mrs.edwardcullen33
New member
I have worked as a union electrician for nearly 20 years. I recently was hurt at work . I tore my left rotator cuff 95% detatched and wrenched my back. From the beginning , not one dr. thought it was anything serious. I pushed for tests and the Ortho scoped the shoulder and found the tear. It has been a year since the operation and I guess I am appx 75% healed with the shoulder. I also com[plained about upper and lower back pain but was told I had to wait until the shoulder healed up before looking at the back issues. 7 months after the shoulder surgery I asked when the back issues were going to be addressed and got a referral for a supposed back specialist.
As I entered the office the first time he made a remark about not seeing how I could have injured my back the way I said. Long story short, I pushed for several tests to try and find out what the pain was from in my back and eventually got another referral to another specialist. I felt I was being manipulated by the Dr. I don't think he believed me and did not try to find out why I was in pain. This is a Workmans Comp case. WC has not balked at all on paying me while off work. They even required me to see one of their own Dr. to see if further treatment was neccessary. Their Dr. approved further treatment for my lower and upper back pain without any disagreement at all.
After returning to the referring MD, I had to force him to referr me to a back specialist for an mri and meylogram? The tests showed two buldges between c5,c6, and c7, as well as a significant amount of Degenerative Disc Disease. I have electrical sensations running down both arms into my thumbs and fingers, pain between my shoulders into the neck and running up my neck, My neck cannot be kept in any position for very long without locking up and severe pain, there is a pins/needles sensation with burning in my upper back and at the tips of both shoulders, My neck feels like it is jammed and needs to "pop", my lower back is painful constantly as well. The pain burns and runs thru my hips and down my legs into my feet. When I walk for more than 1/2 an hour The hip and knee pain gets so bad I cannot walk without severe pain.
All of these symptoms have been documented ever since the injury. The Drs only concern is to get me back to work as fast as possible.
The last Dr. visit I was told I had only two choices. I could start shots for pain in my neck and shoulders or I could be refered for a Functional Capacity Evaluation, or FCE. I did an internet search and did not like what I found. Several Drs said it was a method many Drs use to put the responsibility of placing people on disability off on someone else. I told him I did not think it was smart to mask the pain before figuring out what was causing the pain. I figure it would not only make it difficult to find the cause but also make it easier to further injure myself. I told him I would rather do the test thing.
The burning sensations / pins and needles and pain seem to be getting worse than at the time I was first hurt and workman's comp does not seem to be fighting the legitimacy of my claim. But, I feel my Dr is trying to push me back to work anyway. I want to return to the WC's Dr I saw in October or get another referral to a Dr. willing to treat my pain and to continue looking for the cause of the pain in my lower back now that the Dr has stopped his treatment in my upper back.
I also have muscle "jerks" several times in the span of a minute. I never know where it will happenn or how severe. Sometimes it is quite painful and other times it is just annoying. It seems that the more active I am the worse my pain gets.
Has anyone else had this problem with their Drs while on Workman's comp? What can I do? What are my rights?
As I entered the office the first time he made a remark about not seeing how I could have injured my back the way I said. Long story short, I pushed for several tests to try and find out what the pain was from in my back and eventually got another referral to another specialist. I felt I was being manipulated by the Dr. I don't think he believed me and did not try to find out why I was in pain. This is a Workmans Comp case. WC has not balked at all on paying me while off work. They even required me to see one of their own Dr. to see if further treatment was neccessary. Their Dr. approved further treatment for my lower and upper back pain without any disagreement at all.
After returning to the referring MD, I had to force him to referr me to a back specialist for an mri and meylogram? The tests showed two buldges between c5,c6, and c7, as well as a significant amount of Degenerative Disc Disease. I have electrical sensations running down both arms into my thumbs and fingers, pain between my shoulders into the neck and running up my neck, My neck cannot be kept in any position for very long without locking up and severe pain, there is a pins/needles sensation with burning in my upper back and at the tips of both shoulders, My neck feels like it is jammed and needs to "pop", my lower back is painful constantly as well. The pain burns and runs thru my hips and down my legs into my feet. When I walk for more than 1/2 an hour The hip and knee pain gets so bad I cannot walk without severe pain.
All of these symptoms have been documented ever since the injury. The Drs only concern is to get me back to work as fast as possible.
The last Dr. visit I was told I had only two choices. I could start shots for pain in my neck and shoulders or I could be refered for a Functional Capacity Evaluation, or FCE. I did an internet search and did not like what I found. Several Drs said it was a method many Drs use to put the responsibility of placing people on disability off on someone else. I told him I did not think it was smart to mask the pain before figuring out what was causing the pain. I figure it would not only make it difficult to find the cause but also make it easier to further injure myself. I told him I would rather do the test thing.
The burning sensations / pins and needles and pain seem to be getting worse than at the time I was first hurt and workman's comp does not seem to be fighting the legitimacy of my claim. But, I feel my Dr is trying to push me back to work anyway. I want to return to the WC's Dr I saw in October or get another referral to a Dr. willing to treat my pain and to continue looking for the cause of the pain in my lower back now that the Dr has stopped his treatment in my upper back.
I also have muscle "jerks" several times in the span of a minute. I never know where it will happenn or how severe. Sometimes it is quite painful and other times it is just annoying. It seems that the more active I am the worse my pain gets.
Has anyone else had this problem with their Drs while on Workman's comp? What can I do? What are my rights?