nemcgrath’s Profile

About Me

My name is Nancy and I live outside of Atlanta. In 1992 I got in a fight with a 75lbs suitcase and it won, when I tried to "she-woman" it up on top of the roof I herniated L3/L4 and L5/S1-somehow missed L4/L5 (which I chalk up to being Polish). By the time I got back from Canada (our destination) to Massachusetts (my home at the time) I could barely walk. The PCP ordered X-rays and could actually see the herniations on the film, she sent me to my first Ortho. He immediately said surgery, my son was not even 5 at the time, and I said no way. He told me I would be in a wheelchair by 40...huh...I am 42 now and still walking I had my first surgery in July 2000, caging at L3/L4 and micro at L5/S1-had to have a blood transfusion that day because I was so weak. Bear in mind I never stopped working throughout this whole thing. 12 Days post op sprung a leak and they had to go back in (surgery #2), a week after that rear-ended by an illegal taxi cab driver (no damage thank God)...8 months of PT later and I was 85% better-that was until that day... That day I was at work and tripped over a box backwards. The job sent me to a W/C doc in the box who I had to tell how to X-ray me! They never filed a workers comp case and when my ortho decided he needed to remove the hardware because something happened my job said it was pre-existing, I never got a lawyer, I had the surgery (#3 surgery), he discovered my fusion had actually cracked, I was not being paid, I went back to work 3 weeks post op still wearing my "turtle" and never had PT. My company was finally bought by Home Depot. They granted me LTD bennys no questions asked after the buy-out. My pain worsened...ortho said go back in and put caging back in to secure it up...okay (4th surgery) had PT thank god cuz at this point I am so full of scar tissue I now have CHRONIC MYOFASCIAL PAIN SYNDROME'. Went back to work part time and by November 2005 went out on full time disability. Got SSDI on my first try- I have no idea how but thank God. Then the fun started, one year after I first got disability from Home Depot they sent me a letter saying I was cured and to go back to work---a freakin miracle has occurred call the Vatican? They stopped my payments, my health insurance was cancelled, I lost my savings, and I lost my home to foreclosure and went 18 months without ANY MEDICAL TREATMENTS at all. This has all caused me to become passionate about chronic pain and disability injustices... Because I worked 20 years I did not qualify for Medicaid. There are no clinics that offer more than a Motrin to ya...big whoop...18 months no meds: diagnosis....Failed Back Syndrome, Disc Herniation (cuz L4/L5 finally blew out), CMP, arthritis, sciatica, migraines, panic attacks, severe depression...NO MEDS NO TREATMENTS...I did get an attorney, January 2007 and in February 2008 I was granted my funds for the 24 month LTD benefits along with a letter stating that Home Depot does not cover “SOFT TISSUE INJURIES” longer than 24 months…your body can be considered mostly soft tissue except bone and blood. My lawyer gave up and dismissed me-but I have found a new one and will continue to fight to then end of my dying days. So this brings us to today-finally got Medicare so excited made my appointment with a PM, he had no personality at all, I saw him only twice the last time was for bi-lateral SI injections. On the July 16th I will see a new doc at a new facility. I warned my ortho that because he spoiled me with his greatness I will not stop till I find someone who will treat me with respect.

Interests

Reading Walking Jewelry Making Gardening (in pots only because I cannot bend over!) My dog Harvard Cooking, home improvement projects (as much as I can do without hurting myself!)