NEED TO VENT!

Last Thursday I was on my way into the hospital where I work my second job as a transcriptionist.  Someone who now has been fired was sweeping a huge amount of water out of the bathroom and into the main public hallway with no wet floor signs.  I came around the corner and you guessed it!  I hit the floor and blew out my only good knee.  I had knee replacement surgery on the left side two years ago.  Since I was a hospital employee I could not be seen in the ER and had to wait until Monday to be seen in a doctor's office.  I was on  crutches all weekend  (left over from previous surgery), in pain and no pain meds.  When I went to the doctor Monday he told me that he wanted me take NSAIDS and apply heat.  He gave me a shot of cortisone in my knee and told me I had a lot of arthritis.   He also ordered 9 days of physical therapy (3 days per week for 3 weeks).  Employee health has said that Workmen's Comp will not pay for the therapy since my arthritis was a preexisting condition.  Never mind that up until the fall my right knee had never bothered me.  The shot did not help me and I am still stumbling around on crutches.  I think I have a torn cruciate ligament.  When I said no to the NSAIDS, he just shrugged and walked out of the room.  The other lady who fell in the same puddle of water was a visitor to the hospital and got very different treatment from the hospital for her broken hip  (do you smell law suit?).  The doctor did not write me out for even one day so I hobble to school and do my 3-5 miles cruising around school all day on my crutches and then report  to the hospital to work in the evenings.  Since I can't bend my knee I have become "Ambi-legstrus" and use my left leg for the foot peddle on my Dictaphone.   So much for Pilates and Yoga this week---   Thanks for listening to my woes folks!

I am so sorry you are going through this!  Isn't there someone higher up that you can go to and complain?  There needs to be more they can do for you and they should do testing to see what all did happen to your knee in that fall.  I really think this is worth fighting for.  I hope things begin to get better for you soon.

Get a lawyer.

Ruby
You and my mom need to talk... she had the EXACT thing happen to her when she was working in the ER at the hospital..someone was mopping and didnt put the sign up and she fell and had to have a full knee replacement. Im sorryt his happened to you and hope everything works out for you.

Darcie

I would definitely see an attorney... one who specializes in workers' comp cases.  You want your job protected but you also want your medical treatment paid for as well as addressed properly.  Has an MRI been done?  Xrays?  How interesting we can diagnose arthritis and a preexisting condition without benefit of thorough diagnostics.  You may well need arthroscopic surgery if it is a torn cruciate ligament and I would be concerned that the PT would only exacerbate the problem and your symptoms!  I would definitely see an attorney.  Unfortunately in this world we live in, we are forced to take agressive action in order to protect ourselves from those who would not do the right thing unless they are forced to!

Hey Paula,

Hope you're going to be on the mend real soon!  And I agree with Suzanne - get a lawyer!!  No matter if the person got fired.  You need to have your fall and resulting problems taken care of in the same manner as the other woman.  Do what you gotta do, but please take care of yourself!! And find a good sleazy lawyer!

((((Paula)))),

I'm so very sorry to hear that you are hurting so and are not get the help and support you need and deserve. Have you talked to anyone in personnel. It seems like you should be able to get some additional support. I'd try pushing back re: the pre-existing condition issue. You may have had arthritis, but you you didn't have a torn ligment before and didn't have the injury that is causing the problems.

I hope that you get the help you need and begin to heal well from the injury.

Barb

Unfortunately, I had to delete this message due to privacy concerns.

What a crock!  It sounds like you're dealing with a crooked Dr and a crooked workers comp company too!  I agree with many others:  you need to make sure you're taken care of.  Fight for your rights in this situation, and it's sounding like that may mean you need to contact a lawyer.  :(  Good luck!