Whiplash?

[nebe]

So I got in a car accident today.

So here's the story... I was moving my little bubble of a car down the highway towards my school, going a very mild 35 mph because it's snowing (Snow... before Thanksgiving. How'da thunk?). Traffic ahead starts to stop. DEAD stop. The kid in front of me tries to stop, loses control of his rental PT Cruiser and spins counter clockwise. This spinning motion puts him DIRECTLY in front of me, smack in the middle of my bumper. I absolutely COULD NOT stop and slammed into him sliding at 35ish mph into his lovely little ride.

BAM.

BOOM.

CRASH.

TERRIBLE NOISES ABOUND.

So my whole front end has gone to heaven and I now have a crazy headache, a hurt back and really cold feet. My airbags didn't deploy though. I'm now parked on my loveseat with my blanket and a heating pad.

Want to hear the greatest part? I know you do!!!

The front end alignment I've been putting off for FOUR MONTHS... I got YESTERDAY. How ironic. I would laugh if I could without my head pounding.

So... here's my actual question. Have any of you had whiplash? If yes, how do you make it feel better?!

 

[bee*]

I was in a car accident years ago and had whiplash as someone went straight into the back of us while we were stopped at traffic lights. I just rested, I didn''t go to the doctor or anything (have the biggest fear of them!). Sorry to hear about your accident. Drink lots of tea and have your ff spoil you!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

So sorry to hear about your accident!

If you have a headache and you''re not sure about whiplash, you should go to the doctor/ER asap. Whiplash can give you lasting neck/back problems if not diagnosed and treated properly up front.

 

[aprilcait]

I second Hudson on seeing a doctor ASAP. I don''t mean to scare you but a family friend got into a car accident almost ten years ago and got whiplash; she is still dealing with chronic neck and back pain. She didn''t go to the doctor to get the pain checked (thinking it would subside on it''s own) and is now, sadly, dealing with the consequences.

I hope you feel better very soon! I''m so sorry this happened, but I''m glad that no one got seriously injured.

 

[Pandora II]

Go to a doctor asap.

You need to get it down on paper with them in case you develop more problems and end up having to sue.

I had whiplash about 7 years ago, and had a collar and large amounts of pain-meds for nearly a month.

 

[lyra]

Yep, see your doc for sure. When you have an accident like that, you go through a huge adrenalin overdose, and you''ll be feeling the effects of *that* for a while. Relax as much as possible. Hopefully the doc will give you some advice about pain meds and whether you need to get a collar or what to avoid. Take care!

 

[monarch64]

Ooo, sorry to hear you were in an accident but glad to hear you''re (hopefully) not seriously injured. And isn''t it just Murphy''s Law that you had just gotten your alignment fixed and now this has happened! Sheesh, life is just full of surprises.

I agree with the majority, get thee to a doctor and make sure you don''t have any internal injuries, get your doc''s advice/guidance on what to do about the pain you''re having, etc. Take good care of yourself and give your body time to heal correctly, so you are not in for years of potential pain stemming from this unfortunate accident. I hope everything works out for you, and that you are healed and back to normal very soon!

 

[Skippy123]

How are you feeling? I hope better.

 

[TravelingGal]

Nebe, I just saw on my accident thread about yours, so I thought I''d come over and say I hope you are doing better.

If your doc is anything like mine, he''s useless. We went because everyone said to go after our accident in July. The doc just poked us and said it was normal accident pain and to take Aleve. We then got notice from the healthcare system he works for saying if we get compensation for the accident that we owe them above and beyond what my medical insurance pays. Nice.

If it still hurts after a week, go to the doc again. Have them take a MRI. Soft tissue damage doesn''t often rear it''s ugly head until later.

 

[nebe]

I went to the doctor yesterday and she said she needs to do x-rays on Friday because the bones in my neck are a little out of whack. Nothing huge. I''ve been taking motrin and using ice the past few days.

There are like, MOUNTAINS of paperwork for this crap. I asked if I could just use my regular medical insurance (which is very good, actually) and they told me no! I don''t want to cost the guy a lot of money but they''re not really giving me a choice. I said the word "accident" and the receptionist handed me a STACK of forms. My FMIL thought it was kind of funny, actually. She took me because FH was working, and I must say, I love her a little more now.

Thank you for the kind wishes, I''ll keep you guys better updated I promise!

 

[bee*]

ooh nasty! I hope that you''re feeling ok!

 

[lauralu]

yep! thats procedure for car accidents in general as well as work comp. You will have to send the claim through your auto insurance. Health insurance will not cover car accident related costs until or unless your auto insurance will not pay. Or I should say thats how it is here in Minnesota anyhow.

It's a wicked cruel insurance world.

I had a whiplash injury 7 years agao from an uninsured motorist driving a small pick up truck. He hit me from behind while he was exciting the freeway while I was stopped in traffic due to a red light at the top of the off ramp. He was going an estimated 55 miles an hour. I was lucky to have been driving a heavy van.

I had uninsured motorist insurance. It's mandatory here. you have to carry it. However, I had to sue my own insurance company to get my claims paid for.

There is a lot that happens to your body during an accident. It's a jolt to the system so to speak. Even if you are not seriously injured your body can feel like it is for a week or so.

I still have trouble with my neck.

Hopefully the x-rays will be fine and your body just needs time. Soft tissue damage like whiplash will not show on an x-ray though. Heat interchanged with cold compresses works good to.

Take care, let us know...

 

[Deelight]

You poor thing I had mild whiplash a long time ago and it hurts like the beegebers

Hope it all turns out well

 

[nebe]

So I went to the doctor and got x-rays and it turns out I have whiplash and the bones in my neck and upper back shifted from the trauma (that happens?). So I have to go to a chiropractor for the next six weeks to help straighten them before the soft tissue has time to scar.

The only good thing about it is that I don''t have to pay for it.

On the other hand, the appraiser came today and my car is externally not totalled. I have to have it towed to have the engine looked at to see if the radiator is indeed leaking, then we''ll go from there.

So, Nessa''s broken but will recover. Woot.

 

[Steel]

I am glad you are getting medical care but am very sorry this happened. Take care.