Another night past 2:30 AM and I can't sleep.  Being in pain sucks, your always pissy with people you love and you do not have any patience.  I just want to get back to living a frigging normal life and not be depressed about being in constant pain. 

It is rough when you can't sleep and then when you do get a good nights sleep you do not want to get up out of bed because you don't know if you'll ever get sleep again. 

I don't get this fucking worker's compensation system.  I'd have gotten way better care and suffered a lot less had I been able to use my personal medical insurance.  I'd probably had been back to work already if not close to it considering it sounds like the recovery time is 6 to 9 months after surgery.  I'd probably had only lost some of the summer instead of losing all of it. 

I'm very lucky to have a wife that is so patient because I'm going out of my mind.  This whole process just sucks; You'd think that this states Legislature would understand that by keeping people out of work for a long time that they are taking away from the states coffers by not paying income taxes.

It is going to be another month of waiting before I get back to see Dr. Murphy.  The worker's compensation system in Massachusetts sucks.  I'm kept in pain for more than one year and two months after my initial injury before I'm able to have another consultation.  How long will it take to fight worker's compensation insurer CNA and Hartford Insurance after the recommendations of the Doctor.  My guess at least 3 months before they will approve anything if they do at all.  I'm sure that my attorney and I will have to ask the Administrative Judge from the Department of Industrial Accidents to make a ruling to get me the required medical treatment.

Meanwhile, I'll still be in pain and unable to enjoy life.  There really is not a lot you can do when you have a bad disc in your back.  I'm thankful that Dr. Barna prescribed me the Tramadol because it does allow me to deal with the pain.

Well because the people who write the worker's compensation laws do not have to go through the process I'm sure nothing will change.

Thats all its taken one year, one month, and one day on workers compensation to find out i need surgery.  Had I been able to use Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance I would have probably found out I needed surgery back in November of 2007.  Its only taken 6 weeks of physical therapy trying to strength my core, 4 injections, 20 visits with one chiropractor, 20 visits with another chiropractor, 8 more weeks of physical therapy and 4 months of going through the workers compensation court system in Massachusetts to have a discogram that told the doctor within 30 minutes that I need to have surgery.

Does this make sense?  Why does the state mandate a horrendous workers compensation system that leaves employees suffering for so long?  My doctors do not understand, I do not understand and neither does anyone else.  The problem is the insurance companies are trying to screw you out of anything that you are entitled to before they decide they need to pay to get you the medical treatment that is necessary.

My guess is that CNA and Hartford Insurance will try to screw me over for another few months by denying the surgeons request for the surgery, the appeal with get rejected, and I'll have to wait another 2 to 4 months to get in front of the Industrial Accidents Department of Massachusetts Administrative Judge.  Who will hopefully listen to the case in 30 minutes and make the decision by the next day.  Only to have the appointment booked the next day by me with the surgeons administrative assistant and then find out the insurance company is refusing to pay for the judges order.  Then I'll have to have my attorney take the matter to the Massachusetts Superior Court to enforce the order.

No one seems to understand that the Massachusetts Workers Compensation system is not setup to help the injured employees.  The system is setup to make the insurance companies a boat load of money that they have no intention of paying out to real claims.