>Tom
>
>Dead Man Walking, eh?
>
>Seriously, in my generation we were trained to avoid making statements like "you'll be dead in x months" etc. If you quote the average survival figure, half the patients live longer and appear in pulp magazines saying "my doctor told me I'd be dead a year ago but these crushed baobab kernals kept me alive".
>
>If you quote the 1st SD, most of them don't live that long and some never get their affairs in order or make peace with their families, which is a tragedy.
>
>All we ever said was that statistically, these are your odds. They are only "odds", some people do better and some worse. And here's what you can do to improve your odds.
>
>Nasty topic. What happened to your cervical fracture?
>
>regards
>
>JR

John;

The last MRI indicated things have not become “worse”. How bad can things get? One doctor suggested, “Never have another rear end collision”! O.K. with me! It gives me a very strange feeling to realize if I have a sudden jolt such as from a roller coaster etc. I could have a very serious problem. Also, being a weight lifter I was told, “No neck exercises”! If I was not in good condition at the time of the accident I do not know how things would have turned out.

By the way in case you do not know, U.C. Davis Medical Center (in the Sacramento, California area) is a “training hospital”. I am now of the opinion I should avoid such entities.

To add insult to injury three years after the incident I received a bill from the ambulance company for their services. Had they submitted the bill in a timely fashion (within one year) to the insurance company as they were instructed they would have been paid. Our attorney convinced them to write off the bill ($900) due to their less than stellar performance.

Perhaps you will better realize why I say there are three things you should never do:

1. Never be a victim.
2. Never receive an injury.
3. Never become ill.

I have no control over these things but elements of society make me feel guilty for being on the receiving end of any of them. Three of those elements are the medical profession, Insurance companies and the legal system.

The best of luck and good health to all of us!

Tom