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cnaz · 01-31-2009, 05:03 PM

Wondering what everyon experiences with FCE s( Functional Capacity Evaluation) has been.

History: I am Jerryc's wife - injuries from cell tower fall - Brachial Plexus nerve damage - limited strength and function of right hand and arm, compression fractures at T11 & T12, possible brain injury - memory loss, problems with balance, dizziness ( rib fractures and femor fracture resolved)

We have an IME scheduled ( last IME was cancelled by WC so this is our first one) and the Pain Mgmt Dr had reccomended an FCE as part of the IME. The new Nurse CM who attended the appt with us agreed to schedule it prior to the IME. By the next day the Nurse CM who worked with us before (as an interim while a new CM was found and trained) called and explained that they would not be scheduling the FCE because there wasnt a need for it, the the CM at the appt with us was just new and didn't know that.

Doing a disability rating without an FCE seems kind of strange. Any thoughts?

Playing phone tag with attorney right now - we haven't really been working with the attorney much yet, but will now that we are finally moving towards settlement; so says adjuster and nurse CM.

1171 · (This post was last modified: 02-05-2009 03:28 PM by 1171.)

most state the disability guidelines are very complete and if the doctor is experienced at using them an FCE will add very little.

CARaven · 02-01-2009, 02:18 AM

Iam surprised your attorney wants you working with a nurse case manager? Im in Calif. and we dont have to if we dont want to. Take Care and Good luck

AQA · 02-01-2009, 02:32 AM

The fce serves two purposes. From what you have said, the dr. wants it done. That leads me to believe he wants to know where you are pysically (sp). My dr. did that twice. he used it as a factor in determining how he needed to treat me. Basically he used it as a diagnostic tool.

The IC can also request one. It will be to determine where you are physically (sp). They also use it as a tool.

You will be tested to see what you can and can not do. They will probably put a monitor around your chest to read your heart rate. The fce will be demanding. when I did mine, I pushed myself, so I would know what I could and could not do. With that being said, if you feel pain, STOP!!!!! The fce can be used to get you back to work, so do not push yourself to much. The heart monitor will aid them in knowing if you are faking the fce or not.

When I did mine, I did not take any pain meds.. The reason for that is I wanted to know what I could do withiut them. I wanted the dr. and the IC to know my true condition.

I hope all that makes sence.

Take Care

fireball · 02-01-2009, 02:46 AM

AQA Wrote:The fce serves two purposes. From what you have said, the dr. wants it done. That leads me to believe he wants to know where you are pysically (sp). My dr. did that twice. he used it as a factor in determining how he needed to treat me. Basically he used it as a diagnostic tool.

The IC can also request one. It will be to determine where you are physically (sp). They also use it as a tool.

You will be tested to see what you can and can not do. They will probably put a monitor around your chest to read your heart rate. The fce will be demanding. when I did mine, I pushed myself, so I would know what I could and could not do. With that being said, if you feel pain, STOP!!!!! The fce can be used to get you back to work, so do not push yourself to much. The heart monitor will aid them in knowing if you are faking the fce or not.

When I did mine, I did not take any pain meds.. The reason for that is I wanted to know what I could do withiut them. I wanted the dr. and the IC to know my true condition.

I hope all that makes sence.

Take Care

good morning, just a little fyi for everyone, the number one way a doctor knows if you are in pain is your heart rate. if it is high they know u are in pain--if it is normal they question your motives for stating ur in pain behind ur backs. this test is the number one resource that doctors rely on in the er room and the outcome of whether or not u or given pain meds or just tylenol. i suggest anytime u go for testing r see a pain doc u go without taking pain meds prior--they need to see that u really r suffering

cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
fireball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lilly · (This post was last modified: 02-01-2009 01:01 PM by Lilly.)

UNLESS, you are on heart drugs to "slow" your heart rate down. In my case, a cardiac stress test cannot even make it rise.
This is the same scenerio as using a rise in BP to monitor one's pain. If you take BP meds...it probably isn't going to rise.

Lilly Smile

Bad Boy Bad Boy · 02-01-2009, 04:24 PM

(memory loss, problems with balance, dizziness) < May be why they don't wish the FCE.

fireball · 02-02-2009, 03:04 AM

I guess everyone is different when it comes to the amount of pain they have and their body percieves. I take morphine pills along with oral morphine ( with other pain meds and muscle relaxants) and blood pressure meds - i still experience high blood pressure(even after changing bp meds numerous times) due to pain. the only time the bp is normal is when i am given iv pain meds in hospital. the thread was just a tidbit i just learned and thought it was sometihing interesting--it was not to mean that everyone out there in pain really is not if their bp is not high. sorry you took it the wrng way

cheers!!!!!!!

fireball!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bad Boy Bad Boy · 02-02-2009, 10:41 AM

Fireball, don't take to much to heart. We injured workers can mostly speak for ourseves as to how things worked for them, or we can speak up as to what we read or learned in the past.

I too take Blood Pressure Medications. When I was doing my numerous FCE's, I was on Valium, Tylenol #3, and something else. I would have to stop and slow my Medications down coming up to the date of the FCE's. This way my body was in the way it would be, without Medications alltering my system. My second from last FCE showed Blood Pressure going up to high during certain task of the FCE. Yet, the person performing the FCE, didn't write in their report how they made me sit and relax. But, they did put the BP readings in the report for each Task. Being so, they left it up to me and my Attorney to point this out, to the Insurance Carrier and their Attorney.

This was when I decided to perform another FCE that I paid for, that was Computer control. Leaving only a good and full Functioning Report that was 45 pages long. This report showed why I was instructed to stop, and why, with good proper reasoning.

So, the last 2 FCE's I had performed where like night and day, when compared to each other. But, that fact is, if the second from last report was deciphered properly, the results and findings also would need major changing then.

A human performed FCE, leaves the injured person in the hands of human objectiveness. No human, can ever say or measure how much pain or discomfort, another human is in. In fact medical Records and Reports, even the Medical Journals, show not even any Doctor, or any person in the Medical Field, can truely Diag the amount of pain a person is truely in. They simply can not measure a person's pain at all.

cnaz · 02-05-2009, 07:07 AM

The way the Dr presented the FCE was very different from what I'm hearing here. It was presented as not being used as a diagnostic tool for the PM Dr but to measure strength and function after the brachial plexus injury. The Dr thought it would give some quantitative info for the IME and settlement process. His treatment reccomendations at this time are maintainence meds only.

We had a nurse case magr assigned within 24 hours of his injury (showed up at the hospital) has attended a few appts (usually consultations only) - processed authorizations and that's pretty much it.