Ok, this one is about my arm!

[Grinning Geckos]

I saw the lawyer yesterday. We talked for a bit over an hour, covering most of the bases...fees, what happened at the accident, what Drs I've seen, etc. Basically, we're not in a rush right now because IL gives you 2 years to make a case. I'd rather get this over sooner rather than later, but we've gotta go one step at a time. Next up - the Neurologist! I've got my fingers crosses that SOMEONE can finally say what's going on with me.

The bad news is, I didn't see a Dr right after the accident. He says it doesn't kill the case, but it does make things more difficult. Rather than being straight-forward, it's going to raise a red flag with the insurance company and they'll almost surely try to fight it. Seeing how much they've tried to screw me over already, I'm glad I've gotten a lawyer NOW, and not later. Plus, if I get bad news from the DR - more serious than soft tissue damage ... like a disk problem - then we're really going to be in for a battle. He says he knows a lawyer that strictly does auto accidents, and they'll bring him in if that's the case.

In more bad news, I've been out of muscle relaxers and steroids for 2 1/2 days now, and I can feel the difference. My mornings had been OK for the last few days, but now my arm is hurting even 1st thing in the morning (again). A lot of the numbness and pain is coming back. One more week before I see the Neuro. My hopes of it being a minor problem is pretty much nil. 5+ weeks of nearly non-stop pain ... it's hard to imagine that could be from something minor. At this point, I'm just hoping it doesn't get any worse!

Ok, I swear this is the last time I'll bitch about my arm....for today.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

I hope they can figure out what it is and get you some releif. Glad you have an attorney too, hopefully they can help you get this settled when you get it all figured out.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Shanti, if it is a neck injury, those things can take time to become symptomatic. Get the neurologist to document it if it's the case. Hell, you thought it was your ARM that was injured, and it would just go away! That should tell the insurance company that you weren't quick on the band-wagon to sue. Unfortunately, there is so much personal injury fraud going on right now that even legitimate cases are suffering the consequences.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Yea, that pretty much sums it up!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Yay! Today has finally arrived. I'm counting down the hours til I get to see the neurologist. I'm expecting he'll schedule an MRI, and I'm crossing my fingers that he'll give me something that will finally take the pain away. I can't wait!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Well, I'm back. Still not much closer to a diagnosis - yet. He's sending me in for an EMG to see if there's a block along any nerve paths. He said his best guess is that there's a problem at my brachial plexus, but it might be my elbow, and it might still be my neck. After the test I guess we'll know more. He did give me a new drug for nerve pain...said it pretty much won't do a thing unless it's really neuropathy. Now it's a case of wait and see if it will help.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

Shanti, I hope you get this all figured out soon, it has to suck to be in pain, get all these test and still get no answer!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Well, the drug (lyrica) works WONDERS. I'd say I feel 95% better. I still get some burning and pain every now and then, but it doesn't last. I still have tension problems in my neck that have caused some nasty headaches, but at least SOMETHING feels better. The best part - I can sleep again! I've gotten 8+ hours of sleep the last two nights. What a relief!

 

[BalloonzForU]

Shanti, It's got to start getting better for you soon. This is just nuts, text after test, drug after drug. Hope they figure it out soon so they can start treating you for what's wrong with you and not masking it.

 

[BalloonzForU]

Oh That's great!!! (we posted near the same time lol) I'm happy something is making you feel better!!!

 

[Mel&Keith]

I'm so glad that you finally got a good night's sleep! I hope the tests bring you another step closer to finding out what the problem is.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Thanks, I'm pretty happy too! Good news - the drug works. Bad news - it made me forget I'm still injured and I overused my arm at work today. It got so bad my pinky nearly went fully numb. So, I FEEL better, but it's just masking the problem, not fixing it. Two more days til testing...

 

[Grinning Geckos]

So, today was the big day for court. Well, not really big, but I was there to see if he would plead guilty or not for causing the accident. I got there and looked around and didn't see him. I checked in and they said he was already there. As I was sitting down, I looked around again and didn't see him, but a man had changed positions and kept turning around and looking at me. I thought it was the Dad, but I wasn't 100% certain. We were like the 5th case to be called up (woohoo!) so I hadn't been there more than 20 minutes. When they called for him, the Dad went up, and it sounded like he said HE was Fadee (the son). No mention of him not actually being the one in the accident until she asked how he pleaded, and he said "well my son turned left....". The judge was like "whoa whoa ... your son?" After a bit of back and forth, it turns out the son didn't come to court because he was in school. The judge wasn't too happy. So, now it'b been put in as a failure to appear, and I have to go back to court in a month.

As we were leaving, he asked if I had gotten a ticket. When I said "No", he asked why I had come to court. He wasn't expecting me to show up, and said so. I told him I came because his insurance was giving me a hard time about paying the medical bills, and left it at that.

I'm soooo glad I'm getting tested tomorrow. Since I overused my arm on Saturday, the drugs only kill about 1/2 the pain. I'm not so sure that it's brachial plexopathy...I feel some numbness and pain on my right arm every now and then. Or...maybe it's both neck and shoulder. What horrible luck would I have to have to have both? According to the Dr, this test I'm doing should pinpoint the area that's damaged if it is my arm. Fun, fun, fun!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

The test went fine today...won't get results til Thursday/Friday. I'm getting afraid that they're going to say this is all in my head. That would be awful! For those who haven't had an EMG, they shock you at various places to time the nerve response, then they stick needles in your muscles to see how they respond.

The nerve test was no big deal. They shocked me too many times to count, but it only hurt 2 or 3 times. They actually did this part of the test twice. The first time, once they put in the measurements, they were saying "Wait...that can't be right. If this is right, then you're the bionic woman...and there was only one bionic woman." I tried to ask what "normal" was suppose to be, and I didn't get an answer. I would have to guess the response was abnormally fast?? When they re-did the test, it had the same results.

The muscle test HURT!!!! OMG, I was told it wouldn't hurt...yea, right! Once they insert the needle, they run electricity through it (or at least, that's what it feels like). He tested all along my arm, by my shoulder blade, and in 3 spots at the back of my neck. My neck STILL hurts from that.

I could do the nerve test all day, but I don't ever want to do the muscle one again! The Dr. said that it was the reverse for most people. Weird, huh?

 

[Mel&Keith]

The muscle test reminded me of a really terrible experience I had with an acupuncturist. Everyone said that it wouldn't hurt but it was excruciating. Maybe we're wired the same way...incorrectly..lol I hope the test results help shed some light on the cause of your pain but in the mean time, quit using your arm!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

LOL Way easier said than done! I don't know how to function with just one hand.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Can't they give you one of those slings that ties your arm to your body? They give them to people with broken collar bones so they can't move their arm. At least it might remind you to not put weight on it.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

They could, I suppose. I tried using a regular sling, but it was super annoying because most things I do takes 2 hands, so I kept trying to use it anyway. If the EMG shows where the problem is, then we should know what I need to do (and not do) to get better.

 

[PaulSage]

Ugh.. I can't even imagine how crippled I would be if one arm hurt that bad. Mild arthritis in a few knuckles is bad enough. I hope you can get all everything straightened out and feeling better soon!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

I tried for awhile to not use it, and that's what it was like ... I was totally crippled. I'm sure it's totally possible to get along with one arm if you learn. The problem is, I'm partially ambidextrous, so I use both hands a lot. Suddenly not having both 100% is a challenge.

I looked online about the EMG. Apparently, the needle only a sensor. They only use electricity on the nerve test. Double weird.