I am in a rural area of Va and my brother(47) had an avm rupture in August 2013. He had surgery and has been to several different therapy programs. Currently the insurance refused to pay for anymore therapy and has sent him home where he gets physical therapy a couple times a week. He only has use of his left arm. His physical therapist says he needs therapy everyday and needs to be somewhere he can get more intensive therapy. Insurance doesn't understand the it is a slow process and takes time for recover. They want instant results and stop paying if he doesn't progress to their expectations. Any suggestions of what we can try next? He is about to lose his private insurance and have only medicaid which none of the therapy places want to hear.
when my husband was able to move.. we used Gold's Gym (changed names now) he was put with a trainer and shown how to use the correct machines for what he needed to do... helped with straightening... reigniting the brain for using muscles ...
Hi, W - That is so frustrating! I've tried a few things from Amazon. I'm also trying to max out what Insurance will cover for me and budget things like personal training, acupuncture, etc. But at home I do or have done...
1. Buy a rubber bouncing ball from the drugstore. Practice bouncing, Holding with both hands, small throws; if he can only use one arm, maybe just holding and moving would be good - my OT made me do this as an inpatient.
2. Grasp a dowel or broomstick with both hands, raise it above your head, to trunk twists, etc. I'm sure if you look up "range of motion" exercises on Youtube you'll find ideas.
3. Squeeze play-doh. At the hospital they have chunks of "theraputty" - you make snakes, shapes, bury coins in there and dig them out.
4. Get an "exercise peddler" from Amazon. It can be used as a hand bike if placed on a table, and eventually as he regains leg function he can use his feet. I have one but now prefer a cheap but good recumbent bike I got on Amazon.
5. Chair Tai Chi - good for range of motion, using the eyes, practicing moving smoothly, breathing etc.
As my options for professional help have waned I've found ways to build a self-directed recovery at home. Granted, I will find and pay for professional expertise when I can, but I no longer feel as panicky and "Aaaah! Help me!" when thinking about being cut loose. bye :) atnt
If he’s a veteran you can get therapy at a VA facility or a university with medical facilities.
Wendy,
I would suggest an advocate. A patient advocate could be instrumental in helping with your case. I'm not sure if the insurance provider has one, but I would suggest you start there. Also, try with whomever provides the physical therapy. Good luck.
Greg
Hi Wendy - If it is straight Medicaid, it covers a lot, I found out; however, non-straight medicaid, not so much, as I also found out - the hard way. Anyway, it’s worth it to check which type of Medicaid you have.
I’m not sure what his balance issues or strength issues are, but I pretty much worked on regaining everything. Some exercises that helped me included:
-theraputty
-recumbent bike
-Nu-Step
-water walking with assistance
-arm bike
-theraband
-Also, you might check with a near-by university with an accredited communication disorder, PT, OT, etc. department who give therapy as training, etc.
Hi wendy I'm having a similar situation like your brother, with my son Roy. He also had an AVM rupture in August of 2013. My son was denied any kind of rehab or therapy because he doesn't respond according to them. You are so right, they don't understand that this is a slow process and in order to get anything you have to start somewhere, but they want instant fast reactions. They don't keep in mind that the brain has been pretty much reset. My son to this day does not get any therapy, the only thing I can suggest is what I'm going to try for my son is Acupuncture therapy. This therapy helps people regain movement and it might help your brother. I don't know if your state approved it this year, but here in California as of 2014 it is an approved therapy covered with Medicaid and insurance should cover it too. Try that another therapy im looking into for my son is Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy, this has also proven to help brain injury. HBO might also be covered if you take him to an approved therapy place. You can contact the Hyperbaric Oxygen association I know they have grants also to help people who can't afford it. I will be applying for a grant for my son too.
The state of Virginia maintains a website where you can search for providers who accept medicaid - https://www.virginiamedicaid.dmas.virginia.gov/wps/portal/SearchForProviders
Insurers are better about covering rehab provided in an inpatient setting such as this one - https://www.virginiamedicaid.dmas.virginia.gov/wps/portal/SearchForProviders
than paying for therapy received on an out patient basis.
I'm not very familiar with Virginia, which parts are considered rural however there are a lot of resources in the state for people dealing with brain injury as well as a Mid-Atlantic AVM support group and maybe people near you would be aware of resources that might be helpful -
http://www.biav.net/virginia-support-groups.htm
http://braininjurysvcs.org/about-us
https://www.facebook.com/midatlanticavm
Hi Wendy
Most therapists recommend swimming. It is very useful, but if you don’t have a pool, I would suggest a stationary bike. At the beginning you could tie his feet to the pedals and his right arm to the handle bar. Tell him to use positive affirmations or visualization and he will see the results. If there is anything I can do to help please contact me. I will pray for you and your brother. God bless you. Angie
How about bringing this story to a few newspapers or site, put the insurance NAME on it, so everyone knows about this insurance bull! Go also to some kind of advocate, that might really help you, maybe?