Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Knee Update

Hey everyone, its been quite some time hasn't it?
Well I should have been writing more seeing as I have been home for a month due to an injury, but also due to this injury there's nothing to talk about!!

On October 15th I fell down the stairs in the cafeteria at work. I filled out an accident report but the security guy said that it was nothing to worry about, probably just a bruise so I went on working. Everyday the following week I would come home from work with a swollen knee so I called my doctor and made an appointment.
My doctor sent me for X-Rays and told me not to do any excessive walking or standing. I went back to work and for the most part was put as the phone operator but still worked the concierge desk on occasion. When I went back for the follow up with my doctor he said my X-Rays came back normal and said I should go get an MRI. I was worried that the MRI wouldn't be covered by the insurance so I called to verify, this is when I was told that since the accident happened at work that they had the option to reject my claim.
That day I went to Human Resources for advice, this is 4 weeks after the initial accident. She told me that I had to basically start the whole process over with their doctors, I could not finish that nights shift and I could not return to work without a clean bill of health from the doctor.
I was then put into a cab and sent to Concentra in Franklin Park, more X-Rays were taken and this doctor finds a hairline fracture in my knee and requests a stat MRI scheduled for the following Monday.
Monday comes and I am getting ready to leave for the MRI office when I get a phone call, the MRI was canceled since the hotels insurance had not approved it yet. I then get a phone call from the hotels insurance to do an interview of what had happened. They tell me that I will be paid 2/3 of my paycheck while I am out of work.
A week later they tell me I can see the orthopedic surgeon who gives me a Cortozone shot. This helped for a few hours and then caused all kinds of pain that night, which he said would happen. What he did not say would happen is that my knee got worse for the next week! I can't sit for too long without my knee giving out, it even hurts to the touch now! So I called him to tell him and I saw him again, this time he says go for the MRI, 3 weeks after the initial doctor said go for an MRI.
Today, 2 months after the accident, I went to the doctor to get the results of last weeks MRI. The doctor found nothing! No fracture, no tear, nothing. So tell me why am I in so much pain??
I can't go back to work since he still has restrictions on me, no stairs, ladders, kneeling, crawling or crouching. I can't do much around the apartment becuase it hurts to be up and around. I am not getting any sleep since I can't get comfortable in bed. I am not going out anywhere thanks to living in Chicago and it being winter, the ice and my knee dont seem to like each other. I am going nuts without work and the checks coming from the insurance are not enough, making me depressed that I know I can not pay my bills on my own.
Tomorrow I start physical therapy, the doctor thinks that I need to strengthen my knee.
Wish me luck, I need to get back to work, I need to be around people!

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