I went to my DR. last week and he said I quote,"If you were making 1-40 million dollars per year the insurance co. would believe you were hurt"

My point and his being,if you get hurt,have PCS and expect to get an insurance co to believe you are sick and suffering GOOD LUCK.They will try and say its because you fell of your bike at age 9 and not the fact you got a head injury.

Please tell me what all the other factors,weight,loss of a family member,sleep apnea,and 4 years of problems have to do with anything but the hit to the head.Why is a person that makes 50-70-k per year more of a risk for telling the truth than a sports figure to any insurance co??

When the dr.after 4-5 years tell you he can do nothing more to help you if you have memory loss coordination,reflex and the like problems you will have to live this way.When the findings are presented to the insurance co they say its from a by-polar episode or the loss of a family member causing the trouble,its your problem not ours.

Any others had a problem with this type of problem...

This is SOP. Standard Operating Procedure. The insurance companies think everyone claiming a head injury wants a free ride. They know that the claimant will have a difficult time pursuing their case due to their own cognitive problems and the psychological industry's muddying of the waters.

The psychologists keep saying it is all in our heads (psychologically). If that is the case, why can't they come up with a therapy to fix it.

Yes, it is in our heads but the problems are organic, not psychological. When a big pharmaceutical company comes up with a drug to treat us, they will beat down the walls we face.

The other problem is the need for a standard diagnostic protocol. Since one idiot neurologist wrongly discredited QEEG testing back in 1997, the best objective tool for diagnosis of MTBI has been kicked to the dust heap.

When the only other diagnostic tool requires the analysis of Neuro-Psychologist, we get stuck with a psychological causation. It is rare that a Neuro-Psychologist will attribute cognitive decline and other MTBI problems to organic brain injury unless the patient was in a coma for an extended period of time. The studies show that there is no direct correlation between Loss of Consciousness and long term cognitive problems. One can have hours of LOC and have no long term cognitive problems just as one can have no LOC and still have serious long term cognitive problems. This conundrum has them baffled since it defies their logic so they refuse to believe it.

Will Rogers once said that to fix society, first we need to shoot all of the attorneys.

For MTBI, we need to do something to get free of the asinine comments of Neuro-Psychs. We can't shoot them because we need the test results. We just need them to score the tests and leave the causation to the non-Psych experts.

BTW, There are a few very good Neuro-Psychs such a Glen Johnson of TBIGuide.com and Lloyd L Cripe who authored the Cripe Neurological Symptoms analysis of the MMPI-II that allows for accurate diagnosis of MTBI from the MMPI-II.

Thanks Mark,

My lawyer wants me to go to the neuro-psychs and get a treatment from him.He has written a cognitive therapy schedule with 8-10 visits.He has also he feels where my injury was 4 years ago I am what I am at this point.This means I gotta live with whats wrong,and find ways to cope and get by.

My psychiatrist has since died 2 years ago now and he had documentation that said my head injury was not a bipolar or mood episode! The things that were going on were in fact from a pcs hit in the head.

Thank god he had this info sent in before his untimely death.Also where I am paying the bill and not an insurance co.paying first,they seem to want to limit the visits but are happy to collect the cash.This is a bad system with all involved getting slitted imho...

Sounds like he is right. At 4 years post injury, you ought to be permanent and stationary. The CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) will most likely teach you coping systems and work-arounds. These can be very worthwhile. They will not likely improve your condition but can make many of your symptoms easier to deal with.

At your stage, work-arounds and accommodations can make a big difference. I have to think differently to get things done. Since I have very little immediate and short term memory, I cannot go on as if I can remember. By accepting my memory problems, I do not get stuck trying to do something that is impossible to do with my bad memory.

When I use the stove, I have to set the timer to five minutes so that it buzzes and calls me back to the stove in five minutes. Otherwise, I can easily forget I am using the stove and burn something or worse cause a fire.

I have learned to notice toilet paper in the toilet when I flush. If I do not see any, I need to consider whether I needed to use toilet paper. I got up from the toilet a few times and forgot to finish the paperwork. Now, I have a work-around.

The habits from the past that were based on a good memory system have to be relearned.

How bad are your symptoms? Has the Neuro-psych tested you? What was his diagnosis?

For lack of a better word,I am not that bad or as bad as timers and paper but having lasting problems.I was a long distance truck driver specializing in hazardous waste in bulk.I hauled things that would be very hazardous to people and the environment.I will never be back in that game again.I still have some problems that are corrected with a gps unit sometimes being used here at home.I mean 1-2 miles away from home.I also notice I have problems in traffic conditions that are busy and especially in unfamilure areas.I have trouble making change at a store,I hate crowds,sleepless nights,very short threshold of being patient.Anxiety,fatigue,headaches,muscle pain.

To back up a bit,I was unloading a tank truck,hit in the head with an unattached steel ladder,falling in a hole with ice water al found covered with 2-3 inches of snow.Transported to the hospital and then sent home.After a few days returned to work and things went down hill from there.I had memory problems,fatigue,passing out spells that have never been explained.Had my drivers licence taken away for 3 months and reinstated.I also was in and out of the hospital several times.The sinkable episodes are unexplained by the doctors.The neurologist was a complete A-hole and said he could do nothing for me.This is the second one I went to close to my home.The first one was great to deal with but would not treat me because he did not want a problem with the local dr's being that he was 3 hrs away.

I settled the wc case and things were not good but I was told after rehab that YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE LIVE WITH IT.

after SPENDING SOME TIME "4 TRIPS OVER 2 YEARS" out of the country I returned home suffering more problems.Went to the Neuro- psych guy I have now and got an evaluation.He said I would benefit from some cognitive work and wanted to treat me.The problem was,the insurance co. has baulked up and not wanted to pay.The best thing is THEY HAVE TO PAY as part of the wc settlement they agreed to pay for any treatment going back to the original injury.I am now going to pay for the prescribed treatments out of pocket.Let the esquire do his job and try and get them on the job.I am still in the process of a third party case where the accident happened.The owner of the property has never told his insurance co that a accident happened on his property.This was DEC 2004,and the guy that got hurt is thrown away like the trash.Workers comp,lawyers,and insurance companies in general view us a deviants,trash,discarded junk.And the lawyers are just trying to line there pockets at our expense.

I was hurt,not paid by anyone for over 1 year,went to a hearing and the insurance company was told to pay me.Settled 1 case and then told if I had any more problems they would pay.This was not true because they have jerked be around for 2 years on getting treatments.So now I will pay and go after them and live each and every day they way I am because of the way someone else wanted to do business.


As you can tell I am still almost as sour as I was 4- plus years ago.I wish I was able to work like before,think as before and do everything as before the accident.It has made me sour!

I have started a small business with the aid of my wife and my gps unit.I am on call and work helping my family in there business.Its not a money maker just a way for me to fit into the workplace,society and be a person again.I feel most people after the dust settles want to just be able to be viewed as a complete person again.Be able to function and do anything they can to ha somewhat normal life after a tragic accident...

I also want to add I can still get up every day,dress and look like the guy I was 5 years ago.In the eyes of an insurance company I can get a job,work and get by,OK the fact is yes I can.I can make "SOME' kind of a living.This 99.9% of the time would award me 1-2-3 packs of cigarettes and a happy meal at micky dee's.I can and will never be able to earn the high5 to six figure salary I once did.I will never be who I work hard to be before this problem happened because someone did not choose to do things right.

Money is not the answer to all of us here but that will ease the pain so to speak being how we are now.I do not drink or use any drugs,and will never let myself go down this road.My family is in the funeral industry and I give back to society a little at a time in my business making removals from hospitals,homes and crime scenes.Having contact with grieving people and trying to comfort them in the time of loss seems to help me in coping with my life now.It is not a win fall business monetarily but keeps me active when I can in fact respond to a call.I have good and bad days and sometimes can not work because of my ongoing problems and confusion.That said its hard to survive in a life that as we all know is expensive nowadays.

I am sorry to here that many are having many many more problems that I am experiencing.Life is funny and like Forest Gump said,"LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCKOLATES YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GONNA GET."

Raymond,
I've been reading your conversation with Mark, and I think you're doing the right thing.

I was T-boned by Semi, in 83, that cause RSD. Then, in 98 a car blew a stop sign, and I hit the top of the windsheild frame, (convertible). TBI. More than a Decade ago!
I've still got huge health issues, but, the biggest ones are, that (the story)
I was self employed, owned two business's and was running them. An employee was driving me out on a couple business errands. I had 5 Mil in my own, self paid insurance coverage! (98 accident). I had several wonderful attorneys, who had no clue what to do with someone with a TBI. My (2nd) wife was able to steal all everything, along with an attorney who was handling some business matters. 2+ MIL, in Assets GONE! Wifey, is still asking for more, (My home, that she threw myself and my children out of, I owned before I met her, and was only married to her for 3 years. She's been living in it for the past decade!

It's not easy to come off losing a couple Mil. And, then to have your Attorneys "OOoops" forget to file something, and Lose the Entire Case!
Yes, that's what I said. I had ZERO Liability. And my lawyer(s) missed a filing deadline!

Now, I have a "Legal Malpractice Attorney", who's got his head, sort of well, not where I need it!
Do you think for a moment, that these attorneys were as smart as I was? To Self Insure? No Way!
Most attorneys, (And, ASK THEM, get a copy of their certificate of insurance, and have it updated yearly), ask them, if they're covered for Legal malpractice!
Most Aren't! Believe it or not? Google this!



Now, my children don't speak to me, (they were "groomed" to take over the business's, which are now gone). I even have a granddaughter, I hear.....

My wife still wants my house. Hell, she lives in it! And, is taking a Grand/Mos. from my disability! (which I bought privately, being self insured).

And, I'm still up the creek!

But, I'll say this to you, Ray.

You are doing the right thing!

Keep Fighting! That's what I'm doing, and it's what I've got to do, otherwise, I'll be another cockroach, dusted into a dumpster! Like all the Ins. Co's and Attorneys want to do with us!

We're gonna need to talk more! You were a Hard worker, as was I.
Oh yes. I think we'll be good friends! I'm glad to meetcha!

I just wanted to give you a vote of confidence right now! I think you've got to keep getting the help you need! (TBI is coming so far, making leaps and bounds with this unfortunate war we have going on), and new treatments and aids are being discovered every day! Rock on!)
And, keep being your own, best advocate!

I'm very proud of you!
My friend!

Hey Ray, PM me, please!


Pete
asb