I had recently requested that my attorney get me a copy of my last doctor's report as they are now sending me for a functional capacity exam and impairment rating but yet I still don't have a diagnosis. Now I'm even more upset and needed someplace to complain....I know my bf is tired of hearing it today. The doctor mentioned the cervical problems noted in the MRI but stated that they can't be causing all my problems and since the EMG was normal then my problems "are not physiological". His only mentions some of the symptoms I complained about and he left out some of the important stuff that can be observed like the color & temperature changes in my hand. Some of the symptoms he listed in the history and made it sound like I had some of these prior to the injury. My attorney is no help, I asked him about all this and his reply was "don't get me going, you know how doctors are". I'm at a loss as to what to do now, I have no money, no insurance & no job.

The incompetence of {some} attys and MDs continues to astound me..

As far a s a remedy to the report..
I would go through it and number the mistakes and make brief notes on a separate paper and then note all things {symptoms/pain} you brought up to Dr that were not even in the report.

how well do you know your dr, could you ask for a rewrite and give him a copy of your notations page?
I'm sure my dr didn't even note everything I told her, but I never thought to request her report first and atty didn't say anything about it either..

It's like we almost have to do the work ,but then attys /MDs get their noses out of joint if we act like we might know something..

hummmmm!!!!!!!!!!

with my past experiences with some -- quite a few, actually -- doctors, next time I go for a visit, I'm wearing a bug, a recording device -- digital or just set it on the examining table before we start with their DOG & PONY SHOW. It makes me sicker to have to go to a doctor. It's my exam and will be my proof for what went on.

What a sucky scenario!!!! I'm so sorrry you are going thru this right now.

Jo had great advice. I would add that you may want to have a conversation with your atty when he (maybe unadvertantly) ducks a question saying something like: "While I appreciate your empathy on the doctor front- I'm going to need some constructive advice on how I can tackle my problem. The problem I have is _______. "
hmmm. Its funny how I can come up with this line of action here for you, but all to often I cannot put my thoughts together

I've been a medical secretary for almost 9 years, and let me tell you, sometimes doctors can be such jackasses. Don't you love it when they walk into the exam room and say, why are you here today? Didn't you ready my chart you ****** *******, you tell me why I'm here. They are so arrogant it drives me crazy. They start booking patients and 8am and they know for a fact they won't be there until 9am, so now there an hour to start before they've even walked in the door. Then you're supposed to go fetch them lunch and keep the patients happy that have been waiting for 2 hours. He eats lunch when there's still patients in the waiting room, they'll have a drug rep bring a lunch in, trying to promote their drug, and there will be patients in the waiting room that are hungry and by the time they leave it's been three hours and now he's late starting his afternoon at 1pm because he started the morning late and finished his morning patients after lunch. I see it all the time!!!

I don't know the doctor at all, I just saw him the one time for the independent medical exam....he's not someone I'd ever see if it were my choice. He was so arrogant and a real jerk!!!! I had my symptoms all written down so I wouldn't forget to tell him anything and he refused to read it and folded it up and threw it in my lap.

I'm starting to wonder whose side my attorney is on!!!! He pretty much told me I have to do everything they ask at the FCE in spite of me telling him that it's not a matter of won't....I can't. I really don't think he believes me either.

I ended up not going for the FCE last week...I was insistent that they must provide transportation for me as they want me to have this done 200 miles away (which is ridiculous when there's at least 5 places here in town that do them) plus I'm insisting they pay for a motel & meals. They ended up not getting the arrangements made so it's postponed for a few weeks while they work that all out. In the meantime, I went to go see a doctor out of my pocket and he immediately said that I have some sort of pinched nerve, he's just not sure exactly where. Since I don't have insurance he's referred me to a medical center here that treats patients based on income, I have an appointment with a surgeon in May. Finally someone with some sense! He also gave me some pain medication....it's about time! I've been seeing doctors for this since Oct. 2007 & this is the first time anyone has given me any pain medication that actually works!

So I'm a bit confused... nothing new there LOL.

Ok so the Dr report was from and IME only.
They aren't really there to treat you or really find any problems, if something does show on a test or xray or MRI they will prefer to point to that as a possible cause and not the job or soft tissue etc...

200 miles away that is nuts!!!
If they require you to go that far they better transport & meals and a overnight stay would be nice.

If you have a strong dr on your side they would write that you cannot travel long distances like that. Due to pain and increase of sx.

Do you have a Dr treating you on your side at this point?
your atty should have list of preferred drs to send you to if not...
You need some drs on your side to dispute the crud the iME reports.

Is there other options for wc attys in your area?


even if you have no private health ins I think things{bills} can be put on hold while the case is pending or in appeal???

This is a workers comp claim correct??
States do vary with rules ad such - but you should be able to get treatments and put the bills on hold till the case is finalized.
That's how it worked in my instance.
was denied after awhile and then atty wrote a letter to billing to put them on hold, at the time I did have my pvt ins still to put down as secondary- to please the billing people.

the bills got paid some deducted from the settlement, some from my pvt ins and the rest I paid and claimed as a med deduction on taxes.

Actually it was kind of a confusing mess for awhile.
after my wc atty got his cut he didn't really take any time to help me follow up with the billing part even though he said he would..

Maybe someone with more knowledge of wc has better ideas...

since something was found @ c spine did you get a copy of your MRI ? It's kind of fun to look at them your self.

The IME's job is to make us look like we're crazy. As offensive as it is, we must know get upset about it, as our health is literally affected by their tactics...you wouldn't believe the BS they have issued on me, and I am shocked by the mistakes and the downrights LIES that some of their docs have written in reports...

For YOUR evidence, you need an MD, like a neuro surgeon, or vascular surgeon, or even an MD pain mgt. doc (who can be all sorts of MDs, mine was an anesthesiologist.) Your own docs should be writing about TOS, whether neuro or vascular (if they can see a rib or vein blockage, and of course, that means immed. surgery as they are so dangerous, but rare.) Is your atty getting your evidence together properly?

The reason we list our docs is because we are so rare. Are there NO TOS docs by you at all? Remember, I had to fly myself out to see Dr. Annest the first time. (Then the judge ordered it and the surgery.)

If a doc doesn't have other TOS patients, they often cannot figure this out, and say something like, pinched nerve, which TOS is MULTIPLE small injuries to MULTIPLE nerve systems, as we post those nerve "dermatomes" that show all of the nerves going to different areas of the bodys. But neuro TOS is from repetitive damage, like, from something you've done for work...I can't remember what caused your TOS. Sometimes it's a car accident - but I think yours was work-caused, right?

You mentioned no insurance - if any of us are totally disabled "anticipating a year or more, or is a year or more" then we've got to do the Social Security applications, get Medicare and the gap insurance. I ALWAYS suggest a SS atty consult first - so you know what to write, etc., or appeal - and also stay with a work comp attorney no matter what, as the WC system is now more complex and ROTTEN as I've ever seen it. (I am SHOCKED by what the ins. co.s are getting away with refusing treatment.) But judges CAN right the wrongs, but only an attorney knows how to present the best evidence, follow the submission rules, timing rules, etc. Even a lousy attorney is better than none - is my opinion.

But, having said that, we share info. here so that we can confront our attorneys and say, "well, I need to see this doc, or I need pain mgt."

Just keep fighting. God, mine has been 6 1/2 years and I am still fighting - but I know eventually a judge will decide this, and it won't be as antagonistic as it has been.

God bless you. Hang on. And if you CAN't do something at an FCE, speak up about it, and if it will HURT YOU LATER you voice up about that and describe it in detail...then you have YOUR doctor review the FCE report and support your version of your symptoms, with his / her medical knowledge, I think - it's been too many years since I've fought these things, so I don't know for sure, ASK your attorney!!! How do we fight this??? What / how do we handle this, what is our strategy. Have someone go with you to the atty appt. and write down the "quick strategy" so you can remind the atty, well, we were supposed to do, 1,2,3,4 and then file for a hearing...keep the atty on track. Get and keep and have your doc review EVERYTHING the other side reports out.