Hi, after all kinds of screwing around I finally got my doctor to order a MRI of my back and neck. Many don't know but had a work accident 17 years ago where I got electrocuted from a defective welder and it shorted out on me and blew me off scaffold I was standing on to weld on the top of a trailer(I worked at a tractor trailer shop for a few months)and landed flat in a sitting position. Blew out some disks and the work comp said I was fine even after a MRI back then showed herniated disks from the fall. To make a long story short. I have been having problems all along with arm numbness and pain all the time.
I got my Mondays MRI results: I have chronic compression fractures at T4 and T6 and spondylosis at T11. The images are hard to read due to severe arthritus surrounding each area. The fractures appear to have healed but incorrectly leaving my spine deformed.
There it is. All this bitching about pain and I finally got an answer 17 years later. I have most of the original paperwork from this injury but the MRI images and X-ray films are missing. I never did see them so to me, this sounds like the work comp doctors knew this all along and swept it under the rug and told me it was just arthritus and I would be fine.(I was 26 when this happened and arthritus doesn't run in the family.) I have been complaining about this for years and years and I finally have a doctor who would listen. I don't know what to do except call a lawyer and see if this case can be reopened due to mis-diagnosis or they lied to me. I just found this out today and there may be nothing that can be done because the injury is so old. This is the reason I haven't been on much lately. I haven't talked to the doctor yet so I don't know my options yet. There may be a delay in the pinball project and possibly some sleds for sale.
Later.....
Vic
I got my Mondays MRI results: I have chronic compression fractures at T4 and T6 and spondylosis at T11. The images are hard to read due to severe arthritus surrounding each area. The fractures appear to have healed but incorrectly leaving my spine deformed.
There it is. All this bitching about pain and I finally got an answer 17 years later. I have most of the original paperwork from this injury but the MRI images and X-ray films are missing. I never did see them so to me, this sounds like the work comp doctors knew this all along and swept it under the rug and told me it was just arthritus and I would be fine.(I was 26 when this happened and arthritus doesn't run in the family.) I have been complaining about this for years and years and I finally have a doctor who would listen. I don't know what to do except call a lawyer and see if this case can be reopened due to mis-diagnosis or they lied to me. I just found this out today and there may be nothing that can be done because the injury is so old. This is the reason I haven't been on much lately. I haven't talked to the doctor yet so I don't know my options yet. There may be a delay in the pinball project and possibly some sleds for sale.
Later.....
Vic
Last edited:
Sorry for your pain. Its a good day to be alive... I take each day as they come.
Wow... at least you have answers now. I had a similar problem that started about a year ago. It took the Dr.s a few months to figure it out but I also have Ankylosing spondylitis. and that is on top of the paralysis. They are completely unrelated. So..... I also take one day at a time. My life has never been better. Keep on keepin on man!
devinzz1
Active member
wow man. all those years of discomfort and permanent damage to your back just to get a job done on time. I would do what you can to get what you deserve. Knowing the problems with your back at the time and lying to you to have you work is purposeful harm, and on such an area of the body could of easily caused nerve damage or paralyze you if you were to hurt it again.
Man I can only imagine how frustrated you must feel,suffering for all those years knowing that something was wrong but being lied to by someone that's supposed to be looking out for your health/
I can sympathize with you on the arthritis thing though.I was in a motorcycle accident in 1989 and fractured a couple of vertebrae,one had to be replaced with a chunk of hip bone.About 18 years or so ago I started having headaches and such,only to find out I have osteoarthritis in my neck.Fun stuff.
I can sympathize with you on the arthritis thing though.I was in a motorcycle accident in 1989 and fractured a couple of vertebrae,one had to be replaced with a chunk of hip bone.About 18 years or so ago I started having headaches and such,only to find out I have osteoarthritis in my neck.Fun stuff.
WOW, I am not alone. Thanks for the kind words, it gets better. I was told to file for disability immediatly so I started the online application until the site went down for maintenance but it saved my work so no big deal. I did some digging on the SSD site and found out that I would be automatically accepted for disability. Something about the percent of damage. My T 4 is 30% gone and T^ is 50-60% gone. I think anything 50% or more to the vertabrae is automatic approval but I had a few questions so I called a law firm and told them about this, the first thing they said was to check my work credits, I said they were fine and I have plenty, they told me to do it anyway and call back. I called SS and told them about this and they told me I have only 18 work credits, I thought she was nuts because I counted like 60. Then she told me how it works. Each year is 4 quarters and they go back 40 quarters or 10 years, I haven't worked for the last 5 years(because of this), if thats the case, I would have 20. The amount you need to qualify for disability. Well, somehow they say I have 18 so I am not qualified. I don't know. I think I should be in a different catagory or grandfathered in because the doctor said this happened a long time ago. Anyway I can get SSI which means my $1705 a month would be max $700. Even that is based on bills, I had to move back home because of this and don't pay rent, I just do most work(what I can) and stuff like in 10 days, my Mom is having a hip replacment. I am suppose to be her caretaker during her recovery, how is that going to work? I have a phone interview friday with SSI which I am starting to think may be a bad idea until I get all my options and legal advise. I haven't seen my doctor yet but was on the aroura site and fill a scrip of oxycodone that I have to get by hand, that can't call that stuff in(barely helps anyway). So, I need to sign a release to get a copy of MRI summary(I have the DVD, I should upload it and post it)Maybe I could see the doc instead of that phone call. I know he would go to bat for me saying this injury was from that work incident. He Hates the work comp doctor I saw that told me I was fine and gave me a full release to work with 2 shattered vertabrea(gotta learn how to spell that). I still have to go through all the paperwork I do have. Just was on phone all day and had P T. That was interesting, like they were afraid to touch me. My doctor can't understand how I can walk or have shooting pain down my legs. Never had that. Left arm and neck, yes and left lower rib when it really flares up. It's just a mess but I have to believe that this will be fixed or I will lose my mind. I thought at worst, maybe that disk was pushing on a nerve, never dreamed that 2 vertebra (thats it)were almost gone and there is no disk and spinal cord is crunched in between(I lost an inch of height too)
The best part, after the welder blew me off the scaffold, several co-workers said they knew that the welder was broken(the ground wire was off inside the plug touching the hot energizing the whole thing). It was not a 3 phase welder. It may have been an aluminum wire welder(I'll have to think about that. Nope, it was a regular steel welder 220v. God I remember that, I couldn't let go of the electrode gun in one hand and ground clamp in the other and the harder it made me squeeze, the more juice flowed through me. Screwed up my heart rhythm and thats when I started getting panic attacks. I have that on paper but what use is it if I can't even get disability. I know, sue that doctor for malpractice.
I'll update as I get them. Thanks again for the kind words. What ever that spondylosis thing is, I must be used to it. Now I am refered to a pain mgt specialist. yaaay
Watch the doc say I can never ride a sled again, I rode this long, just got sore, I really don't know how dangerous this is.
The best part, after the welder blew me off the scaffold, several co-workers said they knew that the welder was broken(the ground wire was off inside the plug touching the hot energizing the whole thing). It was not a 3 phase welder. It may have been an aluminum wire welder(I'll have to think about that. Nope, it was a regular steel welder 220v. God I remember that, I couldn't let go of the electrode gun in one hand and ground clamp in the other and the harder it made me squeeze, the more juice flowed through me. Screwed up my heart rhythm and thats when I started getting panic attacks. I have that on paper but what use is it if I can't even get disability. I know, sue that doctor for malpractice.
I'll update as I get them. Thanks again for the kind words. What ever that spondylosis thing is, I must be used to it. Now I am refered to a pain mgt specialist. yaaay
Watch the doc say I can never ride a sled again, I rode this long, just got sore, I really don't know how dangerous this is.
What is it and what are the symptoms? never looked it up but I don't think it had that word in front of it.
They could have done this instead of hide it. I think I have that in my neck. I will get the report and scan it. Were they compression fractures? I just remember it hurting for ever, sometime really bad sometimes not at all. Rarely get headaches, maybe once every 6 months if that. The doc doesn't know how I can walk(A nurse told me this)I was like one foot in front of the other. When I got the results, the first thing the nurse said before even telling me is What did you DO? I said, answer the phone. Hey, I didn't start drinking so thats a plus(trying to find some positives)
One more thing for the day, This hurts what I would call a 7, rarly more then 8. It varies. It is not even close to the pancreatitus. I was going into shock from that pain(which I didn't know). I'd say the pancreatitus was not quite but almost double this. I am just so used to this. I didn't even know I was in much pain until the pain meds for the pancreatitus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankylosing_spondylitis
It moves slow. I have likely had it for a decade. I have 2 joints fully fused already. My dr said that I should avoid high impact activities. My wife said "like snowmobiling?". The dr said yes. I smiled at both of them...
On the serious side though, if it gets bad enough I will have to quit. It makes the vertebrae fuse together, and then they can break if you have "high impact". I did real good this year avoiding the real hard hits. I think only once this year did I feel my fillings come out.
It wouldn't be as big a deal for you since you can most likely stand up quick for the hard hits.
It moves slow. I have likely had it for a decade. I have 2 joints fully fused already. My dr said that I should avoid high impact activities. My wife said "like snowmobiling?". The dr said yes. I smiled at both of them...
On the serious side though, if it gets bad enough I will have to quit. It makes the vertebrae fuse together, and then they can break if you have "high impact". I did real good this year avoiding the real hard hits. I think only once this year did I feel my fillings come out.
It wouldn't be as big a deal for you since you can most likely stand up quick for the hard hits.
Yeah mine were compression I guess,I went sliding on my back head first into a small culvert in a ditch which when I stopped so suddenly I suppose it fractured the vertebrae. The culvert was only like a 1 foot diameter one,so my helmet didn't go it ,it just wedged and my body had flipped up so the rest of me was lying up over my head. I almost choked to death and if it hadn't been for the RCMP officer that showed up and released my chin strap I could very well have.
OK, I picked up the MRI summaries and scanned them but not sure if I should post them. It says 50-75% of T4 andT6 vertabrae shattered and all the bone frags are floating around near where C and T meet. I am not afraid of anyone here seeing them but don't know the legal status. Maybe I could edit them on pc so it doesn't show my last name or something. I also heard some better news today, not about the injuries but the disability thing. If the doc fills the form in saying I was disabled before the end of 2014, I get full disability, I got that right from SS. I also looked through the paper work from when this happened and like I said, all films and images are gone but the summaries are there and none show any results from T2 to T9. They should show all areas good or bad but only 1 contains this area but it said image was too fuzzy to see. How convenient. I am going to try to get in to see doc on Monday to see what he thinks, I still haven't seen him yet but heard things through my friend. If I feel its safe to do so, I will post them. I was flying over bumps and everything this past year, I was very sore but thats "normal". It seems there is like an inch of nothing but my spinal cord pinched between the other vertabrea. I wasn't told that but It made me think, if the vertabrae are 50-75% gone, whats there? No disk or anything I guess. I still have the left torn rotator cuff that I can't remember if I brought up. All I know is I can't raise my left arm over my head very good but can, not sure if it is in pain. That is so weird to say. The old MRIs said T 11 disk was slightly bulged and another page said it was t 10. This new one says they both are and one is sticking out 4mm. Still never had a shooting pain in legs.
I'll read it:
FINDINGS:
There are chronic appearing compression fracture deformities of T4 and T6 identified on this examination. Approximately 50-75% compression fracture deformity of T6and 10-25%compression fracture deformity at T4 are seen. No abnormal retropulsion of fracture fragments are seen(there in my neck). The thoratic cord was of normal intensity.
At the disk space level of T10-T11, circumferential disk bulge is seen with probable superimposed 4mm left paracentral disk protrusion noted. This does result in mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing and mild central spinal stenosis.
Circumferential disk bulge at T11-12 is also noted, without significant neural foraminal narrowing or central spinal stenosis seen. Remaining disk space levels are grossly unremarkable on this study.
Impression
Chronic appearing T4 and T6 compression fracture deformities. Thoracic spondylosis, notably at T10-T11, as discussed above.
Thats the T area, that took forever to type. the frags are in the neck one.
It says(just that part) Unfortunate truncation artifact within the cervical cord is seen on some of the sagittal sequences obtained.
Thats good for now....
I'll read it:
FINDINGS:
There are chronic appearing compression fracture deformities of T4 and T6 identified on this examination. Approximately 50-75% compression fracture deformity of T6and 10-25%compression fracture deformity at T4 are seen. No abnormal retropulsion of fracture fragments are seen(there in my neck). The thoratic cord was of normal intensity.
At the disk space level of T10-T11, circumferential disk bulge is seen with probable superimposed 4mm left paracentral disk protrusion noted. This does result in mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing and mild central spinal stenosis.
Circumferential disk bulge at T11-12 is also noted, without significant neural foraminal narrowing or central spinal stenosis seen. Remaining disk space levels are grossly unremarkable on this study.
Impression
Chronic appearing T4 and T6 compression fracture deformities. Thoracic spondylosis, notably at T10-T11, as discussed above.
Thats the T area, that took forever to type. the frags are in the neck one.
It says(just that part) Unfortunate truncation artifact within the cervical cord is seen on some of the sagittal sequences obtained.
Thats good for now....
sleddineinar
VIP Member
Glad you got some answers, I sure hope everything goes well.
My old mylogram and MRI reports are fake, the neuro-surgeon ordered a new complete thoracic mylogram(they don't do those anymore) because the first MRI was inaccurate at the thoracic level. The summary starts out saying "complete colunmar scan" and right where the T4-T9 results are supposed to be, there is a line through the page and a paragraph removed and a lot of re-wording. Notice the report says where all is good? It's says so, mine just skips that area and the impression part doesn't make sense like it was retyped trying to leave out certain words. I would love to find the original report. Oh yeah, on the areas where there is a disk sticking out just a little, the term slightly and minimaly are used, one part says the word tiny. Screw it the is the old ones: This was ordered specifically because the thoracic area was "unreadable" there are more pages but this is the good stuff. I have an appt Monday and should know more.
Just take a close look at some of the wording and this was suppose to be the whole thing but one part was over written to say only lower thoracic. Maybe you will see something I missed....
P.S. The reason this one was done is because the one I put in the next post. It says normal but then says not conclusive and wants another one done. I other words, I should have put the next one first.
Just take a close look at some of the wording and this was suppose to be the whole thing but one part was over written to say only lower thoracic. Maybe you will see something I missed....
P.S. The reason this one was done is because the one I put in the next post. It says normal but then says not conclusive and wants another one done. I other words, I should have put the next one first.
Last edited:
This is the MRI I had before that last exam in last post. It clearly states the bad areas are not localized(what ever that means)so it says to do another thoracic exam. Doesn't it seem like the thoracic spine is almost all missing from that last post?
Saw doc today and showed him the reports above and he agrees with me that they are altered. The best news is when he gets the disability forms, he said he would date them back. I don't know how far back. It would be great if he dates them back to my last day I worked, then I get the back pay for 5 years. But they'll find some reason to deny me. He gave me some advice on the records. He said the hospital where each test was done will have the original reports. Other then that, not much help. Not his area and i'm not fighting your fight kind of stuff but normal. He said it's out of his hands(treatment) and most likely pain meds and nerve blocks is all that can be done, he started telling me about a new procedure but was interupted. When we left there we went straight to the hospital where the mylogram was done and I requested the reports and the films. Both depts said that they are very old but they SHOULD have them. I didn't like the should part. They would be in the basement archive room and will take a while to find. Maybe by Wed. My doc also said that the originals are not tampered with as they never give out the original, even to doctors, it's always a copy. He said to see if I can get all of them and let him see them. After chasing down just the ones I mentioned, it was too late to go to the other hospital. I know I had some MRI's done in a trailer. It was weird, a big tractor trailer(just what I wanted to see)with cords running into it but when you go inside, it was like Knight Rider in there. I gotta find out that name to get those. Had some new symptoms today, my legs both started trembling and felt rubbery for about 30 min. Could have been stress though. I have noticed the last few months that I lose my balance sometimes I think. Like I will go through a doorway and slam into the edge with my shoulder, not dizzy, hard to explain. Like I want to go a certain way and miss, some motor function thing I guess. The part that SHOULD get me the disability is the disk causing neuro problems or pinching the spinal cord, got that, the fractured vertebra, got that and the cervical stenosis, got that, that the big reason. Not usually in neck,mostly in lumbar area but if it's in your neck, it can doo all kinds of bad things. If I remember, that means narrowing of the area where the spinal cord runs. Got that in neck and thoracic area. I just sent an email to the doctor office because I want my lumbar done too. Even the old reports have stuff wrong there, I didn't think its too serious but who knows.
Thats the update...
Thats the update...
Nothing really new yet except I see a pain management specialist Monday. I am also starting to lose motor functions now. Legs went out 5 times and feel rubbery and weak and shaky, today I dropped my drill and smashed the battery, kinda rigged it back together. This weird stuff is happening everyday now. I don't know what that doctor is going to do Monday but I can't have any procedures for a while because my Mom is having a total hip replacement the same day and I am supposed to be her caretaker.
Anyway, I'll post the MRIs anyway.
Anyway, I'll post the MRIs anyway.
devinzz1
Active member
Hope the best for you and your mother bud.
Hey thanks, Not much news except doc ordered MRI of lumbar which my records show something screwed up at where L and S meet. I think S is the tailbone, it actually may be on those myelogram things I posted. I know I have a torn rotator cuff from that accident too so I wrote to doc twice to do a mri of that but no response. Pain mgt said surgery is out but a slight chance steroid shots may help. Very thick Indian accent so I had trouble understanding. I will get those shot but kinda wanted the other MRI's first so I don't have to go right back is need be so I will make some calls. I asked him about things I can't do to avoid further injury and I think he said I have the same chance of further injury as anyone but could have heard him wrong. I think I will go for those shots first and then that lumbar MRI and then worry about the shoulder. I got the release from work comp papers from DWD and there is a whole list of stuff they found with this they never told me about, or I don't remember. We'll see. I also got a new prescription, gabapentin, I've been on it 2 weeks and I don't like it. It does nothing with pain and makes you super tires and legs will not work at all on that. It's 600mg 1 time daily at bedtime and was told it takes a while to see all the benifits. So far I see none. I will update as I get more info or if something weird happens.
Where to start, I had the epidural back injections Monday and seems worse. Hours after that a trip to the ER because I thought the pancreatitus came back, finally found out its some kind of intestinal infection. Wow did they have me on the pain meds, I even had the thing where you push a button and more goes in you, the first was hydromorphone, I didn't like that one, I thought I was spiderman and was getting all riled up because I couldn't climb the wall, so then they gave me fentenoyl of something. That one just makes you die for a little while. The doctors actually refused to stop the pain IV's saying the pain will stress your body and prolong the healing. I finally got them to get rid of the button deal and let the nurses just give it to me, this was the hydro-morphone. That wasn't so bad and actually worked. Bothe of these are way stronger then morphine but I don't like pain medicine that makes me hallucenate. I don't know why they didn't just give me morphine. That other stuff, you hit the button and it feels like days pass and you wake in a pool of sweat and drool and its only 20mins later. I finally felt better Friday and thats when they forund out what it was so not I take 5 antibiotics a day and have to have a colonoscopy to see what it is, think I will have chili the day before. I know you can't eat for a day and dring barym. I had to drink 2 liters of that in an hour for a CT scan and I kept complaining about my back but they wouldn't look at it because its not why I came in. So that is killing me after the belly pain went down. Then I find out we lost our case for our Fathers estate and will. I am like what else is going to happen? I did as much yardwork as possible Sat thinking the backpain was because I was bed ridden for 5 days after the shots and it didn't get worse the next day but also didn't get any better. Now it feels like my back is broken. Worked on pinball with numb hands all day today, hard to use a ratchet when you are not sure it is in your hand. Well, I'll update that. What would this site be with out my goofy health problems?