Please help!
 

I have had minor cuncussions in the past. Last one prior to this was about a year ago. Now had a major fall at work resulting in loss of conscience for unsure time frame. Spent days in hospital had ct scans and mri all negative. Workers comp nurse wanted me to go to inpatient care. But drs sentence home. Have major headaches. ( never had prior) very unbalanced memory loss , irritability, sensitive to light and trying to walk up a flight of stairs. Fallen twice. It's been almost 3 weeks and nothing is improving. My fear is my job and the ability to perform it safely ( currently still out of work) I am an Hvac technician which requires me to climb ladders,go into dark attics back to bright lights and working around 240 volt electricity. This is all I've done for over 20 years. My home health nurse insist I should be better and without directly implying my symptoms are in my head. Even asking us if we were financially challenged are we paying our bills or filing for bankruptcy. Any suggestions sorry for rant.

Welcome Mike...

sorry you are going through this! Advocate for yourself... if you have to get a lawyer do it... WC can be a hard cookie to crack! I know we have several people on here who are dealing with WC and have even gone back and were injured again...

yup got to love wc doctors. My employee is self insured. Therefor they pay all the bills themselves. I cannot get into a good neuro because they dont pay their bills. The new dr I went to see last week said they heard rumors. Out of our 25 minute long appt, 3/4 of it was being harassed and told they will not see me again unless my job pays immediately.

Oh, and I can no longer use the pharmacy I was told today when I went to pick up my scripts. They said this is the last time until they pay up.

Yum.

Mike,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your fall.

WC can be difficult. The home health nurse is way out of line. Nobody ever gets rich off a WC claim.

Are you working with a Neuro Rehab doctor and clinic/hospital ? This would be worthwhile. A Neuro Rehab doctor would be called a Physiatrist or specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

What state are you in ? WC laws differ by state. In some states, after a certain period of time, you can find your own doctor and not be stuck with the WC docs.

They should be checking out your neck, especially your upper neck. C-1 and C-2 can be the cause of many problems. The injury can be very subtle and not show up on a CT or MRI. Gentle Physical Therapy or Chiropractic often helps. An upper cervical chiro would be best.

It would be worthwhile to find a WC attorney with experience in head injuries. You will probably need one.

Getting a NeuroPsychological Assessment would be worthwhile. It will quantify your cognitive and other such symptoms.

What have they told you to do while you are off work ?

You should be avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners. It would be good if you can find some manual activities to do. Playing solitaire with real cards, knitting/crocheting, other hand crafts, are good gentle stimulation.

We have a vitamin regimen at the top in the Vitamins sticky that many of us find helpful. The injured brain needs good nutrition.

Please stay in touch. We are here to support you.

My best to you.

Mark, thank you for response. I live in South Carolina. They have checked neck. I am going to neurologist today. The workers comp nurse / case manager is pushing for inpatient rehab. I'd not even thought of workers comp lawyer but you very well may be correct. If my symptoms persist for a long period of time my job requires me to be 100 percent. Climbing ladders working in dark attics. Not to mention troubleshooting a broken air conditioner or gas furnace.. With 240 volts and natural gas. I need to be precise and be able to remember things I've done. The home health nurse was totally out of line and he is not welcomed back into our home. Even the case manager from workers comp agreed. Again thank you. Mike. ( Laura) I am mikes wife

I doubt they checked the neck completely. As I said, a CT Scan or MRI will not identify the subtle injury to C-1 and C-2 that is common to a concussion. A way to tell if he needs treatment for an upper neck injury can be simple. Does he have tenderness to touch behind his ears ? If so, the muscles are spasming, likely due to an upper neck injury. A study revealed that 85% of concussions include an upper neck injury that is often undiagnosed.

Sometimes, a simple Range of Motion test can point to a neck issue. Can he turn his head to each side the same amount ? A Physical Therapist can do this ROM test with precision.

In the mean time, Mike should be very disciplined to sleep and rest with his head and neck in a straight posture position. No thick pillows lifting his head. No sleeping on his side with his head hanging to the side.

Unfortunately, in SC, you have to stay with the WC doctor assigned to you.

My best to you both.

Mark,

Update on mikes nereuologist appointment today. Dr confirmed diagnosis of pcs. He claims this could take awhile. My question is could some of these debilitating symptoms be permanent? The dr told workers comp case worker to stop physical therapy until he can function better. Do you feel as though retaining a workers comp lawyer is in our best interest? They are paying us and for these visits. But my fear is his demanding job and if these symptoms never leave or if they return when he's climbing a ladder or in an attic. Also his job requires to read and be able to follow schematics and remember what he just read. Very confused laura

O and he was given amtriptiline to help with bed time

At only 3 weeks post injury, he still has lots of time to heal. Why was he kept in the hospital ? What symptoms were manifesting during those days ?

What kind of physical therapy is he getting ?

What symptoms are the worst now ?

You can "interview" some wc attys to see what they say.. don't sign anything until you check them out after talking with each one...

If he had treatment in the past for same thing, and there are records on it, it will be harder to prove claim overall. wc uses any past injuries to blame if possible.

It is hard to predict what long term effects there may be if any , just the way it is..

Usually they won't declare anything as , or close a claim final until the symptoms are stable.. and that often takes time.

My multiple RSI claim took 2 yrs+...