Injured When Hit By An 18 Wheeler

I live in Texas, I was behind an 18 wheeler that i thought was going to turn to the left. As i was waiting for him to turn i noticed i was getting closer to the trailer and checked to see if i had taken my foot from the brake . It was the trailer backing up. I honked and moved back in time. He stopped and just at a blink of the eye he backed up pretty fast becuase i did not have time to backup. He hit my car and as the result i have whiplash injury my neck,shoulders,arms and now my lower back hurts and i have been seeing doctors,therapy and am in the process of getting some injections. What is the possibility of sueing the drivers company. I had to use my insurance to pay for my car fixtures.

There's certainly a possibility; you may wish to consult a personal injury lawyer.

I already have an injury laywer, and also I was getting paid by workers compwill they recover what they paid me when i was out of work from my lawsuit i live i texas. Also i started feeling this weird sensation of needing air
to breathe or feeling exhausted. Does this has anything to do with my accident. Thank You

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Quoting etorres

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I already have an injury laywer, and also I was getting paid by workers compwill they recover what they paid me when i was out of work from my lawsuit i live i texas. Also i started feeling this weird sensation of needing air
to breathe or feeling exhausted. Does this has anything to do with my accident. Thank You

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You will need to ask your doctor that question. But you do, however, need air to breathe, even if you weren't involved in an accident!;)

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Quoting etorres

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I already have an injury laywer, and also I was getting paid by workers compwill they recover what they paid me when i was out of work from my lawsuit i live i texas. Also i started feeling this weird sensation of needing air
to breathe or feeling exhausted. Does this has anything to do with my accident. Thank You

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Please call your PCP NOW tell them you have symptoms of Dyspnea (short of breath) and fatigue, these can result, even delayed from your injuries, such as Post concussion disorder fairly common following whiplash injuries that develops over time, sudden onset of Dyspnea can signal Pulmonoary Embolism, a life threatening event.

Please discuss your legal issues with your attorney.

Thank You
I will check with my doctor and attorney to see what they say.
I did not know that this could be from the accident. I felt worse today.
If anybody knows more about this symtoms please let me know.
Thanks
Elsa

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Quoting etorres

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Thank You
I will check with my doctor and attorney to see what they say.
I did not know that this could be from the accident. I felt worse today.
If anybody knows more about this symtoms please let me know.
Thanks
Elsa

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Elsa, you ran into an 18 wheeler that was also backing towards you and will probably have symptoms related to the whiplash as well as emotional trauma from that accident. The best suggestion from a legal forum about your symptoms of shortness of breath or fatigue questions is to bring this to the attention off your treating physician. Also, ask for suggested literature re recovering from trauma as in an accident you described.

I'm getting nervous just thinking about an 18-wheeler backing up towards me. But probably because of my experience having been hit broad-side by a car traveling 70 mph 40 years ago. You feel the heat of the car's impact before you hear the metal on metal at that speed.

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Quoting etorres

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Thank You
I will check with my doctor and attorney to see what they say.
I did not know that this could be from the accident. I felt worse today.
If anybody knows more about this symtoms please let me know.
Thanks
Elsa

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See your doctor immediately or go to an ER, not an internet forum. Please.

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Quoting rmet4nzkx

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See your doctor immediately or go to an ER, not an internet forum. Please.

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Please respond to the question asked. This person is under the care of an md and is receiving therapy for whiplash. She had her car repaired and used her insurance to pay for the repairs. I wonder what you are referring to as a complication requiring emergency room treatment?

I am going to see my doctor tomorrow as i have an appt.
and will ask him about the symptoms. Unless i feel worse i will go to the emergency which i hate because i will be there for eternity.
I am getting worried as my back hurts also. What if the doctor does not say anything about being related to the accident?
Thanks for the info and tips.
Elsa

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Quoting etorres

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I am going to see my doctor tomorrow as i have an appt.
and will ask him about the symptoms. Unless i feel worse i will go to the emergency which i hate because i will be there for eternity.
I am getting worried as my back hurts also. What if the doctor does not say anything about being related to the accident?
Thanks for the info and tips.
Elsa

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Elsa, there is a total body response to a car accident related to the whiplash. If you have some injury that you didn't mention other than the whiplash the symptoms you describe are more than likely due spinal fluid response to a impact that you had. The spinal cord is protected by the fluid that circulates around the cord and around the brain. If you had trauma to your chest (front or back) you might have muscle injury just because of a severe impact of the seat or the bag (did it inflate?).

I have no idea what rmet is implying? Pulmonary emboli? Fractured rib? Tell you md tomorrow to tell you what you might have as far as symptoms following the trauma based on your diagnosis. If you need to write them down.

Having vague symptoms and thinking someone might come up with a diagnosis based on them is not realistic. Symptoms are meaningful when combined with an assortment of other symptoms. Ergo the medical histories that go on and on. Hemoptysis, SOB, chest pain might be indicative of one thing where non-productive cough, low back pain and SOB is entirely different. It is the responsibility of the professional person to do the rule out when you present yourself at the appointment.

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Quoting deadlock

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Please respond to the question asked. This person is under the care of an md and is receiving therapy for whiplash. She had her car repaired and used her insurance to pay for the repairs. I wonder what you are referring to as a complication requiring emergency room treatment?

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I did respond to their question, 2 (two) times! I don't have to specify what condition might send them to the ER, a sudden change in normal breathing in this case, feeling starved for air can result from anything from anxiety to PE, it is not for you or me to waste their time trying to diagnose them when they need to seek immediate medical evaluation in this case it should be the latter. Prompt evaluation is also critical in determining the proximate cause in litigation, there may be a delayed physical response to trauma many months following an injury, disorders such as PCD are only diagnosed after a period of time has elapsed. If this is a worker's comp injury, they can refer her for appropriate testing.

There's nothing wrong with telling somebody to get symptoms checked out by a doctor. It can be sound advice, whether or not they have insurance coverage, and sure beats attempting an online diagnosis.

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Quoting aaron

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There's nothing wrong with telling somebody to get symptoms checked out by a doctor. It can be sound advice, whether or not they have insurance coverage, and sure beats attempting an online diagnosis.

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I agree with you Aaron. I don't this it's appropriate for her to try to diagnose but it seems a little strange to encourage someone to go to an emergency room "stat"

It's not a "her" thing, it's an anybody thing. If somebody describes symptoms online which could indicate an acute, life-threatening health problem, sometimes the ER is the best place for them. That's an opinion, not a diagnosis. Further discussion of these side issues can occur in the banter forum, if anybody wishes.

I went to see my doctor yesterday and told him of the exhaustion and my breathing problem and he said it was probably just anxiety.
He took me off work again for two weeks as he saw i was in bad pain
and saw my neck was swollen. I also went to the Pain Management doctor
and he injected a cortisone injection on my neck. I will be going back in two weeks to see if i need another one. Are this injections harmless to the heart?
I am i ever going to be myself again? I have another question as i am covered by workers comp as the accident happened during working hours.
And worker comp only pays 70% of my salary. I have called my auto nsurance
since i have PPD and they should cover for loss wages but, i have not recieved not an answer. Also, I bought this disability insurance and they told me that if I am recieving worker comp I don't qualify. What does workers comp has to do with this other insurance? Please anybody I am desperate as i do not make it with 70% and also the employment check is going to be much less now.
Thank You
Elsa

This is a quesiton for your attorney.

Well guess what i did go to the doctor and he told me that I had anxiety and wants to send me to a counselor. I told him that i am not crazy. he said that since i've been in medication,therapy, and cortisone injections and i still have the same symptoms than it is anxiety. How in the world can he say it is anxiety when i have this freaking pain??????????? Please any advice.
Thanks

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Quoting etorres

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Well guess what i did go to the doctor and he told me that I had anxiety and wants to send me to a counselor. I told him that i am not crazy. he said that since i've been in medication,therapy, and cortisone injections and i still have the same symptoms than it is anxiety. How in the world can he say it is anxiety when i have this freaking pain??????????? Please any advice.
Thanks

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I'll let rmet answer, she may have another referral for you. Perhaps she will recommend you go to the ER stat.

I am a EMT, there are several things that could be wrong you need to go to Emergency room and have exrays done on your chest and even a MRI you could possible have a bruised lung, cracked ribs, craked sternum, breathing problems after a accident is not a good sign to have. I would not wait till tomorrow.Did your airbag come out? Whiplash has alot of problems that go with it

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Quoting etorres

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Well guess what i did go to the doctor and he told me that I had anxiety and wants to send me to a counselor. I told him that i am not crazy. he said that since i've been in medication,therapy, and cortisone injections and i still have the same symptoms than it is anxiety. How in the world can he say it is anxiety when i have this freaking pain??????????? Please any advice.
Thanks

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And did he refer you to a counselor which should also be covered by your worker's comp. If so, did he refer you to a neuropsychologist for testing? Post Concussive Disorder takes time to diagnose and may result from whiplash and even no direct impact, so a work-up for this is warranted and would be done by a neuropsychologist, so ask for a referal for that work-up.

We last heard from you almost 1 month ago and you apparently had another dr appt since then. It sounds like you are going in complaining re pain so they are treating that, what about the breathing problem? Have they tested for your breathing problems? If so, what tests? By any chance have they done any labs like a D-Dimer or BNP, chest X-Ray, CT or MRI? If so, what tests? Do you write things down before you go to your appointment, so you won't forget? If you injured your neck there could be other damage or edema that is not affected by the injections. Has the doctor suggested any breathing exercises to control anxiety?

Have you discussed this with your attorney?

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Quoting deadlock

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I'll let rmet answer, she may have another referral for you. Perhaps she will recommend you go to the ER stat.

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Thank You for the affirmation, however, there is no need to infer how I will respond. As Aaron said, please confine those remarks to the Banter forum and please don't disrupt or distract threads of members with serious questions.

This person has a recommended course of treatment from her doctor, which she happens not to like, but I don't see that anybody here has better information so as to give a different diagnosis. If she wants a second opinion, perhaps she should consult a specialist in pain management.

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Quoting Mr. Knowitall

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This person has a recommended course of treatment from her doctor, which she happens not to like, but I don't see that anybody here has better information so as to give a different diagnosis. If she wants a second opinion, perhaps she should consult a specialist in pain management.

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I agree with you completely. This is not a forum to offer "referrals" or try to second guess a physician or an attorney. And NO ONE will accept consequences for following inappropriate recommendations or suggestions by anyone who is claiming to have specialty in some area.

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Quoting Mr. Knowitall

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This person has a recommended course of treatment from her doctor, which she happens not to like, but I don't see that anybody here has better information so as to give a different diagnosis. If she wants a second opinion, perhaps she should consult a specialist in pain management.

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No one is giving a diagnosis, at least I am not giving a diagnosis. However, the treatment of head injuries often takes a back seat to treatment of the more obvious physical injuries. Patients with a history of head injuries may not understand that referral to a "counselor", such as her treating physician has done, is not the end of the world although it is frustrating and having some direction in self advocacy and rights is not diagnosis and is appropriate and responsive to OP's question.

This is a worker's comp case, which means this person has some sort of a case manager besides the doctor and rights that they may seek, which is why I not only gave them specific questions to answer which might clarify, rule out or in certain diagnosis, in turn what referrals might be appropriate. In any event it will be useful to their attorney. Hopefully, they might be better equipped to seek appropriate care and return to some degree of normalcy which is apparently what OP is seeking since their income is less while on worker's comp. That is why I also referred them to their attorney. Are you saying I am wrong to refer them back to their attorney?

OP has seen a pain management specialist upon referral, that is where they got the Cortisone shot. The Cortisone shot may in and of it's self affect the patient's emotional responses as there is a hormonal response to head injuries. OP asked if the Cortisone injection might have some effect on their heart, were they talking about a change in rhythm? Was the shortness of breath subsequent to the cortisone injection? These are relevant questions for OP to write down as ask her doctor, her attorney.

There are some catch 22's with worker's comp cases, especially when the patient doesn't receive appropriate care, which includes what and how referrals are made. A psychiatric diagnosis of "anxiety" by a worker's comp physician without appropriate work-up or referral, would be a definite concern for both OP and her attorney.

A patient with a history of head injury including but not limited to whiplash is often advised to write down their complaints before their doctor's appointment so as to not forget to ask, also to bring a trusted person with them if there is any question of their ability to comprehend.