HI everyone,
Just wanted to let everyone know that I am still dealing with huge problems on My right side still. I had an appmnt. set up with the ortho surgeon for Feb. 4 and I had seen my atty. on Saturday. We were having a good conversation until my pm docs referral for me to c the ortho doc which is named dr. Cassel. When the attny. heard that name he practically flipped out. He said #1 you don't have a bone problem you have a neurological problem. The ortho especially dr. Cassel you may as well shoot urself in the foot. You don't need an ortho you need a pain specialist. He said my pm doc is just trying to wash his hands of me cuz of my wc case and he said doc Cassel will do the same thing and then everything we have been fighting for will be in the gutter. He told me "You will not see Dr. Cassel!" I will send you to a crps specialist in Des Moines. He is not very happy that I agreed to take the appmnt. The only thing is b4 I did anything I called the attnys. office and talked to Tammy 1st and I was oked to see my pm doc. My pm doc then was going to set the referral up to the ortho for me. After I got out from my pm docs office that day I called my attnys. office and told them what he wanted to do.I at that point talked to Jessica ( the one I don't care for in that office) and told her everything including mentioning Dr. Cassel. While speaking with my attny. I tried to tell him that I called after getting out of my pm docs office and all he could do was say i don't care you will not see Dr. Cassel.I finally did get him to listen after about 20 mins. of him getting anxious as he called it. Once he heard what I had to say he said that well then Jessica didn't tell him everything then. I thought to myself if you would have let me talk the first time it would have saved the anxiousness with him and me feeling like I really messed up. Then he did finally apologize for getting anxious but that I WILL NOT SEE DR. CASSEL. I told him I understand. and that is how the visit ended. I was not to pleased with him that day and still not today either. I told him all I want to do is get some relief for the pain. I am tired of dealing with so much pain. It is real difficult. So they are suppose to get something set up with the crps doc in Des Moines. I think he is getting a little concerned because he needs to try and get everything prepared for Feb. 15 because of wc wanting to do a mediation. We have known about this for quite sometime but the attny. waited til the last minute which is not my fault it is his.I know I shouldn't point fingers but this is the truth. So yeah this is how things are progressing in that area.
As far as me and how I am feeling it sucks. I wish I could feel better but I know that is not possible. So I deal with it the best I can.
Thanks for listening to me babble on and caring enough to read this. YOu all take care and hope to see some comments on anyones thoughts.

Sincerely,
Tracy

It's so hard to keep everything coordinated, I think my wc atty wanted to know before hand if I was sent to other docs.
Mine was a Repetitive strain injury.

Was there a reason for the ortho to be seen?
Did something show up in xray or MRI to suggest a bone related problem.

I guess I am with the atty about going to see a ortho unless there is a real cause to do so.
but he should have asked for all the facts before getting upset at you.
It's easy enough to cancel an appt.

Unfortuantely, your attorney knows what's best from a LEGAL point-of-view, and if we want the funds we deserve to deal with this painful beast, we are at thier mercy. I have RSD in all four limbs as a result of severe nerve damage following a car accident 3 years ago. My 1st attorney (I switched to another) was so abusive to me when it came to my medical care. At the time, I was dealing with caring for a baby and a toddler, dealing with an angry watchful boss struggling to do my full-time job, going to PT (which hurt like hell), a husband (former drug addict) stealing my pain meds, and not to mention, being in agonizing pain 24-7 with doctors telling me there was nothing wrong He was simply trying to build a cast that looked good on paper, realizing that a jury or the average joe on a deciding panel does not give a sh&t what you've been through or what you have to say. The proof will be in the pudding....the diagnostic tests. Luckily for me, I met a wonderful doctor who got me the proper testing done, finding severe nerve damage, telling me as he read the results "Wow, you are a lot worse than I thought you were. I can't believe that you are doing all the things you're doing." VINDICATION!!!

Anyhow, since then, I've switched attorneys to a more compassionate one (but, he is also more slack, and nothing has moved at all in a year's time). My point to you is, you need to see from your lawyers point-of-view and experience, what he needs in his hands to go in and fight for you. If it's a waste of time for you to go to an Ortho, who will say you are "okay", that will work against you on paper. You want to see a doctor who will document something for your attorney to work with.

Best of Luck to you. Not a fun process Vanna

I do agree with what you guys are saying about my attny. but in the other hand before he got anxious when he heard the ortho's name he could have let me finish talking so he knew that I was doing everything I could on my part to keep in contact and give them all the info I had and then decided from there how to respond.
I have been seeing this pm doc for years now. He is the authorized doc that wc will pay for. I thought that since he is the one that made the referral after talking to my attny.s office that I had to see him. I knew he wasn't going to be able to help me but since the pm doc is wc's authorized doc that I had to see him. The attny. did tell me that we will find a way to get out of that appmnt. but he wasn't sure just how yet.
Just out of the blue after waking up one morning my whole right side was in a lot of pain and I don't know why. I didn't do anything to it. i was fine the day before and the next I wasn't. It hurts to turn to look behind me,to get out of a seated position,to bend over,etc. I don't know why all of a sudden my right side started to act that way when the rsd started in my left hand up to my shoulder. All my pm doc could tell me was that I may have tendovitis or arthritis or something like that so he was going to refer me to an ortho surgeon. I was really mad when I left his office that day. He didn't give me any thing to try and help ease up on the pain at all. I am now about a month or a little more into dealing with this pain and it is getting very old. i did ask the pm doc if he could give me something for just the mean time to help even a little and he said no. I do agree with what my attny. said it is just the way he went about it that upset me. I know it has nothing to do with my bones. I have had rsd long enough that I would be able to tell if it were a bone pain or not. Just prior to all this happening I was having MAJOR lower back pain. I could barely walk or move. I was laid up on my back for 1 and a half months due to the pain. In and out of ER 5 times until they finally said go see your pm doc. I ended up getting a total of 6 steroidal injections in my lower back from my pm doc in 3 weeks time and yes it did help but didn't take it completely away but at least it is tolerable. So if anyone has any idea on what might have happened or if you think there may be a connection between what happened to my back and now my right side please give me your feedback. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
You all take care.

Sincerely,
Tracy

I couldn't recall where your injury/rsd was, thanks for mentioning it.

How did it begin in your hand & arm?
Do you know what triggered it?

Was it an acute injury of some sort or a repetitive motion type injury?

I'm just concerned that you could also have a RSI or TOS injury along with your RSD.

I just wonder about that when I see hand/arm injury..

I went thought the same thing you are doing the best advice i can give you is try to settle down ortho doctors are not good RSD Doctors , when my doctor want to send me to some one different I tell my doctor i would like to think about it then I email my lawyer and tell him who they want to send me to ( they know if these doctor will stick up for you or not). this way it will not hurt my case i know you are in a lot of PAIN I have had this DRAGON now for 31 years and I'm still here I started when I was years old and they did not now what was wrong with me. and STRESS is not good for this condition try to stay claim and things will work out hope this helps and you are in my heart and prayers.

I know it is really hard when you feel like you are getting cut off from anyone but there is a reason that your attorney does not want you to see Dr. C. Perhaps Dr. C has a reputation as being a "defense whore," one who will cut you off at the knees based on who is buttering his bread and your attorney has had a bad experience with him. Ask him!

Although, I have seen it sometimes work in favor of the patient when you use a DW as your treating physician. Sort of one of those, "buyer beware" things...

In any event, I would follow your attorney's advice. He is your advocate, in a way, who likely only gets paid if the judge finds in your favor.

I got my rsd while I was working. I was doing a repetitive type of work and while putting a divider with perforations in a 4 1 gallon box the divider broke at the perforation and I sustained a severe twist to my left hand/wrist. I had warned the head people at work that someone was going to get hurt if they didn't change the dividers because it wasn't only happening to me but other employees.But they refused to change it because they said cheaper is better. The day after I got hurt they decided to change the dividers. I was not diagnosed with rsd until 3 yrs. later. Now I suffer because they wouldn't listen to me which I feel is unfair, but it happened and now I have to deal with it. Yes i am fighting wc because a little over a yr. after my injury i brought back permanent restrictions and they fired me. I was under doctors care while I was working,but it didn't matter. To make it clear we settled out of court just over 2 yrs. ago with an open file for my rsd but they renigged on it so now I am having to fight them again.It has been a long haul. I fought the first time for 4 yrs. and now am working on being 3 yrs. with the second one. I am not trying to scare anyone but this is facts that have happened to me. Not every case is the same but it has been a very long haul for me. We are still paying full price for meds which are costing between $700-$900 a month. Yea I turn the reciepts into my attny. but that doesn't pay our bills.I have to wait to get my money in the end. It a long ruff road to travel but some how I find the strength somewhere. Sometimes I wonder where I find it but its there sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it.
What is RSI and TOS? I haven't heard of it but i have seen it on a lot of postings with the exception of RSI. Sorry if that sounds silly.
You all take care and hope to talk to you soon.

Sincerely,
Tracy

Oh no it's not silly -
RSI is just short for repetitive strain injury
and
TOS is short for thoracic outlet syndrome.

they can be related- my RSI kind of evolved into TOS because I kept being returned to a full duty repetitive job after I mor or less recovered from my acute RSIs. The 10 hr days and speed of assembly production work just kept piling on a little more injury everyday until it became a chronic thing.

Oh that so stinks that they settled with you and now are playing games, just stinks !