Vision Therapy Evaluation Scheduled
 

I have a vision therapy evaluation scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

The Dr. just wants to start with a one hour evaluation to see if there's a reason to do a longer evaluation.

I'm excited to think it might help me and nervous about it at the same time.

Neither my health insurance or my vision insurance covers the cost of the evaluation or therapy. It's really weird to realize that managed health care (HMO's and PPO's) are not set up to help people who sustain mild traumatic brain injuries adequately or even in a timely manner. I think this is something most people don't realize until they have to deal with a mTBI personally.

Good luck - Hopefully it's not too expensive?

I've discovered that "not too expensive" is relative. When I was working full time, I wouldn't think it was that much and would spring for it if I needed it. Since I'm not working full time and can't even afford to pay for my own rent or gasoline, it seems like a lot.

The 1 hour evaluation will cost me $185, but that's because it includes the annual $50 exam that is covered by my vision insurance. If it's decided that I need more evaluations, I'll need to pay more.

Then the therapy can cost a lot of money on top of that, if it's determined that it can help me.

Luckily, I'm getting financial help from my boyfriend who's supporting me until I'm able to work full time again. (I owe him a lot of money at this point. Well, I owe him and other sources even more...)

We think if it can help me to recover faster and better than I would without it, at this point (22 months after the accident), then it will be worth it. We both are just feeling very desperate to have me better than I am and closer to my functioning level before the accident.

By the by, I'm also disappointed to learn how inadequate the average auto insurance policy is towards paying for someone to recover from a mTBI. :mad:

Are you appealing their initial decisions? Like many types of insurance, they will often reject claims outright at first but end up paying if you are persistent enough and provide them with lots of documentation. Perhaps you have already done this; I thought it was worth mentioning just in case you haven't, or in case others aren't aware of this.

I'm involved in a lawsuit, so there hasn't been any kind of decisions made that I'm aware of at this point.

I'm generally speaking about the fact that the man who caused the accident that gave me the concussion that I'm still recovering from was covered for less than a tenth of what this accident has cost me so far. I don't think the mandated "minimum coverage" coverage is enough to pay for a mTBI, and I think mTBI's in auto accidents are somewhat common, so it disturbs me. I don't think people who drive really understand how much insurance they should have or how much money it will cost to rehabilitate someone they accidentally injure.

I just think that society isn't yet knowledgeable about concussions enough to be prepared for them like they are broken bones. And this frustration is just a part of that line of thinking.

in canada, the minimum liability for insurance is one million.... I cannot believe that the guy who hit you doesn't have enough coverage to make sure that you are taken care of.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Why can't people in the states have insurance like that?

I think the guy that caused the accident that I was injured in was only covered for $20,000.

It's such a mess. I don't want to be involved in a lawsuit. But, at the same time, I'm not able to work like I used to. And I feel like I've lost so much time trying to get better that I was planning on using towards advancing my career and education. I'm an ambitious and impatient person... almost two years to get not even half of myself back is just a bit depressing at times. The good news is that I'm still getting better - so there's hope!

Yeah, I'm filing a lawsuit as well, and while the other guy's insurance hasn't yet disclosed to my lawyer his liability limit, I'm guessing it is low. From what I hear, it's so hard to get adequate compensation for mTBIs anyway that it may not make much difference; with an "invisible" injury such as ours, we have a very high legal burden of proof in establishing and quantifying damages.

I figure that even if I were to recover tomorrow, it would take millions of dollars to compensate me for the hell this has put me through and the damage it has done to my career. (Think about it: Knowing what you know now, if you could go back to before your injury, how much would someone have to pay you in order for you to willingtly go through all of this?) I'm trying to accept the fact that there is no way I will be adequately compensated for the damage this has done to my life and the suffering it has caused me. The best I can hope for is something to slightly offset what I have lost.

What about your own car insurance? Is it helping to cover your expenses?

My car insurance will cover up to $10,000 in medical expenses, plus I have $100,000 in underinsured motorist coverage. (A lot of people don't realize they have this. Be sure to check and see if you have it and for how much.)

Getting stuff covered under my own insurance is a real hassle. I have to pay first out of pocket, then get a statement from the clininc showing that I paid (and these statements are invariably vague, which forces me to submit additional documentation from my medical records, even though my insurance company has access to them).

At any rate, in my original comment I was referring to reimbursement from one's own insurance company, aside from settlement issues. One has to be persistent and submit thorough paperwork, even if they already have it (such as the relevant medical records) if one is to get reimbursement. If they deny the reimursement claim initially, you can often still get it covered if you submit additional paperwork.

I pay the extra $30 a year to have $2 million liability. Seems worth it to me. I carry the same on the house and far too... Never know when something bad will happen!!
Starr

How did your appointment go?

Starr

Apparently, I have to wait for the settlement from the guy who caused the accident before I can make a claim from my own insurance company for underinsured motorist. Even if I am awarded the entire amount that he and I was covered for, it will not cover all the medical bills. My HMO is seeking reimbursement for my care from this accident. I underwent a LOT of different treatments, therapies, tests and had to see a lot of different professionals. And I'm still not done with it...

I actually switched auto insurance companies because of this accident. I am very unhappy with how the first company handled my injury - insisting that I continue to pay for auto insurance even though I was instructed by my Dr. not to drive for over a year - my license was suspended for months by the DMV. It was absurd. I also kept telling them that I was recovering from a concussion and that I couldn't talk over the phone or fill out forms and they kept bugging me in the first several weeks or months... they just didn't get it at all. I had to sign a Power of Attorney for my dad to handle stuff like that for me. I was unable to read or fill out forms for a long time.

I'm ok, I'm not really that worried about it. I have my boyfriend, I still have my job, and I have a good family and friends and a great prognosis. It's just that every once in a while, this stuff really bothers me. And sometimes I get anxious over it. But I'm doing surprisingly well, despite it all. :)

I have thought about it. There is NO amount that I could be given to agree to go through what I have gone through. The first six months after the accident I was in such severe pain that I could not speak or move. The concussion I sustained caused me to have increased intracranial pressure and that is considered to be "unbearable" by medical professionals according to what I've read. It was unbearable.

All of my muscles atrophied as a result. Before the accident, I was able to lift 100lbs, I have a 75 lb, weight lifting requirement where I work and I'm not able to lift more than 15 lbs. right now because all my muscles atrophied and I'm too fatigued to exercise properly. I used to have so much energy people used to ask me where I got all of it from.

I saw more than 25 medical professionals within the first year. They can all testify to my level of functioning that they witnessed. I was in the hospital for over two weeks. I don't think I have a huge burden of proof - although I feel for those who do. It is quite obvious that I am not functioning normally to most people who pay attention - and I'm talking about people who didn't know me before the accident. I also have 15 years of professional witnesses who can testify to my previous level of functioning compared to my current one. The injury I sustained was not totally "invisible" because medical practitioners could see the improvements I made on a week by week basis after the iicp was relieved. I spoke with a stutter and with slurred speech for many months because of this injury. Even when I spoke without a slur or stutter, I was very slow. (I still feel very slow, I can't keep up with a lot of TV shows and I work in entertainment - that's just not normal for someone in a position like mine.) And my speech was so messed up people literally thought I was from Eastern Europe because it sounded like I had an accent when I spoke. I'm from Southern California! Just yesterday, someone asked me about it and said I had a slight Swede accent; they want to know which exotic place I'm from. Everything is getting better, but it's SLOW to improve.

Quantifying the damages is a weird one... I'm most concerned with "loss in quality of life" because I feel like this injury has greatly reduced the quality of my life in so many ways!

But really, I just want to be normal again. I care a lot less about the money. But I would appreciate to not being in so much debt. I also think I deserve some kind of compensation. But what I would like more is to be able to work like I could before the accident so I can pay off the debt. My work is where I get my fulfillment in life and I would love to feel as good about what I can accomplish as I used to. Of course, my career has been set back too - I was offered a better job just days after the accident I was in. But, I may not receive any compensation from the lawsuit - and that's the reality of it. So, whether I do or not, I think I've already come to terms with the fact that it will not be adequate. No amount can be adequate for what I have gone through and continue to go through. My biggest concern is to function as close to what I was before the accident. That will make me happier than anything else.

What I'm trying to say, is that I totally understand what you're talking about.

I think it went well.

She was able to articulate issues that I've been dealing with but was unable to really put my finger on, let alone communicate them! Vision is something I took for granted that it just worked. What she said made me feel vindicated and very hopeful.

The evaluation really tuckered me out. The doctor said it's obvious that my eyes are overcompensating, or having trouble, focusing and that it's taking a lot of my energy as a result. My eyes are able to do 3 reps of a task that the average person can do 10-12 of in the same amount of time but that it takes me a lot more energy. She said she could see how tired I was getting.

She said the therapy can help me a great deal. She's recommending we start with 16 sessions. I will be reevaluated on my 8th or 12th session.

I'm very motivated to get better. My speech therapist was amazed at the progress I made each week. (I did my "homework" and apparently that's uncommon.) I'm hoping vision therapy goes the same for me.

Now, I just need to be able to get a ride to her office since I'm unable to drive myself. :)

Wow- fourth post in a row! :eek:

I forgot to mention that I wasn't fully tested... the testing I had was only an hour long. She said I may have trouble in other areas but we'll figure them out as I work in therapy.

She also said that my eyesight is fine and my eye health looks good. She said I might need reading glasses (boo), but that using them now would actually be detrimental to the vision therapy and rehabilitation.

My lawyer is trying to get my auto insurance to cover bills and loss of wages for now, but it's a long stretch since I wasn't driving at the time, but leaving my car. The accident happened in a school parking lot, and I believe there are two of us suing for a slip and fall on the ice from the same day. Their insurance is good, so I'm not worried. We have a free healthcare system in Canada, so I don't pay for anything except my drugs and vision care, but those are reimbursed through my husbands work medical insurance.

I cannot imagine trying to make my way through this without insurance, or free medical care... The settlement I'll get at the end will cover loss of wages and suffering.... And I won't need to use it to pay off medical bills, which makes me happy.... but again, how DO you quantify losses? I've only been at this for 12 weeks.... I hope that by September I'll be mostly recovered.... but who knows... I've been unable to do all the things that I enjoy in life for the most part, plus this has messed with our fertility treatments... because my hormones are off, I'm not doing treatments this month! How do you put a price tag on that? I'm not sure you do. Also, I was 100 hours away from qualifying for EI (maybe UI for you guys). I now will no longer get MAternity leave pay if I DO get PG, and since my work is seasonal, I won't get paid for not working this summer. And lastly, here in Ontario, if you get employment insurance, you can apply to have EI pay for you to go back to school, or you can get regular premiums while in university if you can prove that you are available to work full time while doing school.... Just the payments for school alone is worth about 30 grand! It's frustrating.... I'm still going to school, but now I have to pay for it on my own, with no income, and wait for an insurance settlement which will hopefully take all these factors into account.

Sounds like it went very well! That's great that she thinks you will benefit from the therapy!

All this talk about eyes is motivating me to make an appointment to get mine tested. I *think* they are ok, but I also know with just regular prescription changes its hard to notice that you're having problems, never mind when I'm feeling scrambled upstairs!!

Starr