Looking to talk w/ someone who has or had whiplash and neck/upper back pain?

I was involved in MVA  3 months ago and got bad whiplash along w/ C 4-5 C6-7 disc bulges/herniations. I had Mri's , see a neurosurgeon and now go to a Pain management Doctor, presently getting acupuncture 2x week. Wanted to see if anyone out there has a familiar condition and wants to talk.

[NurseGoody]

I was diagnosed with C5 and C6 herniation's and have had surgery to correct both just this past 4/18...3 wks post op today...I was 18 months symptomatic and 14 months until correction with surgery...I wasn't involved in a MVA...I am a nurse and ruptured both taking care of a patient...but we all know comp...need I say more...if you wanna chat...I have time on my hands!!!

~Sarah~
My comments are not a substitute for medical advice and are only related to MY personal experiences
Anterior Cervical Fusion at C6-7 w/ACDR at C5-6 (4/18/11)
2 Cervical Injections (11/10 & 2/11)
Multiple PT therapies (4/10-10/10)
Multiple Med therapies (12/09-4/11)

[FurballsMom]

I've had great relief from chiropractic.

[thirdeye33]

I'm just getting back on this board, they don't email you when you get a reply..strange?? Anyway, thank you for a reply. Sorry to hear you had go through surgery, how are you feeling post surgery or too early to tell? How was the final decision to have surgery made? I'm still have no change. Ended acupuncture after 14 sessions w/ no real improvement, except my headaches. Just started (only 4 sessions so far) w/ a Chriopractor. I feel even worse, she is very gentle and has only used the adjuster tool on me so far. My pain days afterwards is intense!! She wants me to go 2x a week, but I can't handle it. See her again this Wednesday and I'll have to let her know how terrible I feel. She did say it would feel worse before it got better w/ all the adjustments, but this is crazy! I'm ice all the time and I miss my moist heat. I have now been told that my back is not straight and that my mri shows a L4-5 disc herniation along with moderate stenosis. Mild bulge in my L2-3 and my 3-4 and mild stenosis. Before my car accident, I was extremely active(played sports,skiing, workout 6x week and prior to having my two kids, taught fitness and skiing. I have never been to the doctor for any pain, had perfect easy childbirths, etc. My Chriopractor believes because my back was not straight and some of the discs were bad prior to the mva, that on impact 45mph that it just made all this back stuff come out. I don't know what to think. Depressing!!

Not too familar w/ works comp, but I was not working at the time of the accident(stay home w/ my 2 young kids and homeschool my child who has aspergers) But,  I imagine it is just has bad as NY no fault insurance. Lucky me got hit by an unlicensed driver, who had no insurance. My car insurance co. went from being so nice to down right nasty.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Just getting some stuff off my chest.

Peace :)

[thirdeye33]

What did you see your Chriopractor for? How bad was the after pain when the chriopractor first started?

Thanks!

[thirdeye33]

Sorry, one more thing. You listed that you had injections...what kind?(epidural,steroid,cortisone??) This have been pushed on me,but I just don't feel comfortable about it at all.

[FurballsMom]

I saw the chiropractor for the whiplash injury itself.

[kimberdalez]

never say its getting even a bit better till your case ( if you have one and if you dont then get a lawyer) is settled or you will end up not getting the treatment you need as insurance company will just say you have soft tissue damage and anything else was likley there before.  Just saying this from personal experience

[thirdeye33]

Thanks for the advice. I had to get lawyer, cause the person who hit me had no insurance. So, my insurance med claim rep has now become my nightmare. She likes to deny everything, sometimes I wonder what the hell I have been paying 13 yrs. of car insurance for.  It is 6 months today that I was hit and I'm only worse.  I have nothing to gain money wise from this case(only treatments) yet, they are so nasty!

[FurballsMom]

I would agree with your assessment of insurance companies.  I've noticed they're all like this.  You really have to force them to do the right thing by getting a lawyer as was already suggested.  And, the thing is, like you said, you're not trying to gain anything financially from this.  And, with the limits to how much they're willing to pay out, even once you get this approved, you still don't gain anything financially, because if you still need treatment after you settle, you may need to use what little settlement money you actually are allowed to have after the expenses are paid, to continue to pay for chiropractic treatment.  I've been in more than one accident that was not my fault, and the outcome was about the same.  Any money I got after the settlement paid doctors and medical insurance costs was still so small that only a pitiful lemon car could actually be bought with the money.  One doesn't usually get even the amount that the vehicle that was lost was actually worth.

[thirdeye33]

My insurance co. called me a few days after the accident, while I was still really out of it. The claim guy was like, "your car is a total loss, after the remainder of the loan is paid off, the total is $1500" I was in shock!! Started crying. He was like,"ok, ok the sooner you get it off the lot its on and mail me back the title the better...can you do that tomorrow?" I got off the phone and went mad!!! How does that dumb *** sleep at night! Well, I called back 16 more times over the course of close to three weeks and got them up to $5700 after the loan was paid off(only had 2 mo. left on loan to boot!) That guy hated me by the time we were done. I hope more people know that car claim people are not allowed to walk on people like this and that you don't have to take the first offer or even the 16th in my case. I have still yet to see my $500 deduct. , but they keep telling me it is coming.  Getting hit by a uninsured driver should be criminal. The stress my own insurance co.puts me through only adds to my recovery.
On a side note, how bad was your pain level w/ Chriro? She has hard time working w/ me, my back/neck is so messed up(Chriopractor's words) She started w/ the adjuster tool clicker thing at first, but my pain and spasms are even worse now. She feels its alot of  pinched nerves going on in my neck....idk what to think anymore. I have another appt. tonight......not really looking forward to it :(

[FurballsMom]

When I first started, I was like you, but it did get a lot better.  Now I see my chiropractor for maintenance, sometimes less than once a week.  It will take time, but you do need to know that it will get better.  If your chiropractor's office has a massage therapist on site, talk to the chiropractor about satisfying the insurance company's desire for dotting the I's and crossing the T's, so that you can also see the massage therapist.  That will help a lot with the muscle spasms.  For a while my chiropractor had me see the massage therapist before seeing her for the adjustment.  See what your chiropractor has to say about this, because the chiropractor may at least be able to give you a referral to another place.  Insurance companies do their best to wiggle out of this, so you actually can't go unless the chiropractor says it's necessary for your treatment.

[thirdeye33]

I have a Chiropractor and a Neurologist IME Independent medical exam this week. I tried posting on other forums on here...kinda looking for a quick answer. Anyone had to do one of these, esp. for auto insurance...what should I expect? Thanks so much in advance!! I'm all nervous that I would lose any of medical care :(

[FurballsMom]

If you haven't called a lawyer, you need to get one A.S.A.P.  Get one who accepts accident cases on a contingency basis.  There should be a lawyer referral service in your state who can help you find one of these lawyers.  And, this is definitely the legal term for this method of paying a lawyer.  Many lawyers working with car accident victims will work on a contingency basis, especially when they know they can win your case.  When the accident is clearly the other person's fault, the lawyer will certainly be more likely to assume he can win you a fair settlement with your insurance company.  Consulting one of these lawyers who will accept your case on a contingency basis will certainly help you understand what you can and can't do in regards to getting the medical care you deserve.

Many times if you have some sort of medical insurance, you can still go ahead and get the medical care you need and the medical insurance company will allow you to get the care you need with the understanding that they get reimbursed when you receive your settlement claim.  The lawyer will even take care of the money dispersal in such an arrangement, according to the insurance laws of your state.  As far as I know, this is a nationally recognized manner of taking care of this kind of thing.

I have had to do this kind of thing without the benefit of medical insurance as well in the past.  I can tell you from experience that it is much more difficult to get the medical care you need after being in a car accident if you don't have medical insurance as well as auto insurance.  However, I was still able to see a chiropractor, because the chiropractor I saw understood that he would get paid when I got the settlement.  Usually, under such a case, the doctor's office will ask if you have a lawyer for your personal injury case.  

Whether or not you have medical insurance, doctors and hospitals in most states are required to care for your medical needs.  But, they want to make sure that they are going to get their money, too.  In most states, if non-emergency facilities, such as a chiropractor's office, understand that you're dealing with a personal injury case and that you have a lawyer on a contingency basis, they will go ahead and treat you with the understanding that they will be paid once your case is settled.  You aren't usually even required to have medical insurance in this case, but it definitely helps if you do have medical insurance.  It definitely helps to have a lawyer who will accept your case on contingency, because they will deal with both the auto insurance company and the medical insurance company and will sort out the payments once the case is settled.

While I agree that you are not out for money, the reason the auto insurance company is acting like this is because by law you are also entitled to a certain amount of money for "pain and suffering" which also costs them money.  However, this "pain and suffering" amount of money is usually not a lot of money once the bills are paid out, so it's not like you really "gain" anything financially.  I've learned that this is a head game insurance companies play with victims of auto accidents, because they don't like having to pay out any more money than they have to.  They try to make you feel guilty about costing them money.  This is yet another reason to get the lawyer who will accept your case on a contingency basis.  The lawyer will do all the negotiating, so that you have less stress and anxiety to deal with and can concentrate more on getting the medical care that you need.

[thirdeye33]

Thanks so much for getting back to me so fast! That means a lot :) Great advice too! I didn't know about the health insurance possible reimbursement if it comes down to that. My lawyer believes I have strong case and no doubt about it, it was the other drivers fault(who had no insurance) So, I guess my understanding?? Is when all is said and done all I can possible sue for what is left of my uninsured motorist liability ($50,000)  after all my medical bills are paid. Does that sound right?? I know I should just ask my lawyer, but my brain has been working slow and I'm so forgetful and it just stresses me to call them. Their office is very kind and caring though.

Again, thanks for helping a stressful girl out. Also, update on the Chiropractor. Still pretty painful days afterwards(9 sessions in) , but I feel I'm finally on the right track and this Chiropractor knows her stuff and understands my body and offers a lot of helpful advice. :)

[FurballsMom]

I'm not sure on the amount of money, but a lot depends on the value of your vehicle to begin with and how much coverage your policy will cover in the end of the matter.  It is good that you did have uninsured motorist coverage.  That will definitely help a lot and should help you get more money than without it.

Yeah, those soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash, are no joke.  People who haven't experienced whiplash injuries themselves often crack jokes about it, minimizing how much a person with such an injury suffers.  Some will even treat the victim of whiplash as if the person is faking the injury.  What such people don't realize is that whiplash injuries are incredibly painful.  I think there are other areas of the body that can be injured that are far less painful even with more visble injuries.  It will take a few more weeks before you start noticing the difference that the chiropractic treatments make.  But, the difference will eventually be much more noticeable than here near the beginning and so near when the injury first occured.