I have been diagnosed with RSD in the left leg (knee, down). Simple injury at work when I hyperextended my left knee while running some stairs. Doctors couldn't figure out what was causing the pain in the back of the knee as I continued to work in some pain for 2 1/2 months. Exploratory surgery! Two times, after the first one did nothing. Waking from the second surgery was life-altering to say the least. I had never felt anything like it.

Indescribable pain.(I am a chef and am used to cuts and burns that hurt alot) Pain has taken on a new meaning. I have gone through the crutches, canes, PT, Lumbar Symp. Blocks, Fentanyl patches, Lyrica, contrast baths,needles in my affected limb, etc. Did I say life-altering? By the way,
I am 32 years old with two young children, one a 5 year old boy begging to run with Daddy.

Enough of that. This is a worker's comp. claim, so I do what they tell me to do. And I have. I saw an "independent"?????????medical doctor. He, in turn, gave me and the insurance company(who he works for) 22 pages of lies about my situation. Is this legal????? I guess so! I did what he said, as required by the system. On the second visit to the same doc (??????)he wrote in a report that I am "FINE, cut his benefits off and send him back to work". "It will help him Psychologically."

So I am cut off. What now? Time will tell. This is out of my hands now. I am going to continue pressing on as best I can, and run with my son and daughter in spirit. I will cheer them on. I am hoping that they don't remember the early times of this disease of moping and anger and feeling sorry. This is now in God's hands. He will do just fine with it.

I may have stirred a few things up here. I'll start by saying that, I live in the state of Kentucky. I have aquired an attorney and we are in the middle of a tug-of-war. I did not mean to sound as though I was bad mouthing the insurance adjuster. Even through all the junk that I have been through, I still tell doctors and my attorney to tell the adjuster hello and that I appreciate the assistance he gave me while I was allowed to speak with him. (once
hiring an attorney, you are no longer legally allowed to contact them) He was more than willing to speak with me on my terms. I educate myself to the situations I am in and I adapt to those situations as they arise. My adjuster went so far as to tell me what he would do in my shoes, and where to find information supporting those opinions.

I was also told that I needed a pulse rhizotomy and what led me to discussing
this option. According to my PM doctor, the SNB injections are given
in a series of up to 10 blocks. I was getting relief from them
anywhere from 1-7+ days. The injections were done once a week for
three weeks, skip two weeks, then again once a week for three. At
the beginning of the fifth, I was in some pretty serious pain
(nothing like the results of the earlier ones). They told before
beginning the series that if they stopped or lessened in the pain
relief that the injections would stop. I know that these injections
and their expectations are strictly based on indidual status. This,
like alot that we are dealing with, is case by case basis.

Pulse Rhizotomy is very similar to these injections. The difference
as I understand it, is that once the needle is in place at the nerve
chain ganglion, rather than injection medication, a wire is inserted
through the needle and radio waves are aimed to the same ganglion.
This deadens the nerve chain, "putting it to sleep", in hopes that as
it come back to full function "wakes up" it will reset and function
properly. The PM doctor told me that her success rate with this
varied from approximately 5% of people who leave feeling the same to
worse than before, 15% had worse pain upon leaving which slowly
became quite a bit better over the course of a week (once reaching
the "better" it remained better), 80% felt relief instantly upon
receiving the rhizotomy. She said that the procedure would usually
last, in whatever state it affected the patient, for one year at
which time they would repeat the rhizotomy.

The reason I don't know what the procedure could do is........
Worker's Comp denied the procedure then cut me off. An 80% success
risk sounds great to me. After all, I begged them to just get me
back to work. I have worked my way up from a dishwasher(starting
position)in a fast food joint, to the Executive Chef at many
restaurants and a lead position in one of the longest running 5-star
restaurants in the country. From the age of 13, I am a self
proclaimed workaholic. I would say that over my 17 years in the
rest. business, I average 80-90 hours per week. I love it. I just
wish they would ask anyone I have ever worked with or for. It would
be great to storm back into a kitchen. I have almost 2 years of a
bed, crutches and a cane to make up for. One more thing, I HAD
NEVER, IN THOSE SEVENTEEN PLUS YEARS, MISSED EVEN ONE DAY OF WORK. I have work ethic and I just wish someone would realize it.

->I guess the major issue I have with this whole ordeal is that the
insurance company has sent me to said doctor, he is an "independent"
examiner. For this "doctor" to come back to me with a report,
literally 22 pages of out and out lies regarding my injury. He
twisted my words or flat out omitted my words only to use his
instead. He started in the very first line of his report by stating
that I had said that I injured the opposite leg than the one I
injured. I won't get into all that he said, but when my PT read it he
was nearly as angry as I was. All the work he had been doing to help
me keep my RSD symptoms in somewhat control, he felt it was a slap in
the face. Two doctors who were treating me at the time were as well.
They filled me in on the Ind. Med. Examiner way of life. If your
insurance company gets to them first, they say what the ins. co.
wants to here. If the attorneys get there first guess what the
findings are. Neither is better in my opinion. I am an honest and
hardworking man and nothing can change that in me, no matter what
they do.

With the internet at our disposal you can find some pretty
interesting things about whomever you wish. I found that the expert
medical man that they were sending me to was a retired hand
surgeon/doctor. He was not in the interest of finding out what was
wrong with my knee, nor was he experienced in pain treatment. I
would have at least expected an orthopedist or PM experienced doc.
At least the "IME" that my lawyer is sending me to is a retired
PManagement doc. He spoke with obvious knowledge of the pain
aspect, he wasn't much more clear than the first on what to do about
the initial mechanical issue with my knee. I am interested to see
what his report has to say, I should have it this week.

One last thing, when I am able to retrieve the court dockets on the
insurance company's IME, and see that he has been involved in
overruling practicing doctors opinions in court(it is all out there
to find with a little snooping), and see how many time he has been
utilized as a tool of the insurance, it is rather sickening to me.

How is this legal. Do they not recall the Hypocratic oath that they
took? Not only do I feel that it is illegal practice, but I feel
that it is immoral. For the insurance company, and attorney the
same, to support such practice is where I say my issue lies. If
there is anything I can do about that I am open to suggestions. I am
not hopeful for resolve in this part of the game I am being forced to
play.

My medical and medicine and compensation has been stopped. I don't know exactly what will happen. The injury took place in April of 07. The
surgeries were in july and august. I didn't contact an attorney
until January of 08. The IME was in July of 08, the first one. He
recommended that I seek aquatic therapy and PT. I did both. I also
joined a local gym to try to work on some strengthening. My quads
will not strengthen. I saw the IME again in Oct. 08 He then said
that I was fine. There is nothing wrong with my knee. There is no
RSD, despite the ama guidelines. He says that I show no symptoms. I
have six other doctors that have documented that i do have ALL the
symptoms, or at least have had in the past. Here recently, with the
cold, the ones that had slacked off are coming back with a vengance.
I have a positive 3 phase bone scan, x rays showing osteopenia, MRI's
(three) showing progressive atrophy, and on and on and on. I do not
understand how this is legal. I think that is my main gripe through
this whole ordeal. Is there anyone I could complain to? I guess
not. As far a the video taping me, I have no knowledge of them doing
so. But, if they would I will put on a tracking ankle bracelet to
let them know where I am at all times. If they think that my life
the way I live it, is that of an average 32 year old man (let alone a
workaholic, verifiable by anyone I have EVER worked with), I would
love for them to video tape it and take it to the judge when I get
there. I am very uneasy about going into court. Not for anything
that I have to hide or am exagerating, but rather for fear that the
judge is somehow involved in this crazy game like the IME's and the
lawyers. I have a real hard time trusting anyone involved in this,
after all it is affecting the future of my children. A future that I
was well on my way to providing them and now it is all just withering
away. I will do the best I can and leave the rest in the hands of the
man up above. This has been great talking with you today and
tonight. I can tell that there are some knowledgable and forthright
people on this group and I look forward to talking with you all.
Oh and I still go to the gym on my own for now. The contract is up
end of January. I have no compensation so it will end too.


I look forward to chatting with some of you on the page here. After just a few days I can tell that this is going to help precicely when I need it. Thank you all for putting up with my rant. It feels good to punch this out on a keyboard. It made me feel better to get some things off my chest that I try to keep bottled up around family. Thanks J.