Looking for a professional medical opnion RE: MS and Spinal Taps

Unfortunately my Neuro is kinda Mr Magoo. I had a good Neuro but he retired, the new guy who took over at the same practice I did not like so I went to this new one right as all the paperwork started to need to be filled. I am afraid to go to another, more cognisant, Neuro because I am afraid to be accused of doctor shopping. Part of the reason for the denial was because the newest did not write the reasons for disability properly. So I used this template:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Nat...A-letter_1.pdf

to generate this letter I hope he will sign, or edit to his likeing when I see him in 2 hours.

--To Whom It May Concern:
My patient Mark XXXX has Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and severe Lassitude. He is limited in daily activities and is unable to work on a sustained basis. My findings have been confirmed through physical examination, medical history, magnetic resonance imaging, and standard neurological examination, including evaluations of strength, spasticity, coordination, gait, sensation, vision, and mental status. Patient?s symptoms include intense fatigue, limb and extremity numbness and tingling, neuralgia in the right arm and left leg, impaired motor control, heat intolerance, flushing, and frequent muscle spasms and tremors.

Patient had MRIs taken in May and June 2010 that showed demyelination damage in the brain and cervical spine. MRIs taken in August 2010 showed a remission. MRIs taken in December 2011 showed new damage in the brain and an intensification of the existing damage in the cervical spine. All MRIs taken since confirm the damage shown in December 2011 has never receded.

Patient?s fatigue manifests as an increasing debilitation throughout the course of a day. Heat and stress hasten the progression of the fatigue. When the fatigue is acute patient has severely reduced memory and cognitive function, ambulation becomes difficult or impossible even with a walking aid. Tunnel vision, tinnitus, and dizziness affect the patient?s ability to interact with people and objects. The fatigue can get so severe the patient can perform no other actions but resting.

Patient is currently taking Tecfedera and is compliant with prescribed medical treatments.

Patient is unable to retain significant employment because of the unpredictable nature of the disease and accompanying fatigue. Patient suffers with significant, reproducible fatigue of motor function with substantial weakness on repetitive activity, demonstrated on physical examination, resulting from neurological dysfunction in areas of the central nervous system known to be pathologically involved by the multiple sclerosis process.

In my opinion, Mark CXXXX is unable to resume any type of gainful employment due to physical impairment. MS is a progressive neurological disorder, and while disability can be delayed with treatment, there is not a cure. My expectation is that Mark will see a continued decline in function over time.

Sincerely,
--

Binkles_sl said:

If it comes to it, don't fake or embellish your level of impairment during a neuropsychological evaluation.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I never lie to the doctors, health is #1.

Got Magoo'd but I learned my original diagnosing doctor opened up his own practice so I will see him Monday.

Saw Dr. Magoo, showed him the doctors note i wanted him to write and the MS-Society's template i based it off of. He read it and got cagey, said how it was hard to prove fatigue because its all boils down to taking my word for it.

I pointed out how when I started seeing him as a patient I specifically asked for help transitioning the STD i was currently on to the LTD my employer pays for. And how he said hes never had a problem getting someone disabled because of MS fatigue when he first filled out the paperwork. And how MS fatigue is the number one reason MS patients get disabled.

I then showed him the actual paper he sent to the insurance company and how it did not even use the word fatigue.




Now i know why they are asking me about the range of motion of my thumbs, and not why i was negative 70+ PTO hours when I was finally terminated, thats whats in the note, they had to deny it.

Had appointment with my original Neuro that went spectacular. He read what Dr Magoo wrote and said he was going to fix it, so its looks like this part of the story will have a happy ending. I will get to try to answer the question from the My New Dating pool thread "What can you do with xK a month and not have to work?" I need to rest/sleep a lot but i'm not in a chair yet. Was thinking food tourism, and/or traveling to MTG Legacy/Vintage events for the hell of it.


Got another meeting with the Labor lawyer to discuss the part where we file ADA and Hostile work environment complaints against my former employer, but that's a whole nother story.

Thanks for the support guys.

Appeal is open and last I heard the insurance company hired an 'Independent' doctor to contact my doctor and he's playing the phone game (the guy refuses to set a date/time to have the conversation, but calls random days expecting my doc to drop everything to talk to him).

Saw my GP today, was telling him about the insurance company dragging heels and he was 'I don't get it, its not like your boarderline, you are pretty much definitive of an MS case'. I pointed out that it was a million dollar policy (60% of my Sr Sys Admin salary till im 65) and he just shook his head.

I don't want to get a lawyer for this part because they will take 10% for the life of the policy.