Neck injury / Whiplash symptoms
in Health ·
Hi everyone, I’m new here. I have a problem and I’m at a loss—so I’ll explain in detail because I honestly don't know what to do next.
Here is the situation. On December 18th, while I was walking home from work in a crosswalk, a car struck both me and a colleague. The driver didn't see us at all—it was dark and raining—and hit us at full speed. I was on the outside, closer to the lane, so I took the brunt of it. I took a massive hit to my shins, slammed against the hood, cracked the windshield with my head, was thrown several feet, and landed on my back—hitting my head against the asphalt a second time. Once the shock wore off, I scrambled up and made it to the ER and the police. At the ER, they processed us for maybe half an hour, but nobody actually performed a thorough exam—since there was no bleeding and I could move normally, they just basically guessed I was fine. They took photos of my head, neck, and shins, but they didn't scan my spine! The diagnosis: Contusio capitis; Contusio cruris bilat. They ordered rest, painkillers, and compresses; they didn't even give me a neck brace. The next day (Friday), I went into a state of total paralysis—pain between my shoulder blades and in my neck—so I headed back to the ER (since my occupational physician only works until noon). A neurologist "examined" me (just the finger and eye test), prescribed Normabel, and sent me home. Everything is fine, she said. Since things settled down over the weekend, my occupational doctor didn't refer me anywhere else—he told me everything looked great, I got lucky, and I just needed to rest. Fine, I thought—I'm just glad to be alive, why bother making a scene? Two weeks later, he tells me we’re closing my medical leave. I tell him I need therapy because I still have this nagging pain between my shoulder blades; he reluctantly agrees and refers me to a physiatrist. He’s surprised they didn't scan my spine, but instead of ordering more tests, he just diagnoses me with Post contusionem capitis and thoracic vertebrae issues and prescribes physical therapy (10 sessions). He asks if my arms hurt—which they didn't at the time—so the exam ended there. In the meantime, I saw a neurologist twice more; everything was supposedly "okay," but again, no actual diagnostic imaging was done. Then, as soon as I tried getting out of bed—everyone saying I was doing fine—I started doing some light housework and sitting at a reception event, I felt a sudden shift, and by January 2nd, the pain in my arms became so excruciating I thought I was losing my mind. At night, I wake up with cramps—I don't even know what kind—and sharp, shooting pains from my neck/shoulder area down to my elbow. I’m popping painkillers like crazy; I take Normabel every single night and I'm still hurting. It calmed down slightly yesterday, so I went to the doctor today. Having learned my lesson, I didn't tell him it had improved; I demanded a referral to a specialist. He claims this is all normal—that these "sensations" are just due to my cervical spine injury and that therapy should fix it. I’m about to lose it; I don't know what to do.
Should I just blindly trust them, or should I seek a diagnosis at a private clinic? And if so, which one?
I don't want to panic and imagine I have something worse, but I know you don't mess around with your spine.🤷
By the way, my neurologist suggested I might consult a psychiatrist regarding the stress reaction, but today my occupational doctor told me I'm too young for that and that I'll get over it on my own.👍
Please, I need advice or any suggestions at all.
Here is the situation. On December 18th, while I was walking home from work in a crosswalk, a car struck both me and a colleague. The driver didn't see us at all—it was dark and raining—and hit us at full speed. I was on the outside, closer to the lane, so I took the brunt of it. I took a massive hit to my shins, slammed against the hood, cracked the windshield with my head, was thrown several feet, and landed on my back—hitting my head against the asphalt a second time. Once the shock wore off, I scrambled up and made it to the ER and the police. At the ER, they processed us for maybe half an hour, but nobody actually performed a thorough exam—since there was no bleeding and I could move normally, they just basically guessed I was fine. They took photos of my head, neck, and shins, but they didn't scan my spine! The diagnosis: Contusio capitis; Contusio cruris bilat. They ordered rest, painkillers, and compresses; they didn't even give me a neck brace. The next day (Friday), I went into a state of total paralysis—pain between my shoulder blades and in my neck—so I headed back to the ER (since my occupational physician only works until noon). A neurologist "examined" me (just the finger and eye test), prescribed Normabel, and sent me home. Everything is fine, she said. Since things settled down over the weekend, my occupational doctor didn't refer me anywhere else—he told me everything looked great, I got lucky, and I just needed to rest. Fine, I thought—I'm just glad to be alive, why bother making a scene? Two weeks later, he tells me we’re closing my medical leave. I tell him I need therapy because I still have this nagging pain between my shoulder blades; he reluctantly agrees and refers me to a physiatrist. He’s surprised they didn't scan my spine, but instead of ordering more tests, he just diagnoses me with Post contusionem capitis and thoracic vertebrae issues and prescribes physical therapy (10 sessions). He asks if my arms hurt—which they didn't at the time—so the exam ended there. In the meantime, I saw a neurologist twice more; everything was supposedly "okay," but again, no actual diagnostic imaging was done. Then, as soon as I tried getting out of bed—everyone saying I was doing fine—I started doing some light housework and sitting at a reception event, I felt a sudden shift, and by January 2nd, the pain in my arms became so excruciating I thought I was losing my mind. At night, I wake up with cramps—I don't even know what kind—and sharp, shooting pains from my neck/shoulder area down to my elbow. I’m popping painkillers like crazy; I take Normabel every single night and I'm still hurting. It calmed down slightly yesterday, so I went to the doctor today. Having learned my lesson, I didn't tell him it had improved; I demanded a referral to a specialist. He claims this is all normal—that these "sensations" are just due to my cervical spine injury and that therapy should fix it. I’m about to lose it; I don't know what to do.
Should I just blindly trust them, or should I seek a diagnosis at a private clinic? And if so, which one?
I don't want to panic and imagine I have something worse, but I know you don't mess around with your spine.🤷
By the way, my neurologist suggested I might consult a psychiatrist regarding the stress reaction, but today my occupational doctor told me I'm too young for that and that I'll get over it on my own.👍
Please, I need advice or any suggestions at all.