Workcover | pudendalnerve.com.au

Fair Assessments for Chronic Pain, Join my LinkedIN group

Posted by soula in About, Pudendal Neuralgia, work, Work & The System, Workcover on March 17, 2013

As you may have read I’m a little suspicious as an injured worker, about my WorkCover assessments over the last six years.

No one has ever documented or treated my condition appropriately, no one seems to know Pudendal Neuralgia, it seems like it’s not part of the guidelines that Independent Medical Examiners are required to assess [...]

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Subject: Fair Assessment for Compensation?

Posted by soula in About, My pain, system, Work & The System, Workcover on March 4, 2013

AN OPEN LETTER TO WORKSAFE AUSTRALIA

(CC’d The Hon Gordon Rich-Philips)

SUBJECT: FAIR ASSESSMENT FOR COMPENSATION?

My name is Soula Mantalvanos and I am an injured Australian worker ever since an unfortunate incident in March 2006 where the fitball I was sitting on burst and I fell on to concrete. I was diagnosed after 4.5 years, with a painful condition that is often misunderstood; [...]

Increasing employment opportunities for people with disability

Posted by soula in Work & The System on December 28, 2012

Increasing employment opportunities for people with disability.

Minister Shorten seeks proposals on ways to boost employment participation for people with disability, discussion paper seeking public views on how best to achieve reform.

The discussion paper, Improving Employment Participation of People with Disability, seeks public views on how to best achieve reform, including:

• how to promote and improve equality for people with disability in employment and in the workplace
• how to support employers to identify and remove barriers to full and equal participation of people with disability
• how to promote the removal of all forms of discrimination on the basis of a persons’ disability
• how to improve workplace consultation between employers and employees on issues concerning people with disability in the workplace
• how to improve the productivity and competitiveness of Australian business through the advancement of people with disability in the workplace.

The Government would like to hear from all interested parties, including:

• people with disability, their families, carers and community representatives
• employers and employer representatives
• current Employment Service Providers
• state and local governments
• unions and other employee representative groups

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Performance ‘fit for modified duties’

Posted by soula in About, My pain, system, Work & The System, Workcover on November 28, 2012

Did you all hear I’m back at work part time? Much thanks to our flexible home/office setup and Theo’s immense help. Regardless, how lucky am I hey? But oops, hang on, I have to correct myself. It’s not lucky for me, it’s lucky for the WorkSafe Agent. And I must clarify because from their point of view I didn’t get myself back to work, it had nothing to do with my research, the practitioners I found, their treatment and great therapies (or my hip pocket!). Nope, nothing to do with nerve blocks and medication, but rather, my high activity levels. Yeeees, I have been a full time artist and I’ve been caught red-handed!!!

Well I’m sick of this crap! And this time, the story isn’t going to end with me feeling anxious and swallowing those bits of paper, while the Investigators excuse themselves gutlessly with a letter marked ‘Private and Confidential’ that they send to the WorkSafe Agent. It’s going to end here, on my blog. And I’m even going to have some fun while I’m at it!

…And if you’re an investigator wanting to comment, don’t bother! Your comments will be deleted. As I said, this time the story ends with me.

Back to life

Posted by soula in About, My pain, Work & The System on October 23, 2012

…please gear up with me, imagine the drum rolls and the biggest mountain you can imagine with me standing on the tippy top yelling because this IS real, IT’S true, IT’S official:

I’M BACK AT WORK!!!!!!!”

No, I’ve not overdosed on my medication and the stress of a chronic pain issue has not damaged me enough to be hallucinating.., I. AM (wiggling heaps but all the same). SITTING. IN. A (very nice ergonomic). CHAIR. TYPING. THIS. POST!!!!

John Quintner’s point of view

Posted by soula in system, Work & The System on August 28, 2012

I’m forever searching for a decent explanation as to why the AMA Guidelines used to assess injured workers in the WorkCover system are so poor and out of date, especially when it comes to assessing chronic pain (and in my case of pudendal neuralgia measures a total score of 0!!).

Along my social media travels, searching for answers and researching for treatment or updated information regarding my condition, I have met John and had the pleasure of some great discussions. Dr John Quintner is a consultant physician in rheumatology and pain medicine and has kindly offered to share his published opinion on the matter. Thanks John!

Personal injury compensation: lessons from Talmudic law, by John Quintner
…This article examines some of the principles upon which our personal injury compensation systems are based, in order to better understand why the process of tort litigation has itself become such a major factor in healthcare in modern societies…

Expired and fallen through the cracks

Posted by soula in Work & The System on June 27, 2012

After a few battles regarding my massage treatments, peripheral stimulation implant and finally receiving a letter form my WorkSafe agent stating I would no longer be receiving medical reimbursements/support, I began a hunt for a deserving explanation…

But back to my main point, the answer I was seeking. I called the contact the Hon Gordon Rich-Phillips advised and it led to a conversation with my WorkSafe Agent’s Injury Management Advisor (IMA) and for once, I seemed to be having an open and honest conversation with a WorkSafe Agent employee. It’s hard to say it was honest because this system has taught me not to trust anyone, sadly. It felt like a great relief to be speaking to an educated, intelligent, experienced and capable person… I didn’t get invalid and poor excuses or worse still, lies. Every point I made was dealt with and the conversation was about me, my case and my specific issues…

…the grand finale was that the IMA was going to answer why my medical expenses support had ceased?

Me, a case study! Pudendal Neuralgia-Masters Coursework

Posted by soula in Learn, Personal resources, Professional Resources, Pudendal Neuralgia, Work & The System on June 21, 2012

The condition and existing barriers to management and practice

My understanding of a ‘syndrome’ is that it seems to remain myth-like until serious research is undertaken and repeatedly produces the same findings in many patients. The Research for Pudendal Neuralgia is minimal worldwide, almost non-existent in Australia. Although specialists and therapists are documenting their work Pudendal Neuralgia can’t seem to penetrate its existence in Western Medicine’s Bible, and so it is unrecognised, misunderstood or ignored.

So when my physiotherapist at The Women’s Hospital mentioned Alesha Sayner and I heard she was compiling a presentation for her Masters specifically about Pudendal Neuralgia, I jumped at the opportunity to hand over all my experience knowing this is exactly what the issue desperately needed. I was even more enthusiastic that Alesha was interested in documenting WorkCover’s understanding (not) and treatment (not) for injured worker’s with the issue.

Thank you Alesha Sayner and The Women’s Hospital for this huge first step, so crucial to Australian sufferers of Pudendal Neuralgia, such therapy for me too!

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Case Management Society of Australia… are WorkSafe Agents complying?

Posted by soula in Work & The System on April 10, 2012

What would injured Australian workers do without the wonderful WorkCoverVictim’sDiary website, who alerted me to the Case Management Society of Australia(amongst some other goodies like ‘the Deed’ between WorkCover and all the Suppliers of delivery of the System!!! and The Ombudsman’s report that shows the many breaches… hello, hello!)… One ‘ethical’ point:

The Case Manager will consider the best interests of the client as paramount at all times

In this point, is the ‘client’ the injured worker or WorkSafe? From my experience, it’s clearly WorkSafe and when it comes to this ethical standard, my case managers are right on the money! No treatment for me, more dollars for WorkSafe…

Thanks Erin Brockovich for supporting injured workers

Posted by soula in Work & The System on March 23, 2012

It’s starting to happen, there’s a little stir… injured workers are speaking up. And they’re getting noticed. Thank you to the brilliant WorkCoverVictim (and my cyber friend – well how else to injured workers meet!?), and your team for supporting injured workers through your brilliant website. You deserve your visit from THE Erin Brockovich… Erin Brockovich, you revived some injured workers today. THANK YOU.

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