Let the AARP help you file your taxes (Hint)

I was just beginning to get the swing of filing until I stopped working and began receiving income that wasn't earned. This is a whole new can of worms for me. My LTD payments came without estimated tax withholding. SDI did not issue me any sort of year end tax document. And WC??
I got my taxes filed today. Took advantage of the fee tax help the AARP offers to disabled persons. I feel so relieved! Thank you AARP and your volunteers for providing such a great service!!!
If you want to find out if there's an AARP tax aid office near you check this link

Workers' Comp Information & Assistance LEGAL HELP

Did you know that if you don't have an attorney, they have a free service called the Information & Assistance Unit that has officers on hand to answer your questions pertaining to the legalities of the WC system? There are 24 offices in California and the link to those phone numbers are here.

I've posted about this before but I recently talked to another injured Californian that did not know about this FREE service. I have used it on several occasions by going to a Workshop, calling for help and even going down in person to have specific questions answered. I would advise you to have specific questions written down before talking with an officer an keep them limited to WC issues only. That's their area of expertise- not Social Security or Long Term Disability.

California Division of Workers' Compensation:
http://www.dir.ca.gov/ and Info & Assistance
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Another thing to try is contacting a lawyer with your questions, you might get a response. It a total long shot but it could work even if this lawyer knows he or she won't take the case, they could take the time to answer a question or two..... Just don't hold your breath!!

Degenerative disk disease and Pre-exisiting condition news

When I got my MRI back my QME doctor wrote a diagnosis report sating I have underlying degenerative disc disease thrown into my bilateral-repetitive-strain-injuries mix.
My MRI of the cervical spine reveals disc bulges at:

Quote:

C4-5 (1-2mm no significant central spinal stenosis), C5-6 (2-3mm left paracentral disk bulge & mild facet hypertrophy causing mild foraminal narrowing on the left, & C6-7 (3-4mm right paracentral disk protrusion, which indented the thecal sac.) There was mild uncovertebral & facet hypertrophy. Findings cause moderate lateral recess stenosis & narrowing bilaterally and a moderate to severe central spine stenosis. Options for care- Cervical epidural steroid injections

Now I really have no idea what this means but I do know that my treating doc wants me to do traction instead of surgery and I know that the QME doctor says the disc problems are preexisting.

Questions I have to find answers to:

1. Can disc degeneration be reversed or just slowed down?
2. What does an cervical epidural steroid shot do?
3. How much does that hurt???!
4. Can an MRI definately prove that this was a pre-existing condition rather than a secondary injury of Thoracic Outlet?
5. And for extra credit: What the heck does the above diagnosis say in layman's terms

I have to find out the answer to #4 particularly because it will effect my disability rating and in turn my WC payment.

MRI follow-up

In my previous post I wrote:

In the days since my MRI I have talked to several TOS sufferers and they have all told me unless I was making a football goal with my arms in the imaging process, the compression would not show.

I just found out I wasn't being imaged to rule out TOS, they were looking for abnormalities other than compression in the thoracic outlet. And I would have had to been injected with dye and in a tube MRI machine for that kind of imaging.
My doctor said the film was poor to average image quality and that the place I went to was known for it. What was found in the film I had was disc bulges @ C4-5 (1-2mm) & C5-6, C6-7 levels (both 2-3mm). My doctor and I talked about neck traction as a solution as surgery does not seem to be needed.
Also- I have no idea what the WC Doc will interpret this as My treating doctor did say that because the MRI was done so late in the game it would be impossible to say if this was a precursor to the injury just as much as it would be a secondary injury. So quite possibly it won't help or hurt my case.

Ever had an MRI?

I had a Permanent and Stationary (PS) rating examination by a Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) that my WC insurance company and I agreed upon. This doctor recommended that I go to get a MRI on my cervical spine so that he could make the best Permanent Partial Disability rating. I don't know specifically what he is looking for but given the fact that I have symptoms of TOS, I believe he is looking for abnormalities in my bone structure that could cause the neurogenic or vascular compression. I had an x-ray earlier that ruled out cervical ribs (actual extra ribs above you collarbone) but showed pronounced vertebrae.

I can't say I felt confident at any point of my experience in the office where I had my MRI. They were disorganized, couldn't get my name right (I was always Last name first, First name last), and the office felt weird to me. All things combined didn't put me at ease and I believe that is half of what makes a medical appointment a good one. (The other half= doing the job right i.e. diagnosis and treatment)
I know its vague to say the office didn't feel right to me but they had pergo flooring down and it was really warpy. Like it had been laid down on top of a carpet that hadn't been cleared of children's toys or something. And there was an optical peacockesque light in the lobby. You know the ones that you begged your parents to but you when you went to Spencer's at the mall? Bizarre.

Question: How was the MRI experience and how did it come out?
Answer: Just fine :)
The woman who conducted the MRI was very sweet and prepared me (as it was my first time). I wasn't scared to begin with but her pep talk seemed genuine and she boosted my comfort level. I was given a panic button to squeeze If I had a freak out moment during the process. *Sidenote- I thought MRIs were in tubes but this wasn't. I was getting a cervical spine image and was on a table underneath a huge Star Trek Enterprise shaped magnet (?) from my waist up. It was probably 4" from my face and I believe I wasn't closed in on the sides. The sounds they make are enough to make me believe in sound torture as real method of making people lose their mind though :P * I was hearing sounds that weren't there. My mind was being rattled for sure.
After the MRI, I got the images while I acclimated to the world. I was surprised the were ready so fast and that I was the one to handle them. (A doctor referred me there so I thought they'd be sent to him, especially since I have no appointments w/ him on the horizon.) Again, this was my first MRI so I don't know much- but I thought the images looked good.

In the days since my MRI I have talked to several TOS sufferers and they have all told me unless I was making a football goal with my arms in the imaging process, the compression would not show. I just confirmed this sentiment on emedicine.com

The need to study the patient in different positions (eg, in abduction or in adduction) is important for the physician performing the MR imaging study because a simple image obtained in the anatomic position may obscure unprovoked vascular compression.

*I believe in sound torture now...
I also felt like this guy I saw in the BBC series "Spaced" who begins to hear a song within the sounds of everyday life. Coincidentally, I saw this episode the night before I had the MRI and I was stifling laughter for most of my procedure.. I wanted to embed the clip here but it's no longer allowed by YouTube. But if you want a laugh please check it out here !

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement PE class

I have the unique opportunity to take a college PE course on Moshe Feldenkrais' bodywork. (Please see wikipedia's page on Feldenkrais to get the full, accurate scoop.) I will be updating here with my experiences from time to time. I am going into this with a big amount of optimism because I keep hearing or reading about this technique from other people with RSIs. My doctor has okayed it and I also asked a Workers' Compensation Information Assistance Officer if this would be frowned upon by my WC- he said no. *This applies to me alone. You should always ask for yourself since alll cases are different just to be safe!*
So far I can tell you that it is guided sensory awareness with slow movement. To an outsider, it probably looks like a bizarre adult nap time since its a gymnasium full of us on mats (and many with blankets too!). I saw it as a challenge the first day and pushed myself to the limit. (I gotta learn to accept my limitations... its just so hard) I actually started having a neck spasm while on the mat. But the professor, who is trained in Feldenkrais and has been instructing since 1994, came over to me and gave me a modification and I was able to continue

Here are the Guidelines for success and comfort in Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement given to me in class:
"Take it easy do each movement w/ as little effort as possible.
Take it slow- So you can pay attention to what you feel inside.
Do each movement completely- then take a short break before you begin again.
Relax- and let go of unnecessary tension in all parts of yourself.
It's ok to stop & rest- and do nothing whenever you wish.
If you feel any pain or discomfort- do less, move slower or smaller, go extra easy, or IMAGINE yourself doing the movement. Imagining the movement can be just as effective as physically doing it.
In Feldenkrais, Less = More."

To be continued......

Looking over your benefits from work while disabled

What does work benefits have to do with being disabled? Isn't that what Workers' Compensation Insurance is for??
Turns out, if you have enrolled in your employer's benefit package prior to your injury, the ins and outs of your work benefits can provide some interesting plot twists in your WC saga. I recommend going through your entire benefit brochure. Don't have one? Request one or go online (- it would be online if you have the option of managing your benefits online). The things that affected me in my time out of work due to injury in terms of my benefits I paid for are:
1. Losing Medical, Prescription Plan, Dental, Vision benefits due to reduction in PAID HOURS.
2. Short term disability and 3. Long term disability which are benefits that most often is paid for through some benefit plan at work.. Part of that automatic deduction from your check every week if you are enrolled in these particular benefits. It helps you out if you become disabled either randomly or from a work related injury.They provide income that you are not receiving normally- however they have limits, and in some cases, won't provide the same dollar amount income as one had before the disability. *IMPORTANT* To receive STD benefits, you — or someone acting on your behalf — must file a claim.

*other points of interest are enrollment, average weekly earnings, paying for these benefits out of pocket while on disability (aka missed payroll deductions) , pre-existing and recurrent disabilities

1. yikes! I didn't know that
2. Short term disability (STD) covered me for the first 26 weeks of my injury. And at which time I had no idea it existed. I am just now understanding that STD and LTD are thing that I have already paid for and I'm figuring out now how they have or have not helped me. With STD, I'm still like HUH?. I'm not sure if I was supposed to receive $ from this plan. I didn't get any... thinking it was because I earned "too much" from WC. There are several sources of potential income while you are out, but they seems to cancel each other out, and the lowest amount is the winner as your main source of income :D
3. Long Term Disability (LTD) has just kicked in although my STD period ended 7 months ago... I guess this normal?? I will admit I was slow to provide them info they needed. My doctors and WC adjustor were slow too. Also. Now that I am PS and WC has ended LTD seems to be my only income now. There are steps I am taking to increase my benefit $ amount right now. It involves lots of forms and reading both fine print AND in between the lines Whereas Another service mine provides is Vocational Retraining $... This week I have a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE)- this is the LTD's in house doctor review- to see if I can work at for the same company in any position. I think. HUH? I want to stop here though, because I am still learning about this system.

I will fill in the holes on the questions I have as I get them answered

new challenge: Getting PT equipment approved

Getting PT equipment approved is difficult. When your doctor or physical therapist recommends it to you, the prescription also has to go to your WC claims adjustor, he (or she, mine's he, so I'm gonna go with that) has to send it to Utilization Review (UR) to be determined necessary or unnecessary. UR goes by the Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines as set by the ACOEM (sorry- no website for the guidelines, but the library should have it as a book at the reference desk). The good news is, your WC adjustor isn't telling you what treatment and equipment you can or can't receive. Bad news is, the UR is still working for your employer.
My current status is that I am receiving PT right now that treats Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) by way of something called the Peter Edgelow Protocol. Sounds funny don't it?? :P I promise to share all of my exercises that comprise the "protocol" later. All it means is a particular way of treating pain due to TOS... The equipment that is needed costs about $300 and the claims adjustor has been avoiding all requests to get it approved, combine that with the need for UR and I could be waiting about another 3 weeks before its ok-ed OR denied.
The problem is there are a chain of events pending>> I need to have this equipment in order for me to get the most out of the PT, otherwise, its just neat knowledge and arms the same as they ever was. I have only 2 visits left of PT for this injury. period. And the biggie= once I am done with this PT then my doctor is closing the case and I will become Permanent & Stationary (PS)/ Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) [both mean the injured has plateaued and not expected to get any worse or better in the next year]. So you see, I need the PT equipment in order to close the case.
What I can do and what I probably will end up doing is paying for this stuff myself (with all my loads and loads of extra money I'm raking in from WC. HA!!....I can forgo food again this month it looks like). If UR deems this equipment necessary for my recovery they will reimburse me. That is the law- its not like, if they find out you are willing to pay for it, they deny the request and you have to foot the bill... although I don't think I am going to call up my adjustor and ask him if its ok for me to pay now & he can get me back later. I am going to stay mum about it and just cross my fingers that it gets approved and I get $300 back!! Also, it turns out I don't have to buy the whole thing and that might shave off some of the cost.

If you get a chance, go check out the link to Egdelow's site and look at the equipment... I challenge you to define thumbometer.

UPDATE:: I got a call ON the very day that I was going to plunk down my own money for the equipment... It was approved!! That was 4 days ago and now I have the kit! Yay!!

Day 398

How this is gonna work:
I am not going to backtrack and go chronological with my experience. I would stay injured if I were to type that all out and besides, I am not into reliving all of it and, in turn, wallowing.
Instead I am going to cover things:
I wish I had known ahead of time= Mistakes
I have learned along the way= Hints
I still have questions about= Huh?
(more to come?)

I hope I am writing this blog as a resource. And I wish that people will comment, ask and answer questions here. I will be so happy if this happens. You know, I have a ridiculous amount of experience and knowledge about RSIs and the WC system in California now and it would be silly for me to not share it.