>For those of you who asked, I am doing fine and no, there was no one else
>with me in the truck. I had a stiff neck and headache for about 48 hours,
>and my left arm was also a little sore. I have a doctors appointment
>tomorrow for a physical.
Hey John,
I'm very glad that you're ok. I'm not trying to be a doctor here, just
relay my experience with my dak accident. After the accident I too had a
massive headache for about 2 days non-stop, a stiff/sore neck, and
general/light body aches all over. I'm relieved that you're going to the
doctor. Did you get x-rays after the accident? If not, you should make
sure that your doctor orders them for you along with physio therapy. You'll
need the x-rays in order to get your insurance company to pay for all the
treatments and income replacement while off of work if needed.
I'm grateful that I went as it turned out my neck had a grade II whiplash
which isn't too serious, but what causes the headaches. The headaches
eventually became less frequent and less intense. Check for any lumps in
the back of the neck. This is a muscle spasm and needs ultrasound and
massage in order to go away. It can take years if left unattended. I no
longer have treatments on my neck and the lump has dimished quit a bit, but
still there and probably will be for a long time.
Other things can also pop up months/years later. If your insurance company
wants to close your injury file - say no. By law, they can only close it
with your approval, but are required to keep it open for 2 years. I was
advised not to let them close it due to the things that can pop up later.
Example: my back started to get worse within the last month. The hospital I
was taken to by ambulance after the accident, only took x-rays of my neck
and none of my lumbar spine as I wasn't complaining of pain there.
The thing many people forget, is that sometimes a severe headache can mask
pain coming from other places. My family doctor ordered more x-rays, and
sure enough, the last vertabrae in my spine is twisted and needs adjustment.
Unfortunately, the Chiropractor can't adjust it while because of
inflammation and painful to touch. I discovered there was a problem when I
couldn't stand for more than 10 minutes, walk for more than 5 minutes, or
sit for longer than 30 minutes.
I don't want to sound like I'm preaching or being a worry-wart, but if you
trust your doctor, do whatever the recommend and don't do the man-thing of
saying to yourself and everyone else "that you're just fine and don't need
anything". My dad used to do this all the time and ended up paying for it
with back surgery.
Your insurance company may also send you for a "third party assessment".
This is part of the political game they play. If they send you to one, let
me know and I can give some pointers on what they're going to do and what
they're looking for. I've had two already and it's not fun!
Ok, I'm off the soap-box now. Take care of yourself John. Be very grateful
that you have such a supporting spouse helping you through this. I know if
Jason wasn't here, recovery would be taking a lot longer than it already is.
If I can ever be of any help with advice, etc., just drop me a line.
Norah
current: '98 Dakota Sport black 4x4 CC V8/5.2L/Auto
current: '95 Dakota Sport white 4x4 Reg Cab V6/3.9L/5spd
RIP: '95 Dakota Sport black 4x2 CC V6/3.9L/Auto
previous: '93 Dakota blue 4x2 CC V6/3.9L/Auto
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:10:58 EDT