My Story-The first few weeks

The First Few Weeks

Two days later, my mother arrived from California. A retired nurse, she took stock of the situation, declaring that I needed to see a "real" doctor. The whole left side of my face was black and blue, I was already easily confused, my speech becoming slow and deliberate, I found I had difficulty writing things down such as a list of things I needed to do. Worse - in my mind, I had taken a lump of clay and tried to sculpt a little face. In the past, I could almost do this with my eyes closed, now, all I could produce was a bumpy, lopsided ball with no resemblance what so ever to the child I was trying to create. This was my first clue that something was wrong. Still, I told my self, the doctor told me I was fine, that I would be sore and tired for a few days. I would give it a week to heal and then get back to work.

The next day, I was in a strange doctors office. My auto insurance sent me to him. I was furious when I found I couldn't see my own doctor, he wasn't covered under the PPO plan. This was the first in a series of restrictions I was going to experience for I had landed for the first time in my life in auto insurance hell. The doctor I saw was caring, and good. I have to admit that. The only problem I had was that he wasn't my doctor. After a complete physical which showed a marked problem with balance, (if I closed my eyes I was on the floor before I even knew I had fallen), my vision which had been 20/20 was now so screwed up that he couldn't evaluate it in his office, I was confused, rambled, couldn't follow instructions well, couldn't remember a simple list of 4 words a few minutes after hearing them, I couldn't even remember the name of the president or what state I lived in. He was upset with the doctor who had seen me in the ER for not keeping me for observation at least, for stapling the gash instead of stitching it, for whatever. He prescribed physical therapy and sent me to a neurologist on my insurances preferred list. I was to come back in 3 days to have the staples removed.

A few days later I was being evaluated by the neurologist, who after about an hour of questions told me if I wanted to, I could come back in a month, but if I didn't want to, I didn't have too! The physical therapy place, started me on a series of exercises that in the end was not what I needed at all. Nothing was done about the balance problem, the vision, the confusion, or even for the pain for that matter. I languished in this place for 4 months as my condition worsened by the day. The high levels of anti-inflammatory drugs softened my ligaments. This combined with the balance problems I was experiencing, (I was not walking or standing properly and constantly guarding myself against falling) caused my pelvis to gradually rotate, shortening my right leg which caused even more problems with balance and increased pain. Nothing, and I mean nothing was being done to help with my head injury. The so called neurologist claimed that he didn't believe in cognitive therapy. It didn't work he declared.

I was seeing a psychotherapist before my accident and she hit the roof when she heard this. She called the case manager with the PPO and told them something had to be done. At the same time, the doctor who was supervising my treatment was getting increasingly frustrated with the insurance company denying treatment that he prescribed. Their excuse was that the treatment was unreasonable, not needed or ineffective. He wrote a terse letter to them demanding that they allow him to treat me properly. All of a sudden, people were coming out of the woodwork to help me. The insurance company "suddenly" remembered that I was entitled to something called essential services, so now I had someone to help with the housework. Someone was sent out to my home to evaluate my head injury. I no longer had to find a way to town to PT. They now came to my home. (I had to stop driving because of concentration and focus problems). Occupational therapists, (OT) came to my home too, to help with my balance problems. It was through one of these therapists that I learned of a neurologist in town that specialized in closed head injuries. Best of all, she was under my insurance policy.

A few weeks later, I hobbled into Dr. Saralee McGroarty's office, in Longmont, Colorado. For the first time since my accident four months before, I was to find someone who knew about closed head injuries, dealt with them on a daily basis, and best of all was a vigorous patient advocate. No wonder the insurance company had not told me about her! Next Back