Yesterday a patient came in to the clinic to receive treatment for such severe pain that made it difficult for him to walk, work or sleep. He had seen yet another Des Moines worker’s comp attorney, who had told him the possibility of him receiving permanent disability was next to nothing to the chagrin of the patient who was a Des Moines personal comp lawyer himself.
He had fallen on a patch of ice on his way to defend a client who had fallen from a pole while fixing electric wires for the DWP. He was able to crawl to a bench and summon an emt. At the hospital the doctors iced the injury, gave him some anti-inflammatory medication and told him to go home. Over the next few months his pain increased, running throughout his spine and down his legs. His pain medication was increased. In order for him to endure a day up and about he needed to take so much medication that he wasn’t able to work. The doctors hypothesized that he impacted the spine in such a way that the nerves were being compressed. However, none of this was visible on the X-rays and MRI’s.
Someone suggested that he see a chiropractor. The chiropractor began adjusting him every week which allowed him more leg mobility and less numbness, but there were still many flashes of intense pain that disabled him. By the time he began receiving Acupuncture, his right leg had lost all strength. He had stabbing pain shooting through both sides of his spine and legs. He had not worked in over a year and was living at home with his mother. He was on multiple forms of pain medication and would drink a lot of alcohol in order to sleep. The clinic was able to diminish his pain for short periods of time, and stop the spasms, but they could do nothing to alleviate his fury at a government system that would not give him the help he needed unless he was practically bedridden. If he tried to work from home the courts said that he was able to work, so he wasn’t qualified for permanent disability under the personal comp system in place. If his pain receded or he began to show signs of improvement, he was frightened that it impact his case before it was settled.
As a lawyer he knew how it all would play out. Though he had worked as an attorney in this field for years, he had not fully realized the frustration clients were experiencing. He had not understood how difficult it was to focus on running a case when you were in mental and physical pain. After battling spools of red tape and seeing lawyer after lawyer he finally quit fighting. Two years had passed before he had any substantial relief from symptoms or improvement with his legal battles.
Because he was a committed patient the clinic kept seeing him for free. After giving up, his symptoms improved dramatically. He had weeks without pain. The stabbing flashes of intense and horrible pain he had finally subsided. He was able to sleep and drink less. Over time he was able to reduce his pain medication to be able to work again. The man became an expert in personal comp law with a gift for helping those in pain to understand and the blessings of fighting as well as surrender.
Connor R. Sullivan recently reviewed the work of a Des Moines workers comp lawyer to review the effectiveness of their work. His son hired a Des Moines workers comp attorney to handle a legal issue from a job injury. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.