Impairment Rating
Before I get into Brigham's impairment rating, I wanted to document something new we learned in November. Brigham had been having some new pains near the scar where the cut happened, and we were concerned that maybe this was a sign of a new clot. It is so tricky, for 2 reasons. First, he cannot feel all of his leg and second, clot symptoms are the same as what he feels in that leg every day. We called Sheryl to get her opinion and she said to book an appointment immediately. Luckily, he did not have any new clots and she told Brigham eventually he will learn what symptom means trouble. For example, one guy always feels like he has the flu when he has a leg clot, so weird. She said it will take time. Because Brig's injury is so unique, she will always see him if he feels something is off.
What we learned that day was Brigham has a chronic clot in the vein just above his right knee with clot strands extending a few inches past the clot. If he is ever seen at a hospital or doctor's office that does not have his medical records, he needs to inform them about his chronic clot.
On December 7th Brigham had his impairment rating appointment.
This is done through Workmans Comp Insurance. When you have reached MMI (medical maximum improvement) they schedule an appointment with one of their doctors. I went with Brigham to the appointment.
Dr. A asked lots of questions regarding the accident, surgeries and how it feels. She explained that she assesses and records what physical deficits he has due to the work injury. She cannot take into account how different his daily life is with the consistent swelling + pain. That is more considered the disability area. I'm not sure how Disability with the government works but that will be the next thing we tackle to see what options are available.
 |
| Brig's fave tradition- Island Park over Thanksgiving weekend |
Next Dr. A had him physically do several movements. For example, she asked him to squat. She could see he was favoring his left leg and asked him to not compensate. Brigham replied that he would fall if he didn't compensate. She had him squat just above his chair so it would catch him if he fell. That squat was difficult and unstable. Not only did it show Dr. A how his inner quad muscle is not working at all, but she noticed how the middle muscle right next to it was not working fully either. So, that is 2 impaired muscles out of 4 in his quad. Other exercises included her pushing his legs apart while he resisted the best he could, and also in reverse. Lastly, she tested the numbness in his leg and was the first doctor to show us on a picture the nerves that had been affected by the injury. She then explained that she still needed to review his stack of medical records before turning in her assessment to the insurance company.
Leaving this appointment was a bit disheartening and honestly Brig was frustrated + annoyed. I was so sad for him. Brig was annoyed because of how the doctor acted towards his disability and he felt unheard. She kept telling him he would just have to find a job that he could do and acted like it was so simple to live with his impairment. However, reality is within 6 hours of sitting, driving, walking, standing or any mix of these - he is in pain and needs to elevate his leg above his heart for 4 hours to get it back to a manageable place. So many times, he turns down social events because his leg can't handle it after a day of light work.
I understand his frustration because this is not how life in your 20's should be! Before the accident he was going to school, working, playing soccer with probably 6 hr sleep and recovering immediately. He understands his reality and rarely complains but I think it is healthy and normal to feel frustration, sadness, anger and then move through it and move forward.
About 2 weeks after the appointment Brigham received his written impairment assessment.
Here are some of the stats:
85 lost work days (when he started back up in November 2020 he was very light duty part-time for Jeremy)
Total Medical bills paid by insurance: over $160,000
46% impairment of the lower extremity rating
18% whole person impairment rating
I don't know how anyone goes through something so traumatic and life changing without support. It is hard for me to be his advocate and work between multiple doctors, insurance, and researching on my own. How in the world could the injured person do it all themselves? It is a lot. It makes me sad for those who miss out on help and services because they don' have the time or know where to begin.
My next research project will be learning all about the government disability program and see if there is anything that could better Brigham's life. I am grateful that right now in our life Jeremy and I are able to be his support and advocate through the unbelievable. We are indeed so blessed.
Comments
Post a Comment