Question
Severe whiplash diagnosed by ER, right vocal chord blown (limp) right thyroid gland shredded into the muscles covering the neck area, requiring surgical removal 11-05 aggravated the vocal chord and nerve damage - surgery also straightened and realigned my esophagus, & thyroid isthmus and trachea; I still have facial tics on the right check, eye and nostril (trigeminal nerve) - double vision when tired, neck and shoulder pain, right hip and pain in the right side (rib cage)to dislocated ribs.  I had pancreaitis and gall bladder pain (I have gall stones) but that has healed itself (not the gallstones).  I had  8 weeks of speech therapy which helped control food coming from my nose rather than being swallowed, shallow breathing and breathlessness.  I have also been diagnosed with "Strikers' syndrome".  The GP doctors have thrown up their collective hands as I refused more prescriptions for blood pressure, seizures, muscle relaxers and pain medications.  I am now on synthroid replacement .150mg and have my carbomazipine down to 100 mg per day.  Other than still being tired and in a little pain by noon every day (probably 3 to 5 on a scale of 1 to 10).  We purchased a hot tub which definitely has helped (2 months ago)My question is - what kind of Doctor do I need to seek out to answer my current and future physical ailments.  How do I go about getting good - (not drugged) treatments.  I am 59 year old female, over weight, working on walking more and longer and improving my stamina.  I have joined a local Toastmaster's to give me a venue for improving the length of time I am able to speak without getting pain or becoming breathless.  I am not looking for an easy way out, I still work full time, (lost 2 weeks of work due to surgery).  Go to work as the pain would be there whether I work or stay home. I still get headaches, but they are manageable.  I do not want to continue to use a DR who just stares at me, and writes prescriptions to fix me.

Answer
Dear Diana,

Your case is certainly severe in nature and with extensive soft tissue damage.  I have seen very few people with as many ongoing issues and complaints post motor vehicle crash, unless their vehicle was crushed and they took a blunt force trauma.  

Can you give me some more information...I am not exactly sure what you are  and looking for since you are showing improvements from the speech therapy and previous surgeries...pain relief, functional improvement in muscular control, headache relief, or just want to get off all the drugs.  By the way, can you give me more information about the crash...how were you hit, what part of the care, where were you seated etc...

Please get back to me and answer the above questions, and I will get more indepth.  Hope to hear from you soon.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net