Hubby is Home!!

[Scootergirl]

The picture of him smiling was taken before he learned how bad his leg was. He hasn't smiled much since then. He feels let down by the company. I don't blame him.

I brought Rocko in last night to cheer him up. You can't help but smile when you look at his goofy face.

[dohertyswissy]

Jeanne - This is awful.  I am soo sorry that this has happened to your hubby.  The complete lack of competence by some people in the medical field these days frightens me and puts a bad name on those doctors and nurses who are doing their darndest to help people!!  Cutting corners is UNACCEPTABLE in medical situations!!!

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

Tina - Sign me up for the BPO Brute Squad.  I'll bring my baseball bat.

[Icerotti]

I am sorry to hear these things are happening to you and your husband right now. What mismanagment by the company and negligence by the health care community. It sounds like you  are keeping on top of things. Things will turn around. I hope your husband is feling better and your spirits are up.
Michelle

[Moni]

Jeanne,
I'm so sorry to hear about everything that you and your hubby have been going through!  How awful!  I hope that everything starts going better for the both of you.  Good luck at the specialist's today!

[Scootergirl]

OK. Here's the latest: Johann is having surgery on wednesday morning. they are putting a rod in his leg from the knee to the ankle, and possibly a plate on his ankle 'cause he has a minute crack in that bone and the rod may cause the crack to expand.

The 3rd party insurance for Swift is suddenly very helpful. She has already started to process his work comp payments and we should receive a check next week for the first 14 days since she knows he will be out of work that long (normally, they have to wait until you haven't been able to work for 14 days before they start paying you). and she's having me fax any receipts for prescriptions, etc. we've paid for so she can add it to that check. Plus, she said we get paid for mileage for any appts., etc.

His recovery time should be 6 weeks. He had to option to have the leg pulled back in place and get a cast instead, but that would take 3 mos. to heal that way.

Things are finally starting to look better. Keep you fingers crossed!

[NoDogNow]

Oh, Jeanne. 

Dad's computer is old and slow and won't load the pics, but I can just imagine. 

What jurisdiction did the attorney tell you you needed to file in?  Because there's got to be one of us close by to where this happened that can help you find an attorney in the right jurisdiction to get this straightened out. 

Make sure when you see the orthopod that you ask him how obvious this fracture would have been on the day that it happened.  Because it's possible that the lack of appropriate followup is what's caused it to get this bad.  One of the reasons I was told to stay completely OFF my bruised bone shin was because they told me that the swelling could compress the bones in a greenstick fracture situation; and that it might take as much as a week before the xray would show it. 

He might have had a MINOR fracture, his having to walk on it, move around, scrunch it around in the truck and on the train has aggravated it to this condition.  In which case, Swift is even more responsible for it than they would have been had it simply been fractured in a fall.

Ask the ortho HOW LONG THIS IS GOING TO DISABLE YOUR HUSBAND.  You have to file for disability IMMEDIATELY.  He's going to be driving no trucks with his leg in a cast. 

And ask what kind of long term and permanent damage Johann is looking at.  I mentioned how my bruised bone still aches if over-exercised almost a year after the fact.  This is a compound fracture.  You need to know how long it's going to take to be back to 100%--or if it's never going to be 100% and Johann is going to have to be on some kind of pain meds for the rest of his life because of this.

I'm going to keep you guys in my prayers--I'm off to the wilds where I have NO internet access at all now--but know that I'm sending all my best thoughts for as good an outcome as possible.   And I'm really, really glad if anything I've said has been any help at all. 

Sometimes paranoia has it's upside...

[Scootergirl]

I did think to ask all those questions - thanks to you all opening my eyes.

He will not be in a cast at all since he's having the surgery. He will be out of work for at least 6 weeks. He should recover 100% with no lasting side effects (except the permanent titanium rod in his leg).

The break would have been very obvious when they first xrayed his leg. It is not something that would have happened later on. the dr. said it's OK that he hadn't had anything done for a week, but another week would have been another story.

the attorney in Indiana hasn't called me back yet. I think if we're going to pursue a suit against the hospital and swift it will have to be in Indiana.

[Kiahpyr]

I'm so glad your hubby finally is getting the help he needs. Let us know how the surgery goes. My brother in law was in a very bad car accident and his ankle exploded along with other broken bones. The ankle was the worst. They have to fuse his ankle together, so he won't ever move his foot around again. Luckily they can fix his leg. Tell him that we all hope he has a quick recovery.

[Scootergirl]

Well, just when I thought things were getting better, they start getting horribly worse again.

Johann had his surgery Wednesday morning. They ended up putting a plate on his shin and ankle instead of a rod in the leg.  We got home Wed. afternoon about 3:30.

They gave him percocet for the pain, which gives him horribly long-lasting, very violent hiccups. He didn't sleep at all because of these Wed. night and, instead of asking me to get him something to drink Wed. night, he decided to try to get up and get it himself. He lost his balance and fell. He got a big cut on top of his head and hurt the thumb on his right hand.

After going only about a 1/2 hour Thursday with no hiccups, I told him we were going back to the ER to see if they could do anything. While we were there, I had them look at his hand.

He BROKE HIS THUMB!! So, they put a splint on his hand - not just the little metal splint, but a whole-hand splint. While we were there, he had to use the restroom. On his way back to the room, he fell again!! They then gave us a prescription to rent a wheelchair if he decides he wants to use that (which, of course, he doesn't).

They also gave him Thorazine for the hiccups and Flexaril (a muscle relaxant) to help relax his diaphram.  He's been pretty useless since then, but at least he got a really good night's sleep!  The thorazine is also an anti-psychotic. I told them "Good. He can use that, too!"

What next???

[ZooCrew]

Oh no!!  Your husband just doen't seem to get a break, does he?  Or actually, I guess he gets too many breaks.    I can just see someone with a little voodoo doll of him and throwing it down some stairs or something.

Tell your hubby he has to take it easy, or he will end up in a full body cast, and that is no fun.  Since he is all drugged up now, maybe he won't even try to do anything.

Good luck with the healing process.

[Scootergirl]

I can just see someone with a little voodoo doll of him and throwing it down some stairs or something.

It is SO FUNNY that you said that 'cause that's exactly what I said to him yesterday when we were in the ER - after he fell. "Who has the Johann voodoo doll and what did you do to p*ss them off??"

[Scootergirl]

Yeah, that's a good point. I'm going to have to try to get ahold of the Indiana hospital again and request a copy of the 1st x-ray.

Johann asked for a copy of the post-surgery xray so he can have a souvenier (I mean, besides the plate in his ankle).

He has to be off his foot for 6 weeks then moderate weight-bearing for another 6 weeks. He hates this. It's going to be a loooooooonnnnn ggg 3 months.  Heck! The first 2 days have already been horrible.

We also have a copy of the xrays of his hand so he can have the ortho specialist look at them when he goes for his surgical follow-up appt. in about a week. I'm going to call him Monday to let him know what happened.

[GR8DAME]

Foriegn objects in the body have a life-span of 10 to 15 years, depending on the composition and function of the replacement (Plate).
Don't sign off on the claim unless there is a provision for future medical expenses arising from the accident. Normal insurances may not cover them due to them being from a pre-existing injury, and you could be stuck footing the bill for future surgeries on your own. Injury cases are so complicated, please get a legal representitive, an expereinced advocate, despite the fact that the company is now bending over backwards to be helpful. An advocate will at least protect you financially, even if you do not choose to sue.
Stella

[Good Hope]

I'm so sorry that this has happened.  That your poor husband broke his thumb too is a little strange.  I hope he recovers quickly Mrs. Fritsche.

Sofia

[NoDogNow]

I've been offline for days now--holy crap!  The thumb?  That's not going to make driving any easier.

Are you sure Someone Upstairs isn't trying to tell your husband something?  Once is an accident, twice is coincidence...

They say things come in threes--if he breaks another bone, tell him he has to train to be a nurse or something that will keep him in a hospital, just in case!