How about giving me your opinions?

[gillman7]

Here's the deal. About 3 years ago, I tore my left ACL in half at work. They did the surgery, but the stupid Dr. told me when I woke up that he decided not to use the cadaver transplant that we decided on, he cleaned out the knee and left it alone since I had good muscle structure, thought I would do fine without an ACL.

Tried it for about 6 weeks, had stability issues, pain, swelling, etc. This was my 4th Knee surgery so I knew what to expect, and knew that something was wrong. Went back to Workers Comp, told them I wanted another opinion, they agreed. This was during a part time second job I was working. Over the course of the next two weeks, the new Dr told me they had to do the transplant, and that the previous Dr was an airhead.

However, during that two weeks, in my primary full time job, I was pulling a pallet out of a freezer, twisted the bad knee, tried to catch myself on my right knee, and blew it out. So I had to have it looked at, the Dr said it was torn up pretty bad, needed surgery.

First they did the ACL transplant in the left knee, and then 2 weeks after that, we fixed the right one as well as they could. The Dr that did the right one took out all the damage, drilled some holes in my knee to try and stimulate some cartlidge, and told me that it was toast, walk on it as long as I could then come see him for the replacement, cause there was nothing left to fix in it.

I had to use an attorney to get the first company to follow through on the surgery, and he took care of the other one as well. My concern was when I heard that from the Dr was the future replacement. Fast forward to now, and I have to have it reexamined because it is starting to lock up, and shift out of joint, and the time frame is approaching.

Here is my dilemna. Do I really want to run the risk of my primary company becoming upset over this claim and finding a reason to let me go, I have been there 14 years, over this knee. I need to have it looked at, am concerned about the costs if I try to just claim it on my insurance, or go ahead and have them take care of it since it was a job injury? I have an appointment on June 5th with a Dr, and have to sign the new contract with my lawyer and just not sure. I don't want to lose my job, but I need to get this fixed.

 

[ignerntbend]

Call Books. Get your knee fixed. Tell who it may concern to ram it up the pipe. Go 100% litigious on their ass.

 

[RickN]

Get the knee fixed. Even if worse comes to worse and you lose the job (doubtful ) it is easier to get a new job then a new knee on your own dime. Only sue if you have to and for a good reason.

 

[ignerntbend]

Gillman, it isn't everyday when you get to use a word like ensconced, as in "Gillman's avatar features a professional American whose head is ensconced in his fundament" Sue them to death I say. Call Books. sue them to death and then sue them again.

 

[JCW355]

Sounds like you're going to need a lawyer. The guy I used name is Art Adams. You could call them and ask questions. They get paid if you get paid, thats how it worked for me. That was 5 years ago. I don't know if they can fire you if you have a workers comp claim. I know that is the case with just one employer. Get fixed right The whole process sucks and is slow but sounds like this is what you have to do. Putting it on your own insurance is a mistake in my opinion, you better have a good savings account. Good luck.

 

[tRidiot]

Have you looked into what your out of pocket cost for a replacement would be after insurance? I'm not telling you to fall on your sword or anything, but all in all, it may not be worth the hassle of it all to save yourself $1,500-2000 or so. Just me, I dunno. Sounds like the conservative route isn't working anymore. You're only 50, so that's pretty young for a knee replacement... keep in mind the prosthetics only have a certain "projected" lifespan. Do some research on the different types, and ask your doc which ones he uses and why. Also definitely get a second opinion from someone outside his group, a totally different doc, even if you have to pay out of pocket for it. Take your films for them to look at (you can get them on CD if you want) and discuss options and the types and brands of prosthetics. You have plenty of time, it's not an urgent thing where you've got a major injury that has to be fixed NOW.

Do your homework and shop around! Don't just accept what one person tells you as Gospel. There are lots of experts, and all of 'em have different preferences and experiences. Find out who uses what and why, then compare. Doesn't mean any one person is "Wrong". What's best, Para, Kimer or Wilson or Colt? Who knows.... maybe something different for each person! Price should not be your goal, longevity and stability should. Used to be, these prosthetics were only projected to last 15 years. If you're 65 with a bum artificial knee and no prospects for the future, life can get pretty ugly. Nowadays, they are better but... would you rather have one that can be replaced again at 65 for another 15-20 years' service, or have one that lasts to 70 and be screwed after that? My grandfather can barely walk on his, but he's 86 and has had them 20+ years, so it's understandable. But no one in the world is even going to consider touching his knees again. And with good reason.

I don't know if they will be able to do a 2nd replacement in 15 years... ask them if that's something that's on the horizon. Ask about the partial replacements. Ask about the cartilage regrowth shots (though these are of very very minimal benefit from what I've heard), etc.

Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions about stuff... sometimes it can get pretty technical. I'll be happy to explain anything I can to help. Good luck!