So this is whats goin on...

[004x41500]

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Most of you guys already know this, but i thought its best to make my own thread about it instead of cluttering up the other one.

It started when i was rear ended in the truck about 6 months ago, I went to the ER they did some cat scans, and said I had minor nerve root impingment, and recomended me to a neurologist...

so i go to the neurologist, and he did, some xrays, and a few MRIs, 1 of my head, and another of my neck...

well xray showed that there was a vertebra (c4) that was pretty much sliding freely when i moved my head, and the MRI showed the discs at C3-4, and C4-5 were both partially herniated.

We started on physical therapy, 3x a week for 4 weeks, that didnt help any. then we did massage therapy 2x a week for 4 weeks, that didnt help either, then we went to a CESI (Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection)

well the CESI time came, they consciously sedated me, and numbed the site where they would be going in with the needle, right between my shoulder blades, and they had to go in there, and feed a tube from there up to my neck (about 8 inches) in my spinal canal, well i felt every bit of it, and it hurt like hell. of course that didnt work either.

so i was at work one night, and just turned my head to look at a price tag, and i felt 4 pops in my neck, and the girl next to me even heard it, well immediately following the pops, my lower back started hurting real bad, my neck got 100x worse with pain, and my right arm went numb, so i go back to the dr. and he wants to get 2 more MRIs done, 1 on my neck and 1 on my lower back, well i havent gone yet because they cant bill my auto insurance because theres not enough coverage left with it ($10,000) and in order for BCBS to pay for it i have to have a letter of exhaustion from my auto ins. that says there is no more coverage left. and then the MRIs also have to be approved by BCBS before they can be done.

So now im pretty much playing a waiting game.

And this past friday night (12/3) i ended up leaving work early to go to the ER.

i had been dizzy and nauseous all day friday, and threw up friday night, i ended up leaving work at 1am and went to the ER. at first my blood pressure (bp) was 141/78 which is high for me (120/70 is my norm) and then when i got into a room like 15 mins later, they took it again, and it was like 98/54, they started an IV drip, gave me something for the nausea, and some antivert for my dizziness, then they gave me some ativan through the IV to help calm me down a bit, they took blood and urine, then they did a orthostatic test to see if it could be a possible bp issue, sitting down my bp was 116/68, standing it was 126/74, and laying down it was 111/60.

they diagnosed it as vertigo, but i think something else is going on, the dr. ive been goin to since my wreck did a test for vertigo, and they said i didnt have it, and it cant be an inner ear infection because i have no fever.


And next monday (12/13) I go to a spine specialist to find out if I'm going to need surgery or if anything else can be done that hasn't been tryed.

So all in all its been a very stressful year for me. Ill keep everyone updated as I find out more info.

[SmokedRam]

Get well soon brother...hope they find out what going on. My sister suffers from Vertigo due to repeated blows to her head from her wife heating husband...of which she continues to go back to.

[BAD HABIT]

wow, get better man, i hope everything works out...

[Storm Rider]

Man, hope everything goes your way. Keep the faith and a smile on your face. My family is wishing you all the best.

[Fla 66 cuda]

Our prayers are with you hope they can help you get better.

[txbass06]

Prayers comin from my family too. Hopefully, nobody will drag ass on this and you can get fixed up quickly

[Onk]

I know what you are going through....Just find yourself a good doctor. thats the important part....they are hard to come by.

I actually flew up to ohio to go see a specialist after my accident....that was a trip..let me tell ya that...

I hurt every day. My right shoulder has been numb since my accident, i have a constant tremor in my right hand and if i step wrong on my right side, my entire right side will give out....

Back surgery is no joke. My mom had it done, almost became paralyzed due to it. I have never talked to one person who has has a successful back surgery. I have had 4 different doctors tell me I need it yesterday. I have 4 ruptured disc (1 lumbar, 1 thoracic and 2 cervical) and there will come a time when I wont be able to bare the pain any more, but until that time comes, where I can not absolutely function, I wont let anyone cut my open and operate on my spine. Back pain never gets better, but it will eventually level out.

You just gotta find the right doctor/chiro combo....

Alot of people dont believe in Chiropractors...but I can vouch, mine is a miracle worker. She is really big into Bio-cranial medicine as well. Look it up...that shits no joke either!!!

[NOTPAID4]

Wow, sorry to hear about all of this and can see why you could get stressed out. Wishing you the best with this and hope they find the actual cause so it can be treated properly. Keep us posted!!!!

[004x41500]

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thanks for the wishes and prayers guys, the people who are draggin ass on this is the ins. company, and the billing dept. at the drs. office. each day is another battle, they have me on darvocet for pain, but its pretty much a supercharged tylenol. when i see the dr. again, im goin to see if they can give me anything else because the darvcet just isnt cutting it.

the unfortunate thing is im allergic to Codine which is in pretty much everything. So we will see.

[SmokedRam]

Man, there is something about spine surgery that I really dont like...I would have to REALLY trust the surgeon before I let him/her operate on my spine.

[blackshadow]

we are deff praying for you and I do know what your going through as I have a ruptured disc also and specialist told me that I shouldn't even be able to walk much less walk into his office and he said what ever your doing keep it up. So now I am going to tell you what I do and I haven't been back to the drs or chiro for 4 yrs I do have a little nerve issues on my left arm but nothing i can't handle and all I use is a inversion table that I got from Sams club right after I hurt my back at work

[004x41500]

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hmmm... we have those at kmart, i might look into that.

[OklaHemi]

best wishes to you brother, i know the strain that medical problems can put on a man and his family...

[004x41500]

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ya, it certainly has been a burden, on top of my medical issues, im 2 months behind in all of my bills. and i have to renew my tag by the 1st

[Challenger345]

sorry to hear about your injury, hey did you ask your insurance company if you have med pay, that is paid to you no matter who is at fault.

[004x41500]

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ya, because fl. is a no fault state my ins. company pays my medical bills up to my PIP limits ($10,000) then it gets billed to the other insurance company.

And thanks, I had to get my own atny because i couldnt handle trying to do this on my own.

[Challenger345]

No fault man that always scares me when i drive my car to Florida

[004x41500]

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ya i know. its nice, but at the same time it sucks.

[Challenger345]

ya, because fl. is a no fault state my ins. company pays my medical bills up to my PIP limits ($10,000) then it gets billed to the other insurance company.

And thanks, I had to get my own atny because i couldnt handle trying to do this on my own.

I'm dealing with some of the same issues with my wife, a women pulled out in front of her in April 09 she had to have knee surgery, possbile lower back, and neck surgery, not to mention totaling our car.

[004x41500]

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ya. i am worried about my future as well

[blackshadow]

yea because no matter how long the bills around your back is with you for the rest of your life and once the settlement is done you never hear from them again and the settlement is never enough for ruining your back for life.

[004x41500]

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yep. pretty much

[004x41500]

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Well guys heres the latest(12/13)

Went to the spine specialist today, and found out that i will more than likely be needing surgery, and the dr. wants to do a discogram first, and he said that i would benefit more from a full prosthetic replacement than i would from a fusion, I won't know much more until after the new year, when i get everything else scheduled. though i will probably be going through with the surgery.

[blackshadow]

well you are truly in our prayers young man, anyone that has had any back problems knows that you are in for the long haul, be strong and keep us posted.

[Fla 66 cuda]

Sorry to hear this but after they get done should be good as new, our prayers are with ya.

[004x41500]

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thanks guys, the only thing with this is, that now any mods i had planned for my truck are on hold. we might just go right to surgery instead of the test. im waitin to hear back from my atny about it.

[Fla 66 cuda]

Mods can wait your condition can't waiting could cause more damage and change the outcome and extend recovery time. Our prayers are with ya, best wishes on a full recovery as quickly as possible.

[blackshadow]

your back is a whole lot more important then that truck is, get your back right and the truck will follow.

[004x41500]

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yep. it just sucks, cause my truck is always kept top notch, this is the longest ive gone without changing the oil.

[004x41500]

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well i finally got the auth. from the ins. to have my MRIs done, got them scheduled for next week(1/12/11) hopefully ill be able to finally get this shit taken care of.

[blackshadow]

we are with you

[004x41500]

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Well guys, I finally have both the MRI, and Discogram scheduled. MRI is Weds. (1/12) and Discogram is Thurs. (1/20)

[SmokedRam]

good luck buddy...I hate MRI's...

[unionmanofsteel]

good luck brother may you be blessed with a good recovery

[Ms.MagnumSLT]

Keeping you in my preyers and wishing you a speedy recovery!!

[004x41500]

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thanks for the wishes and prayers guys. i hope alll goes well

[NOTPAID4]

Hoping all goes well. I just got a letter yesterday from the VA hospital in Durham, NC and I have to go back in February for another check up for my prostate cancer. I'm dreading that too!

[OklaHemi]

good luck buddy...I hate MRI's...

my last mri changed me...mentally. i have been anxious and edgy every since. tell the dr you want some valium before you go in. that is what i have for my next one

[004x41500]

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the mris dont bother me really. im just scared shitless about that discogram

[004x41500]

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Update: (1/20/11) I made it through the discogram, i was rather nervous, they took me back and the last thing i remember was a rather excruciating pain in my hand from a med they had injected into my IV, I remember cringing and closing my eyes, then next thing i know i was being rolled into recovery, and I asked the nurse where I was. I asked here if they found anything, and she said they did find a tear in my disc.

I go back next Tuesday (1/25/11) to talk to the doctor about the results.

[004x41500]

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Update: (1/26/11)

The discogram had very clear cut results, I have 2 discs that need to be replaced, 1 is fully herniated, and the other is severely torn, both of which are causing excruciating pain. The doc wants to do a 2 level disc replacement, if we can get the 2 level approved, otherwise I'll be having 1 disc replaced, and one fused. The herniated disc is at C4-5, and the severely torn disc is at C5-6. The surgery dat is to be determined, but I told the doc that i wanted it done ASAP, hopefully it'll be done sometime in the next 2 weeks.

[BAD HABIT]

ouch bro, i hope all goes well i can only begin to imagine the pain you are in as i only have mild problems compared to that...keep us updated cory as we here are family and we all hope you will be okay....

[SmokedRam]

Hope you get it taken care of man...is he having to get it approved through your insurance? If so, that really sucks that doctors have to get approval from you insurance company to help you out...

[004x41500]

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ya, these new health insurance policies are crap. i had to wait for them to give me the authorization for the MRIs i needed to have done.

[004x41500]

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Update (2/12/11): Well last week I found out that my health insurance denied coverage on a disc replacement, asked the drs. office to push it back through as medically necessary, and Ive yet to hear any word. Everything is sort of in limbo right now. Ill update as I find out more.

[OklaHemi]

man i have to say i have little to no respect for the medical field which is hard since my wife is a nurse. i hope it all gets worked out for you. why are they dening it?

[OklaHemi]

on another note from someone who is going through recovery of a recent accident. if you ever need to complain or maybe some help with ins wording let me know i can run it by my nurse wife and see if she has an answer or a better way to handle a situation. i let her do all the talking when it come to dr.s and ins

[004x41500]

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supposedly its an uncovered benefit, though they told me to have the dr. send it back as medically necessary, but who knows what may happen. hopefully i get some info this week.

[OklaHemi]

im hoping for the best for you. just having fractured vertebre and bulging disc hurt bad enough, i can imagine what you are feeling

[004x41500]

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[004x41500]

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UPDATE (4/26/11): i cant believe its been 2 months since i last updated you guys, and on 4/28 it will be exactly 1 year since all of this mess started.

Anyways, my health insurance denied the coverage for the second time, and the drs office had said that theres a company out there that may be able to help get it approved, but the needed my permission to send my info to them, and i ok'd it, and shortly there after, i spoke with my atny, and decided to go ahead and settle the case seeing as i wouldnt be getting surgery, because of the lack of coverage for it.

The ins. company has until this friday (4/29) to respond to the settlement demand, and i havent heard anything yet, and i dont expect to until friday, however i have a meeting with my atny tomorrow (4/27) at 9am to discuss my case, however he said that he had not heard anything from the ins. company as of last thursday (4/21) however im remaining optimistic about it and hoping that he will have some sort of offer from the ins. company when i meet with him tomorrow morning(4/27).

As far as the pain goes, its an everyday thing, and im still in a rather considerable amount, i have ran out of meds and have no refills, i still have bouts of dizziness almost everyday as well as headaches, i had a rather severe migraine last week and had to leave work early because of it.

Ill update more as i find out more info. again sorry about the delay in the update.

[Storm Rider]

Cory - sorry things are going so slow for you. Hope everything works out. Good Luck and keep the faith.

[004x41500]

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Well today(4/26) i got a call from my atnys office, and he had to reschedule the meeting because he will be out of his office tomorrow for another case, we rescheduled it for this friday (4/29) so hopefully theyll have something by then.

[Redtruck-VA]

Sad stuff seeing a young man suffer.. hang tough.

[Storm Rider]

Stay TOUGH. You will alright.

[4XLGator]

I hate to hear stories like this. Hang in there, Cory. Keep your head up.

[004x41500]

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thanks gus, im really hoping to just get this case settled, and get on with my life. this chapeter of my life is almost over, and im getting ready to turn the page. hopefully ill have some good news on friday about the settlement offer, but they do have until 4pm on friday (4/29) to respond with an offer

[004x41500]

Please note: If anyone from USAA Insurance is reading this; this entire website is a private forum intended for members only. USAA Insurance employees, agents and associates are persona non grata and may not view, access, record or post anything on any part of this thread.

Update: (4/29) i went and talked with the atny, there were some issues raised by USAA, (the other ins. company) we discussed those (which will remain confidential until further notice) and we had an offer (which will not be disclosed publicly) as far as the case is concerned were still moving forward, we made a counter offer (which to will remain undisclosed publicly) though its still a sticky situation that im in being that i didnt go through with surgery because i was declined not once but twice, and i did find out that USAA had requested my records from my primary care phys. which i have no problems with, and it was explained to me by my atny that theyre trying to fish in my records for a place where i may have had back and neck problems in the past, however i have not. I will know more in 10 calender days. i will keep everyone updated as i find out more.

[Redtruck-VA]

Cory, my advice is to not post any details here at all. I understand your need to communicate about the issues, but this is not a closed nor private forum. Just be tough and I hope it works out for you.

[Storm Rider]

Cory, stay tough Bro. I agree with Greg. I would not post anything else til this thing is settled. Good Luck and I hope everything goes your way. It is amazing that you have to have insurance and you may never use it. All profit to the insurance company. But the one time you need it, it is like they don't want to know your name. You pay millions in a life time and they can't hand out thousands once to someone who needs it.