fallenangell
10-22-2006, 02:47 PM
I took the liberty of making this into a new post for Melissa instead of leaving it on the end of Sammie's post, and I also broke it up as I know it's hard for some of us to read the lost posts...I hope it helps! Angell
Hello. I am new. The nurse at my tos md gave me the name of this site. My family and I were in a bad mva 5 years ago. A lady with her grandchild sleeping in the front seat turned directly in front of us! All I remember is yelling car to my husband as we broadsided her! Then we went in to an imbankment. Thank God we were in my husbands truck.
Although my 3 daughters and a friend of theirs was also with us. I am a former ICU/ER RN. My husband is a paramedic. We both were shocked and he had hit his head and shoulder on the window and door jam. Anyway, the kids were all screaming, ages all under 9! I could see the other lady's car wrecked behind us and was screaming for my husband to go help them, but it took a few minutes as he had hit his head and the door was jammed shut, my side was embedded in the hill. He ended up going to help the little boy, age 6 who had been sleeping and did not have his seat belt on. He was pushed over into the middle front seat, as we hit his door and it was pressing in on his hip. The grandmother driving was ok.
I got all my kids out and tryed to calm them down and my husband took care of the little boy, even calling for a helicopter on his radio until the volunteers and paramedics he works with arrived, then he actually collapsed! He was in so much shoulder, neck and back pain. The little boy ended up being released that night with only two stitches! My husband kept saying I almost killed that boy and us today, even though it was not his fault whatsoever. I originally had alot of chest pain from the seatbelt and neck pain. To make a long story shorter I was diagnosed with whiplash and it kept getting worse, I was sent to many Dr's over two years who kept saying it was severe whiplash, then myofascial pain syndrome, I had accupunture, massage, PT FOR TWO YEARS! meds, injections and I can't even remember what else, finally I started having severe migraines and numbness in my arms and hands.
I was sent to a neurologist for the HA's and he said he definitly thought I had TOS, even though they had done an EMG and of course it was negative, he was also shocked that no one said I had post concussive syndrome. He finally was the one who referred me to Dr. Allan Togut, here in pa. He is a former neurothoracic surgeon, who now specializes in tos. He used all tests that he could physically do himself, it was a two hour exam and I talked to him about my symptoms for an hour! He was great he finally verifed to me that even though the mri's and emg's were not conclusive, I was not crazy, this was not just whiplash or me being a wimp about the pain. This was two years after the accident and much suffering. over the last 3 years, it's been 5 in June, I have had to greatly increase my meds to get through-I kept working the ER first, from full to part time and then in March of 2005, I had to admit that I could not work.
The md had wanted me out long before as the pain and numbness were getting worse, but I kept saying I could not afford it. By last March I could not even take temps or bp's without my arm going numb. I no longer was able to start IV's on the first or even second try-I always got them the first time! I would drop all my sterile supplies and was vomiting in the bathroom due to pain. I was very slow giving meds, because I was afraid with the meds I was on that I would make a mistake and I had memory loss randomly- sometimes I could not even remember the name of a co worker. This was not fair to my patients so I went out on disabilty. Well they said I did not qualify for ssi and I had to wait six months to apply for reg. social security. I did and just in August, that was 1year and 5 months of being out of work,with no income but my husbands and 3 kids and a mortgage, they denied it.
Of course they said they realized that I could not do nursing, but I was 41 and had a high school education, plus two years of RN schhol. so I could get a different kind of job. I wonder how since some days, I can't get out of bed. I can't sit or stand for very long without the pain going to a 10, then I have to lay down with my heating pad and zanaflex. I get numb, putting away the dishes and doing laundry! Dr. Togut keeps telling me about lifestyle changes and moderation, but it's so hard with three teen/preteen daughters! On the days I feel better, I really tend to overdo it and then I am in bed for 1-2days. If I want to do something with my kids, like chaperone a school trip, I know I'll get through it but the next few days, I'll pay.
As you can tell I feel very depressed(am on meds and seeing a doc when I can afford the co-pay visit) and still very angry about why all this happened to me. alot of marriage pressures and guilt, somedays I look at my friend who has lupus at 38 and a 7 year old and has almost died several times and I feel even more guilty about my complaining. I have now hired a lawyer to appeal the ss. But she says it could be another year, I don't think I can emotionaly or monitarily afford it that long! My family is sooooooo stresssssed out, my kids and husband get frustrated with my inability to do everything for them that I used too, I admit my daughters are great, no troubles in school or anything, they all raise money for causes and donate, but I had them spoiled with the house and dinner, etc, now they give me a rally hard time about having to help.
By the way the 15 and 13 year old have been home from school the last two weeks because they have sever asthma and brochitis(new since last year) We have finally been sent to Hershey Medical center to see a pulmonologist and allergist, they are stumped and so now they finally are doing a brochoscopy on them both in Nov., So I have to deal with their illness, lots of meds, reminding them constantly to take them all, giving treatments, dealing with their not feeling well, and the specialist is a 3 hour drive from here and we have been going about every other week to once a month, which usually my husband has to work so I have to drive them there and home! Well, I've pushed it too far and now my wrists are in severe pain, they usually stay that way all day then, how stupid, but guess I just needed to share and vent and ask for any help. Thanks for anyone who reads this and writes back.
Melissa
Hello. I am new. The nurse at my tos md gave me the name of this site. My family and I were in a bad mva 5 years ago. A lady with her grandchild sleeping in the front seat turned directly in front of us! All I remember is yelling car to my husband as we broadsided her! Then we went in to an imbankment. Thank God we were in my husbands truck.
Although my 3 daughters and a friend of theirs was also with us. I am a former ICU/ER RN. My husband is a paramedic. We both were shocked and he had hit his head and shoulder on the window and door jam. Anyway, the kids were all screaming, ages all under 9! I could see the other lady's car wrecked behind us and was screaming for my husband to go help them, but it took a few minutes as he had hit his head and the door was jammed shut, my side was embedded in the hill. He ended up going to help the little boy, age 6 who had been sleeping and did not have his seat belt on. He was pushed over into the middle front seat, as we hit his door and it was pressing in on his hip. The grandmother driving was ok.
I got all my kids out and tryed to calm them down and my husband took care of the little boy, even calling for a helicopter on his radio until the volunteers and paramedics he works with arrived, then he actually collapsed! He was in so much shoulder, neck and back pain. The little boy ended up being released that night with only two stitches! My husband kept saying I almost killed that boy and us today, even though it was not his fault whatsoever. I originally had alot of chest pain from the seatbelt and neck pain. To make a long story shorter I was diagnosed with whiplash and it kept getting worse, I was sent to many Dr's over two years who kept saying it was severe whiplash, then myofascial pain syndrome, I had accupunture, massage, PT FOR TWO YEARS! meds, injections and I can't even remember what else, finally I started having severe migraines and numbness in my arms and hands.
I was sent to a neurologist for the HA's and he said he definitly thought I had TOS, even though they had done an EMG and of course it was negative, he was also shocked that no one said I had post concussive syndrome. He finally was the one who referred me to Dr. Allan Togut, here in pa. He is a former neurothoracic surgeon, who now specializes in tos. He used all tests that he could physically do himself, it was a two hour exam and I talked to him about my symptoms for an hour! He was great he finally verifed to me that even though the mri's and emg's were not conclusive, I was not crazy, this was not just whiplash or me being a wimp about the pain. This was two years after the accident and much suffering. over the last 3 years, it's been 5 in June, I have had to greatly increase my meds to get through-I kept working the ER first, from full to part time and then in March of 2005, I had to admit that I could not work.
The md had wanted me out long before as the pain and numbness were getting worse, but I kept saying I could not afford it. By last March I could not even take temps or bp's without my arm going numb. I no longer was able to start IV's on the first or even second try-I always got them the first time! I would drop all my sterile supplies and was vomiting in the bathroom due to pain. I was very slow giving meds, because I was afraid with the meds I was on that I would make a mistake and I had memory loss randomly- sometimes I could not even remember the name of a co worker. This was not fair to my patients so I went out on disabilty. Well they said I did not qualify for ssi and I had to wait six months to apply for reg. social security. I did and just in August, that was 1year and 5 months of being out of work,with no income but my husbands and 3 kids and a mortgage, they denied it.
Of course they said they realized that I could not do nursing, but I was 41 and had a high school education, plus two years of RN schhol. so I could get a different kind of job. I wonder how since some days, I can't get out of bed. I can't sit or stand for very long without the pain going to a 10, then I have to lay down with my heating pad and zanaflex. I get numb, putting away the dishes and doing laundry! Dr. Togut keeps telling me about lifestyle changes and moderation, but it's so hard with three teen/preteen daughters! On the days I feel better, I really tend to overdo it and then I am in bed for 1-2days. If I want to do something with my kids, like chaperone a school trip, I know I'll get through it but the next few days, I'll pay.
As you can tell I feel very depressed(am on meds and seeing a doc when I can afford the co-pay visit) and still very angry about why all this happened to me. alot of marriage pressures and guilt, somedays I look at my friend who has lupus at 38 and a 7 year old and has almost died several times and I feel even more guilty about my complaining. I have now hired a lawyer to appeal the ss. But she says it could be another year, I don't think I can emotionaly or monitarily afford it that long! My family is sooooooo stresssssed out, my kids and husband get frustrated with my inability to do everything for them that I used too, I admit my daughters are great, no troubles in school or anything, they all raise money for causes and donate, but I had them spoiled with the house and dinner, etc, now they give me a rally hard time about having to help.
By the way the 15 and 13 year old have been home from school the last two weeks because they have sever asthma and brochitis(new since last year) We have finally been sent to Hershey Medical center to see a pulmonologist and allergist, they are stumped and so now they finally are doing a brochoscopy on them both in Nov., So I have to deal with their illness, lots of meds, reminding them constantly to take them all, giving treatments, dealing with their not feeling well, and the specialist is a 3 hour drive from here and we have been going about every other week to once a month, which usually my husband has to work so I have to drive them there and home! Well, I've pushed it too far and now my wrists are in severe pain, they usually stay that way all day then, how stupid, but guess I just needed to share and vent and ask for any help. Thanks for anyone who reads this and writes back.
Melissa