Re:Radio Frequency Treatments / acupuncture

[Guest guest]

,

I am on workers comp and here in NY they aren't required to pay for acupuncture.

The insurance company agreed to let me try it and truthfully I found it to be

great.

The next year the WC paid for it once a week.

Then they decided they wanted to deny it.

After I protested and had my lawyer contact them.

They sent me to an IME to determine if it was worth it.

His report says " while my expertise is not on acupuncture "

He stated that " it appeared the treatments help the patient " and he suggested

the treatments continue at 2 visits a month.

I could have taken them to court over it and maybe won the right to the 2 extra

visits a month but I would also chance having the judge rule against me and

loose the acupuncture completely.

My lawyer said as long as the two treatments help and pain wise it doesn't get

unbearable why rock the boat.

The longer we go and show it helping the better case we have for it holding up

in court later.

Workers Comp doesn't want us to go to court because if the judge would rule in

my favor it would set a precedent here in NY for a comp carrier to be ordered to

pay for acupuncture.

Then it opens up acupuncture for every workers comp case where it can shown to

help.

Later on this year I am going to appeal to the Workers comp court to declare my

status to be permanently injured.

At that time we will also appeal to the court to have the acupuncture every

week.

For me there is a lot of difference in how my quality of life is when I get

acupuncture every week verses twice a month because at twice a month it means a

few times a year I go 3 weeks between visits.

Plus , I would love to be the one who opens up acupuncture to be used in WC

cases.

I, personally, feel the more types of treatments we can get for WC back pain

people the better the person will recover, non-drug use treatments some times

work, but often are prescribed too late in the progression of the persons pain

to help them get back to a full recovery.

The time I spend with the acupuncture needles is truthfully the only time during

the month I don't feel my back pain at some level.

It lessens my base pain some, not a great deal but probably one level at least,

lasting a few days.

The first 3 or 4 nights after an acupuncture treatment I can sleep up to 7 hours

a night, after that I seldom sleep more than 3 hours at a time.

So with treatments once a week I have 3 or 4 nights of little sleep.

When they changed it to twice a month , I now go up to 11 days straight sleeping

from 2 to 3 hours at a time.

Anyone with this type of sleep problem can attest to the difference in quality

of life after almost 2 weeks of sleep deprivation

The day acupuncture is preformed I have sometimes slept as much as 18 of the

next 24 hours.

To me that is proof it helps my back pain and sleeping problems.

Now acupuncture is not for everyone.

The two acupuncturists I have seen told me up front that acupuncture can only

help 15-20% of people with my type of back pain.

For me, it is seldom more than hardly felt at insertion of the needles.

I occasionally have some muscle pain where the needles are inserted, that

usually goes away with just a little time under an ice pack or an ibuprofen.

That ONLY happens when I go 3 weeks between visits too.

That is something I have thought was interesting.

In the beginning I was told to try it for 6 weekly visits to see if it helped

and then decide if I wanted to keep it up.

I really think for me it works wonderfully,

It sure doesn't get rid of my pain but I can see a big difference in how I feel

after a treatment.

I had a visit this past Thursday and I still am feeling decent, slept over 6

hours last night.

I have been doing more physically the last couple days too.

I had just come off one of the worst 3 week stretches I ever had and I can

truthfully say after that visit I felt great.

The difference in how I felt was a complete 180 degree flip.

I still have my base pain but I can move and not winch every time I do. LOL

Even if WC didn't pay for acupuncture, I think I would pay for it out of my own

pocket because, for me it helps that much.

Sorry this turned into a short story LOL

I feel strongly pro-acupuncture because of how well it works for me and the big

difference I find in quality of my life with out it.

I just wished it worked as well on everyone.

Jim

wrote:

I found accupuncture quite effective for that and my fibro as well.