Anyone in Washington State Suing Company for L&I with Medical Problems

I was forced to drive a truck from just east of Nashville, Tn to Tacoma, WA. After begging my company to change the brocken seat with another, allow me to drive my old truck, switch seats and anything else I could do, I had to drive the new/old truck with the broken seat. Mechanics tried to fix the seat back but it wouldn't stay fixed. I had to drive the distance with no back support. I tried placing pillows behind my back but the continual bouncing kept shifting the pillows. It was easier to just get rid of the pillows and sit straight up, holding onto the stearing wheel to keep myself upright.

In Tacoma, I went to my nurse practicioner with complaint of migrains. She checked me over and diagnosed me as having Nerve Tension Headaches. I was sent to get x-rays which reveals nothing. I was sent for massage therapy. The (approximately 7 month pregnant) therapist barely touched my back and I couldn't stand the pain. After much screaming she gave up and let me go. I didn't return. After a move to another part of Washington and another doctor, I continued much the same. I was sent to another massage therapist...after six weeks of much screaming with each time not wanting to return, the therapist requested another six weeks. But, it was time to move again. L&I sent a nurse representative to help me. Since they wanted me to return to work and I wanted to return to work, I felt we were all on the same page. So, I allowed him to attend all doctor visits with me.

After a full year of treatment, physical therapy (of various kinds), I was sent to a second set of independent doctors for their opinions of my medical abilities. The second ones felt I could return to work. At this time I was going to a spine specialist and he disagreed with them. But, shortly after this, even my spine doctor said that, although I could never return to my regular job of long haul truck driving, he thought I could do a clerks position, a delivery truck driver or another job such as working at a car garage; even though he said that I could neither sit nor stand for more than a few minutes at a time. All of which would involve exactly what he said I couldn't do. Meanwhile, I'd been told that the numbness that I kept getting in my right thigh (while standing) was because of my obesity and blood supply getting cut off. I would understand if this was happening while sitting down but it was while standing.

After being dropped from L&I, I went through community health and found a wonderful doctor who decided that I needed to go to a chronic pain doctor (who insisted that I had another MRI of my back before coming to see him). The MRI showed that I had at least 2 slipped discs in the cervical region and 2 in the lumbar region. No MRI was done of the thorasic area. The cervical area was cause for concern. My doctor told me that I needed surgery. But, I was already planning to move to Georgia.

Now, I'm in Georgia. I’ve been here for over 3 months. Just yesterday, I have two discs removed and replaced with synthetic discs and a titanium plate put over them. I've also learned that I need both hips and both knees replaced.

With only a small amount of research, I've learned that these problems are very common with truck drivers. All of these injuries/treatments are common for long haul truckers who’ve spent a number of years in the seat. I’ve spent twenty years in this career. So, now I'm wondering why L&I and my spine doctor dropped me like a hot potato when things weren’t getting any better. Is there really a good L&I lawyer in the Tacoma/Seattle area that can fight for me? Can I fight this out of state? Can I use my doctors that I have here (who are now treating me and fixing the problems that my driving career has messed up) to testify to what my real problems were (instead of the muscle tension headaches that I was originally diagnosed with and all the other Washington doctors behind her followed suit with)? I need and deserve to be on L&I because of the years that I've spent as a semi truck driver and the damage that it has caused to my body.

I'm now on permanent disability with social security and need to reopen my L&I case. Does anybody have any suggestions/information for me?

In much pain with much more lined up down the medical road,
Beverly