[feelnfuzze]

I had what I thought I thought at the time was a very minor MVA on 1-19-12, where I was rear ended while at a complete stop. I hit my head on the side of the door frame, because I was turning to look for oncoming traffic. I was wearing a seat belt, but it was kind of slack as they get when you lean forward to look to your far left, which is what I was doing when hit. So I hit my head, felt a bit dazed for a few seconds, then didn't think it was a big deal. Pulled over, got out, the other driver was fine. No damage to either car, we both thought it was so minor we didn't even exchange insurance information or names, anything. ( I know, if I were thinking clearly I would have, which I obviously wasn't now that I look back and realize how much of a hurry he was to get the heck out of there!)

Ok, so here is were it gets complicated...this all happened on work time, returning to the office from a client visit. So I go to the office, say I was just rear ended...start to go about my business- to me it is still no big deal. The office manager starts asking me questions and I can't remember specifics of what I talked about or did at the clients house. I have a coffee cup from a gas station in my car that wasnt there the day before, and I dont remember going to the gas station. It is just before noon, they check and I was at my clients house from 10 am to 11:25. It's a fifteen minute drive to the office, and I remember taking my kids to school at 8:20 and then bits and pieces of the end of my client visit- nothing in between! By now my head is pounding, I am snapping at my co-workers asking me questions, and I just want to lie down. They make me go to the urgent care, on the way they I am super nasueas .....exam, drug test, breath alazer, CT scan, all negative. Dr. says minor concussion, go home for afternoon, go back to work tomorrow, Tylenol for headache, you'll be fine, see you back in a week to sign you off. (This is all workers comp because it was during company business).I go back to work people keep telling me I am off, I can't concentrate, forget things, hard to get words out, constant headache, vision problems, tired, but can't sleep,dizzy, irratable, cry easily, and worst of all I feel like I am driving half drunk all the time! All totally not me. Finally go to my own Dr. 5 days later...exam, vision/eye test, blood work. He says post concussion syndrome, gives me Rx for dizziness, says no driving at all and orders me off work x 1 week. Mean time I try to work from home as much as possible, paperwork- although I have to stop often because my head hurts so much or my vision is goofy, or reading makes me dizzy. And taking phone calls, etc. So 3 days after see my Dr. I have to f/u with the workers comp Dr. and he says I say you are fine, PCS only lasts a week, your past that, go to work today, but wrote Rx for physical therapy for my neck. ?? This is after during the exam when he told me to open wide say ahh, and he said open wide again, so I opened my mouth and said ahh, again and he said "I meant open your eyes wide", and he burst out laughing, and I burst out crying! I don't know what to do! I don't want to lose my job, and I feel nuts sometimes, started my washer with no clothes in it after emptying it, forget stuff all time if I don't write it down, I get weird dizzy/vertigo spells out of the blue, same memory,cognitive problems, irritability, headache everyday. My own Dr. says work comp Dr. is wrong this can last weeks, months, even much longer, and wants to do MRI if not better in a week. But he says his hands are tied as far as when I have to return to work as it is a work comp issue. He did tell me in long run no job is worth my health. But I am afraid to drive and do a lot of it (at least 200 miles a week) for my job. As of now I have to start back my regular schedule Monday- driving about 75 miles. I have called my HR dept. and the work comp insurance person and no one has return my call. Does anyone have any suggestions?????

[EsthersDoll]

You need to rest so your brain can heal. Trying to work and do things that stimulate your brain is making it work too hard while it's trying to recover and heal.

You wouldn't run on a sprained ankle would you?

I'm sorry you are going through this.

I got a head injury in an auto accident over 18 months ago, I wasn't able to work or drive for over a year. And now I'm only able to work part time and I'm not allowed to drive on the freeway or "too far" per my Dr.'s orders.

If you are not able to drive safely, you need to not drive. You could not only injure yourself further, but you could injure someone else.

Also, make sure you take care of your skull, head and brain right now because there is something called second impact syndrome that experts think may cause death if two concussions are sustained in a short time period.

Take it slow easy so you can get better as fast as possible.

FMLA can protect your job for up to 12 weeks, which means if you need to call in sick for 12 weeks your job will be waiting for you when you get back. You need time off and discuss the matter with your HR department in order to be protected. It's a federal law. Your state, employer or union may have additional protection for you, but that's the bare minimum. If you need to work 20 hours a week for 24 weeks, FMLA will cover it, 12 weeks no matter how it's divided.

As far as worker's comp goes... there are other people on this board dealing with that or who have dealt with it who can advise you better. You might need to contact an attorney.

But your Primary Care Physician is right: no job is worth your health.

[JulieRN]

Hi There....I am so sorry that this accident happened to you

I am not an expert and can only advise you based upon my experience as I sustained a concussion at work as well....as you can see, I've been dealing with this for a very long time...

I would retain an attorney immediately. It's obvious to me that the MD you went to for WC has no clue regarding post concussive syndrome. You need someone who is well versed so that you can receive follow up care as soon as possible.

I never felt that the insurance carrier was "for me" and I was proven right repeatedly. You truly have to advocate for yourself. No job IS worth your health, trust me on that one. You only get one brain and you need to take care of it...

Sorry I can't offer you more, but I know there are many people on here who can...know that you're not alone and you'll receive alot of support here

My best to you as you work your way through this!

Julie

[Eowyn]

So sorry to hear about your accident and all the difficulty you're having. It is no fun at all. Glad you found us here, though! It's given me a lot of valuable information and support.

You definitely need to take the time off work. If they won't give it to you nicely, get a lawyer and demand it. You need to be resting your body and your brain.

And you need to find a doctor who actually knows something about concussions and PCS. You might try calling the Brain Injury Association to see if there are any concussion clinics near you.

Good luck, and hope you heal quickly.

[pamelarae]

Hello, I know how frustrating it is to not be taken seriously. I had an employee health doctor tell me I did not have PCS, there was NO WAY I could have hit my head hard enough to give myself a concussion and tried to dismiss my case. I managed to find a nurse practitioner within my employee health system who took me much more seriously. She helped me get a referral to a neurologist who said I did, in fact, have PCS. If you have options to see a different doctor or NP within your employee health framework that may help. Otherwise, I would agree with one of the previous replies to get yourself an attorney. You need some assistance and some time to heal. Good luck!

[Mark in Idaho]

feelnfuzze posted:

I had what I thought I thought at the time was a very minor MVA on 1-19-12, where I was rear ended while at a complete stop. I hit my head on the side of the door frame, because I was turning to look for oncoming traffic. I was wearing a seat belt, but it was kind of slack as they get when you lean forward to look to your far left, which is what I was doing when hit.

So I hit my head, felt a bit dazed for a few seconds, then didn't think it was a big deal. Pulled over, got out, the other driver was fine. No damage to either car, we both thought it was so minor we didn't even exchange insurance information or names, anything. ( I know, if I were thinking clearly I would have, which I obviously wasn't now that I look back and realize how much of a hurry he was to get the heck out of there!)

Ok, so here is were it gets complicated...this all happened on work time, returning to the office from a client visit. So I go to the office, say I was just rear ended...start to go about my business- to me it is still no big deal. The office manager starts asking me questions and I can't remember specifics of what I talked about or did at the clients house.

I have a coffee cup from a gas station in my car that wasn't there the day before, and I don't remember going to the gas station. It is just before noon, they check and I was at my clients house from 10 am to 11:25. It's a fifteen minute drive to the office, and I remember taking my kids to school at 8:20 and then bits and pieces of the end of my client visit- nothing in between!

By now my head is pounding, I am snapping at my co-workers asking me questions, and I just want to lie down. They make me go to the urgent care, on the way they I am super nauseous .....exam, drug test, breath alizer, CT scan, all negative. Dr. says minor concussion, go home for afternoon, go back to work tomorrow, Tylenol for headache, you'll be fine, see you back in a week to sign you off.

(This is all workers comp because it was during company business).I go back to work people keep telling me I am off, I can't concentrate, forget things, hard to get words out, constant headache, vision problems, tired, but can't sleep,dizzy, irritable, cry easily, and worst of all I feel like I am driving half drunk all the time! All totally not me.

Finally go to my own Dr. 5 days later...exam, vision/eye test, blood work. He says post concussion syndrome, gives me Rx for dizziness, says no driving at all and orders me off work x 1 week. Mean time I try to work from home as much as possible, paperwork- although I have to stop often because my head hurts so much or my vision is goofy, or reading makes me dizzy.

And taking phone calls, etc. So 3 days after see my Dr. I have to follow up with the workers comp Dr. and he says I say you are fine, PCS only lasts a week, your past that, go to work today, but wrote Rx for physical therapy for my neck. ?? This is after during the exam when he told me to open wide say ahh, and he said open wide again, so I opened my mouth and said ahh, again and he said "I meant open your eyes wide", and he burst out laughing, and I burst out crying!

I don't know what to do! I don't want to lose my job, and I feel nuts sometimes, started my washer with no clothes in it after emptying it, forget stuff all time if I don't write it down, I get weird dizzy/vertigo spells out of the blue, same memory,cognitive problems, irritability, headache everyday.

My own Dr. says work comp Dr. is wrong this can last weeks, months, even much longer, and wants to do MRI if not better in a week. But he says his hands are tied as far as when I have to return to work as it is a work comp issue. He did tell me in long run no job is worth my health. But I am afraid to drive and do a lot of it (at least 200 miles a week) for my job.

As of now I have to start back my regular schedule Monday- driving about 75 miles. I have called my HR dept. and the work comp insurance person and no one has return my call. Does anyone have any suggestions?????

feelnfuzze

Reposted by

[Mark in Idaho]

feelnfuzze,

As mentioned by others, you need to find a WC attorney to guide you through this. You need one with special understanding of PCS. Check out www.tbilaw.com for a referral.

You also need to keep a journal. The WC doctor is a hired hit man for the WC insurance company. If you can, have someone with you at your Dr. visits. They should take notes of the exam and comments. Unfortunately, the burden of proof will fall on you. So, good notes and a good journal will help.

If you tell us which state you are in, we may be able to direct you to better help.

Do you have any recall of the car and driver that hit you? Making such notes will be good just in case. It sounds like that memory may also be fuzzy. Note that.

Finding the right physical therapist may be worth some research. Run-of-the-mill PT's used by WC insurance companies should be avoided. Maybe an attorney who handles lots of whiplash cases can refer you to a good one. The difference between an OK PT and a great PT can be night and day.

My best to you.