What happens if I become labeled as disabled after a work injury?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 11, 2016

Earlier this year, I injured my back lifting a patient. I herniated the disk at L5-s1. Did things by the book, saw Occupational Med through workmans comp. I was put on restrictions and started physical therapy. (I never missed a day of work due to that injury!). I fought through the pain and babied myself after work and days off (thank god I only work 4 days a week!).
After a a few months of therapy I plateaued, and went in for an MRI, and muscle study. MRI confirmed herniated disk. Muscle testing was normal... but odd finding was my pain wrapped around right buttock and around to my quad Stopped above my knee . The MRI shows the herniation to he left side. The doctor said I should be having pain in my left side... and due to location it should be all the way down to my foot! The only time the pain went most of he way down my leg was the first 3 days after the incident happened..
Had a cortisone shot with very little effect.
I had been doing ok, and was almost to baseline of just having occasional days of pain depending on patient load. This weekend I did something, and the pain is back...
this week i have my monthly check in with Occupational Medicine. We have discussed the fact that if I'm not 100% in march, the 1 year mark, I could be labeled as disabled...
what will this mean for my career?. I'm 35 years old and have been a nurse for just over 2 years... currently working on my BSN.. part of my goal in getting my BSN was to help get an office type job thats a better mix of sitting and standing...
any help/support would be appreciated...

I cannot answer the specific questions about what happens if you're labeled as disabled. I had a right L-5/S-1 herniation about ten years ago. I had pain in the back of my thigh, but my foot just felt "strange", not painful. Then I went to sit in a chair, couldn't flex enough to sit and dropped a few inches into the chair. At that moment, I went numb all the way down my leg . . . Bad news. Couldn't walk very well as the muscles that should have controlled my right knee didn't. I had a discectomy, and within three months was back to almost normal -- still have some neuropathies on the outside edge of my right foot, but otherwise I'm good. Went back to work in the ICU and have worked 10 more years. Sometimes I have lower back pain, but I'm guessing not much more than any other nurse.

Perhaps my situation is different from your specific situation, but I remember how alone and frightened I felt when I wasn't sure I could ever get back to work.

guest2210 · Dec 13, 2016

I can empathize...I herniated L4-5 and L5-S1 in 1990 and was disabled for 13 years. While working a part time receptionist's job got me in hot water with Social Security and they said I owed them $20,000.00 overpayment, they stopped my disability payments and I had no choice but to return to nursing. I was scared to death! In 2004, I returned and did pretty well, working FT, 12 hour shifts. Found a job that was 5 days, 8 hours, not as grueling and more assisted living than long term care. I've been an LPN for 34 years.

If you have the option of going on disability, getting short- or long-term disability payments until SSD kicks in, if you file for it, it might be what you need to get back to 100%. With all of the injuries nurses suffer, this really shouldn't do anything to hinder your career, as long as you take steps to get back to being 100%, or as close to it as you can get.

I herniated L4-5 again in 2014 after a discotomy and haven't been able to work since then, due to a chronic illness the surgery triggered. My first disability app was denied, as was my first appeal. My 2nd appeal is coming up. I have had no income in 2 1/2 years.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.