Need Opinions or Advice Please!

[rholmes]

rjaffman Wrote:Section 314 of the PA WC Act requires that you be reimbursed for transportation to/from and IME. If you cant drive there, they must provide transportation.
Is there some reason they cant have you evaluated closer to your home. I personally would fight the IME and make them petition the court to compel the exam, unless you yourself travel such great distance for your own treatement.

Welcome to the board RJaffman,

It's good to have someone that knows some of the ins and out of this rollercoaster. :-)

[sparkey]

First off what is a IME? I had carpal tunnel surgery in 1998. In january i started dropping things and got swelling in my wrist/hand and my shoulder hurt really bad. I filed for workers comp ( NH) and had a EMG test that showed reacurring Carpal tunnel. My pain management doctor had put me on vicodin and when that did not work put me on percocet which did not work and finally put me on methadone 20mg a day. That is the best thing that ever took the pain away. I swear i would of had my arm cut off had i not got any relief. I went to a neurologist that suggested i had RSD. I never heard of it and read up on it an have all the symptoms. My hand turns red, purple, pale and my shoulder now is effected very bad. I go to PT 2 x's a week and OT 2 x's a week. I get very little relief. I live 24/7 with the pain. Sometimes i wish i could die just to get rid of this awful pain.

My pain management wanted a repeat of the EMG because the first one was done with tape and not the needles. Test came out the same with slowing of the wrist/mild carpal tunnel. PT/OT people keep thinking it is in my shoulder although my hand is swollen and red/purple every time i see them. I do sweat alot in that hand and it gets very cold. I just went and saw a occupational doctor yesterday with my case manager from w/c and the doctor gave me the okay to go back to work light duty without using my right side. I am right handed and in massive pain even with the methadone ( but tolerable) to where i am not in bed crying. I am not able to do my daily housework etc due to the pain nevermind going back to work. I told them this and they are still trying to send me back. I have to have a meeting with HR and my case manager to see what job they can come up with for me to work only 4 hours a day/5 days a week.

I see a ortho doc to get xrays of my neck/shoulder in two weeks. In the meantime they have no diagnosis but still throwing me back to work. How on earth do i get them to see it may be RSD as my Neurologist suggested in my last EMG report? They all failed to believe that is the problem, when i have all the symptoms of it except for pain on my left side. Are they going to wait till that happens? How long can they make me do a job light duty before i can go find work i want to do on my own? Just does not make sense to me that i lost my career and they can put me on light duty doing something in pain and no diagnosis. Good luck to anyone out there in my situation. It is so hard to get someone to do something to help. I just want to be cured from this god awful pain i live with daily. I need my life back!!!!

[imsckofit]

hmmmph