Reply #9: Speaking from experience, I would give it some more time.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

Missy Vixen makes some very salient points.

I was hit while riding my bicycle 12 years ago on May 18, 1998. The driver was at fault for running a stop sign because the sun was in his eyes.

At the ER, I let the Quack...errr Doctor know that my left shoulder seemed to be dislocated and that my throat and neck felt like a sharp stick was being jammed into the area. I didn't realize at the time that I also had a concussion and possibly a broken rib or two. They said that they thought that I was probably just seeking drugs and wouldn't examine the areas that I was complaining about other than a regular X-Ray of the neck. The accident was witnessed by numerous people including a long term state representative, but they still thought that I was only seeking drugs.

I've always been the epitome of the Milquetoast, don't cause a scene type of person so I let them send me home even though I knew that I was banged up and should be looked at in more detail. The fact that my legs didn't work very well and the neck and throat pain should have made me a lot more aggressive in my search for proper care. However, I played the strong silent type and tried to pick up my life after a few weeks of healing. I did see another Quack (Orthopaedic Surgeon) who said that his own PA and I were both wrong about my shoulder being dislocated.

Flash forward a few months and I started to notice a lot of little things that were wrong with me from head to toe that weren't there before the accident. My vision was screwed up in a lot of ways, I was having swallowing problems, mind numbing pain in the head and neck as well as strange things in the rest of the body as well.

My family Dr. finally sent me to have an MRI of the brain and neck 6 months after the accident. Too late as it turned out.

What 15 to 20 Specialists, Therapists, PA's and Neuro Surgeons finally figured out over the years was that at the time of the accident, I did in fact have swelling around the spinal cord. Since it wasn't treated in time, it continued to swell until it also caused permanent damage to the Cerebellum and the Brain Stem as well as causing my spinal cord to be compressed right to the edge of paralysis or death.

The good news is that I can still function fairly well considering everything. The bad news is that it interferes with every single thing that I do 24/7. I've also been warned that the slightest little bump or even a sneeze has the potential to cause "catastrophic events".

Not all neck injuries are as they first appear. They can be a lot worse or a lot better than the initial tests reveal.

That's why I would give it all the time that you can and not let anyone pressure you into signing away your rights like I did. Besides his insurance paying for a new bicycle, lost time at work and the medical expenses, I got a whopping $1,500.00 for pain and suffering. I can't even begin to calculate how much the last 12 years have cost me, but I know that it's a lot more than $1,500.