workers comp advice needed plz

[Doc Brown]

After my management job was downsized this past summer, I ended up having to take a job where I'm driving a large straight truck full of various products to hand deliver, somewhere around 800-1000 piece average per day at about 10000 lbs. or better.

The issue is this:

I am two months into my 3 month probationary period, and I sustained an injury last week Monday while on the job. I made a brief comment about it to a 2nd shift boss there, but I really doubt he made note of it. The injury was to my right wrist, on the underside. Initially it hurt, but soon almost all the pain went away unless it is under load and twisted a certain way. So obviously, I avoided doing that and it really isn't much of an issue now except for the small hard bump that seems to have developed directly under the meaty part of the thumb. Or perhaps it was there the whole time and I just never noticed it until more recently. I told my wife about it yesterday and showed her, and her immediate thought is that I fractured it and now the end of a small bone is extruding outwards.

I know I have to take care of it especially if it really is fractured, but I'm guessing it will probably require surgery due to the intricacy of that area. My doctor's office is refusing to even see me to determine what it is without my having all of my employers workers comp information first. My fears are twofold. One, that workers comp will no longer cover it because it happened a week ago and was never properly documented or followed through by either a boss or myself and two, that I will be fired either before a claim could get started on it (like tomorrow when I tell them I need the WC info), or immediately upon my return to full active status because I am on probation and they determined that I'm just "not working out", when in reality they are pissed because I cost them money and could be a further liability to them.


We literally cannot afford for me to lose a job because I was injured in the line of duty, because decent management/desk jobs are virtually impossible to find right now, and it will be impossible to get employed anywhere in the transportation/service field I am right now if I'm unable to work due to movement restrictions on a post-surgery healing wrist.


Thoughts on this?

[y2kws6]

First, it sounds like you have a cyst(sp). I had this when I fell at military on the top of my wrist. Can you put pressure on the bump and it not hurt? The way I got rid of mine was to rap it against a solid object with a little force, but not enough to hurt myself. The catch is that if you put a great deal of strain on it, it has potential to come back and you need to do it again. Mine has come back about three times since 2004.

If you do need to go see doctor be sympathetic with the boss and tell him what happened, when it happened that you told the supervisor and have no problem stating that it happened within the last 24 hours. Explain that you can work with it, but would prefer to have it checked out. Workmans comp will pay anyway regardless on time, but the company gets dinged if not reported correctly.

Dan

[Prince Valiant]

To be honest, it's unlikely that you fx your wrist/hand from what you describe. Possible? I've seen stranger things, but not very likely.

How exactly did you hurt it?

You seem to be describing what is your thenar eminence:

http://www.hkin.educ.ubc.ca/361/anatgifs/thenar.GIF

correct?

If so, then I'd be even more doubtful of a fx....and is more likely a slow healing bruise, as bruises in this location often are slow to heal and very tender.

three things...if you want to get an x-ray, I recommend going to an urgent care/walk-in and paying out of pocket. IF it turns out to be a fx that needs further involvement, you can indeed make a claim against workmen's comp.

Another possibility is if you want, you can swing by either where I work, or my house and I can take a quick look at it and see what I think....no, I don't have x-ray vision, but I see if clinically you present as a fracture (there are certain signs, and pain in specific locations that we can evaluate that raise the suspicion of a fracture...or if it's even an injury that you should get WC involved in.

Another possibility would be to call up a chiro clinic...and ask if you could pay cash for a wrist/hand x-ray series. Probably offer 50 dollars cash, if they do it, and then again, we can see if there is a hint of a fracture (hand fractures are obvious, wrist fx's, not so much).

[Doc Brown]

First, it sounds like you have a cyst(sp). I had this when I fell at military on the top of my wrist. Can you put pressure on the bump and it not hurt? The way I got rid of mine was to rap it against a solid object with a little force, but not enough to hurt myself. The catch is that if you put a great deal of strain on it, it has potential to come back and you need to do it again. Mine has come back about three times since 2004.

If you do need to go see doctor be sympathetic with the boss and tell him what happened, when it happened that you told the supervisor and have no problem stating that it happened within the last 24 hours. Explain that you can work with it, but would prefer to have it checked out. Workmans comp will pay anyway regardless on time, but the company gets dinged if not reported correctly.

Dan
Someone my wife talked to said it might be a cyst, too, but there is some discomfort when i press down on it with enough force, so I'm just not sure. And i definitely don't want to assume its a cyst and start banging on it only to find out the hard way that it really is fractured :goof:woooBut i agree with your approach with the boss, I'm gonna talk to him a little later about it, so we'll see.

@ Prince: On your illustration, the area is on the wrist right next to the area circled in the picture. If you looked at your hand straight on, it is a visibly protruding bump just to the right of center of the wrist, below the area you described on the wrist itself, not the hand.

[Yooformula]

as long as it was reported and a report was made within 24 hours you should be able to claim worker's comp. If you told someone and they didnt report it then their ass is in trouble. was an accident report filed at work? if not, I would report it asap and tell the workers comp person what had happened and that it wasnt reported. I would want to make sure its not just a cyst and it is indeed broken before I opened that can of worms because they could still let you go while you are in probation if the boss didnt report it. Companies do shady things sometimes to keep accident reports and workers comp claims down.

[70 cutlass 442]

From what you described, it sounds like you may have a rather minute problem...... the radius and ulna (two bones that makeup the forearm) meet in the "wrist" area, the radius being closer to the thumb would almost describe a radial issue..... but believe me, you would feel either either if it were a fracture..... weather it be a fracture or a hand herpes, you need to let a boss know ASAP. Explain to them what happened and I would ASSUME they would be understanding. I can really go both ways, but YOU need to let them know, and document WHO you told after the initial injury!!

[1320PNY]

Don't go workman's comp as it only leads to drama. If you can still work just go get a set of wrist braces and give it a few weeks. I fell and hyper-extended my thumb and got a lump on the wrist as you described. It's a slow healing muscular injury. Ice/heat every 20 mins on/off and elevated when your watching tv. Give it two months. Try to imobilize the thumb while working.

I reinjured it snowmobiling a few years back. Took about a month to heal the second time. Doctors are on the insurance train. Do what is best for you and your family. If it continues to hurt, you can show the lump to HR and file then.