[KLS2007]

I went back to the doctor today & he said my EMG was normal so according to him I don't have neurogenic TOS. Now he's sending me for an ultrasound and a CT scan to rule out vascular TOS. I really didn't expect the EMG to show anything as they didn't test the brachial plexus area nor did they put my arm in any positions that provoke symptoms. Also, the test was normal in the carpal tunnel area as I have had 4 surgeries for that back in the 80's and was told back then I have permanent nerve damage there....funny that's not showing up now! What really got me was when I told him that I had to quit taking the Elavil that he had prescribed for pain because it not only turned me into a zombie, it gave me a rash all over. He told me that it had to be something else, that Elavil hardly ever gives a rash. I tried to tell him that I hadn't changed soaps or anything else that could have given me a rash and that the Elavil was the only thing different & it started going away as soon as I quit taking it. I asked him if I could try something else for pain since the Elavil wasn't working out for me and he said "we'll just skip that for now". If I didn't have to see this jerk because of WC I would have walked out of the office at that point. He also wouldn't write me a prescription for Ibuprofen & a heating pad so I can get reimbursed from WC for those.

[billy027]

You need to change doctors. I used to get the cheap EMG's from a doctor and switched to a new doctor who did thorough EMG that showed lots of problems.

Try to hang in there. What area of the country are you in. Maybe someone can recommend a doctor for you if I can't.

[Peg24]

Sorry to hear about your frustrations. I too, would find another Dr.

My EMG was normal also and the Vascular Surgeon who did my surgery told me he was not surprised.

By the way, after doing my surgery, he told me I had a bad case of "Neurogenic" thoracic outlet.

Peggy

[Jomar]

Is that dr from a MCO { Managed Care Organization}?

my employer wanted us to go to the MCO drs for any injury, I did 2 different times, and they just seemed to want to patch me up and get me back to full work asap. - and I "broke" again after a few months and the last time even less than that, when it became TOS.
They overlooked the repetitiveness of the work and the fact that I had reoccurring injuries in the same areas.

I'm not sure if all states are the same - but I think...
Usually wc doesn't actually send you to a treating Dr, usually just for an IME or QME- a one time evaluation of your injury. { sometimes more than one if long term problem}

At least that's how my case went - MCO, or my own dr, then the IME evaluation after a few months.
I think after a certain time you can change drs anyway - info should be in your wc booklet or the state website.

Did you ever consult with a wc atty on this yet ?
They might give you some helpful tips and some even have preferred drs lists and they can help you change to a dr that will be more on your side.
You can find them in the yellow pages and visit many before you choose.

[KLS2007]

I'm in TN and right now I have to see the WC doctor. Here when it's work related you don't get to choose your own doctor. Your employer gives you a panel of 3 doctors and you have to choose one of those. All of the places on the list they gave me were WC clinics....all they see there are WC patients and people going for work physicals & drug screens. The doctor I'm currently seeing is one that I was referred to by the original doctor....he comes to their clinic one afternoon a week. I do have an attorney but so far he seems pretty worthless, he hasn't done a darn thing yet. He didn't even file the appeal on my TTD payments. I had sent him the papers I received in the mail and thought he was taking care of it then he sent me an email AFTER the deadline telling me to get it in ASAP. They automatically denied me for being late. If I don't hear back from him shortly after the holidays I'm going to hunt for another attorney. When I was initially looking for another attorney I had trouble finding one to take it, one of them told me that there wasn't enough money in it yet for him to take it. What a screwed up system!!! I've emailed him several times asking what I can do about finding a different doctor but he never answers me about that. When this all started I had no idea this was going to be such a nightmare!!!

[finz]

Can you try talking to your primary MD about it ?

I know that , insurance wise, all testing should be done by WC, but I've gotten some things covered by my regular health insurance because the lack of action on dx'ing and treating my TOS by WC was impacting other areas....ie, higher blood pressure because of pain, higher blood sugars because of Neurontin, and depression. Is there something that your primary could work up.....like headaches, which are probably from TOS, but could justify testing/treatment under your regular insurance ?

Desperate times call for desperate measures.