In hindsight it is not only embarrassing, it was reprehensible and misguided treatment that forced me into a hole of silence throughout the years.  As it not only placed my mind in shock, but my body as well, leaving it to snowball into a myriad of medical complications that lasted years.

If there was a dirty, challenging, dangerous job to do, my name always seemed to pop up to race to the challenge.  My inner voice always told me, if I was ever hurt, because of this allegiance and dedication to my performance, I would be taken care of quickly and properly.  I came to realize, if you're on the front page of the paper one day the next day it was used to line the garbage can. What an ego buster. Yet, my stronger concern was when medical injuries were not being addressed properly and in a timely manner, I could conceivably end up cripple, and that one aspect surely put me into a state of distress with staggering thoughts of dispensability.

As I look back, it is very apparent, the more injuries I sustained, the more stubborn and stronger I became to push on to get where I once was, or almost. There were a few minor scraps, then the incident that started my lower back to spiral into a dive that I did not know I could recover from.  It was a fire rescue, where the smoke was so thick I couldn't see in front of me.  I felt the mattress and concluded that was possibly the root of the problem.  So get the mattress OUT.  Well, little did I know a 6' woman was standing on it, and it was certainly a chore to get them both out. Again not knowing at the time, she started the fire for attention, and it spread faster than anyone thought it could. So it was considered a minor injury, moderate to serious strain (no real serious diagnostic testing, just normal ex- rays), off two weeks, and then back on. But it never felt right again. There was that lingering discomfort.  So I was detailed to different details and had an altercation with a recalcitrant four pointed down tiny patient ( aren't they always the worst ones) in the jail hospital ward. That aggravated it to the point of earning me a trip to the hospital.  A week of diagnostic tests showed maybe I was 'faking' it? If you trust your doctor, fine, but there is no wrong doing if you question his reports, if fact a competent doctor welcomes the challenge.

 Back to work, this time to the civil division.  Worked in so much pain, at the end of the day, the only way of getting around was to drag my legs to get somewhere. I was taking so many pills and going to so many PT appointments, I didn't know if I was coming or going.  This was not of my doing, I asked to be taken off duty, and was ordered to stay on duty.  And when you're separated and have a 16 month old, you do as you're told, for your paycheck.  By this time I had four applications with the WCAB board through PORAC attorneys.  I didn't realize it then, but I was being punished for winning a suit the department had brought against me, and declined the Sheriff's advances.  Can't go any higher than that to complain. You might know him, he was fired from the Sheriff's Department and the San Francisco Police Department (Chief of Police), then traveled back east to do more damage until both systems back there let him go, think in the New York area, he name was Richard Hongisto, who has since died.

I finally took the option of changing doctors and enter another geographical area to get treatment.  That diagnosis was 3 prolapsed discs with left side radicularopathy (death and damage to nerves). I walked in the hospital, around 40 days later, in and out of the hospital; I had to be wheeled out.  Things were not getting better. This went on for four years, until I was a couch zombie.  I changed doctors again, this time to a chiropractor as I distrusted back surgeries. Things started to make a turn around, but the permanent damage had been done.  Specialists from overseas were flown in, in an attempt to render alternative treatment.  I must have gone to over 2000 PT sessions for the low back injury over the years.  Had sporadic relief, yet the discomfort lingered.  Even had the department furnish me with a craftmatic adjustable bed for better sleep, which did make all the difference in the world.  Mind you, all this induced a court hearing and battles with the City adjusters. I then went into modeling and instructing while I experienced some serious medical treatment and PT.  Can't sit still, I won't let injury and incompetence ruin my life.  Although it was a real challenge, it kept the body moving, which you have to do to an injured body. And since I was moving, many viewed this injury as minor, but the majority was not aware of the 24/7 inner pain I experienced for years in silence.

But the call of the badge entered my life again. It's true, once in the blood, it never leaves, and my career was cut short because of injuries, incompetence by others and manipulation of a system that was into retaliation.  I couldn't stand for that.

This time I performed one of the most dangerous duties I have done, and that was to escort jewelers and their product (sometimes between 2-5 million at a time) up and down the coast of California.  It was at a time the Columbian gangs were hitting jewelers (in numbers and with military precision) and taking the goods for the purpose of funding terrorism.  Did that for five years, and did not sustain one injury. Go figure

I was wined and dined to join this global security organization at the level of Lt. I was rather impressed with their set up.  The founder was an ex-FBI agent, and included its own security force at three levels of competency, own fire departments, K-9 units, worked a myriad of duties; embassies, nuclear power plants, airports, jails, oversea duties, and even train the FBI in specific talents. This, in addition to the normal security duties that were normally performed.  So, when I was three years into this position, I was promoted to field supervisor and elevated to the rank of Captain.  Around this time, there were a tremendous amount of takeover robberies occurring in California.  Our organization was chosen by Bank of America to handle all the banks nationwide. Our organization had to hire 1500 qualified officers that reached the level of the Bank's demands.  So, even supervisors who normally would not perform these duties any longer were thrown into the pit of working the banks until we were able to fill the required number of personnel needed to cover all the banks, and this was done in a month's time. From my previous injury, I had come to know the ropes avoiding any difficulties when injured.  So I had no problems for the first fours years.  Then we (I rather) had a altercation with a disruptive bank customer, (I was going in the next month for a procedure to finally correct the injury I had sustained years earlier) who manipulated the 911 dispatch system by stating someone was pointing a gun to his head, when in fact he was resisting arrest (148 PC), and the 911 dispatcher stated they couldn't do two things at once, so placed my Code 3 call for assistance (had headset on) on hold.  In the meantime this male with full force rips my right hand ring finger nail off, as I had a tight hold on him, and comes full circle and cold cock's right in my right cheek area. I mace him, but he moved just in time. I pull my weapon, and this unstable individual 'runs' out the bank.  My reaction to his behavior was suspect from the start, as the initial detail was to protect the bank manager, as she felt she was being followed home, and would be possibly kidnapped to be brought back later to rob the bank after hours.  (Kind of close to the robbery-kidnap that just occurred in England). He was charged and booked.

The troops showed up a bit late, and I will always put most blame of my injury on the dispatcher who took the call too lightly, and placed me on hold, as the assault took place while I was on hold. Out of the additional 150 customers that were in the bank, I surmise 30 were also calling 911 begging for assistance for me.  No one would personally get involved, I don't blame them, it was my job not theirs to control the scene.  I went to the emergency the following day, with again no real good diagnostic testing, but given a band aid for my finger and a remark of, "Your one tough guy".  That I was not looking for, I was looking for proper testing and treatment. So now I am receiving chiropractic treatment for my low back and now neck.  Six weeks of (while still working) chiropractic treatment and the doctor says it's OK now, but leaves it open for further treatment down the road if needed.

Up comes the trial about a year later, and I find that the bank tape is missing about 10 seconds (right around the actual assault time period) and the 911 tapes are not transcribed properly.  I am not at 100%, as I'm starting to feel a bit weak in my neck, and in the same year, yes, yet another medical problem arises.  I was called by the County health department, stating I had somehow contracted a state reportable Infectious Disease called Yersiniosis Entercolitica (the Black Plague's twin). This diagnosis was extremely difficult to pin point the time of incident, as it took close to two months even to get the right test to confirm the ID.  In addition to the low back and neck injury, this ID threw my system for a loop, attacking organs, weakening my  immune system, and was on antibiotics off and on for a period of three year, thus causing Candida to surface in my system (serious yeast infection)..  The final medical procedure completed with this infliction, was an emergency appendectomy last June, it had ruptured in the bag when removed from the belly button.  It most likely ended up sitting in that small organ. So all three injuries are playing havoc with me (ID - a probable human contact, or food fed while on duty most likely cause the ID to occur) and I'm testifying knowing the DA is not giving it her all in this assault.  I am livid. The missing 10 seconds most likely occurred to avoid liability for B of A.  But the worse has not occurred.  Several months later my mouth begins to abscess, I have pus pouring out my mouth, and if treatment was correct, I would have had to replace only the right side of my mouth, as fractures were found resulting from the blow, but it was not treated properly, so now I have NO teeth and two plates, with implants a possibility in the future.  One of my doctors thinks because now I have lost my balance, that the infection has entered my brain, and orders an MRI.  The MRI revealed the infection in fact did not enter the brain, but my neck is in real bad shape.  Three discs, two are the worst, are now compressing against my spinal cord with OPLL growing over them (that's hard cartilage, hard as a rock pressing again my spinal cord. I had a total of three MRI's, two CT scans, 2 MRA's, regular ex-rays.  Now, I'm unable to walk properly, as when I turn my head, I lose all balance, so now I can only look straight ahead for fear of dropping on the spot if I move wrong. To shorten this, after oral surgery, four extraction surgeries, two MUA's (manipulation under anesthesia) 3 steroid epidural injections to reduce the swelling over a period of two years I still can't keep my balance. I'm at the end of my rope, thinking my life as I once knew, was totally over. And I better accept it this time. 

Well, I wouldn't.  I said give me the best ENT doctor you know.  I went to him.  There is a condition called BVVP which is caused by three things only - age, medication, or trauma to the head.  If it is from the first two, it most likely returns.  When he performed the procedure on me, I thought I was dying, your eyes fluctuate violently, you get sick to your stomach, your B/P elevates and you have to sleep in a chair for three nights in a row.  Reason?  It's because of the blow, it detached crystals from the middle ear, and when you move your head a certain way, the crystals float over hair like sensors and plays havoc with your balance.  So he had to reposition those floating crystals into a place in the inner ear that contains a sticky substance and will be repositioned there forever.  It was successful.  I slept on my side and back for the first time in 18 months after a month of this procedure. Now we are getting somewhere.  I had to enter a gym for vocational rehabilitation to learn to actually walk correctly again, bend, stand on one foot etc...........and talk properly with these plates in my mouth.  And compensate for the loss of movement in my neck.  After a year in the gym, I have lost 80 lbs. (actually that was two years, my daughter use to get me up the first year and go walking) and I can do exercises that were only a dream a year ago.

So after 5 years, I'm back on the road to recovery, and in a Masters program for HLS.  And if you ask me, if I would pull the trigger today, after all I went through, using self-control then, the absolute answer to that question is:,  in a heartbeat!

All this is being done with resistance from the Worker's Comp adjuster.  I screamed enough to get one procedure done at a time.  I went to a total of 22 specialists consults, 2 QME's, depo'd for 5 hours, both the PTP and a QME depo'd and ALL conclude the same opinion.  All these injuries were the result of the assault,   4-07-2001.  I was fortunate. I had money to have these procedures done, and did not have to wait so they could worsen while waiting.  But actually that is illegal in the state of California, so now you have Doctors refusing to do W/C work when it is denied, because they know they can't ask for any money, and they won't get paid for a long time if they perform the treatment.  So, worker's comp owes me about $8,000.00 to date and believe me when  I say, I won't let that ride.

A final thought - even though these injuries I sustained were very serious during the treatment period, without the guidance from above and the talents of skilled medical personnel, I would not be in the shape I am today.  That is why I have such empathy that for those who were not lucky enough to be walking again after their injury. I pray for you, and I pray I don't worsen down the line, as I survived all these injuries and can still share them while walking and talking.