After four and a half years trying to heal a whip lash injury, while still working, taking chiropractic and message treatments to no avail, I found myself at the end of my rope. I was unsuccessful at being able to function at work and had to stop all social activities. I had.no idea of what was happening to me. My MD. had no answers. Out of energy, headaches, blurred vision, general pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tintinitus in the ears, unable to stand or sit for any period of time... ... What a shock to not know what was happening. .

Finally searched outside of the Niagara Pensinsula and found a psychiatrist, a doctor specializing in medical rehab, diagnosing Fybromyalgia, a muskoskeletal disorder, then a second opinion from the Orthopaedic and Arthritic Hospital in Toronto in which the diagnosis was similar. HOORRAY! SOMEONE FINALLY BELlEVED IN ME. IT WASN'T ALL IN MY HEAD. Trying to find information, I heard about the ONTARIO FIBROMYALGIA ASSOCIATION which is no longer, so I later joined a local Fibromyalgia support group. Being a disabled person is a far cry from being an easy task in LIFE. There are days, hours, minutes, that depression sneaks in. Dealing with the past and present is a very testing situation. They say fibromyalgia was caused by automobile accidents, none of them being my fault... .one head-on and two whiplash injuries. When it comes to a time that you are ordered by the insurance companies to go for independent medical assessments ... look out!. They know where to send you. They sent a Rehab Consultant to my home, employer, doctor and an independent adviser who gave her opinion to each sector. She sent me. to a therapist who had a program just for me. After a day and a half attendance they edited a twenty page slash and burn report. Without notification from the Insurance Company I was terminated from my benefits. When I contacted the insurance company to inquire where are my benefits the answer was "Oh, you've been cut off". So my discussion with the Supervisor of the Insurance Company continued and I informed her who my Rehab consultant and Physiotherapist was. I followed through to make the corrections necessary starting with the College of Therapists. An investigation took place and the benefits resumed. Being it was a work related accident it happened to fall into workplace Safety and Insurance Board policies.

I worked four and a half years after the accident with chiropractic and massage therapy. Finally couldn't continue so I applied for benefits from Workplace Safety and they gave it for seven months. I was asked by the adjudicator if I was going to make a career out of this. She said, We'll just see about that".

After going to a Rehab facility with all my medical support from various medical doctor's stating my limitations, the Board sent me to independent assessment where they said this was unrelated to car accidents and to go home and take Tylenol and go to work.

Seems to me there's some house cleaning to be done in various areas. Here's a GOVERNMENT AGENCY pulling off inadequate medical assessments and getting away with being UNTOUCHABLE. I thought things like this took place in far off lands, not in CANADA. It's a difficult task to survive on fixed incomes. Never mind battling your way through an impairment that disables you.

Patrick,

PS. I AM STILL WAITING FOR A WORKPLACE SAFETY TRIBUNAL. IT'S ONLY BEEN NINE YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS. HOME FOR TEN, HANG IN THERE!