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THR Hipster64's Recovery Thread

Hi @Hipster64

That fall! Oh my gosh. So glad you are ok and no damage done. So frightening. Really sorry about your insurance issues. Hope they can be resolved before the end of the year. Hope you have a Merry Christmas.

:merry-xmas-smiley-emoticon:
 
@leejaa: They are too busy worrying about the bottom dollar to care about people. Also, it's not my employer, who is fine with the RTW date, but CIGNA that's all up in arms about this. If my employer doesn't care, what's it to CIGNA? I just don't understand the zealotry with this. Not to mention, they really make you feel like a scum.

@BruceH: I will keep that in mind in case I continue to have difficulty. I have already asked my physical therapist for copies of notes from the 11/26 re-evaluation forward. I have already gone to my OS office to have the PA clarify the 12/13 note. His clarification is ready and I am picking it up this afternoon. I will include it with my request to appeal the decision, which I will email to CIGNA tonight.
 
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@Hipster64 I am so sorry you are having to deal with this on top of your recovery. I'm glad that you are planning to appeal and if need be go to the insurance commission. If nothing else it might make them think a little before they do this to someone else. I'm so frustrated with insurance right now from dealing with incompetent people I could spit!

Glad you're not going to let this spoil the rest of your time off and your holidays. Wishing you the happiest holidays and a great new year.
:merry-xmas-smiley-emoticon: :happy-new-year-smiley-emoticon-4:
 
@Elf1 : Merry Christmas to you too! The one thing I learned being home all this time is not to worry so much, life's too short. Today is the two-year anniversary of my mom's death and that lesson is hitting home right about now. And if I let them spoil the rest of my time off, they win and that's simply not an option. They've done enough.

I already emailed my appeal request to them today as noted below. I redacted all names to protect the innocent and added very healthy doses of sarcasm. Being in this industry helps immensely:

This email confirms my intention to appeal the 12/10/19 termination of my short-term disability claim. Attached is a copy of a note from the PA who has been treating me in conjunction with the OS, clarifying my overall condition at this time.

I also want to astutely point out that since you feel that I was perfectly fine based on a 12/13/19 examination, I should at the very least be owed payment until 12/13/19. I look forward to and expect your prompt response in this matter. Cutting me off on 12/10 based on an office visit which incurred three days later admittedly has the appearance of being unfair and deceptive. I am sure the Massachusetts Insurance Commission would agree.

Finally, I am in the process of gathering my physical therapy notes from the PT facility from the 11/26/19 re-evaluation up to the present, and will send these to you when received, along with the 12/26/19 physical therapy re-evaluation and 12/31/19 office visit. After collecting, scanning and sending 65 pages of physical therapy notes to you last month, obtaining these additional notes really is no bother because I am used to doing my case manager's job at this point. Someone has to.

I look forward to hearing from you further regarding this matter.


Sincerely, Hipster64
 
I cannot believe those idiots, @Hipster64! Their actions just seem crazy and senseless to me, particularly given all the information you've given them from doctors and therapists to support your request for a BRIEF continuation of benefits! I hope the Massachusetts insurance commission agrees, and not only awards your back benefits, but slaps those turkeys with some sort of hefty fine if that's permissible. Sheesh!

But, I also agree with you that while your fury is justified, you can't allow it to take over and ruin your holidays or the additional time off work while you are healing. That gives those idiots power that they totally do not deserve. I am sorry that while dealing with this mess the anniversary of your mother's death came up, just one more thing to process which must be difficult. Still, I hope the sadness which accompanied that anniversary was perhaps accompanied quickly after that by wonderful memories of your mother and the good times you had with her for so many years. You hang in there, and try to have a delightful holiday celebrating with family and friends.
 
@Barbaraj: Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. It's either cry in my soup or fight, and I have no intentions of ruining my soup with needless tears. These people are so not worth the energy. So I will wait and see what happens at this point. I have done all I can and am not expecting a positive outcome but I want to give it my best shot.

At least my employer has okayed me to be out until 1/6. I was in touch with them via email yesterday, and they confirmed everything is in order for a 1/6 return. The fact that CIGNA has no influence over my employer over my return to work date gives me some peace of mind.

My next order of business is to appreciate those who have helped me, and I plan on going to CVS this weekend to get several boxes of candy and give them out next week as Christmas gifts to the OS staff and PT staff. They have all gone above and beyond to help me reclaim my life. I may also deliver a couple of boxes to the ward nurses and OT department at the hospital where I had both surgeries. They too, were phenomenal and I would love for them to see me walking normally, dressed in street clothes and with fixed hair.
 
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Hello all! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Happy Day 4 of Hanukkah, or whatever and/or however you choose to celebrate!

I was officially discharged from PT today to a home exercise program three times per week at the gym-10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes on the elliptical. I also was advised to continue walking my laps on the days I do not go to the gym and to continue my bed exercises which I have faithfully done throughout both surgeries. On 12/31 I return to the PA for a final appointment to be officially and finally cleared for work. And CIGNA called today confirming my claim has been officially transferred to the appeals department. We'll see how that goes.

So after a six month hiatus, I returned to the gym a nervous wreck, especially when I hit the treadmill which I associate with blowing out my right hip. Well, imagine my shock when I completed my 10 minutes and did not stumble off the treadmill in pain to hobble over to the cleaning supplies to wipe the machine down! No knee pain, no hip flexor pain, no nothing! The bike wasn't bad either because I have been doing that for some time in PT, but the elliptical was comical. I have never been on an elliptical before and I have no coordination to begin with, so after five minutes I was done! (I justified it since I actually did 15 minutes on the treadmill and 13 on the bike, counting cooldowns).

Hard to believe that in 11 days, I will be back to work. The one I worry about the most with this transition is my dad. He calls me 3-4 times a day and I have been spending quite a bit of time with him-shopping, errands, going out for breakfast, etc. He is going to have a very tough time adjusting to the fact that I won't be as accessible to him anymore.
 
Sorry to read that the elliptical proved so challenging, @Hipster64, but with a bike and/or treadmill at the ready, you still got, and will continue to get, good exercise when you hit the gym. Sounds like you've got a plan going forward to keep that hip mobile and flexible. Returning to work with a lot of sitting, I'm guessing, will probably be a bit tough but if you try to make sure to get up periodically and move around, and do those exercises plus the walking or gym equipment, I think you'll be fine if tired and sore those first few weeks. Oh, that is going to be hard on your dad when you return to work. I am sure he's loved having his baby available to him and it will be an adjustment. But, he'll adjust because that is what's needed, and it's not as if you're moving to outer Mongolia or anything! Hope you had a wonderful holiday, and are now relaxing and taking full advantage of these last days before the big return. Enjoy 'em! Cheers!
 
You're doing really well, congrats on being released from PT. I'm right there with you on that elliptical, cannot get the hang of that thing! :treadmill: Think elliptical instead of treadmill! :wink:
Nice to hear your claim is going through appeals, keeping my fingers crossed! :fingersx:
:happy-new-years-toast-smiley-emoticon:
 
Hey everyone: Just checking in with a gym update. I did my three times this week and my first one this week today, and noticed the new exercise routine has greatly helped with my back pain! Although I can't do the elliptical well, I found another machine at the gym that is elliptical-like and I only need to worry about moving my feet, so I can handle that one quite nicely. I have been doing six minutes on it and plan to work my way up to 10 minutes, as prescribed by my physical therapist. But so far, so good, and I admit it's exhilarating to use the machines again and reclaim that part of my life that was dormant for almost two years.....especially that I am using them pain-free!

At this time next week I will be getting ready to go to bed so I can get up for work the next day. Hard to believe it's already here!
 
Good morning, @Hipster64. Nice work at the gym, lady, and great that you've discovered a new piece of cardio equipment that you can manage and that gives you the workout you need. There are lots of options at gym for getting the exercise you want, and I'm happy you've found something that works for YOU, which is what we all are looking for if we hit the gym for exercise. I love the elliptical as I am able to use that to get the workout I need without stressing my hips or knees, but if it doesn't work for you then definitely use whatever works best for you. Keep on plugging away! You'll be in good shape for early January and the return to work. Have a great day!
 
Happy Monday!
It's good to hear you're back enjoying the gym after two years and that your back is feeling better due to exercising a bit. Wishing you a week of "all you want it to be" before you head back to work.
I hope you find the transition comfortable and enjoyable. I'm sure your work colleagues have missed you. Best of luck as you prepare for your return!
@Hipster64
 
Well, all good things must come to an end, and I'm talking about my leave of absence. Tomorrow at 9:30 AM Eastern Standard Time, I will officially be back to work, full time, no restrictions. I will be happy to see again the people that I consider friends, but as I said previously, there are certain co-workers that if I ever saw them again , it would be too soon. I also did not miss the jockeying for promotions, gossip, whispering and backstabbing while out of work so I am really not looking forward to reliving that.

I did learn some things about myself while on my extended leave, and I hope I can carry what I learned into work tomorrow:

1. One day at a time-don't rush things and no need to worry or do long-term projection.
2. I am much stronger than I think.
3. It's okay to ask for help when I need it.
4. There are people out there that are willing to help me if I let them.
5. People can manage quite nicely without my intervention and if I let them.
6. My husband and I did not kill each other while being home together for six months. This bodes well for when I retire.
7. People that were overbearing to me during my recovery were coming from a good place, not a bad place.
8. I can live on less than my salary-again, this bodes well for retirement.

Well, here goes nothing for tomorrow!
 
Good luck tomorrow,I can totally relate to missing people but I'm pretty much over everything else work entails, particularly my commute.
 
@FCBayern : Thank you! I forgot to put that I did not miss my commute either while on leave. I only have a 15 minute commute on the highway and I hate it. It's the only highway in my area that leads into Boston-which is still an hour away from where I live-and if you don't time it right, you are screwed, especially if you are on the road around 7:15-7:30 AM. That was why I jumped at the chance to come in at 9:30 AM-the AM commute is pretty much gone by that time. I leave at 5 PM which is no picnic but even the earlier shift, which leaves at 4:15, still has traffic. I just deal with it. Besides, the drive time music on the radio during the afternoon commute is better.

I look at it this way: If I am not happy with the way things go at work for me this year, and if I can afford to do so, I have the option to retire in November, at age 55, with a pension and health insurance. I never thought I would consider it but after being home for six months, and hearing from co-workers how things have changed at work (not for the better), I am not ruling the option out. We shall see how this plays out.
 
Wishing you the best for return to work. You have some great thoughts to take with you and choices if you want to retire. All I can say is retirement is wonderful. I retired after my last hip surgery in 2017 and have never looked back.
 
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