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Old 03-28-2014, 02:48 PM
Hamncheese Hamncheese is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 57
10 yr Member
Hamncheese Hamncheese is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 57
10 yr Member
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EsthersDoll, thanks so much for your detailed response. I am sorry to hear of your struggle also.

I moved to LA - Culver City - from the East Coast last August for a new job and almost immediately became disabled due to a second concussion in Sept. and then a third in December.

I have Kaiser insurance and am in the process of transferring it to COBRA coverage since I am no longer working. I have tried to get an appt. at the UCLA TBI clinic, because I believe they are the experts in the area but it is very hard to get through their bureaucracy if you don't have PPO insurance. My mother said she would pay if necessary but that does not help in getting them to return our phone calls requesting an appt. I also have been approved for Medi-Cal, but they say it will take 90 days to get to the point where I can see UCLA doctors with it.

My Kaiser neurologist ordered a spinal tap but I was feeling so poorly on the day they scheduled it that I didn't go. If I knew what you just told me about how much it helped you, I would have gone and dealt with the resulting headache later. My neurologist said he did not see increased pressure when he looked into my eyes, so I thought the spinal tap was not really necessary. But maybe I was wrong, based on your experience.

I am seeing the Kaiser headache specialist April 7 and maybe I will get a diagnosis of the headaches from her. The headaches are across the front of my head. Not as low as the eyes.

I am also scheduled for an MRI next week. Not sure if that is necessary either since the last one after the 3rd concussion was normal and so was the EEG.

Can I ask who your endocrinologist is? It may save time to go to someone you recommend for our problem rather than trying to deal with the Kaiser doctors, who are more generalists. And my doctor is not familiar with multiple concussions - he is mystified by my symptoms.

The headache is my serious symptom. It is what is keeping me from walking and even talking. I have been unable to walk for 7 weeks, but the talking strict limitation is what got worse this week. I try to avoid any activity that gives me a headache and right now, that is almost everything. The pain is about 7/10.

Thanks again for all your good advice. Joe
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