Please pray

[Brenda]

The saga with my back injury continues...

I received several phone calls a couple of days ago from worker's compensation. They first called to say they were sending me to see a neuro-surgeon in Quebec City (a six hour drive from home) because they could get me in there faster than to wait to see one here.

Later the same day, I received a phone call from the support clerk telling me the appointment was booked for April 14 and that the MRI that I have to have done would be done during the same trip. Well, Tuesday morning she called me back and corrected herself. The appointment date is not for April but for next Monday! WOW! They work fast - I wonder if this is a test to see how well I work under pressure :)

So Sunday morning we will venture out by car (this should be interesting) to a french speaking area (good thing someone in this home speaks french) I haven't been to since grade eight (a couple years ago) and even then I didn't do the driving there. My main concern is for safety - the forecast is calling for a 'Nor-Easter" - simply put a bruttle snow storm - Northern New Brunswick and Quebec always get dealt a hard blow during these storms...

It's normally a six hour drive (according to the computer maps). When you factor in the snow storm and the back that doesn't like sitting for an hour - it should make for an interesting time...

I am so thankful that someone somewhere decided that this needed to be done. I'm thankful that they have saw the need for the MRI and am thankful to be getting an 'expert' opinion on what needs to be done. I do fear surgery will be the treatment suggested but I'll cross that bridge and not fret about it until it is concluded to be the only option. At this stage, I'm ok with whatever they decide is the treatment plan (although, if they opt for surgery, I will have to go back to Quebec to have it done - because that's where the surgeon is - away from all of my family :(

Anyway, if you wouldn't mind praying about this, I would appreciate it.

Brenda

[KrisRV]

praying here, let us know what happens. :lol:

[Brooke]

Yippee! You get to find out what is the cause of the problem and what can be done to alleviate the pain!!! Woo hoo!!!! (trying to encourage you here :wink: ) What a blessing, what a joy! :lol: (is it working?).....

Praying here for your safety and conclusive results.....and a moose free free-way! :wink:

[Brenda]

I've actually been optimistic about the whole thing. I am so looking forward to it - I want to know what the exact cause is and what they want to do for treatment. The only thing I'm really not looking forward to is the drive there...

Brenda

No moose had better mess with me :D

[Trish]

Praying

[CrystalB9]

Praying for you Brenda!

[Anonymous]

{{{Praying here for you.}}}
Drive safe and bring plenty of snacks, emergency supplies and something to read;) I hope the appt. goes well and you make it home safe and sound. Those Nor-Eastern storms are something else!
Tammy

[Brenda]

Well...We're home. As for answers to what the problem is - who knows - it's anyone's guess!

Sorry! I'm a little disgusted. I had to drive 6 hours to have an MRI done (took all of 30 minutes) and see a neuro-surgeon (and he took all of 20 minutes from the time I walked in his office to the time I left). No questions about how this injury is affecting life overall (or bladder/bowel habbits - in which the bladder has been afftected). He was more interested in the original injury 5+ years ago and less so about the current flare up!

I read the preliminary report from the MRI and it showed the DDD that I've known about (L5-S1) and then a herniated disk at the L4-L5 disc, but I don't have to have surgery for it :D

He told me I was sent there to see what was wrong with me, if I needed to have surgery and why I'm having so much pain (which he doesn't understand why :shock: ). Uh gee, you don't suppose it has to do anything with a herniated disc!!!

So now I'm waiting for worker's compensation to have their field day with me... should be interesting. I want so much to go back to work and be done with these people.

If you would continue to pray for God's direction, I would be so appreciative...

Brenda

PS - On a positive note, we took the boys with us... I couldn't have asked for three better behaved boys. When we got lost in this HUGE city (a couple of times because of the directions given to us by worker's compensation) and my husband and I were at our worst - the boys were at their very best! What a blessing they were to us!

[Brooke]

Good to hear that your troop was "in line" :D .

What you need to remember...as if you don't with your line of work :roll: ...is that Workman's Comp docs are "just the facts, Mam" because they are being paid to investigate ONE injury and they don't give a hoot about your general health asssociated with the injury. We've had our go 'rounds with Workman's Comp. docs, too, and were treated like we went to a walk-in clinic in the Bronx. I think it should be illegal for an insurance company to hire medical docs to evaluate individuals....if you were in court you'd have the right to an unbiased doctor's opinion and insurance companies should have the same accountability.

[Brenda]

I'd like to see them push too much about the pain issue and the cause (jumping on the neuro-surgeon's assumably biased report). How can you make a fair assessment in 20 minutes?????

Yes I've had my fair share of pain (and then some believe me), but I haven't slowed down a whole lot because I don't want this getting the best of me. I'm on edge waiting for them to push the wrong button for me and I will go to the worker's advocate and fight it if I have to.

Do they really think I'd rather be home than working? I think not. Do they think I'm getting rich off the benefits they are giving me? I think not - actually I'm losing big time because of the way my work schedule is. It amounts to I'm not making half of what I do when I work (but they say it's equivalent to 85%).

They sent me to a province whose language is mainly french (the regional office over seeing my case is in the french area of our province - go figure). They told me the doctor would provide service in my language of choice but had a hard time speaking english - Biased! I don't doubt it!

Brenda

[Anonymous]

{{{Brenda, I'm praying for you.}}}
Tammy

[KrisRV]

I hope and pray things are work out better for you, It seems hard at times but remember we are here to support you and help in any way we can. Best Wishes !! :lol:

[Brenda]

Ladies,
I'm at a stage where I am absolutely discouraged, frustrated, disgusted, angry - you name it.

I had that 'wonderful' phone call from worker's compensation. The 'doctor' who spent less than 15 minutes with me, made a phone call and so far has said he sees nothing wrong with my back (forget about what the MRI or CT Scan (which he didn't want to see) shows). Worker's compensation says my problems are age related... Are there any other 31 year olds here who are incontinent on a regular basis? Anyone else here have a herniated disk (my right leg is and has been completely numb for two days now - but I guess that's normal)?

If the quack I went to see comes back and says that my problems are age related or worse that nothing is wrong with me, my benefits will be cut off (I expect this is what is going to happen based on phone conversations I have had). Without an income, I will probably lose everything I have (including the house we just bought).

This is incredibly frustrating! On the upper side of this (if there is one), my family doctor, the physiotherapist, worker's advocate and our government representative are willing to go head to head with these people! So now, I'm making notes of the joke trip to Quebec and the lack of assessment that was done.

I should be able to cope better with all of this, but I'm struggling - instead of being to encourage, I'm so discouraged. I know God will work this out for His glory, but this is hard to wait on.

Thank you all for continuing to pray and for listening to me vent...

Brenda

[Brooke]

These might be things you have already done, but here is a quick reference survival guide to having no income and avoiding reposessions.....

1. Check to see if your loans have a clause or insurance if you become disabled (perm. or temp.)
2. Pray
3. Call your creditors ASAP to let them know what has happened. They will often have special offers for people in your situation....and it always looks better to contact them first.
4. Pray
5. Ask for help from your church family (food, bills, etc.) God tells us to put our resources together to care for each other!--I've heard that this can sometimes be the sole purpose for God's testing in this area: to see that we are humble enough to ask for help......well, that's just what I've heard..not like I struggled with this or anything :roll:
6. Pray
7. If Canada is like the US in this respect, don't be afraid to check into government assistance for food or income....that is what we put money into those programs for and we should never feel ashamed if there comes a time for us to use the resources we have put in.
8. Pray

You get the idea :wink: . We are here for ya, too! Love ya!!!!

[Brenda]

While my interactions with worker's compensation no longer exist (PTL) I'm still having some serious problems with my back.

I took on some private duty nursing work a couple weeks ago - had I known then what I know now I would never had taken it on. I understood initially it was a couple hours a day a couple days a week - that turned into 50 and 60 hour work weeks. I'm exhausted and my back is taking the brunt of it (to a point where I'm incontinent in a bad way right now). Yesterday alone I worked a total of 15 hours (am I tired - you wanna believe it). I was supposed to work tonight, but my back can't do it - and there is no one else to go in so of course I feel guilty (a son offered to sit up with his dad, but the wife wants a nurse - for all that has to be done overnight, the son could easily do it and it saves money with their insurance).

I should be (and am) thankful to have a job right now - it got us out of the financial mess we were in, but at the same time, I can't help the feeling that I'm being used by the family (Glenda knows about this because she's been on the receiving end of my exhaustion phone calls). I took on trying to find enough people to get 24 hour coverage and it has almost become an expectation that when no one else can be there (seems to happen most on weekends) I should be and my family is losing out because of it. So when I work 50 or 60 hours in the home with this man, I also work another 10 or 15 at home trying to get coverage... a job that never ends...

I like the work (love the job) but I don't want 60 hours a week (not even 50). Many of those hours include nights and I don't get enough sleep when I get home burning me out even more the following day.

Would you please cover this with prayer - I really don't know how much longer I can keep this up...

Brenda

[Brenda]

This issue remains a problem for me (not so much the 50-60 hours or all the time scheduling), but the back problem has really made itself known to me. It has been progressively worsening over the past couple weeks to now - back to the pain from many months ago.

I've adjusted my work schedule so that I can still go to work, but instead of working 4-5 days (nights) in a row, I work one or two take one or two off and then go back through that cycle again. I can't afford not to work right now - so this is the best I can come up with.

The man I've been working with has terminal cancer and he has been failing in the past couple weeks - people from church would ask how he's doing - I wasn't the best one to ask - I was there all the time and didn't always see the changes in him, but I do now. I really think it's only a matter of time for him right now, so I'm trying to hang on for him.

Anyway, if you would continue to pray about my back, I would appreciate it.

[settlers]

Brenda,

Unfortunately ins. co's are only in it for the money and could really care less about the injured person.

A lady I know, this is a true story, got crushed by a fellow co-worker who was messing around and fell on her. This co-worker weighed about 400 pounds and she is all of 90 pounds. He broke her pelvis and hurt her neck.

The ins. co. sent her home from the hosp with no walker or wheel chair. She was not able to walk so she had to borrow her father's walker and her husband got her around the house and to the bathroom on an office chair with rollers. What is wrong with that picture?

I do sympathise with you as I got injured at work and they did nothing for me. The employer pretended they didnt know what work. comp was. Unfortunately I had to take care of it myself, no ins. and letting it ride itself out. The numbness in my hands has subsided, have problems now and then but I had to let time heal it.

Sometimes your only recourse is an attorney. Good luck and I hope you are better soon.

[Brenda]

I resolved that once they closed the claim I wasn't going to ever go back to them again for anything - I don't need the head games that bad (which is why I'm making the exit from nursing and opening our own small business). It just wasn't worth it. Being subjected to their insults and the remarks that they made to me just wasn't worth it. On that note, I feel for you guys in the US who I would assume are subjected to this far more often because of the differences in medicare systems... (but it doesn't make it any better).

I do think that stress may have played a factor in this most recent flare up - it started when Andrew went to Moncton - now that he's home, maybe it will stop :D

[Lornaabc]

Praying for you.
Lorna