Saw the surgeon for the last follow-up exam today (Tuesday 12/01). All restrictions have been removed and he says I'm "all healed up." I told him that by the end of my work-week I can barely walk and he said that will improve with time.
Okay! Guess I'll have to take his word for it.
They sent me home with my x-rays and MRI films because they no longer keep them on file. Should I ever have to return I have to bring them with me. They're very large and I have no idea where to store them. I held them up to the window to look at them. The x-rays were kind of neat and easy to understand but the MRI films are pretty confusing. I was hoping I could see the torn meniscus but I had no idea what I was looking at. :o)
After 5 months of doctors I'm glad I don't have to see them anymore.
Showing posts with label Knee Injury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knee Injury. Show all posts
9.30.2009
Back at It
I start back to work tomorrow. The surgeon put me on a shortened schedule...4 hour shifts. During a normal week I usually work (4) 8-hour shifts which is not full-time. And because I'm not full-time, Comp will not make up the difference. There's no way I can survive on 4 hour shifts but the hellhole informed me, and I quote... "You have to."
The doctor told me yesterday that they had to remove about 60% of the meniscus in my knee. It will never be as 'good' as it was before the injury and will continue to deteriorate. Since there is very little cartilage left, the bones will now be rubbing against each other and wearing each other down.
Just going grocery shopping causes a great deal of discomfort and after being on my feet so much yesterday, I couldn't sleep last night because of the pain in my knee. Knowing how much pain I'm going to be in after running around that hellhole for 4 hours I asked to take my vacation so I could have a little more time to recuperate. But the hellhole said I can't because of Comp. I don't get it. If I'm no longer going to be receiving payments from Comp, why does that interfere with my wanting to take my vacation?
I love that place.
The doctor told me yesterday that they had to remove about 60% of the meniscus in my knee. It will never be as 'good' as it was before the injury and will continue to deteriorate. Since there is very little cartilage left, the bones will now be rubbing against each other and wearing each other down.
Just going grocery shopping causes a great deal of discomfort and after being on my feet so much yesterday, I couldn't sleep last night because of the pain in my knee. Knowing how much pain I'm going to be in after running around that hellhole for 4 hours I asked to take my vacation so I could have a little more time to recuperate. But the hellhole said I can't because of Comp. I don't get it. If I'm no longer going to be receiving payments from Comp, why does that interfere with my wanting to take my vacation?
I love that place.
8.22.2009
Big Girls Don't Cry
Ya wanna bet?
I had the surgery on my knee yesterday and all went very well. I can honestly say that the worst part about it all was the worry and fear beforehand. They gave me a valium shortly after I arrived and my son said that about 15 minutes later I was laughing and saying goofy stuff. I remember very little about the whole thing except feeling a great sense of relief when I realized it was over.
They gave me a list of exercises I have to do to strengthen the knee and my muscles around it. Boy oh boy do they hurt. I did them for the first time this afternoon and it brought tears to my eyes. This big girl does indeed cry!
I had the surgery on my knee yesterday and all went very well. I can honestly say that the worst part about it all was the worry and fear beforehand. They gave me a valium shortly after I arrived and my son said that about 15 minutes later I was laughing and saying goofy stuff. I remember very little about the whole thing except feeling a great sense of relief when I realized it was over.
They gave me a list of exercises I have to do to strengthen the knee and my muscles around it. Boy oh boy do they hurt. I did them for the first time this afternoon and it brought tears to my eyes. This big girl does indeed cry!
8.19.2009
Finally!
Was woken up this morning by a ringing phone. It was the surgeon's office calling to let me know that they've scheduled my surgery for Friday afternoon. I'll be so glad when it's over.
8.14.2009
TGIF
I'm so glad to see this week come to an end. It's been a tough one but it's ending well. This will be a long post so hang onto your hats...and don't feel bad if you don't read it all the way through. :o)
Before leaving the surgeon's office last Wednesday they gave me a consent form that needed to be filled out by Worker's Comp then faxed back to them ASAP. This form would let the surgeon know that Comp has approved my surgery and once they received it, they would then schedule a physical and set a date for the surgery.
I promptly brought the form to the HR gal at the hellhole, told her that it needed to be filled out by Comp and faxed back to the surgeon. She assured me that she would email the form right away but that the reps at Comp may not see it until Thursday morning because they only check their email once a day...usually in the morning.
Since I knew that I would be getting a call sometime in the next few business days I stayed off the phone and didn't get online until after office hours. I didn't expect to hear anything Thursday and probably not Friday either but I still stayed off the phone just in case.
After the wild weekend weather, Monday arrived and I started getting nervous again. Knowing that I will soon be going under the knife scares the you-know-what out of me. But it appears it has to be done if I am ever going to able to return to work. Anyhow, I stayed off the phone and offline Monday...no calls. Tuesday came and I was pretty sure I'd hear something...but no calls. Certainly Wednesday would bring a call...but I heard nothing.
My fear kicked in some time Monday. I became convinced that Comp was going to dispute the claim because I hadn't reported the injury to my knee right after it happened.
And here's why...
I was working the 4th of July when I twisted my knee. I felt it pop and after moaning out in pain I could see and feel that my kneecap was cock-eyed. (Turns out it was the cartilage) I pushed it back into place, bent my knee a few times to see if it still worked, then continued on with the rest of my workday. It ached a bit but wasn't unbearable. I was even able to go to work the next day. I worked in the shoe dept that night and did a lot of deep knee bending putting out shoe stock. It hurt a bit but still wasn't bad enough to really even give it a second thought.
That night after work I sat at my computer for 3 or 4 hours. There was no pain nor any indication that something was wrong until I went to stand up. As soon as I put weight on my knee it felt like a knife was going through it. It was swollen and very painful. I knew I had the next 3 days off so I just figured I'd keep it elevated and iced and everything would be fine by Thursday when I had to return to work.
Well, that didn't happen. By Thursday it was still swollen and painful. I couldn't put weight on it and I knew there was no way I could spend 8 hours on my feet. So, I called in, hoping that one more day of rest would do the trick. I will do almost anything to avoid doctors. I don't like doctors. But by Thursday night I knew I needed to see one.
Since the injury happened at work I called my union steward to find out what I should do. She told me to go to the hellhole and file an injury report and they would send me to see the Comp doctor. So on Friday that's what I did. My supervisor at the store was nice about it all. She did ask why I didn't report it immediately and I explained that it didn't swell up or cause unbearable pain until Sunday night after sitting at the computer and that I thought after a few days rest it would be okay. (I believe I also mentioned the fact that I hate doctors.)
Not reporting an injury at work immediately can put your claim in jeopardy of being denied by Worker's Comp. Knowing this, and the fact that I still hadn't heard from the surgeon was really stressing me out. And to top it off, my comp check didn't arrive on it's regular day. I tried calling the HR gal at the hellhole yesterday and she had already left for the day. It was 3:10PM. Great hours if you can get 'em.
Today, the check still hadn't come and there was still no word from the surgeon nor Comp. I was in a total state of panic...convinced that my claim had been denied. I once again tried to call the HR gal at the hellhole, even had her paged...couldn't get her. I kept calling every 15 minutes until she finally answered.
I asked her if she had sent that form to the Comp office and she said it had been taken care of and that she hadn't heard anything about my claim at all. She suggested that I call them direct. So I did.
The Rep who is/was handling my claim is on vacation so I got another Rep who looked up my file and he said, "We have no record of receiving a form. If it was sent to the Rep who is on vacation it is in her mailbox and we don't have access to her mailbox. Your surgery will be covered, we're just waiting to hear from the surgeon."
Oh, brother!
He went on to say that the surgeon's office only has to call and they will approve it over the phone. I knew that wasn't gonna happen but I told him I'd call them and let them know what's going on. Of course when I did, they said they can't accept authorization over the phone...they need that consent form.
After speaking to the receptionist at the surgeon's office, I called the HR gal back and asked her to please be sure that form is filled out and faxed to the surgeon. She assured me that she would do so right away. (I do believe I heard that before.)
So, all this worry could have been avoided if I hadn't been so convinced that the worst was going to happen and just checked into it sooner. I never learn!
Oh, concerning the check that I haven't received. It was mailed last Friday, Aug 7th. The Rep told me that if I haven't received it by today to call them back and they'll put a stop payment on it.
My mailperson is notorious for delivering mail to the wrong address. I get mail for other people quite often, so who knows where that check is. If someone has cashed it they'll be able to see it's not my signature. He didn't say they would re-issue the check so I have no idea if or when I'll ever see that money.
I'm so glad this week is nearly over...I need a drink!
Before leaving the surgeon's office last Wednesday they gave me a consent form that needed to be filled out by Worker's Comp then faxed back to them ASAP. This form would let the surgeon know that Comp has approved my surgery and once they received it, they would then schedule a physical and set a date for the surgery.
I promptly brought the form to the HR gal at the hellhole, told her that it needed to be filled out by Comp and faxed back to the surgeon. She assured me that she would email the form right away but that the reps at Comp may not see it until Thursday morning because they only check their email once a day...usually in the morning.
Since I knew that I would be getting a call sometime in the next few business days I stayed off the phone and didn't get online until after office hours. I didn't expect to hear anything Thursday and probably not Friday either but I still stayed off the phone just in case.
After the wild weekend weather, Monday arrived and I started getting nervous again. Knowing that I will soon be going under the knife scares the you-know-what out of me. But it appears it has to be done if I am ever going to able to return to work. Anyhow, I stayed off the phone and offline Monday...no calls. Tuesday came and I was pretty sure I'd hear something...but no calls. Certainly Wednesday would bring a call...but I heard nothing.
My fear kicked in some time Monday. I became convinced that Comp was going to dispute the claim because I hadn't reported the injury to my knee right after it happened.
And here's why...
I was working the 4th of July when I twisted my knee. I felt it pop and after moaning out in pain I could see and feel that my kneecap was cock-eyed. (Turns out it was the cartilage) I pushed it back into place, bent my knee a few times to see if it still worked, then continued on with the rest of my workday. It ached a bit but wasn't unbearable. I was even able to go to work the next day. I worked in the shoe dept that night and did a lot of deep knee bending putting out shoe stock. It hurt a bit but still wasn't bad enough to really even give it a second thought.
That night after work I sat at my computer for 3 or 4 hours. There was no pain nor any indication that something was wrong until I went to stand up. As soon as I put weight on my knee it felt like a knife was going through it. It was swollen and very painful. I knew I had the next 3 days off so I just figured I'd keep it elevated and iced and everything would be fine by Thursday when I had to return to work.
Well, that didn't happen. By Thursday it was still swollen and painful. I couldn't put weight on it and I knew there was no way I could spend 8 hours on my feet. So, I called in, hoping that one more day of rest would do the trick. I will do almost anything to avoid doctors. I don't like doctors. But by Thursday night I knew I needed to see one.
Since the injury happened at work I called my union steward to find out what I should do. She told me to go to the hellhole and file an injury report and they would send me to see the Comp doctor. So on Friday that's what I did. My supervisor at the store was nice about it all. She did ask why I didn't report it immediately and I explained that it didn't swell up or cause unbearable pain until Sunday night after sitting at the computer and that I thought after a few days rest it would be okay. (I believe I also mentioned the fact that I hate doctors.)
Not reporting an injury at work immediately can put your claim in jeopardy of being denied by Worker's Comp. Knowing this, and the fact that I still hadn't heard from the surgeon was really stressing me out. And to top it off, my comp check didn't arrive on it's regular day. I tried calling the HR gal at the hellhole yesterday and she had already left for the day. It was 3:10PM. Great hours if you can get 'em.
Today, the check still hadn't come and there was still no word from the surgeon nor Comp. I was in a total state of panic...convinced that my claim had been denied. I once again tried to call the HR gal at the hellhole, even had her paged...couldn't get her. I kept calling every 15 minutes until she finally answered.
I asked her if she had sent that form to the Comp office and she said it had been taken care of and that she hadn't heard anything about my claim at all. She suggested that I call them direct. So I did.
The Rep who is/was handling my claim is on vacation so I got another Rep who looked up my file and he said, "We have no record of receiving a form. If it was sent to the Rep who is on vacation it is in her mailbox and we don't have access to her mailbox. Your surgery will be covered, we're just waiting to hear from the surgeon."
Oh, brother!
He went on to say that the surgeon's office only has to call and they will approve it over the phone. I knew that wasn't gonna happen but I told him I'd call them and let them know what's going on. Of course when I did, they said they can't accept authorization over the phone...they need that consent form.
After speaking to the receptionist at the surgeon's office, I called the HR gal back and asked her to please be sure that form is filled out and faxed to the surgeon. She assured me that she would do so right away. (I do believe I heard that before.)
So, all this worry could have been avoided if I hadn't been so convinced that the worst was going to happen and just checked into it sooner. I never learn!
Oh, concerning the check that I haven't received. It was mailed last Friday, Aug 7th. The Rep told me that if I haven't received it by today to call them back and they'll put a stop payment on it.
My mailperson is notorious for delivering mail to the wrong address. I get mail for other people quite often, so who knows where that check is. If someone has cashed it they'll be able to see it's not my signature. He didn't say they would re-issue the check so I have no idea if or when I'll ever see that money.
I'm so glad this week is nearly over...I need a drink!
8.11.2009
Ever have one of those days...
Saw the surgeon last Wednesday and was told I need surgery on my knee. They said they would schedule it as soon as Worker's Comp approves it. As of today I still haven't heard anything. I have this awful feeling that Comp won't approve it.
The house was struck by lightning 3 times Saturday night in what was the worst thunderstorm I believe I've ever seen around here. It got my DVR, even though it was unplugged but it came through the phone line which I neglected to unhook. Also, my computer will not boot up. I don't know if it was affected by the storm or what, it too was unplugged at the time, including the phone line.
This house is a lightning rod. It's been hit several times over the years. I've lost TV's, VCRs, phones, DVD players and my garage door opener...twice.
I spent nearly 2 hours Saturday night trying to control the rainwater that was flowing over the gutters and down into my garage. The drain in the middle of the floor was full within a few minutes and my sump pump died on me years ago. So I opened the back storm door and swished that damn water out with a broom while propping myself up on crutches.
I lost the battle, though. I couldn't keep up with it and the water seeped under the wall and into my breezeway.
The house was struck by lightning 3 times Saturday night in what was the worst thunderstorm I believe I've ever seen around here. It got my DVR, even though it was unplugged but it came through the phone line which I neglected to unhook. Also, my computer will not boot up. I don't know if it was affected by the storm or what, it too was unplugged at the time, including the phone line.
This house is a lightning rod. It's been hit several times over the years. I've lost TV's, VCRs, phones, DVD players and my garage door opener...twice.
I spent nearly 2 hours Saturday night trying to control the rainwater that was flowing over the gutters and down into my garage. The drain in the middle of the floor was full within a few minutes and my sump pump died on me years ago. So I opened the back storm door and swished that damn water out with a broom while propping myself up on crutches.
I lost the battle, though. I couldn't keep up with it and the water seeped under the wall and into my breezeway.
7.31.2009
Fear & Uncertainty
This morning I went back to the doctor and was told the results of my MRI. I have two tears in the C-shaped meniscus (cartilage) on my inner knee. It's uncertain if I'll need surgery until I see the surgeon next Wednesday.
I'm not a happy camper.
I'm not a happy camper.
7.27.2009
Bright Light!!! Bright Light!!!
Something strange is happening around here. I awoke this morning to a blinding light in my eyes. At first I had no idea what it could be...then it dawned on me...it was the sun!!! Haven't seen much of it this summer so I'd forgotten what blue skies and sunshine looked like.
Still no news regarding the MRI I had last Tuesday. My knee is doing better. I'm able to walk a bit without crutches but still have swelling and can't straighten my leg completely. I'm going a bit stir-crazy, though. How is one supposed to enjoy time off from work if one can't do anything?
I've been having some fun though thanks to my niece Sherry. She's been updating her website, Studio Pashnada and I've been making some buttons and tags for her using Paint Shop Pro. That program is addictive. I can play with it for hours and not even realize how much time has passed.
Still no news regarding the MRI I had last Tuesday. My knee is doing better. I'm able to walk a bit without crutches but still have swelling and can't straighten my leg completely. I'm going a bit stir-crazy, though. How is one supposed to enjoy time off from work if one can't do anything?
I've been having some fun though thanks to my niece Sherry. She's been updating her website, Studio Pashnada and I've been making some buttons and tags for her using Paint Shop Pro. That program is addictive. I can play with it for hours and not even realize how much time has passed.
7.22.2009
Did I say I loved computers?
For the second time in less than a week my laptop took a dump. I tried for 5 hours today to reinstall the OS and it wouldn't work.
I give up.
Did some searching online and found a good deal at Best Buy. After I get my washer paid off I may be able to get a new one.
Still haven't heard any news from the hospital about the MRI on my knee. I don't know how long it will take to find out if I need surgery or not. I don't like to think about it. But I did get some good news yesterday. My first comp check should arrive in another day or two. That's a big load off my chest.
I give up.
Did some searching online and found a good deal at Best Buy. After I get my washer paid off I may be able to get a new one.
Still haven't heard any news from the hospital about the MRI on my knee. I don't know how long it will take to find out if I need surgery or not. I don't like to think about it. But I did get some good news yesterday. My first comp check should arrive in another day or two. That's a big load off my chest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)