Am I the Only AIr Bag Concussion?
 

I feel very very alone and unlucky. No one in the world I have ever talked to has had airbag injuries. I worked so very hard to overcome so much. Terrible abuse, a childhood illness, many things......Now an airbag ruins my life?

I am not going to make this. It is not the head stuff that bothers me as much as my teeth. They are dying (all in the front, of course) and will SOMETIME, after a lot of torture, go. Then I will look terrible as I do not have $20,000 to fix them.

After all I have endured, to have it come to this, I will say I am suicidal every day. I really really am not going to live toothless. Just because of an AIRBAG

okrad,

You need to have somebody you can reach out to. There are usually mental health programs at the county or state health and welfare office.

Dead teeth take quite some time to show a difference, IF they ever do. Mine never changed color. And, they do not fall out just because they died. I had no sensation that they were dying or had died. The dead roots were discovered by a dental X-ray at a routine check-up. I had good dental insurance so they were fixed. Those teeth have been dead for over 45 years.

Maybe you need to get a second opinion about your teeth.

I think somebody has given you some overly dramatic information about your teeth just like that airbag video you saw.

As you said, your attorney is pushing to increase your claim. But, if you pay for dental work and only get dollar for dollar reimbursement, the attorney will take 30%. You need somebody local to help you understand this arrangement so you don't have to just accept what the attorney says.

It sounds like you have plenty of toughness to make it through this ordeal. Find a counselor or therapist to talk with and you will make it through fine.

No, my attorney has explained to me the whole Medicare Set Aside. I will be getting almost next to nothing even if I do go in for more and more. It's a vile thing. Because I was already on Medicare, they get to ask for set asides. And it can be as much as the whole award and you can look online where sometimes it even EXCEEDS the award! So no, no incentive there.

Yes, I have a lot of MH ......shrink, therapist, advocate etc. But it is not overly helpful. We are not all starting and the same place. I was already disabled and the last thing I needed was an accident, and then to have most my injuries from an AIRBAG?? It's laughable. Sometimes we have had enough and I will have to wager that in my own mind. For now, I hate the fact that I survived and the platitudes people tell me like, "HEy you can make it. " 40,000 people are year (in the US alone) don't kill themselves just for giggles.

The teeth cannot be fixed in an effective way because of my previous disability. THe Powers That Be knew that. No drama there.

From what I understand, Medicare Set Asides are at the Medicare rates, not the hospital billings. They keep costs down substantially. Serious injury claims often ask for 10 times medical bills and property losses and hope to settle for 5 times medical bills and property losses.

My Mother-in-Law and her husband are in the same boat with Medicare due to an illegal left turn in front of their car No airbags went off. Just back, hip and chest injuries that have taken months to heal but will never heal completely.

Are you on Medicare due to retirement or disability ? I'm on disability due to concussions.

I think you need to get help getting off the AIR BAG issue. If it had not been for the air bag, I cringe to think of your injuries. Air bags reduce injuries. They do not prevent all injuries. Your air bag angst is making things worse. Your non-face and head injuries were not from the airbag.

My wife told me she has a friend who ate the steering wheel before air bags and all of her front teeth were knocked out and she had to wait for all of the healing for the implant studs to grow in before she could even get her crowns. She did not have a choice because of all the damage done. You could very likely just have dead teeth that can be crowned if needed.

Will you car insurance pay your dental bills then get reimbursed from your legal claim against the other party ? That is how my mother-in-law is doing it.

No it is all out of pocket which I cannot do and lawyer says cannot do "futures". Your mother in law was lucky to have them all knocked out at once. if that had happened, I could get on with it. As it is, it is a slow thing. One here, then another, and one may last ten years and then go and another 5 years.

I don't know how it will go.

Yes, you are right. I am fixated on the airbag and will be for a long long time because to me, it hurt me. I have the first psych appt since this happened because I could not find one. But when the lump on breast showed up, OH then they all came flying SOOO maybe I can get on some meds to help me get to a better coping place. With the conscussion stuff I have to be careful but she is a very large and well known hospital so I am sure she has seen it all

My roommate has been very weird about it all and is like, 'Oh, a concussion? I would not worry about THAT" like it is nothing. I have learned to keep my mouth shut. The "YOU LOOK FINE" thing. I am sorry, this is not easy to deal with. I cannot even clean up my room right now. Grrr

Sorry to dump. Waiting till Thurs and shrink. I hope to be in a better place. Thank you for listening to all this. NO ONE GETS IT out here!!!!

I don't understand what would cause a tooth to go in 5 or 10 years. A dead tooth can last decades. Mine have lasted over 45. My wife has two front teeth that have been dead over 50 years. Both of us damaged our teeth in bicycle falls as children.

I do understand about the stress of your lump. I hope your biopsy comes out well. I've had a dozen for skin. Others in my family have also had to deal with lumps that were very stressful.

btw, My life changing concussion happened when I took a bad step off a curb. I landed with my knee locked and back arched and jarred from my pelvis to my head. The neurological changes made it so I struggle to drive and have severe memory deficits. So, I know what it means to be injured by something that does not appear injurious.

Okrad,

Teeth can take a good bit of trauma without resulting in loss. I did dental lab work for 30 years and saw plenty of resilience in the human body.

My son has a dead front tooth from a sports fall at 12 years old 22 years ago, it looks fine and is still in place without any problems.

I sure feel for your situation and wish you the best of results, stay calm and stay involved with those helping you.

Bud

Yeah, the dentist did not give specific time frame but the trouble is they hurt. Like throbbing and stuff. However, for all I know it could be assciated with nerves in the face. A lot of tooth pain is really from TN. I am sure hanging on to them as long as I can!

Hi Okrad. I don't have much to add but I hope you find some peace and get healthy in time.

Okrad,

My upper left side teeth hurt for over a year after my accident.

They are still seve as an early Warning signal of a "disturbance in the force approaching" By way of a dull ache.

Bud