My story started on October 5th, 1987. The kids and I were on our way home from the
Party Store after picking up things for my oldest daughters 5th birthday party. I was
stopped at a yield, waiting to pull into traffic. When a car pulled up to the light next
to me, blocking my view. As I edged my car forward so that I could see any oncoming
traffic, the man behind me thought that I was taking off, and he excellerated and plowed
into the back end of my car (he was in a big old pick-up truck, I was in a smaller car).
He did about three thousand dollars in damage to my car. We exchanged insurance
information, and he left. He said he was in a hurry and that we could each file a police
& insurance report from our homes. I felt okay and my kids were buckled up safely in
their car seats and I agreed. It was getting late, and I just wanted to get home.
About 7 days later, I woke up to go to work. I could barely get out of bed! My back hurt
so bad I had to call in sick to work. I scheduled a doctor appointment for later that day.
That's when I learned that a back injury can take several days months or even a year to
show up after a car accident.
I was sent for x-rays and a CT-Scan. This showed a herniated disc at L4-L5. I was put on
anti-inflammatories and pain medicines and told to rest. As time progressed, so did my
pain. I then started what became years of off and on physical therapy. After about 1 year
my doctor referred me to "The Best Neurosurgeon in town" (No personality, no
bedside manners, very rude and always late, BUT THE BEST!) Guess he can act anyway he
wants.
In Delaware our auto insurance will pay for any medical conditions caused from a car
accident for up to 2 years from the date of the accident. Mr. Best surgeon in the world,
waited until 27 months after my accident to schedule my surgery! Car insurance no longer
had to pay these bills. These went to my medical insurance with my employer. I was put on
disability for 6 months prior to my surgery, and after the surgery was completed it was 6
months before I was released to return to work. (I had a partial discectomy of L4-L5). I
worked for one of the best known HMO's (they were just a regular medical insurance company
when I started, in the days before the wonderful (sarcastic) HMO's. I had been there for
11 years. I hated their business ethics and decided not to return to work.
18 months after my first surgery, I re-herniated more of the disc. My dear sweet
Grandmothers bird got lose. I went over to her house to help catch the bird, and as the
bird flew under her kitchen table I made a dive for it. As soon as I did, I knew what had
happened. I was back on the operating table 18 months after my initial surgery. At this
point I no longer had to worry about losing a job because I had already quit the one I
had. I was able to take my time and recuperate.
I felt pretty good for the next several years. The worst part was all of the weight gain!
Today I am still battling to lose the weight that I gained from the initial back injury.
Since my doctors played around for 27 months before doing anything, I was in so much pain
I was unable to be an active person. My metabolism slowed down from not exercising. As I
sat around and ate (to live) my body just kept gaining weight. It's bound to happen when
you can't move. After each surgery I was told no strenuous activities, including exercise
for 6 months.
My first surgery was January 1990 and my second was August 1991. Well, with 6 months of
restrictions after the surgeries I just kept gaining more and more weight. By the time I
was recovered I had gained about 60 lbs.. I looked and felt like the Good Year Blimp! (God
Bless my husband, he never acted like it bothered him, he said that he loved me no matter
what!)
In March 1993 I decided to take action! I was a women on a mission. I decided to start
bike riding with my kids. A good way to lose weight. Day 1, two doors away from my house
my bike skipped a gear, I hit someone's wonderfully edged grass and flipped over the
handlebars and dislocated my right elbow! This was the second time I dislocated this
elbow. The first time was when I was 11 years old. At that time I spent 2 weeks in the
hospital after having major elbow reconstruction. I had completely destroyed the radial
head and it took hours to get the elbow back into the joint. The doctors told me if it
ever happened again I would never have use of my arm again. (Right Arm, and I am right
handed).
Well, this began what became the next horrible year of my life. I spent 6 weeks in a cast.
My arm swelled to the size of my thigh. When the cast came off I had my husband take a
picture....the arm was still huge and black & blue. Now I'm talking a very dark hue!
You would have thought that after 6 weeks the bruising would be gone!
I then started physical therapy for my arm. My HMO approved 12 visits. After the 12 visits
I still could not move my arm from a bent position (the one they put you in the cast in)
in either direction. I had about a 5 degree movement in each direction. My doctor
requested more physical therapy from my HMO. They denied my therapy saying that it was not
'Medically Necessary'. Now I told the doctor that I was ready for a big fight! At this
point I could not do my hair, put on make-up, hook my bra (sorry you men out there) or
even touch my face with my right hand. Not medically necessary my Butt!
Now I worked for a medical insurance company for 11 years. I was on my mission. The
doctors told me I was wasting my time. The physical therapists told me I was wasting my
time. I didn't care. I know how to handle these people I said to them. I wrote my first
appeal. It came back denied. I wrote my second appeal. It too came back denied. In my
third appeal I told them to send me to any doctor of their choice, if he said that
physical therapy was no longer medically necessary that I would accept their decision and
drop things there. Otherwise, I would hire the best attorney that I could find and I would
fight them tooth and nail.
I received a phone call several days later with an appointment with one of their doctors.
When he looked at my arm and pulled and pushed he said, "They've got to be crazy (the
HMO) you definitely need more physical therapy!" He wrote his letter and they paid
for physical therapy for the next 9 months. After 9 months of therapy and still no
progress I decided to change doctors. I went to a doctor in the same office who
specialized in arms. (I was really worried, it all went back to when I was 11 years old
and the doctor saying "if this ever happens again you will never have use of your
arm") The new surgeon did some x-rays, found a large bone spur and went in to
operate. He made a suggestion that there may be something wrong with my tendon which would
be causing me to not be able to move my arm. I signed papers prior to the surgery giving
him the okay to fix anything he found wrong while he was in surgery. My surgery latested
4-1/2 hours. When he got inside my arm he could not find a tendon. He called in another
doctor. The tendon was completely gone. They said that when my elbow dislocated it must
have ripped the tendon in half causing it to shrivel up and die off. They took a new
tendon from my leg and grafted it into my arm. I now have limited movement in my arm, but
I can touch my face, do my hair etc.. I just can't straighten my arm or bend it all the
way.
Anyway, back to my weight. After a long and drawn out recovery from my arm I again decided
to conquer my weight. In June of 1998 I joined the gym. I went to my primary care doctor
for authorization. She said go for it. After about 6 months, my back was to the point that
I could barely move again. I had to stop going to the gym. I returned to my doctor and
found out that I had another herniated disc. Back to "Mr. Wonderful" the
neurosurgeon. Here I am now after many tests and physical therapy awaiting an anterior
lumbar fusion of L4-L5 on Sept. 29th. I also have a small leak and herniation at L5-S1,
but he says he will not touch it since the discogram did not show a high pain level. I
guess he'll be doing that one in the next 4-6 years.
By the way, I did lose 20 lbs. before I had to stop going to the gym. I have now gained
back 9 of the 20 lbs. and have no idea what I will look like by the time this surgery and
recovery are all over with. I do however have a very supportive husband and children. They
don't seem to mind my weight gain as much as me. The things that bother me the most are
comments from people who have no idea what you have been through. Also, my best friend
since age 2 once made the comment to me that if she ever went over 125 lbs she would kill
herself. Nice Friend! She is very supportive in other ways, and even comments on the
healthy foods that I cook and the healthy eating that we do.
My goal now is to have my surgery 9/29. Get out of bed ASAP and start moving. I will
follow all of the doctors orders, but I WILL return to the gym at the first okay I get! My
goal is to get out of pain and back into shape. I would love for my husband to see me the
size I was on our wedding day! Wouldn't he be surprised. We have been married 18 years and
he has stuck by me through all of my surgeries. He is very supportive and I couldn't have
been blessed with a better spouse! I love him for standing by me and loving me for who I
am and not what I look like!
This is my story to date. Sorry it is so long. Tammy
Tammy has been kind enough to offer anyone interested to e-mail her..
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