Upset, scared, and mad - Had a big fall, concussion, numbness...

@amberpep Hello Abby:

I am so sorry to hear of your recent fall and the numbness. I do not see where you mentioned how many days ago you had the fall, however, it may take a while to recover from this incident. Did your doctor give you any timetable for how long it might take for the injury to heal? Did your doctor suggest using ice on the affected area? As you probably know, soft tissue damage can be quite painful and may take longer to heal.

You might consider putting a call into your doctor's office and see if there are meds that the doctor can give you for the numbness and/or tingling. The most important thing is to try and get lots of rest - and as much as possible try not to worry (easier said than done, I know).

Keep posting and let us know how you are doing.

Teresa

@amberpep. Hi Abby, I can only speak to the concussion as my youngest son received one playing HS basketball and it was a much nastier injury than I ever thought they were. He had problems cognitively for quite some time, headaches, lack of focus, dizzyness, things in his vision, etc...All things you may associate with a head injury and the doctors and trainers told us that he could be symptomatic for as much as a year. I think that by about the 6 month mark, his symptoms went away. I don't mean to be alarmist, but there is not necessarily anything other going on in a few months if you recognize any of these symptoms. I do think you need to see some type of Dr. for the numbness; I don't think that would be related to a concussion, but I would definitely want a medical opinion on that. Best wishes, Gary

Gosh it's good to hear from a friend .... thank you for writing. It was two weeks ago in the morning. Neither doctor said anything when I told them about the numbness in my fingers .... it's as if they "didn't hear me." I've heard that it can take quite awhile for these things to heal, but I'd really like to maybe know what do they mean by "quite awhile." One doctor gave me muscle relaxants - 2 a day .... I've not noticed anything different yet. I'm just upset. I thought I was getting used to living down here - my kids have been so sweet - and then this. They even got me, for Mothers Day - although I had her several weeks before - a puppy because they knew how much I missed Molly. It's a Cockalear, which is a mix of a cocker spaniel and a Cavalier. Different breeders are trying to breed out the heart problems that Cavaliers always are born with. My new little one, Ginger, is the result of 2 Cockateers, so here's hoping. But not being able to pick her up makes it hard for me to have her with me.
Again Teresa .... thank you ...... it was so good to hear from a friend.
abby

Thank you Gary .... I've seen 2 docs. and neither picked up on the numbness in my fingers. That worries me. Seems that should be a red flag that there is some sort of nerve thing going on. And, I don't have a clue where to go, as the docs. I saw them 2x work in a large practice, and you "get whoever is available" meaning you can't ask for your own or preferred doctor. I'm 73 and a young doctor might not be in tune with things when you age. Worry, worry, worry ..... that's all I seem to do since this happened.
Thanks again,
abby

Abby, My PCP is a young guy; I guess I have 25-30 years on him and he seems to be aware and concerned about things related to the aging process. I think it is just a case of finding the right one. Have you tried any sites that give reviews on doctors in your area? This one has reviews or info on 720,000 Dr.'s in the US, so you would just type in your zip code and see what you can find. There should be a decent pool of neurologists near you.

If the sidewalk where you tripped is aberrant in any way, I think I may be having a conversation with an attorney. If the cause was related to something that needed repair, I would think asking for medical cost reimbursement would be the minimum I would expect them to offer and because you may have ongoing issues if you have a nerve issue, I don't know that I would sign any kind of release that did not have a contingency for related costs going forward. Go back and take a few photos where you tripped, just in case.
Good Luck, Gary

Thank you Gary. I'd love to find a Geriatric Internist! Exactly what is the site where you can find all of these. I have a local one, but I don't think it covers just my area Two of my 3 kids have been taking pictures almost every day so that, when I do see an attorney, I'll have the evidence. This happened 2 weeks ago. My son in D.C. recommends "the sooner the better" ... and my oldest daughter found an agency close to me which has consistently had 5 stars. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow and if I get the same kind of blow off I've gotten before ..... I'm off to the lawyer. Then I think I'll see a Neurologist. The practice I'm going to since I moved down here to this god forsaken place runs on the track of, "you call, you get whoever is available." And that could be anything from an MD to a Nurse Practitioner. I never had this kind of trouble where I lived in MD. The three doctors I told about the numbness in my fingers acted like it meant nothing ..... anyone with any kind of medical knowledge at all knows that indicates a problem with the nerves.
So, first call in the morning is to the doctor, second call is to the lawyer for an appt. I hate doing that - I am not a vindicictive person, but enough is enough ..... this apt. complex better wake up. My son, also a lawyer in D.C., said it's a "no brainer." But, who really knows. But they're going to hear me loud and clear.
Thanks Gary,
abby

i JUST FOUND ONE IN MY TOWN. HE USES OUR LOCAL HOSPITAL, BUT ALSO HAS PRIVILEGES AT UNIV. OF VA. HOSPITAL. I'M CALLING TOMORROW FOR AN APPT. And, I'll probably call the lawyers office also.
Many thanks for the support.
abby

Abby, I am gonna copy a few links for you; https://healthfinder.gov, https://www.hhs.gov/answers/medicare-and-medicaid, https://www.consumerreports.org/doctors/how-to-find-a-good-doctor/, https://www.healthgrades.com/ I hope you can find someone using one of these sites and if not, let me know and I will find more. There is one I was using earlier when I responded and I don't see it now, but these four should have enough info that you can find one reasonably close.
I don't think speaking with, and retaining legal representation is vindictive in this scenario. You need to protect your interests and, unfortunately, we can not rely on any business or institution doing the "right" thing at this time in history. The apt. complex where you live pays a large premium every year to have insurance protection against their incompetence and negligence. Any monetary recovery you are able to gain will be paid by the insurer and then the complex owner will have a higher premium if there are abnormal numbers of claims. I will caution you to find out how the attorney gets paid - I believe it is common in a situation such as this to not charge you anything until and unless they recover what you should receive and then I believe the kind of standard is 1/3. I am not an attorney and have never been party to a suit on my behalf, so you may want to google your way to a better understanding than just what I am speculating.
Good luck tomorrow and I do hope you start to feel a bit better, Gary

@amberpep Yeah! I am glad you found one! Keep us posted. Teresa

Hi @amberpep
I'm so sorry to hear about your fall. I noticed that you posted the same message to 3 groups over the weekend because the situation is relevant in all 3 places. I merged the 3 discussions into one discussion and linked them in all 3 groups to make it easier for you and members to follow along and be in one place together.

I also want to bring @gailfaith into this discussion. She had a big fall about 6 or 7 months ago. You can read about it here https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/living-with-neuropathy-welcome-to-the-group/?pg=23#comment-103899

Like you, Gail hit her head and suffered serious soft tissue injury. She also had broken bones. It's been a long recovery and Gail perseveres with PT and more. While everyone heals differently and your injuries are not identical, I think sharing with Gail would be helpful.

Abby, it sounds like your biggest concern is the ongoing numbness. I would be sure to raise this as your first question when you see a doctor and get to the bottom of the cause.