DUmmie ready to die. (medical admin)

[thundley4]

MedicalAdmin   (1000+ posts)           Mon Dec-05-11 03:23 PM
Original message
I suspect that I am dying. And I won't seek treatment.
   
I could say that this has nothing to do with me being a typical male, but let me tell my story and you decide.

I work hard and always have. 6 years ago a company passenger van, driven by an unlicensed driver, flew through a stop sign and plowed into me. I was recovering when about 4 months later I was driving back from a PT session when another driver blew through a stop sign and T boned me into a hospital. I am partially paralysed these days and in great pain all the time from the resultant spinal injuries.

Here's were it gets fun. After the second accident the first insurance company decided that I wasn't hurt, the second company blamed the first company claiming pre-existing conditions and my insurance company said it wasn't their problem because of the car accident so they weren't paying either. The neurosurgeon and hospital (somewhat reasonably) decided that without an insurance company to cover the costs, they wanted cash on the spot.

Thus I have a spinal injury and no treatment.

My job, needless to say, let me go. Luckily a doctor I know hired me to work in her clinic (I'm a little AR and a good organizer and planner) in admin where I could function without movement as any movement triggers spasms and pain. But she can't pay enough to make a huge difference and can't extend insurance because her clinic is too small to take on the premium increase that my pre-existing condition would bring. Not that she didn't try but when faced with a bill that would have bankrupted the clinic she sat down and had a tear filled (on her part) talk with me telling me why. She had literally over 20 estimates and none of them were worth the shit found on a piece of used toilet paper.

For the past 6 years I have been struggling with a legal fight to get some payment so that I can get some treatment for this. I had a chat with my lawyer again this morning (considered to be the best personal injury attorney in the state) and he told me that the insurance companies have filed for yet another extension. He thinks that they are trying to win a war of attrition. They have offered about $12,000 in a settlement. In case you are wondering, this is a joke. My take home was about $40,000 after taxes and I had full insurance for myself and my family. I no longer have savings.

And yes, I did mention dying. Recently I started to hemorrhage blood every morning and night to the tune of between 16 and 32 ounces a day. Some days I don't but on average I would say that I bleed about 5 days out of 7. I hide this from my wife, my boss, and everyone else in my life. These bleeds have been accompanied by a loss of balance (+vertigo) and blinding migraines. A doctor friend of mine who practices in Canada took my phone call, asked about the symptoms and told me that he would screen me for a tumor and he would do it tomorrow (this was about 5 months ago). I promised him that I was seeing a doctor the next day. I lied so he wouldn't worry and moved on with my life. Or tried to. I'm sicker every day.

I doubt I will live to see the end of the lawsuit, but I could be wrong. I know a lot of you will tell me, "go see a doctor and do it now," or "get help and figure out the bills later," but that advice only exists for the rich and middle class, a club membership I lost 6 years ago when a company decided to employ for 2 years an unlicensed driver for their passenger shuttle. And my second mistake was to in this country. In any sane country, this shit just doesn't happen. I have chosen to do nothing because I can afford no other option. I can't afford the surgery. I can't afford the diagnostic tests to check if I have tumors growing in my head and even if I could, what is the point of finding out a diagnosis that I can't afford to get treated for. Ignorance is bliss for as long as it lasts.

This essay came to me because there is still an ever growing number of people, even on DU, who don't ****ing get it. The insurance companies are still in control of the gates to the city and they don't want your poor ass to get through. They want you dead. They want me dead. And they are coming for you and your family next. You are one moment, one car accident, one second away from being exactly where I am.

And I spend part of each day wondering what type of bullet will do the job right.

I no longer believe that American's have the will of the means to change the system. Chomsky was right when he said in 1998 that the USA would become the greatest threat to democracy in the world in the coming century. I used to think he was cynical. I now know that he was far too pollyanna.

I would like to get feedback on the state of health care delivery in the USA. What is your story? How has this effected you or your family? Do you, like me, avoid all care even though you are sure you need it because you know you can't afford it or can't access it? Do you know anyone who has died or killed themselves because of the lack of health care access in the USA? And most importantly, does anyone have any idea what we can do about it?

Final word - if your ideas for solution include insurance companies, you are a fool. That is just my opinion so don't take it personally, although being a fool you either won't figure out what I just said or you will and will take umbrage anyway.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2431404

Damn DUmmie. Open your eyes, there are plenty of threads complaining about healthcare in insurance in this country. You didn't need to be so long winded.

[GOBUCKS]

DUmmy bleeding two pints of blood a day? Even the LVL would run out after a few days.

So, anyway, if you're bleeding a quart a day, you really don't need to worry about bullet types. I'd suggest this DUmmy save the ammo money.

Considering his history, if he really wants to speed things up by committing suicide, he should consider driving.

This DUmbass is trying to bag a Golden Bong and a Broken Elbow in one fell swoop, but has overlooked the technicality of being nominated.

Sort of like the Omaha Weeper.

[Ogre]

Same thought here, no way this guy's losing one to two pints of blood a day.  On the other hand, Missy Vixen doesn't seem to mind medical fraud (see her chest x-ray thread), maybe this guy can use her insurance card.

[MaryAnn]

MedicalAdmin  (1000+ posts)      Mon Dec-05-11 04:19 PM
Response to Reply #10
39. I'd love to but I can't even afford to fix my broken car...
 Edited on Mon Dec-05-11 04:34 PM by MedicalAdmin
... I walk 7 miles to my job each way. Daily.

It seems to me that a plane ticket is definitely out of the question and I'm pretty sure I can't hitchhike there.

 

A spinal injury but he WALKS 14 miles/day to and from his job??? Riiiiiight . . .

[USA4ME]

MedicalAdmin

And I spend part of each day wondering what type of bullet will do the job right.

Bottle of Tylenol = Beta Blockers = Go to sleep and don't wake up.

Just sayin'.

.

[DumbAss Tanker]

That rate of blood loss is not possible.  After three to five days of just his low-end numbers, he'd be in the ICU with a core temp headed for the upper 80s, and well on his way to checking out of the net for good.

[Tess Anderson]

  This thread . . .

nadinbrzezinski  (1000+ posts)        Mon Dec-05-11 04:23 PM
Response to Original message
41. No the solution is not insurance companies
 But single payor healthcare. Enough of this.

I am sorry. All I could do is keep fighting for that. 

 

uppityperson  (1000+ posts)      Mon Dec-05-11 05:40 PM
Response to Original message
84. Human average is 6 qts of blood in body. If you are bleeding out 1/2-1 qt a day,
 and do so 5 of 7 days, how many transfusions have you had?

Yes, insurance sucks and it sounds like those mva ins companies are giving you the real run around.

But how can you be "bleeding out" over 1/2 your total blood a week?

I am sorry that you are having to deal with asshole ins companies, but this doesn't make sense.

[67 Rover]

And I spend part of each day wondering what type of bullet will do the job right.

May I suggest starting with the venerable .45 and work your way down from there if necessary also if you could post it on youtube I will give you bonus points and a thumbs up.

[Mr Mannn]

Hmmm. I don't believe a single word. DUmmies lie all the time.

The car accidents may have been on purpose. He likely drove for a living and deliberately got in an accident to access the disability for life sweepstakes. Because he lied on his claims the company let him go.

no disability. No free money. and he STILL has to work...life sucks.

So now he's pursuing disability any way he can. Getting doctors he's never seen to diagnose him over the phone.
and a bogus lawsuit, if that claim is real.

so now he's bleeding and contemplating suicide...sure he is. If the suicide is real, its more because he's looking ahead at a life of WORK, and not easy-time with free money.

Everything in this post screams LIAR. I don't even believe he has a family.

Hey MedicalAdmin...About the bullets...DO IT. I DARE YOU.
I might even feel bad. maybe. But I think we'll be reading your sorry posts a year from now, AFTER the GOP sweep that guts Obamacare.
MedicalAdmin, you are just slimy entitlement scum.

[shadeaux]

He's full of 

Let's get down to the truth here.

He got in a wreck, got on pain pills, kept getting pain pills, doctor cut him off, now he's hurting while detoxing.  No other Dr. will see him because they suspect drug addiction.

[Boudicca]

 

A spinal injury but he WALKS 14 miles/day to and from his job??? Riiiiiight . . .

What a load of horseshit.  I have severe sciatica and cervical osteoarthritis and the days I walk 6 miles TOTAL, I have to hit the painkillers hard.  Spinal injury and losing 16 to 32 ounces of blood on a constant basis, puhleeze.

Now, if this dude really has suffered some injuries in vehicle accidents, I hope he does get a settlement.  He almost had me fooled about the seriousness until he mentioned a 14-mile daily hike.

[DefiantSix]

If nothing in the universe is as it really is, and there is veracity to the DUmbshit's tale of woe, then the fact of the matter is that there would be scum sucking ambulance chasers lined up around the block for a chance to take both (especially) the EEE-VIL corporation that owned the van/employed the driver and the other driver for every cent they ever wanted to make.  Scum sucking attorneys live for that shit, and if there was so much as an ounce of  truth to the DUmbshit's "predicament", it would make for a sob story they'd just love selling to a jury for big paydays.

[sybilll]

If nothing in the universe is as it really is, and there is veracity to the DUmbshit's tale of woe, then the fact of the matter is that there would be scum sucking ambulance chasers lined up around the block for a chance to take both (especially) the EEE-VIL corporation that owned the van/employed the driver and the other driver for every cent they ever wanted to make.  Scum sucking attorneys live for that shit, and if there was so much as an ounce of  truth to the DUmbshit's "predicament", it would make for a sob story they'd just love selling to a jury for big paydays.

You nailed it.  I was a Risk Manager and handled these cases for 20 years.  This reeks of a case that I would have called in a Private Investigator on, and I suspect that is precisely what happened.  In fact, I suspect the 2 insurance companies may have compared notes and found he was a total fraud and proved it, thus no lawyer will touch it. 
As an aside, I wonder if the *unlicensed* driver in the 1st accident was an *undocumented worker*?
I don't wish ill will on anyone, and he sounds unhinged.  I hope he gets help. 

[chitownchica]

Another call on the  BS post:

Texas Lawyer (14 posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Mon Dec-05-11 06:41 PM
Response to Original message
136. I mean this as a constructive suggestion for you to consider.
   
When you describe your lawyer as "considered to be the best personal injury attorney in the state," I fear that you may have been misled.

Based on your discussion of your case, two possibilities come to mind: either your attorney is not the one of the best personal injury attorney in the state (which is one explanation for the deadlock) or the case is less clear cut than you describe it (which is another possible explanation for the deadlock).

Even if case is less clear cut than you describe it, then the best personal injury attorney in the state would probably not take the case because the best attorney in the state has not got a list of clients where their case has been pending for six years without either a trial or an offer of settlement greater than $12,000. Lawyers have to pay rent, and employee salaries and benefits, and professional dues, etc. Attorneys generally cannot meet those financial commitments with cases where they work for 6 years in order to get paid for a recovery of $12,000. This is not the business model of the best attorney in any state.

Under either scenario, I am concerned that you have been promised the best attorney in the state but you seem to be getting something less than adequate legal representation.

First, you say "The neurosurgeon and hospital (somewhat reasonably) decided that without an insurance company to cover the costs, they wanted cash on the spot." That's bullshit. It is not "somewhat reasonable" for the hospital and neurosurgeon to turn you away. In fact, it is not only unreasonable, it is generally illegal. I'm not trying to offer you legal advice, but there is a federal statute called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (sometimes referred to as EMTALA). This statute may address situations like you have described. I'm thinking that the best personal injury attorney in the state would probably know this and would give you advice about your rights under the law.

Second, you say after "6 years I have been struggling with a legal fight to get some payment so that I can get some treatment" and the defendants "have offered about $12,000 in a settlement." If the facts are even remotely as you describe them, that would not be the status of your case if your attorney was the best personal injury attorney in the state. In fact, this should not be the circumstance if your lawyer is the best personal injury attorney in a half-filled elevator in any courtroom building selected at random.

I suggest that you have a heart-to-heart discussion with your attorney. If you are dying from lack of medical care treatment for an injury from a car wreck and you are hemorrhage between 16 and 32 ounces of blood every morning and night (by which I mean you are dying from an acute injury and not from some chronic long term illness), you have rights that your attorney should be telling you about.

If your attorney has not got answers for you, you may need to consider hiring another attorney.

Good luck.

[Carl]

So many lies,I will never understand why they feel they must do this and why so many buy into the obvious fallacies.

[Gina]

Holy Shit! I needed a pair of these for that story 



 

[vesta111]

If nothing in the universe is as it really is, and there is veracity to the DUmbshit's tale of woe, then the fact of the matter is that there would be scum sucking ambulance chasers lined up around the block for a chance to take both (especially) the EEE-VIL corporation that owned the van/employed the driver and the other driver for every cent they ever wanted to make.  Scum sucking attorneys live for that shit, and if there was so much as an ounce of  truth to the DUmbshit's "predicament", it would make for a sob story they'd just love selling to a jury for big paydays.

You betcha---------Got a call from some law office wanting to speak to me and my hubby about the accident he was in.

What Accident ???????     Seems a car ran a red light and hit Hubby riding his motorcycle to the base.

WTF-----The Hospital had yet to inform me that Hubby had been in any kind of accident.

I just hung up feeling this was some kind or a shill game. Not 30 minutes later I got the call, Portsmouth Navy Hospital in VA had admitted husband for collapsed lung. 

Talk about ambulance chasers, this lawyer was paying Navy Corpmen to call when a victim of an accident came into the ER.

[VelvetElvis]

Holy Shit! I needed a pair of these for that story 



 

It's too deep for those, better get one of these:

[DumbAss Tanker]

He's full of 

Let's get down to the truth here.

He got in a wreck, got on pain pills, kept getting pain pills, doctor cut him off, now he's hurting while detoxing.  No other Dr. will see him because they suspect drug addiction.

There may well have been a second accident...while he was driving around high as a kite, doubling or tripling up on the pain pills. 

[67 Rover]

Holy Shit! I needed a pair of these for that story 



 

I actually hope the DUmmie is not trying to BS us, it actually kind of brightens my day to think about another 16ounces of life blood trickling out of hate filled DUmmie.  Maybe it will check out Kepher style.