[bdiggler]

About 5 months ago while I was working I cut approx a 1/2 inch Off two separate fingers right about where the arch of my cueticals were and my nails had begun. My fingers got grounded off by an electric plainer power tool. Luckly for me since that this happened while I was at work I was covered by workers comp. Let me just tell you that the whole workers comp thing isn't just a walk in the park. The first doctor that the W.C. sent me to was a total qwack. He didn't put on rubber gloves to handle my freshly wacked off fingers, then even after I requested him to please give me some type of NON STICK goz/wrap medicine etc to cover my amputations, he gave me the exact opposite he gave me stuff that should have been used on minor scrapes and or abrathions taking me 45 extremely painful minutes just to change. The 3rd strike for this doctor was when I went to get the stitches out even after I Showed him and argued with both him and the nurse that they didn't get them all out, he ended up leaving one stitch in. Now these weren't your everyday stiches they were thick and deep into the meat. I had to have my fiancé later that evening remove the left behind stitch for me and again I had to endure complete agony. So the next day I called the person handling my case and told her about this un professiona doctorl and she quickly refurred me to another "better" W.C. doctor. Upon my first visit with the relief doctor the first question that he asked me was "now are you here because you dont want to go back to work because of are economy or are you really hurt?" Grant it that this was before he had even evaluated my fingers. The next question was about why I came to him. I told him about the other doctor and he immediately asked me who the other doctor was. So I told him and it turned out that he knew the other doctor and seemed to be bothered by my opinion of him. The new doc was a bit "better''and did a more thurough evaluation of my fingers and in conclusion that he came to was that with five physical therapy sessions and me going home and " taking out my power tools (wink wink) and just PLAY but not WORK with them to get the feel of working back" that I was ready to go back to work. I love being a builder and doing the work that I do and am paid well for doing it. Its not like I'm making millions of dollars off being on workers comp. since they only pay me 2/3 of my normal salary. My fingers are still numb, weak, and don't function 100%. I don't feel that it would be safe for me to return to work being that the work that I do demands the equal use of both hands and would be very dangerous if I were to be favoring one hand could and or would most likely cause me to reinjure or have another accident. This has been a horrible exspierience that do not want to do again.The doctor is insisting that I'm fine and am ready to go back to work. I am not ready nor able both physically and mentally. What do I do?

[Fr_Chuck]

Get your own doctor you pay out of your own pocket, to give another opinion, and then you argue with them and go to a hearing.

But to be honest, 5 months, people who lose their arm are back to work in 5 months often.

[twinkiedooter]

Consult with a worker's compensation attorney on this before you do anything dumb like go back to work and cut the rest of your fingers off. This may just answer your question as far as "how soon should I go back to work". You may require more physical therapy for your hand.