How much are the decisions that we make influenced by our past? When others are making decisions about us, how much of the decision making process is truly looking at the facts and how much is influenced by bias due to allegiances, money or in the worst case scenario, pure bigotry?
Over the past two years, I have been struggling with the effects of an automobile accident that I was involved in while working. Initially when I went to the doctor , the diagnosis was a back strain/sprain. I had neurological symptoms of something else, but that was the doctors starting place. When I returned to the doctor, he sent me for an MRI to see if I had a lumbar disk herniation. At that point I was referred to the neurosurgeon because of the symptoms I was having.
I lingered with the assigned neurosurgeon although he was not about to recommend anything that workmen's comp wouldn't pay for. In fact, I got to hate going to see him because he really didnt do or say anything other than how are you. Basically I had a recurring L5-S1 disk herniation which I could take pain medication for, have physical therapy for or eventually have surgery if the pain was too bad. Workmen's compensation left me high and dry. They brought in their big wig lawyer in the end, who said that all my symptoms were from the previous disk herniation/surgery I had. It didn't matter if other doctors disagreed or said that I certainly had additional injuries. All that mattered was that their slick Houston lawyer had ways to make me look bad by twisting what I said for his advantage.
Anyway, I'm free! Free to go to whatever doctor I choose and have whatever treatment is best for me. Its not being paid for by Workmens Comp, but maybe it doesn't matter.
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