Robbed at gunpoint and pistol whipped at work on the clock

[mobbdeep]

I still recommend submitting the form to HR and keeping a copy.

40 years in the corporate world taught me never to trust an employer's promises.

The decision, of course, is yours.

Thank you. Following up here, I am working with workers comp directly now but they're going through the process of verifying it to ensure it can be accepted. But man, the Texas WC 7 day waiting period law sucks because my Dr. ordered me off work from Jan 31st-Feb 9th which WC will only cover lost wages/benefits from the 6th on forward.

 

[mobbdeep]

Update.. been working with my workers comp adjuster since the incident and have been attending my Dr appointments along with my therapy sessions I will be starting soon. They have been paying my medical bills, medicine as needed, along with almost 100% of my lost wages since January 29th.

 

[LdiJ]

Glad to hear that! Thanks for the update!

 

[quincy]

Update.. been working with my workers comp adjuster since the incident and have been attending my Dr appointments along with my therapy sessions I will be starting soon. They have been paying my medical bills, medicine as needed, along with almost 100% of my lost wages since January 29th.

Thank you for the update, mobbdeep. It sounds like everything is moving in a positive direction which is good news.

 

[mobbdeep]

Wanted to post here as I have a question that arose. Basically, this past month, I have been experiencing weird head feelings at random times and they will last 2-3 days or 4-5 days at a time. They are spacey head feelings and I feel like I can't focus. Sometimes, I'll get a dizzy spell feeling where everything becomes muffled as if I'm going to faint. A few days ago, I woke up at 7:30am and started having a panic attack. I took a hydroxyzine which the Dr. prescribed for as needed anxiety medication. It immediately calmed me down but I still went about my day with a fuzzy head feeling. Since yesterday, the top of my head has been hurting (like pressure). I took ibuprofen and that doesn't relieve it. Also, when I stare off, I get a dizzy spell feeling.

With all of this said, I explained it to my therapist and she suggested I tell my Dr. to have me referred to a neurologist. When I asked the Dr., she immediately pushed it as anxiety/PTSD and said that going to a neurologist wouldn't do anything because if I had head injuries, it would've shown shortly after the initial incident. I'm aware the WC Dr. and WC adjusters are supposed to protect the employer in the best way possible therefore that's why they're brushing my request off.

Unfortunately, I don't have insurance thru my employer to go see a Dr. myself and I'm dealing with an Urgent Care WC Dr. My therapist said if I had any issues and don't feel I'm getting the help I need, I can get an ombudsman. Is that true and if so, is it only if they deny claims or what? Do I bring this up to my adjuster?

Sorry for the long post. I'm just trying to get better.

 

[quincy]

Try the following link:

https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/employee/dispute.html

You can contact the Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC) at the number provided in the link for free assistance.

I am sorry to hear you are suffering from debilitating headaches. After what you experienced, it should not be surprising - but I am a bit surprised that the doctor you are seeing would not want to refer you to a neurologist for examination.

 

[zddoodah]

[deleted]

 

[mobbdeep]

Don't hijack someone else's thread. Start your own.

This is my thread.

 

[quincy]

Don't hijack someone else's thread. Start your own.

Try reading the whole thread, Doodah.

 

[zddoodah]

This is my thread.

Oops...sorry about that.

Yes, you should discuss everything with your WC adjuster. If you feel like you're not being treated fairly, then you may have reached the point of needing to consult with a WC attorney.

 

[not2cleverRed]

When I asked the Dr., she immediately pushed it as anxiety/PTSD and said that going to a neurologist wouldn't do anything because if I had head injuries, it would've shown shortly after the initial incident.

Um, your symptoms could also have a cause entirely unrelated to your WC case. Because medical things... happen.

 

[quincy]

Um, your symptoms could also have a cause entirely unrelated to your WC case. Because medical things... happen.

I agree that medical things happen and the symptoms described by mobbdeep could have nothing to do with his workplace injury but, if mobbdeep’s doctor really said that head injuries will show up shortly after an initial incident, I am not sure I would place full trust in that doctor.

 

[mobbdeep]

Um, your symptoms could also have a cause entirely unrelated to your WC case. Because medical things... happen.

While I do understand what you're saying, I had been hit in the back of my head with a pistol during the initial incident. They never did any thorough look over on my head except just say there was a bump. That could have been all due to me saying I didn't feel any additional symptoms that could point to brain swelling/bleeding/concussion etc.

What I'm feeling here is all within my head. It could be an underlying neurological problem due to the incident or it could very well just be the trauma response/PTSD/anxiety that my body and mind is still coping with. When I mentioned these feelings to my therapist, she suggested I talk to my Dr. to be referred to a neurologist and when I did, she immediately dismissed it as anxiety and said there's no point in being seen by a neurologist because if there was any actual injuries/complications from being hit in the head, they would've shown shortly after the incident.

I'm not entirely sure why it's an issue for me to be referred to a neurologist to be tested just to be safe except for the fact that they're trying to keep costs down for my employer at a minimum and if you do a quick 5 minute read anywhere about workers comp, that's exactly what their purpose is. Get you treatment and cleared back to work as quickly and cost effectively as possible.

 

[quincy]

Contact the OIEC, as your therapist suggested. Check out the link provided above.

An examination by a neurologist definitely is not inexpensive but being beaten in the head with a gun would seem to warrant such an exam.

 

[not2cleverRed]

there's no point in being seen by a neurologist because if there was any actual injuries/complications from being hit in the head, they would've shown shortly after the incident.

They're thinking that if you had something like an epidural hematoma ala Natasha Richardson, you'd be dead already.

There are other things that could be the problem. They could be caused by the accident, or they could bee unrelated. The therapist thinks it's physical (neurological), not psychological. And until your problem is diagnosed, it is impossible to determine what caused it.

It took my cousin over a decade to get a minor car accident settled, and part of the problem was getting the "minor" brain injury diagnosed. And the "minor" brain injury had a lot of long term consequences.

Aside: Even if you have insurance, a PCP may choose to ignore obvious neurological symptoms. Mine did.