Just got hit by a 4wd on a pedestrian crossing!!!

Had my first physio appointment today, and it was found that my heavy limp and jerky movements in my hips and lower back is helping to aggravate my lower back injury from the accident and not allowing a reduction in the inflammation and injury. Because of the extreme sensitivity and irritability in my lower back area i am limited to just walking in the water for a while in my rehab. I have also been given core strengthening exercises as my core strength is almost reduced to nothing due to my enforced rest since being hit by the car and not able to walk for any amount of time or exercise due to pain from the impact of car and road surface. As a result i have been given elbow crutches to slowly build up the level of weight i can put on my left leg and give me some better stabilization so that i can build up to being able to walk further without adding more stress to my lower back as i regain my core strength. These will be only for a few weeks till i am stronger on my feet.
It is amazing how much concentration it takes to walk with these and as i improve i shall be able to go down to a single crutch and then i should be strong enough in my back and hips to carry my weight equally and keep the pressure off my lower nack.

I took myself into work to explain to the boss that i would be unable to start my return to work program as planned. I can only say that her response was bullying in nature in the worst possible way and that she breached my right to privacy by not going to her office , instead choosing to do it in front of other staff members and within hearing and sight of residents in our tea room. I was left standing in tears devastated as she stormed away from me and went home. Among other things she accused me of being able to walk around a supermarket and push a trolley, but refused to listen when i explained that i could only use one of the new shallow trolleys with 12 items or less and that it in fact was my crutch to lean on in order to be standing and walking that length of time.. and argued over all the bills "she" had to pay for my treatment including pharmaceutical .She continually requested that i take a settlement because she was over all the paperwork that i have caused her and that if i didn't think i was going to be able to work in the next month or two i should settle now and be paid out as she has got no intentions of paying me for 6 months or years if i wasn't going to be able to come back When she wanted .She also tried to tell me that i should know from my previous nursing career that soft tissue damage should be healed by now and refused to listen when i said that the accident had exacerbated my nerve pain in that leg as well as causing injury to my back.,i had previously been able to fulfill my work requirements without needing any help since my shingle outbreak even while limping and that the impact of the vehicle and the landing on the asphalt had exacerbated the nerve pain to the point i could no longer function which i tried in vain to tell her, and which is a valid reason under work care guidelines as the accident exacerbated the pre existing injury of nerve pain in my hip, as well as caused trauma to my lower back., when i landed in a sitting down position and everything compacted together.
This was not the same person who only last week who in the presence of my husband told us that they would do everything in their power to get me back on the floor and that the return to work agreement could be reviewed at any time. During this whole tirade she was speaking at a very high volume level, almost yelling angrily at me even though i was standing a few feet away from her at the time.
I left the building in tears and have been in tears ever since. I still have an ongoing certificate of capacity although we have organised a return to work program within it, but i shall be calling my case manager first thing in the morning. I have also spoken to my physio to clarify with her the length of time we are looking at being on the crutches which is only short term for a few weeks at the most and the reasons why. I made a ph call to my clinic but had forgotten that my dr is away. The nurse i spoke to advised me that i write down everything that happened and was said in the exchange as this should not happen, which i have done. And she has got me in for an emergency long consultation this afternoon with another doctor as she felt i needed to be seen asap as my psychological condition is plummeting fast.
I just want to be able to return to the job i love as soon as i am able, but the stress is killing me and if this is the way i am going to be treated then all enjoyment will probably be overshadowed by her attitude..which shouldn't happen. But i cant really put a complaint into the person above her as he is her father , just to complicate it even more.

I hope tomorrow will shed some light on where i stand in this situation, and thank goodness i have a counselling session scheduled in the day as i am in desperate need of help.

Sorry you have to put up with this rubbish Mrs. S. I honestly don't know what the answer is when you have no one else to go to. This is the world of the chronic pain patient unfortunately.

I can totally relate to those small trolleys. Those and e-readers are two of the best things that I have found since 2004 when I had my surgery. Mind you, we had to wait for ages to get them in SA. We were in country Vic. in 2009 when I first saw them and used one and it was another 2 years before we saw them here! Before that, I would take a shopping bag and when I it was up to the weight I could carry, that was it. Not much. I had to rely on my husband to push a trolley. The shallow ones were so liberating. It's not pushing the big ones that is the problem, it is going around the corners and negotiating the car park. And, as you said, they make a good crutch!

I hadn't read a book for years until I got a Kindle. I couldn't hold them up. I had tried a couple of devices that you could rest books on, but I found releasing them to turn the page every minute or two was worse than holding the book up.

When you say that you will be walking in the pool. How long will you be walking? With nerve pain, it is so important to stop BEFORE you have increased pain, no matter what you are doing.

If you haven't already read Explain Pain, it is well worth the time and the money. There is an electronic version at half the price of the hard cover. It explains this much better than I can. I know everyone has their pet book, but I consider this one to be the best, it helped me so much and I still try and live by the principles in it. I am also lucky enough to have a physio who has worked with the people who wrote it and she "gets it".

http://www.noigroup.com/en/Product/EPBE

Good Luck, I hope you have a better day today.

Mary

I have spent a sleepless night since the ugly confrontation at work yesterday afternoon. I gave my case manager a call and was able to speak to him at length about my return to work plans that have had to be postponed until i am able to strengthen my weakened lower back, with the help of crutches , And what had transpired. I have explained that i shall be back to the doctors today have the capacity certificate amended until the physio has had time to gauge the success of stabilising my core muscles through exercises, and my lower back pain improves with the help of the crutches. And they are happy with decision to do so. 🙁
Off to my counsellor as well, so its going to a long afternoon out after no sleep overnight. Am feeling very drained and very stressed at the moment with everything that has been going on, and exhausted as my pain levels have skyrocketed again.

Im glad someone else has found those trolleys liberating, we have only had them at our local supermarket for 6 months, and yes they are just the right height for me to support the majority of my weight on for the trip around the store.

The physio and i have discussed that i only do what i am comfortable with on that particular day. She has determined that rather than trying to achieve a bit of every kind of exercise , that i just walk slowly through the water as that is putting enough stress and pressure on my lower back . And as soon as it becomes too difficult or too tired out without pain hitting first i am to stop and just relax with a noodle.
I am able to continue walking with the crutches and when i feel i am comfortable and striding a little more normally i can go down to one crutch and slowly over time increase the amount of weight i am putting on my left foot. We are trying to strengthen my core muscles to a stage when they can help hold my lower back in place again.
And then we can look at my return to work plan again.

That sounds like a good plan! I had visions of you walking around for 30 minutes or more, but yes, stopping before it becomes an issue and floating around on a noodle is an excellent idea. I often wish I had a little warm pool outside that I could get in with a noodle but that won't be happening due to space and most of all cost!

We have a new super swimming centre here that you can get a membership and go every day if you want for a reasonable fee, but it is a half an hour away from us and by the time you add the petrol cost on and an hour's travelling, it doesn't seem worth it! There is also a private pool not far away, but the last time I went there a few years ago, it was $10 to float for 30 minutes. Hmmm

Mary

People don't realise just how much it takes out of you just to do simply walking in a hydro pool, Mrs Shingles are you just walking forward or are you going side ways and backwards as well. going sideways takes a little pressure off the back as you are not leaning forward to compensate for the water.
I am back to see the physio at my gym at 2.00 pm after the implant surgery and recovery time, to work out a new regime back in the hydro pool, it has now been awhile since doing hydro, so it will back to square one and slowly working up again.
The good part about being a member is I can use the hydro pool as often as I like, even if it is just to float around with noodles.

Don

Hey mrs s I was so sorry to read what you went through when you went into work. That behaviour is totally unacceptable and though it wasn't good around people at least you had witnesses in your favour. I hope it never happens to you again and always take a support person and keep a diary. Absolutely shocking and 👿 behaviour....

I can never get hold of one of those trolleys you used, they are always taken. I try and go and get a few things when I feel I can walk a bit better and same as you I was caught by a colleague and they said so what is actually wrong with you....grrrrrrrrr.i tried to shop on Tuesday though I ended up just getting necessaries because I wasn't up to it. I just received an email from woollies offering me 5 free deliveries so I'm going to take up that offer, its too hard for me to shop then carry it inside because then I usually need to crash out and leave it until I rest. I usually go more often and do little shops of groceries, so I get the exercise because that's what the physio said to do. It's funny how people see us differently to how we actually feel, if only they lived in our bodies for an hour or so then they would know what it's like.... 🙂

I am still reeling from the verbal attack, and stressed out over it. I am so glad i had my counselling session yesterday as we were able to go over it and how it has made me even more distressed and worsened my depression. Am still looking for some way to be able to report what has happened. Apparently she got bad news according to the case manager which may explain why she verbally abused me and my privacy so i have been asked by him to cut her some slack??? He says she will regret what she did to me??? If that was the case she could have said its not a good time and kept walking. But she chose to do what she she and should be made accountable for it.
My case manager has said that they are happy to give me more time , but in the future if i am still not recovered they may get me to have an independent assessment by someone else, which i happy to do.
I will be ensuring that my husband is with me if i have to deal with her again, as i cannot put myself in that position ever again.
But unfortunately as on our previous meeting with her, she said none of those accusations, but was very willing to do whatever ot takes to get me back to work.
I had my doctors appointment and we discussed how i was feeling, and altered the certificate of capacity to rmove the return to work at least till the 15th of April. I cant wait till i get to see my own doctor when she returns as although the doctor i saw yesterday was good and thorough and concerned for my mental state i am more comfortable with my own as she knows my situation better.

My lack of sleep on wed nite caught up with me and i fell asleep after midnight and didnt wake till 11 today, which was fantastic.
Hopefully i can start sleeping a little better which will help my body and mind as it is taking a terrible toll on both.

I am trying to stay positive but it is proving much more difficult with the added stress from the boss.

I am so sorry things have caught up with you and you are having such a tough time. I am so glad that you are going to make sure that you have your hubby with you in future meetings- that is essential, even if she tries to just grab you in the corridor again, if you can, try to be strong and insist on privacy and the right to have a witness of your choice, i know its hard but it is your right and does give you valuable protection. I am not sure how or it this would fit to your situation but , i was in an electric wheelchair befire the MS hit, the chronic pain and the amputation had been the original issues- my employer had been supportive and in fact it had been the DON ( someone i know from previous job) well she had strongly encouraged me to get my registration sorted out (the legal situation with being on opiates - she ended up approaching theboard for me then told me to apply for a job in the call centre they were setting up for their community based clients amongst other things- i got the job and initially she and the call centre manager saw my disability as an asset as she said i could understand the patients situation better. but a few yrs later, a new call centrre manager started, she left no doubt she felt i was risk for sick leave etc- never the less i met al the audit requirements etc and got a good assessment- that same day seh found out from office talk that i had been diagnosed with MS and everything changed- she immediately alleged i was not meeting key performance indicators and had not been for months! it was a nightmare- she would speak to me in a negative way in front of the others all the time, each week when i arrived at work i was met with audits of every single error or case where i did not meet a KPI, even if it was because we had staffing issues and so it went on- she alleged my MS was the problem, i had cognitive deficits due to MS and was not aware and could not grasp that was the case- my job was at risk! Now i was on a part pension and part time wage, i eventually approached part of the disability support network (sub contracted agents through centre link) as part of the jobs at risk program- in my case i used one that was linked to the MS society- someone was assigned as a support person to me- they can fund work place adjustments, equipment etc if your job is at risk, and probably most importantly they attended all meetings with the call center manager and HR. AS allegations had been made about my congnitive function the arranged for a neuro psych assessment of me and also assessed the person making the allegations. the result was that i had high anxiety levels that was appropriate given the situation and no evidence of cognitive decline- my manager was basically assessed to be a work place bully!

so sorry for the long story but i wondered if you could get similar support, if not through the disability support network, the Commonwealth Support and rehab (they definitely deal with workcover) and you do not have to have been told they are on the brink of sacking you to access the jobs in jeopardy program- check centralist web site - the other option if you are in a union , is get them involved, certainly as witness in meetings. Mentioned the other first because they can access funds to support you at work but also support the employer- if your job can be seen to be at risk-this was all several years back and i moved to a different company, after a whole bunch of us were made redundant, then again 18 months ago- now the same case manager has been helping me look for new work. I have a new job starting as soon as they finish work place modifications that they are funding- so look into it

going back to your super at work, if he had bad new i feel for him, but that does not give him the right to take it out on you! and i would have expected an apology by now so i am afraid i think that is just your case manager trying to smooth things over- thats all well and good but only if the culprit is going to change the bullying behavior because that is what it is- workplace bullying! The comment about how long it takes for soft tissue to heal is just completely ignorant he can thik what he wants in private, but those comments are clearly tp put pressure on you- something that is not acceptable, as you said and independent re assessment is something he has the right to ask for but not this personal opinion stuff that overrides the opinion of your treating Doctor and pressureing you to take a payout is just abhorrent as well as illegal as far as i know.

(sorry if there are lots of typos etc but still having issues and my vision is a bit off at present too

Changing subject a little, you mention that your psych saw your accident- that is actually quite useful! at least she has a good understanding of what you are dealing with. I know you said she has prepared a de sensitizing program for you but i remember how challenging it was to get started for mum - i went to the sessions with mum so basically the psychiatrist taught me about desensitization programs- this was all in my younger fitter life) i had also been at uni doing some post REG studies and we actually covered this kind of problem in psychology- would our psychologist perhaps be prepared tp go out with you and go through the situation of crossing the road where the accident happened.- i am sure that you will be able to do it yourself, but i read you saying you are finding you avoid crossings at the moment so obviously the anxiety levels are quite high - so knowing what you should be doing and be able to do it are two different things especially alone- i am not saying i was great at the process with mum but i am sure i was able to talk her through the anxiety and encourage her to continue when i know every fiber in her body was telling her to run! now mums agoraphobia /anxiety was really severe by this point but i can't help think that this is a unique situation in that your therapist rarely actually sees the accident

lastly, just remember, don't be hard on yourself, you already had a significant pain problem that has now been aggravated by an accident that could have been serious- i think anyone who had been hit by a 4WD would be feeling the pinch at present and you are still working in a very positive way to get back quickly

Thankyou for sharing your experience Kebsa, that must have been such a difficult time for you. And it shows what a strong person you are when faced with so many hurdles.
I have not sooken with my boss as she doesnt work Fridays, and i am of the opinion that she should have the decency to ring me and apologise for her behaviour which was appalling. Although our case manager asked if i was going to contact her, but i told him i was too upset yesterday to handle making the call, and had a hard time to stop hubby from going in and blasting her, as i dont think it will help especially as he is extremely angry and disgusted with her behaviour.
I did hear a rumour that the bad news may be related to a similiar situation and she doesnt look like winning that one, so fingers crossed it will go against her all the way and justice will prevail , at least for that person. And she may hopefully be removed from her position , if the person gets awarded a substantial payout.
I am still trying to find a way and with whom i can make a formal complaint, in regards to her disgusting attack on me...but its difficult to find it.
The stress has raised my pain levels and i am feeling like a coiled spring if that makes sense. I think i may go into work tomorrow and put my certificate of capacity in ,as she wont be there as she only works mon - thursday.
It was interesting to find that although i forgot to go in and see her which i was told off for, apparently she as my employer is supposed to keep in contaxt with me, which hasnt happened except for the official letter telling me that my supper shift had been made obsolete and been replaced with a 4:30- 9:00 shift.

I will look into the jobs at risk program, and see if it is available., thanks for the info.
I have been trying to do my relaxation methods , but it aint working at the moment as its 4 am and i still havent been to sleep.
Last nights great sleep came around more from total exhaustion mentally and physically after the last few days, but i seem tomhave gone straight back into my insomnia again.
On top of my pain is the psychological problems from my accident and this weeks stress has just brought me crashing down. Even a small improvement would be better than where i am at now..
I hope i am making sense ...

Mrs Shingles my situation dates back several years ago now, it was stress full as work has always been important to me and i tk pride iin my performance so to be told i was so impaired i could not recognize it really did hit hard, i had only just been diagnosed with Ms so was still trying to get my head around that and my father had just been diagnosed with lung cancer, infact thats how the office talk started, my dear colleagues talking about what a rough time i was having both with my health and then my fathers health issues at the same time!- i think if i had had other employment options i probably would have just decided to move on but i had no option but to see the issue through to the end- ultimately i was at the organization longer than she was! As i said, i think you are facing a work place Bully and i can remember reading an article on catalyst website back then that they are actually quite common in what can be seen as middle management levels, supervisors and managers etc- basically it is poor skills in management and either they eventually improve somewhat or they push things too far once too often and do not last- the other thing is that although initially i only stayed and worked through all the issues because i did not have other employment options, ultimately i was glad, on a professional level it left my work record in a good state but even more personally- someone who had really tried hard to take something important from me failed, and in the process her true colors were shown so that hopefully it was less likely another employee would have to deal with her horrible management style

As for not attending the meeting, i believe you have every right to have an advocate with you at such meetings, you'll need to double check this because my situation was not a workers comp issue it was a disability discrimination issue but i had the right to have an advocate/witness with me at meetings which meant being advised in advance of when meetings are to be held. And i doubt you wll get an apology from her over the previous outburst even if she recognizes it to be wrong behaviour but i know my manager considered herself to be an assertive manager- somebody never get the difference between assertiveness and aggression. your husband blasting her is why i personally think someone else would be better to use as your witness at meetings, ideally you need someone who understands you workers rights but also someone who can help keep emotions steady- thats just my opinion, on a personal level, having hubby blast her would have a degree of satisfaction but i can't help thinking it would just escalate her behavior. Don't for get to look at both CRS (commonwealth rehabilitation service) and centrelink regarding the jobs at risk programs CRS used to be more involved with workers comp issues but if you cannot find the information- ring the employees ombudsmen s office and they should be able to give you some contacts//advice

I would be also making sure that they know that just because they have altered the shift length it will not make you unavailable. It is very sad This individual seems to have forgotten that you were only injured because you were doing them a favor! something that seems to have been over looked! I know you

Mrs Shingles, i had a quick look and both centrelink and CRS (commonwealth rehabilitation services) list "jobs In Jeopardy" as part of the services available- once you get to the home page just search for the phrase jobs in jeopardy and they come up easily- its just a case of seeing which may apply to your circumstances best - i had help from CSR years again in the time leadin up to my amputation and they were very helpful and then more recently through the centrelink program- they use a network of private and not for profit agencies and i have recieved and still recieve a ot of help from an agency that deals mainly with Ms and neurological conditions but they do not limit to that group of problems only-the person who was helping me when my super was giving me such a rough time as nothing short of an angel and its amazing how quickly things can change once you have a dvocate on your side who knows the legislation and what your rights as well as the employers rights are-even if you think its not needed at present, it would not hurt to find out what they can do so you have a next step in mind if needed

hpe you have had a better day anyway!