No, Aaron, they don't need to amputate...

[lumy12]

I finally have some news on my hand! I went to my regular doctor on Monday, got Xrays done, and brought the Xrays to a specialist today.

The Good: Doc thinks I can get my old worker's comp claim re-opened for this. He said he'll do everything he can to get them to! I just have to find out what company it was. I thought since I had reached a settlement with them, it was just DONE... but this IS a different (unforeseen) problem, CAUSED by that injury, so he said it's likely they'll agree to it. Definitely worth investigating.

The Bad: Surrrrrrgery. :( There are two tendons that go to the pinkie finger, and he thinks one of mine ruptured -- either due to bone fragments related to the earlier wrist fracture, or irritation from the dorsal plate in there now. He says sometimes the screws in those plates move around over time and mess with the tendons. They don't use those types of plates anymore -- if I had that same injury happen today, I would get something put in under my wrist, not on top of it, because they don't have to worry about the tendons down there. (So no one thought to do that in 1995? huh) He says they can transplant another tendon in my hand that I don't need (he called it a "donor tendon") and he'll remove the plate because it doesn't need to be in there anymore and will only cause more problems like this.

The Ugly: I believe he said six weeks of pretty much not being able to use that hand after surgery. I could be wrong about that number, my head was kind of swimming with information overload (he used a lot more technical terms, which I'm sure I would butcher if I tried to repeat them here). But the hand will be held stationary in a splint type thing. Hello one-handed typing!

~

So! If worker's comp will cover this, I'm going to see about possibly having him fix the wrist a little more so I can turn it over. If not, I'm pretty sure I'm only going to worry about fixing the finger, because I've lived for 14 years with the other issue and I've done just fine (he seemed impressed with that! I guess he's used to people rushing in to fix stuff?).

Oh, and the doc was VERY good-looking. Almost distractingly so. >.> Didn't mind him holding my hand and making it do things. Nope, won't mind seeing him again. lol

Comments

[gizzi1213.livejournal.com]

You should have your hand fixed even if Worker's Comp doesn't cover it. As you get older it will only get worse, especially when arthritis starts setting in as well. It's a quality of life issue, not a money issue!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I already have arthritis in the hand, and I remember my original wrist doctors warning about that.

It might come down to a money issue! If it's not worker's comp, and my insurance won't cover a huge portion of it...I'm scared to think of how much it could be. We didn't talk price (maybe they didn't want me fainting in the office today?).

You're doing just fine with YOUR gimp hand!

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

Medical science advanced a whole lot in the past decade now, nee-chan.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I know, I'm very glad! I'm just sayin'... you'd think if it was so much better to do the bottom instead of the top, wouldn't that have occurred to them back then?

But I'm not a surgeon.

I'm such a dork, when we talked about my x-rays I actually said "I don't see anything weird about the pinkie, but I'm not a doctor."

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

It wasn't better until around '03. Back then, doing it from the bottom was inefficient.

*facepalm* you did not!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Really? Did you look that up or did you just pull that out of your ass?

I did!

Actually, he didn't see anything weird about the pinkie either, though. It's all in the wrist area. heh.

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

I do have an account to the research engine for most natural science, medical science, and mathematics thesis sites....

Heh, silly Wendy.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Oh! Neato! (that must come in handy for Hotaru and Reiri)

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does. Not that anyone knows that the information is accurate. >.>

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

That's okay, you're the only one who cares if it's accurate!

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

Yes, only I care about accuracy.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* Thanks! My boss asked if I was bummed and I said no. Should I be? I'm kind of excited to get it fixed. Might be a little while yet while we wait to see what the various companies say about what will be paid, but I already waited 3 months, so. Heh.

I was expecting some old guy! But he was so young, he might even be younger than me.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

You must be easily excitable!

Mmmm, eye candy. hehehe

[snowflakie06]

Eek! Hopefully worker's comp will cover this!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I hope so tooooooooo! <3

[frostbit-sky.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you got it looked at :)
I sure hope the workers comp covers it.

Ohh a cute doctor. NICE.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

*crosses fingers...just not the pinkie finger*

I swear the guy could be a model. He's THAT pretty.

[frostbit-sky.livejournal.com]

*ouch*

Dreamy :D

[bullpenbrat22.livejournal.com]

Wendy, I hope worker's comp will cover this procedure :) Hey, hot doctors are a great thing...they can hold your hand all you want in that case ;)

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And your knee's okay? I haven't noticed any knee updates lately :)

And ohhh yes they can! I'm surprised I didn't get a sweaty palm or something. lol

[tash-dragon.livejournal.com]

Ack, that's horrible! I hope they cover it! Medical bills... eck. But getting it fixed is definitely a good idea before it gets any worse.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I have my old surgeon's name and number now so I can start pestering. Yay! Thanks <3

[zigsternenstaub.livejournal.com]

It's great that you're finally going to be able to get this problem dealt with. Unfortunate that you'll have to refrain from using one hand for six weeks! You'll be a champion one handed typer after that!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Six weeks is a long time! *whine*

I did all this before, and I remember it being a pain in the ass, but that was BEFORE the internet! Before typing was my life! Heh.

Also, I ganked this Adam icon specifically because it's a good "hand" one. hehe

[zigsternenstaub.livejournal.com]

I noticed that it is a great hands icon!

[caffeinatedkate.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm pleased to hear you got it looked at and I hope that compensation claim works out. I'd hate for you to have to spend money on getting it fixed. :(

But the hand will be held stationary in a splint type thing.
Maybe you could cover it with a leather glove and threaten to choke people. :p

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Haha! I SHOULD JUST GET A ROBOCLAW AND BE DONE WITH IT

<3

[dreadpiratekurt.livejournal.com]

Holy Sven! 14 years? It's been 14 years since you busted your wrist? You need to just go bionic.

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Sveeeeeeeeeen! <3
YES WE ARE GETTING OLD! HORRORS!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I may have a MySpace, but that doesn't mean I will do anything on the site!

The only way the wrist will be cheaper is if they do re-open my worker's comp claim. I don't really deserve for that to happen, as I wasn't even working at the time and it wasn't at all work-related (I'm just lucky it happened on work property during work hours!)... but I'm greedy. I don't want to pay for this. At least I have insurance now (didn't back then!) though my deductibles will be high cuz I opted for the cheapo plan since I "never use it anyway." Yeah yeah, I finally angered the insurance gods with such thinking!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I'm too lazy to do all that math!

Yeah, well, it's not like he'd talk to me personally if I added him. :P

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

So... any word on the worker's comp yet?

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I have the name and number of the person my claim was transferred to. I'm waiting for her to call me back. I'm going to call my new doctor's office today and give them all the info I have so they can harrass her too.

Thanks for asking! Even if you just wanted to up your comment count. lolz

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's good. Harassment gets work done faster.

When did you start complaining about getting more comments?

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Deborah thinks I should be calling the lady more than once a day. That just seems rude! I think if someone did that to me, I would be inclined to put them at the bottom of my to-do list!

I'm not complaining <3

[darkp-hawk.livejournal.com]

I personally do whatever I could to finish so I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore if it was me.

[gizzi1213.livejournal.com]

Assertive...it's assertive, not rude!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Oh, hahahaha I think was the worker's comp lady! The one who ended up being incompetent! Hahahahahahaha

[gizzi1213.livejournal.com]

See??? If you'd been more assertive like I suggested you'd have discovered she was incompetent that much sooner!!!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

I only learned she was incompetent when the new lady told me she was, months later!

[gizzi1213.livejournal.com]

If you'd been more assertive maybe the new lady would have shown up faster!!!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

But I LIKE the fact the old one blew it and didn't force me to go see my old doctor! Now I should get to see Dr. Hottie FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE <333333333

[gizzi1213.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see why you like her incompetence now!

[lumy12.livejournal.com]

Yes! It all worked out swimmingly!