Recent Injuries

[Matt Bryant]

I figured I should follow up here since starting this thread.

I finally found a doctor who had no issue requesting an MRi from my insurance since my symptoms were in line with the area of my back that I felt I needed an MRi for, which my insurance approved quickly. The MRi found four herniated discs in my back, T3-T9 with some slight compression stuff happening. It's all sort of wild to me but a lot of my shoulder blade complaints seems to stem from this. Really seems that a job I did in NYC during the early summer of July where I averaged a 13 hour day for 4 straight days did this to me but I'm crazy and I love the boom, so I'll throw a boom out during 30 min + man on the street interviews. (The crew was from Atlanta, they kept telling me I should move there... and from another thread on this forum it seems they need boom ops; I'm pretty gimpy right now though) And my days of doing the booming with a 442/744t combo might be over... Although, I did do some weird job a few weeks ago where I boomed a reality pilot for some reason, those four herniated discs would have still been there. Boom always sounds better than a lav to me so it keeps seeming like a good idea at the time, but my people skills go out the window after a day of that... day four I may have told the line producer I'm not that kind of mixer when they decided we were going to be walking around the city. I'm going to just chalk that up to not being used to working with herniated discs...

The recommendation of advil earlier however, really helped the crazy inflammation I was experiencing. I took about a week of that to get my body to feeling normal, however, Herniated discs in the T-Spine just keep causing inflamation so Advil in the evenings after some walking exercise helps. T-Spine herniated discs aren't going to be something your average physical therapist will have seen; they see mostly lumbar stuff and in NYC, PT people will try to see you as often as possible and play dumb without an MRi, the second doctor I went to kept saying we COULD do an MRi but really we'll probably just see you have a heniated disc, somewhere. I finally pushed him for an MRi and he came back at me suggesting I didn't know what I was talking about and that he wouldn't really know where to take the MRi.

I'm young, so I have to do pack mule audio since those are the jobs out there for me but I think Thoracic Herniated Disc injuries are just going to happen. Glad I have Freelancers insurance for this situation, it's been pretty crazy trying to figure out what's going on. But doctors, unlike us with our various diagnostic tools, aren't required to use the diagnostic tools available to really see what's going on. It's a strange field where, a best guess, based on input from a non professional; the patient, is totally acceptable.

But I believe NY State natives have it easier being on their parents insurance plans till they're 29? FIC PPO3 went up 6% again this year too and I know there are native guys working, not on CL, for absurdly low rates. I guess they're waiting till they turn 29 before worrying about paying for health care?

Anyways, there's a rant about that... I'm definitely going to be changing how I do things though, a 442 with a Pegz2 and PSC 10-pin breakaway cable may be going up for sale soon. I seriously love the 442 though, but a 302 may have saved my back. (EDIT: I want to highlight MY BACK since I'm going to possibly be selling this stuff and I don't want people in any way to think everyone will have back issues if they use a 442 in combo with a 702T or 744T(I personally could not get behind the 552 really); it's seeming, for me that back strength issues have stemmed from previous, severe, knee injuries that I had at the age of 9 along with running to school with a back back on every day for a few years{my elementary school was pretty close to where I lived}, plus growing too fast (6'4" at age 14, those california school desks aren't meant for the fast growing) that has probably made my back not the best for pack mule stuff, any UCSB men's basketball fans might know of coach Bob Williams, he had lunch with me a couple times since when I was at his camp, I think people thought it was crazy that I actually kept coming back to his UC Davis basketball camp despite clearly having growing issues. Bob Williams is a good guy, wouldn't be surprised he remembers me, if you're ever doing a job with him, hopefully he gets a D1 championship one day. {TMI(?)})

I also am just realizing I had seen Ethan work, I just went back and looked at the will.i.am Day in the Life since I remember watching that and seeing the audio guy in some shots, Kortwich looks like a good idea, I might have to look into them now. Hopefully I can talk to some economy friends over "winter break" to get an idea on what to expect with exchange rates. Core exercises are a big part of dealing with thoracic herniated discs too...

(As for credits of stuff and who I am, since I am young and lurk on here most of the time: I do pack mule audio and I have NDA's with some ad agencies. I also did the entire Fox News and Fox Business News campaign live in their studios and news rooms; all boom, rarely any lavs, really only used a lav for Mr. Beck. The campaign was something like Two Networks, Twice the Power, I took $600/day and found the Steady Cam guy with one year experience was getting $2000/day, since then I've been pretty paranoid about listening to producers when they say they only have $600 including kit; I don't have cable tv so I've not watched these ads that much, maybe you've seen or heard them {as for that bum rate I believe that had nothing to do with Fox News and that it had to do with the line producer for that job, as well as me not valuing myself and probing the producer for more information about the job, line producer just said we need some audio not really a big deal and "we have 550 for you" I ended up pushing that to $600 but that was it since he claimed, "there's not a lot of money on this project"} ...the job from the atlanta guys which may have broke me a bit, they were paying me 500/day with OT based on 10, along with a $250/day kit fee)

{EDIT 2: I am naive and was not aware of some 52 vs 695 rivalry. I guess there is an LA vs NY rivalry too. I have no plans to move to California, NY is where I want to be, I am non-union}

[studiomprd]

Fox's cable networks are non-union, and don't pay notably well...

[Rodney Morris]

I've had lower back issues for years. About 7-8 years ago, I was leaving my daughter's soccer game and we were casually passing the ball back and forth on the way to the car. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, it felt like someone punched me in the back. I went down... hard, and couldn't walk for several days. Literally had to crawl in order to move. It was terrible. I seemed to always have some lingering soreness. About a year ago, I started running, then swimming and biking (yes, my goal is to do triathlons). Since then, my back has been much less sore. Strengthening your core muscles will go a long way towards alleviating back issues. That being said, I would consult my physician before starting any of these exercises if I had a herniated disc.

[Marc Wielage]

About a year ago, I started running, then swimming and biking (yes, my goal is to do triathlons). Since then, my back has been much less sore. Strengthening your core muscles will go a long way towards alleviating back issues. That being said, I would consult my physician before starting any of these exercises if I had a herniated disc.

I once got examined by a doctor when I had some pretty bad back pain, and I told him, "of course, I'm laying off any back exercises for now, just to give it a rest." He told me, "that's exactly what you shouldn't do -- concentrate on more core exercises, more sit-ups, and do light back exercises unless you experience any pain." In my case, I had no disc issues; this was all muscle-related stress.

I'm in pain at the moment right after a shoot -- not from lifting a boom, but from slipping on a step while carrying some cases. I didn't hit the ground, but did twist myself but good. This is my standard deal: I don't hurt myself when I'm doing the work, I hurt myself when I'm not thinking about it!

Cold packs and hot packs, here I come...

Meanwhile: the whole "stress = back pain" thing was covered in great detail by a guy named Dr. John Sarno, with a book titled Healing Back Pain Naturally. Sometimes, just learning to relax helps avoid a lot of pain. (But don't ask me -- I haven't learned it yet.)

--Marc W.

[Matt Bryant]

Fox's cable networks are non-union, and don't pay notably well...

Wasn't really talking run and gun, eng quality field work there. But, A-2s in the studios seemed happy/relaxed enough to stay.

[Mark LeBlanc]

Today we are shooting on boats. The one my Cart is on is a barge equipped with a large horn. Yesterday I was at the front of the boat when someone blew it. It's extremely load and asked the first AD to alert everyone not to blow it without warning. Today a stunt guy was at the wheel when I was loading in. My cart was parked in front of the wheel house with the horn to my left. As I was securing

The cart he blew the horn twice. I within 4-5 feet of the horn and it blew out my hearing I yelled at him to f'ing warm people before doing that which he replied " blowing" and cranked off another horn blow to which the DP for a good laugh at. I've contacted the AD and medic to report the incident. Now 2 hrs later And I have a constant ringing in my left ear. I've put ear drops and Cotten to protect my hearing. I want to file a grievance with the union but was told it would probably be a workers comp claim.

Sometimes we work with Complete morons

(null)

[taylormadeaudio]

Mark,

I'm so sorry to hear that -- I would be livid... probably would have punched dude in the throat and accepted the consequences -- if you think about it, he could very well have potentially ruined your career... depending on the loudness and distance, you quite probably suffered some permanent damage.

I'm not litigious by nature, but if it were me, I'd definitely lawyer up in this case and go after the dude if not the production company. The first time, I could see passing as negligence, but the second time, as you describe it, is flat out malicious intent to do harm. ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSEABLE. This is your career, and your hearing is paramount to your financial well-being. This asshole just jeopardized that for a fucking laugh. I'd've fucking killed him.

(sorry for the language -- the more I think about it, the more pissed I get)

~tt

And you should DEFINITELY file a grievance.

[Izen Ears]

Wow, Mark please tell me who that was so if I work with him I can be careful myself and give a head's up to my producers that he sucks. There's only a few here in town so I just might get to meet him, and boy if I do I will give him a piece of my mind...

To my limited knowledge, you can file a formal complaint with IA and it turns into a court thing, but ultimately you might be able to get him kicked out. I'd go after him under a safety thing, like not being safe and also maliciously not being safe. IA doesn't want unsafe members so you really might be able to get him kicked out. And that would be SWEET and well-deserved.

Also you should make production pay for you to go to a doctor and tell them you're calling OSHA to file a case for unsafe working conditions. They should have announced it AND provided earplugs and that's production's fault. Then call OSHA and blow the whistle. It probably won't get you anything, but if will create a paper trail if you hearing is permanently damaged, so that in the future you will be able to verify when and how it happened. I'd call all three places NOW (doctor, IA, and OSHA).

I am with Taylormade, I would have probably done something very unprofessional, I can't imagine what but it wouldn't have been pretty. What a fucking douche I can only hope someday he gets his... Kicking him out of the union would be a start, but even better would be for him to have a terrible accident that was his fault and for him to be crippled for life. Fuck him and anyone else like him.

Dan Izen

[taylormadeaudio]

Wow, Mark please tell me who that was so if I work with him I can be careful myself and give a head's up to my producers that he sucks. There's only a few here in town so I just might get to meet him, and boy if I do I will give him a piece of my mind...

To my limited knowledge, you can file a formal complaint with IA and it turns into a court thing, but ultimately you might be able to get him kicked out. I'd go after him under a safety thing, like not being safe and also maliciously not being safe. IA doesn't want unsafe members so you really might be able to get him kicked out. And that would be SWEET and well-deserved.

Also you should make production pay for you to go to a doctor and tell them you're calling OSHA to file a case for unsafe working conditions. They should have announced it AND provided earplugs and that's production's fault. Then call OSHA and blow the whistle. It probably won't get you anything, but if will create a paper trail if you hearing is permanently damaged, so that in the future you will be able to verify when and how it happened. I'd call all three places NOW (doctor, IA, and OSHA).

I am with Taylormade, I would have probably done something very unprofessional, I can't imagine what but it wouldn't have been pretty. What a fucking douche I can only hope someday he gets his... Kicking him out of the union would be a start, but even better would be for him to have a terrible accident that was his fault and for him to be crippled for life. Fuck him and anyone else like him.

Dan Izen

+11

[studiomprd]

I read a lot of gut reactions here, but thinking clearly:

I don't believe the situation is grievable, as grievances must deal with contract issues.

There is probably "some" hearing damage, as hearing damage is cumulative, but after a nights rest, the ringing has probably subsided .If desired, a visit to a doctor is a possibility, and this whole thing (however major or minor) would be a workman's comp (on-the-job injury) issue (you were on payroll??).

In normal operations on water, sometimes blowing the horn, without warning, is necessary,(the horn is the warning!) and for safety, personnel should not locate themselves where they could be injured, so as a safety (OSHA) issue, the case could turn on the OP.... OTOH, if the person at the helm deliberatly waited until someone was in a "bad spot" and deliberately sounded the horn for no other reason than to annoy you (a prank), their could be an assault type of issue...

I spent a lot of time, over several years on all kinds of watercraft do a little show and there are a number of issues, especially water safety and boating safety, we must take responsibility for.

[taylormadeaudio]

I read a lot of gut reactions here, but thinking clearly:

I don't believe the situation is grievable, as grievances must deal with contract issues.

There is probably "some" hearing damage, as hearing damage is cumulative, but after a nights rest, the ringing has probably subsided .If desired, a visit to a doctor is a possibility, and this whole thing (however major or minor) would be a workman's comp (on-the-job injury) issue (you were on payroll??).

In normal operations on water, sometimes blowing the horn, without warning, is necessary,(the horn is the warning!) and for safety, personnel should not locate themselves where they could be injured, so as a safety (OSHA) issue, the case could turn on the OP.... OTOH, if the person at the helm deliberatly waited until someone was in a "bad spot" and deliberately sounded the horn for no other reason than to annoy you (a prank), their could be an assault type of issue...

I spent a lot of time, over several years on all kinds of watercraft do a little show and there are a number of issues, especially water safety and boating safety, we must take responsibility for.

Senator,

I understand a certain amount of playing devils advocate here, but seriously...

The OP says he was loading his gear on the boat -- tells me the boat wasn't moving or about to... I'm not a nautical veteran by any means, but it's pretty clear the dude was just messing around -- 1st time: one could probably overlook it, pass it off as an unfortunate accident or a slight breach of set protocol... the second time, however: CLEARLY shows the persons general lack of respect / safety / common sense / brains...

Mark might not have a grievance, but that's up to the IA to decide -- he should definitely still file one. I would venture to guess that the situation might be grievable due to the fact that the offender probably had no reason to blow the horn -- ok, devils advocate: maybe he was testing the horn (I doubt it, but let's even give him that much)... it still in no way justifies him blowing a second time (and then laughing with the DP about it)... it couldn't be any more clear. It was an unprofessional, malicious and spiteful action, possibly resulting in permanent injury -- injury to a part of the anatomy that is KEY to Marks job and therefore well-being. He should pursue the matter to the full extent possible just as a matter of principle.

I'd also like to know the name of the guy who did this -- I wouldn't want to be anywhere near someone that dense. Accidents don't just happen -- they are caused.

~tt

[studiomprd]

" possibly resulting in permanent injury " Mark should certainly see a doctor if he still has ringing in his ears, or even if he just wants a thorough checkup. Asuming the proper paperwork was done (employee, and the event is noted on the production report) this will all be a workman's comp injury claim, not involving OSHA, the IA, or the production. Mark is also free to persue assualt charges and civil liability issues with advice from a lawyer.

" up to the IA to decide -- he should definitely still file one. "

Members report issues to their IA locals, and it is up to the IA to file grievances on their behalf over contract issues. Individual members do not actually file grievances...

" unprofessional "

yes, and dumb, but there is a lot of horseplay and " just messing around " on sets, often dangerous; " malicious and spiteful " maybe, but I'm not so sure...certainly it :" CLEARLY shows the persons general lack of respect / safety / common sense / brains... "

" Accidents don't just happen -- they are caused "

Amen. Heard that on from my mother as far back as I can remember.

[taylormadeaudio]

" possibly resulting in permanent injury " Mark should certainly see a doctor if he still has ringing in his ears, or even if he just wants a thorough checkup. Asuming the proper paperwork was done (employee, and the event is noted on the production report) this will all be a workman's comp injury claim, not involving OSHA, the IA, or the production. Mark is also free to persue assualt charges and civil liability issues with advice from a lawyer.

Exactly, I'm just saying he should pursue this in every way possible, not just workman's comp.

" up to the IA to decide -- he should definitely still file one. "

Members report issues to their IA locals, and it is up to the IA to file grievances on their behalf over contract issues. Individual members do not actually file grievances...

Ahh, I see... file, report... whatever... he should pursue this in every way possible...

" unprofessional "

yes, and dumb, but there is a lot of horseplay and " just messing around " on sets, often dangerous; " malicious and spiteful " maybe, but I'm not so sure...certainly it :" CLEARLY shows the persons general lack of respect / safety / common sense / brains... "

The fact that the dude blew the horn a second time (coupled with what he said prior to that, as well as his laughter directly after doing so could only be described as malicious and spiteful as far as I'm concerned. I might give the guy a chance to apologize, but I'd have to be feeling pretty damn forgiving, and I would likely doubt his sincerity.

" Accidents don't just happen -- they are caused "

Amen. Heard that on from my mother as far back as I can remember.

That's funny Senator -- exact same source for me on that one. My Mom used to write insurance, so by admission her perception has always been a bit skewed towards the "liability" in a particular situation or action... probably saved me from a lot of broken bones as a kid.

I really don't think I'm being overzealous here though -- I'd love a few more opinions, as would Mark probably?

~tt

[studiomprd]

I've reread carefully and notice on the second day " a stunt guy was at the wheel " and will certainly agree that stunt folks should know better, and of course always be aware of and concerned with safety.

[Jim Gilchrist]

Sorry you're going through this.

You've let production know about the problem by reporting it. Did it make it onto the production report? If not, insist it does, and have the shop stewart check daily until it does.

Tell production that you need to take time off to go to a doctor even if you no longer have any symptoms because you depend on your hearing to make a living, unlike all those deaf stunt assholes that only need to fall over when something mounted on their body blows up or another stuntman pushed them off the building, etc. Reinforce that another employee of the company is responsible due to his irresponsible and possibly malicious action. Get the medic involved here. Stunt players are not immune from common sense and any producer faced with this as you've presented the situation would have fired the responsible party the day after the incident if not that day.

In the meanwhile, the sound department should stop providing hearing aid batteries to all the folks in stunts.

Best regards,

Jim

[Michael Capulli]

I used Bikram Yoga to clear up my chronic lower back pain - It still comes back when I'm doing a lot of sitting but at least its no longer chronic. As far as backs go... some of the instructors summed it up well that we generally are always bending forward and never backwards and this is how our discs over time get pushed out.

[Mark LeBlanc]

Thanks for the support guys. Here's an update and an answer for senator. I have some natural ear drops that a friend told me about. They relieve pain normally for ear infections. I used it last night and today with cotton balls. The pain has subsided and the ringing for the most part is gone. I still feel a pressure in it which may just be the medicine. I used protection all day today and really kept the volume low and left off the headphones off the bum ear. I'm heading to the docs on Friday for a quick checkup and don't think the damage is perminant. I had a good talk with the producer today and he supports whatever decision I wish to make. The barge we were on was on a private inlet in an exclusive area north east of Baton Rouge there was no traffic near us so the use of the horn was not needed. In fact we got complaints because we had actors screaming. The lesson learned is to always be on guard for stupidity on set. I've worn ear protection for many years driving, cutting grass and other noisy activities. Guess now it will have to also occur on set.

[Thomas Popp]

That is definitely heavy, but today's bags are just as heavy. I did a reality show recently - the bag was easily hitting 30 pounds due to all the wires and recorder in the bag. I also had to carry all the extra batteries with me in a backpack...

Working out is something that should not be stressed enough. Even doing core exercises and stretching a few days a week will make a world of difference.

Also, I read a book recently, called Super Immunity, by Joel Furhman. Most boring read I have ever gone through - but well worth the read and information. Literally scared me into eating better and watching the medicine I put in my body just because the "doctor tells me so"...

Back then, Nagra's were your only choice. A fully loaded Nagra with 12 D cell batterys weighed 17 pounds+. You could always tell who the sound guys were as they leaned to one side or the other from "Nagra Shoulder."

Eric