Catastrophic TBI Care: Getting the Most Care the System Will Allow

Catastrophic TBI Care: Rita Part Thirteen

In part thirteen I spoke with Rita’s mom regarding long term  catastrophic TBI care and some of the resources she is using to continue Rita’s rehab.

You’ve got a long way to go yet with Rita’s catastrophic TBI care.

Oh I know.

How do you feel about that?  What are you, what’s your strategy for Rita’s catastrophic TBI care and  getting there faster?

Oh gosh, I just keep thinking of more and more things for her to do.

I just found a chiropractor in the area.  I know one of the things that help people get to, it’s because he has this Pneumax the ungated weight.  This is what they have at Bayfront.  You’re strapped into, a harness and you walk along the treadmill.  Your weight is not, you’re not holding all your weight.  That’s one of the main things they use to get people walking again.

So this chiropractor is the only one in the area, okay do you hear me, the only one in the area that has it.

Why does he have it?  What does he normally use it for it?

Everybody that comes to him he uses it.  They just use it for everything.   He has taken us on, in fact he said let’s see what happens over the next month.  He’s not even charging us.

Wow presumably he’s not going to try doing any sort of adjustments or anything on her?

No, no.  Oh no, no.  We’re just – there for that.  I mean we just started that this week.

Does she have pain issues?

Oh yes, big huge pains.

Spasticity?

Yes.

In the State of Florida you’re allowed 45 days in the hospital that would be paid for by Medicaid and every year July 1 is when it starts again.  So last year she had used up all of her 45 days so we had to wait until now.  July 1 we’re going to go have the Baclofen pump but that’s not what people call it.  It has another weird name.

That’s what people call it.

Yeah the Baclofen pump so we’re looking into doing that, get tested first and to see if it helps.

Tell me about her spasticity.

Well she is just in pain all the time.

Is her arm up tight to her body?

No, no.  Hers is more, more tone, just cramping I guess is that.  But even her right leg will bother her and that’s the one that she can move.

Does she have any movement on her left side?

She has a little bit, a little bit.  We see it coming back, little by little.  I mean this arm is like when she gets, I’ve said she didn’t have too much emotional but she does get mad, okay.  And, uh, this arm will start moving when she gets really mad.  That just started happening like maybe a month ago.

As opposed to it basically being more of a tightness?

No.  No, it’s always just kind of just there.  I mean no it’s not tight or anything.  It just kind of just lays there, just don’t do anything but it’ll be crampy, you know, it will be but it’s not up or so.

Therapist is working with her  catastrophic TBI care as well as the walking when she comes to physical therapy?

Not really.  We, we’re doing that.

As with almost all aspects of Rita’s story, I now mutter to myself as I reread these lines, why the hell not?  How can any system be so unfair?  How can Rita have to wait for more catastrophic TBI care  until the next fiscal year to get a Baclofen pump? How can the therapist, with her catastrophic TBI care,not be working with all of her problems ?

Next in Part Fourteen – Even Wheel Chairs are Rationed

By Attorney Gordon Johnson

800-992-9447