Medical related rant.

[ElizabethRayne]

Where to start with this?

A little background: Around the start of April 2012, I fell at work (Tripped over a wheel chair >.> don't even ask I'm a clutz.) busted my head open on the floor and fractured my right elbow. Glue (the alternate to Stitches), a half cast, then a brace, and 6 PT sessions later I was cleared by the workman's comp doctor as "cured".

December 17th I woke up for work at 8 am sat up and groaned, both of my knees and my right elbow were so stiff I could barely move. I got myself in a hot shower to hopeful loosen my joints up thinking my knees hurt because of an odd sleeping position and that my elbow likely was hurting because of a lack of a full run with PT since when I was released I did not have full range of motion on my arm.

Progressively over the next few days, I woke up every day aching, sore, stiff joints. To the point that right before Christmas I was in so much pain I could not walk. I was limping and still unable to bend my arm.

I made myself a doctors appointment. I sent sent for xrays. It took over a week for my doctor to get results back to me. There was fluid on my right knee. When I asked my doctor why my left knee was hurting she said it was because I was babying my right. If you remember above I said they both started hurting at the same time.

So I was sent for a MRI. After waiting over a week for my Insurance company to approve me to go for a MRI, I had to wait for another three days before I could actually get an appointment to have it.

So here we are a week after my MRI (by the way never wanna do that again. Small places and me are not friends apparently.) There is no apparent injury to my knee, nothing torn, nothing odd. Just fluid on my knee and a diffused joint. (From my understanding this just means swelling?) Because we have no idea why this is here I have another appointment with a Orthopedic but I'm waiting for a referral to go see one.

Also this morning my doctor had me come in and have some blood drawn, she wants to check me Lyme disease and a few other things not sure what the other tests were she was running are.

So here I sit, in pain, uncomfortable, unable to bend my knees, unable to walk without limping and I am at a loss. What's wrong with my body? My knees wont bend, my right elbow wont bend. They ache. I cannot put pressure on my arm, my knees the act of sitting and standing is at times unbearable and all I do at work all day is walk, sit, stand, and walk some more.

*sighs* I suppose this is the end of my rant, thank you for those of you that read this, I just kinda needed to get my frustrations out there.

-Liz

[Beguile's Mistress]

You did tell your doctor about the original injuries I assume.  Get copies of all your test results.  Insist on them and verify the results with another doctor if you insurance will cover it.

If at any time one of the doctors relates your current diagnosis to your previous fall you need to try to get a reevaluation for a workman's comp claim and may need to see an attorney to get the proper treatment and reimbursement.

[ElizabethRayne]

You did tell your doctor about the original injuries I assume.  Get copies of all your test results.  Insist on them and verify the results with another doctor if you insurance will cover it.

If at any time one of the doctors relates your current diagnosis to your previous fall you need to try to get a reevaluation for a workman's comp claim and may need to see an attorney to get the proper treatment and reimbursement.

I have all of my paperwork and diagnosis from the original fall. The newer stuff I can get copies of easily just a call to my doctor. I just wasn't sure if the issue with my knees could be at all related to my fall, since after the fall the only issue I had with my knees was a slight bruise.

This is just all very confusing and the discomfort and pain just makes it all worse. I was planning to deal with my knees first then the elbow, since my current doctor said she couldn't look at my elbow if it was related to the workman's comp case.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Whether the two are related or not is something you need to find out.  It's not uncommon for residual trauma to develop after an injury appears to have healed.  You may have injured your knees when you fell but because of the elbow and head injury that may have gone untreated because it presented as mere soreness.

The issue is that on the chance that it is related this needs to be investigated. 

[ElizabethRayne]

I'll be sure to ask my doctor Monday when I call if she thinks they could all be related, I have to call anyway and see if they have any news on my blood work.

It's just frustrating, and my work was less then enthused about me being injured and the fact that my job has no "light duty." They had to create a position for me. I honestly think this is why I was released so quickly from their doctors.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Employers pay for workman's compensation insurance and injuries go on the record.  After a certain number are listed the premiums go up.  Because of the length of time between the initial accident and now you may need to get an attorney involved if the doctors feel the new condition is related to the old.

[ElizabethRayne]

Step one: Doctors and diagnosis.
Step two: Lawyer if needed.
Step three: Get Lizzy feeling better!
Step four: Pancakes.

Maybe not in that order. I do like pancakes.

Seriously one thing I was worried about was, would me contacting a lawyer if need be, cause issues with my job?