Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Thoracic Outlet Syndrome/Brachial Plexopathy. In Memory Of DeAnne Marie.


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Old 06-05-2007, 02:32 PM #1
JAMY JAMY is offline
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JAMY JAMY is offline
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Default My Update

It's been a while - but I have promised an update.

I had 1st rib removal (right side) the end of March. I had some sort of reaction (which was pretty scarey stuff...) in pre-op however surgery went on as scheduled. Surgery took about two hours and after a few hours in recovery I was sent to the 'step down unit' for two days. My post-op notes read something about a 'division of the right diaphragm' which is apparently why they had to keep me the extra day.

Pain control in the hospital was pretty good. The pain pump I had at first made me quite sick and then the IV fell out, but once I got on oral meds I was doing pretty good. I am still on painkillers - Oxycodone, Oxycontin and Toradol as well as Gabapentin. I will admit, the pain appears to be worse now then before surgery which can be a bit tough to handle at times.

Despite the pain I have noticed some dramatic improvements...as soon as I was in the recovery room my hand had much better circulation - the color and temperature were vastly improved!

So I slept a lot after surgery, watched lots of movies and took it easy. I lost about 15 lbs out of the gate then I ended up with pneumonia...the antibiotics made me pretty sick but I have seemed to have recovered from that.

I am working with a physiotherapist now and a cranio sacral MT and will start back with my regular MT at the end of the month. I am still off work and my doc figures that I will be for at least 6 more months. I find the most time I can spend at the computer is about an hour.

I have been making some strides with my insurance companies...however my application for LTD was denied and I was told I should already be back at work and that the max recovery time is 8 weeks! HAHA

I want to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes. I have lots of questions as I recover and I hope everyone will continue to offer their advice.
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Old 06-07-2007, 02:30 AM #2
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Hey,

regarding your LTD, I had a similar thing just happen. It was entirely bs.

What I did was ask that they send me my entire policy AND any/all addenda.

I then read each word, and with a highlighter, found the portions pertaining to our argument.

I got documents to prove my side of the facts. I sent it with a complete letter, sent cert. mail, and describing the add'l. docs enclosed. I did this within their 30 day appeal time.

I've had 1/2 of the argument fixed and reversed, and now we're waiting for the other half. If I have to, within the time frame, I will hire an insurance plaintiff's attorney. But I don't think I'll have to.

My insurance co. was TOTALLY wrong with their dates and amounts. So don't assume they know what they're doing.

Check that LTD out again, and also check with your benefits person at work in writing to see if there are ANY OTHER policies which would cover you for a work injury, surgery, non-work injury, etc. I don't know if you've filed w/c, but I'd go see a w/c attorney in my area if applicable.

Best of luck.
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Old 06-07-2007, 02:32 AM #3
tshadow tshadow is offline
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Default

PS - try to stay off of the computer for a year. Rest your surgical arm. I do believe the computer caused my injury and worsens it any time I am "sitting" at it. (Some people lay down and use voice control.)

God bless. I had surgery over a year ago, and the 9 - 12 mos. saw some changes.
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Old 06-07-2007, 12:34 PM #4
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I think Tam has good suggestions on dealing the ins co - don't trust that they are telling the truth or that they even know what they are doing!

misinformation and dare I say* incompetence* will abound from all ins co, drs offices and staffers! {not all but the majority}

So do double check everything for your self - a pain I know.
I wish I knew all this stuff years ago -that I have learned thru the years on the forum.
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Old 06-07-2007, 01:50 PM #5
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Default Hi, Jamy!

i want to thank you for posting and letting us know how you are doing post-op. so happy for you that the surgery helped so dramatically in your case; it gives so many of us hope to hear that. but it is slow-going in not only immediate recovery from that major TOS surgery but the loooong rehab process. i don't care WHAT the big, bad insurance company says!

and you are doing so many great things for yourself post-op. i love it! keep up the good work. i know you will keep reaping the benefits, jamy. you've suffered with TOS for a long time, and it may be tough - and take a long time - to get you back on the road to good health. but you are so strong. and you so deserve all the wonderful progress you are making. you will get there! of that i have no doubt.

i think it's fabulous we are able to benefit from tamara's legal expertise, and that she has felt well enough recently to share with us and be so generous with her experience and thoughts in this complex area of the law. i would read her posts very, very carefully if i were you.

if i remember correctly, jamy, you are a canuck? so some of the W/C stuff may not fit precisely, but the LTD stuff generally works the same way, the broad strokes at least if i'm not mistaken...well an insurance policy is an insurance policy is an insurance policy, isn't it. so she's absolutely correct, the first step is to make sure you have a complete and accurate copy of that policy and any so-called addendums to it.

don't hurt yourself reading it either! get a cheap music stand, a magnifying glass (for they love that fine print, don't they...hoping we won't read it, i suspect), good reading light - and have at it, my good woman!

sounds like you have plenty of medical professionals who will back you up on your side of the claim. and that is always an excellent thing. i have the pleasure of knowing tam a little, and speaking for myself i would be happy to help you too if i can if you get stuck.

it's not always necessary to go out and hire a freakin' attorney to fight these stupid things. they just like to frighten us laypeople and make us think that it is (no offense to tam or anyone else; hell, she'd probably agree with me on that one).

so fear not, jamy, keep fighting the good fight in your rehab - just be mindful like tamara has stated in her other post of any "ticking clock" in terms of a time period within which you must respond, in writing (always best, and by certified mail or the canadian equivalent!) to your LTD insurance co.'s (in my opinion) ridiculous claim that you should have been back to work by now...

you do NOT want to risk losing those LTD bennys. you are entitled to them. you worked for them, you paid for them, they're yours by rights. fight to keep them, jamy! don't let them push you around.

probably don't have to say any of this to you, b/c since you're a TOS'er you probably have a "certain" type of personality that seems to go with this disorder!

but i can't seem to shut myself up sometimes when i see stuff like this, i just get mad.

i'm harmless, really.

unless you're an incompetent doctor. or work for the insurance corps. or something.

hahaha

alison
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