI's can be extremely expensive and your medical can refuse to pay since it was an auto accident and again this is what I meant by an Attorney knowing which test to request from your treating Doc and alot of them have their own Docs on retainer lists that specialize in court cases and what to look for as you certainly dont want to run thru the insurance limits and not get anything that would do your claim any good.

Good luck to you!

Posted 2/27/2008 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the followup, Susie. I still have not heard back from the city's adjuster. I was promised a return call on Friday. I left another message yesterday, but still no response...so no recorded statement to make yet. It looks like I'll be starting off with an orthopaedic surgeon...as I have three recommendations...one of which is from a co-worker who was in an accident and found his doctor really helpful. He also says he never had a problem getting medication from him, which I can certainly appreciate after my first ortho experience. I don't know if that will be the answer, but it will be a start. I am going to try to find a good PM in the meantime. If anyone has any South Florida recommendations, please PM me. I'd like to find someone who is multi-disciplined, offers different treatments, but doesn't rely solely on injections and isn't scared to prescribe.

Ruth Thomas, I've enjoyed your posts in other threads. Thank you for your thoughts. My mother-in-law agrees with you that I should be seeing a neuro. Would this be a neurologist or a neurosurgeon or are they one in the same? I don't have any experience with this field of medicine. I have gone ahead and secured the services of an attorney. She is a friend of the family, so I feel comfortable with the decision. I don't have any intention of filing any lawsuits, but I do want to make sure that I have my i's dotted and my t's crossed and make sure that I don't make any errors during this process that could leave me holding the bill for anything resulting from the accident. She has advised me to go ahead and get a claim filed with my own insurance company, rather than dealing directly with the city, even though it means paying the deductible for the damage. That allows all medical bills to be processed through them as well and lifts the limitations of having to get referrals, etc. as I do when dealing with my HMO. Much like Susie warned, she told me to expect to be asked to make a recorded statement, but by my own insurance company. She advised me to refuse until it could be scheduled when she would be able to be on the phone and after she's had a chance to prepare me. She asked if I had prior MRIs and since I had, she seems to think they'll want another one for comparison purposes. She discussed the no-fault laws, what should be covered, etc., and now that I have her helping me, I'm glad I chose to go that route. There was just too much uncertainty on too many issues and I didn't want to do something to negatively effect then chances of my expenses getting covered.

Gramps, I can't believe you had trouble logging in. Don't they know who you are?! I kid, but I have seen you help so many people already during my few days on the forum...I'm glad to now be one of them. The ER advice is good. It is what my PCP told me and what I've heard several times since. If anything like this ever happens again, I will be going to the ER immediately. I didn't feel a bit of pain after the collision. While the impact was pretty good because I was stopped and the other driver was trying to stop from interstate speed, I really didn't even think about injury at the time. His car looked so much worse and because of that I was more concerned about him. Then once all the paperwork was finished and I pulled away, I became distracted by my A/C not working (I don't know if the accident caused it, but it is dead) and really just tried to get to work and go about my business until I started feeling the beginnings of a problem around midday. By evening I was in pain, and by morning my wife had to help support the weight of my head while helping me out of bed and my left arm was useless and hurting on top of it. I laughed at your story about being hit by a city vehicle. I've had two different people say things like "cha-ching!" when I mentioned it. I'm guessing they would have been lying on the bus with the others. HA! My only concern is my expenses, getting some relief from this pain, and hopefully getting to the bottom of what is causing it. Thank you for the welcome. I hope you and your family are well as possible.
Posted 2/27/2008 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
If you are not a surgical candidate those drs will not be interested in taking you on as a long term patient either. Like Gramps said, their money comes from surgery not conservative care. Glad you got an atty. Yes, at some point you will need another MRI most likely to set the record straight. They will be very interested in all of your past medical care and they are entitled to this info as well. If you refuse then your claim sits w/no action on it. The city here requires 3 estimates of property damage, not sure what you have done at this point,. Be sure to take photos of the damage to your vehicle, they may be needed later on. Susie (I think a neurologist is the way to go too)
Posted 2/28/2008 9:18 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the remark about reading my posts, I truly love to "talk" and anytime I can make a difference in someones day even for a brief moment it makes my problems a little less significant for a moment.

Glad you got an Attorney and even if a lawsuit wasnt on the agenda it sure makes it easier for yourself when you can refer all those questions to someone else!  When your trying to deal with pain issues there just isnt the time nor energy to answer calls and questions and menial stuff can be handled by someone else.

I havent the foggiest notion when it comes to anything legal so my motto is to leave it to someone who does,lowers the risk of making mistakes that may be harmful for me down the road.

As for the deductable on your insurance they may reimburse you for that later when the city gets around to admitting fault in the accident and getting all the paperwork and red tape out of the way and really begin to help you!

At least you can get meds and see Docs without having to worry about who is paying and as I am sure you know that is usually a offices 1st priority!

Anyway rambling here and want to say I hope your doing some better then at the start of this thread and it sounds as if your getting the right appointments set up.

Good luck to you!

Posted 3/1/2008 1:45 AM (GMT 0)

IA, I forgot to tell you. My very first auto accident, I felt exactly as you did, I was also rear-ended. Mine was a hit & run, they left the car at the scene, a couple of illegal Mexicans were driving someone else's car and of course no insurance. That one cost me some dough. Had it not been for PIP I had which was only $2,500 I would have really been up a creek.

I did not go to ER, I went to work and by 5:00, I could not turn my head, I had a H/A from hell, in alot of pain, I was just miserable. I saw an ortho for 3 months which was useless, did 3 months of PT that only felt good while doing it. I next saw my sister's dr who did the chinese accupuncture with the needles. He had me totally pain free in 9 visits. Bear in mind, i had alot of muscles involved and not disc problems. It can work well for some people with musclular damage and I was one of them.But boy, did that accident ever set me up and predispose me to futher injuries later on.

Glad you found an atty to help you. Be sure to continue to keep your own file of records & receipts.  To say the least you do have a complicated case because of pre-existing conditions. If you have not been seeking active treatment in a awhile, then that will nip that little problem in the bud.

Yes, its normal for your own insurance to want a statement. Remember, the purpose of these statements are to get everyone's side of the story as to what happened. You would be amazaed at how much people will lie when being involved in an accident.For instance, had a case where a man hit a woman head on, he managed to drive from the scene to his home. He reported to his insurance company that he hit a tree. They paid to fix his car, after all he was their insured. Fortunately, their was a witness to the whole thing, who not only got his license # but followed him to his house and got that address. Yes, people don't always tell the truth.

Hope you start feeling better soon. Susie 

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