March 2007 Update
During a conversation with an officer affiliated with the Tennessee Disability Coalition, the woman was told that the coalition has several other clients who were "injured" by the indoor air quality of the building that housed the Cendant Corporation's Customer Contact Center, in Elizabethton, TN.
Concerning the woman whose medical records contain the following findings, would the reasonably minded person conclude that she has a psychosomatic illness or a physical one?
1 -Wheezing.
2 -Tachycardia.
3 -Hypopotassemia.
4 -Gruntled breathing.
5 -Rales and crackles.
6 -Erythematous uvula.
7 -Grossly enlarged turbinates.
8 -Erythema of the oropharynx.
9 -Edema of the true vocal cords.
10 - Adenopathy in the left postauricular region.
11 - Productive response in Spiriva challenge testing.
12 - A circumscribed nodule in the left occipital region.
13 - Thickened coating over the dorsum of the tongue.
14 - A firm 1x1 cm nodule in the right postauricular region.
15+ A couple additional findings consistent with Rhinitis.
Unless you are an avowed liar, the answer to that question is beyond obvious. Therefore, what right do corporate-funded attorneys and a corporate-funded independent medical examiner have in asserting that the person attached to those findings is merely mentally ill? What gives them the right to claim that she has no objective medical findings that would validate her symptoms? And her symptoms have included:
[1] a stinging tongue.
[2] shortness of breath.
[3] burning nasal passages.
[4] a metallic taste in the mouth.
[5] an adrenal-like stream throughout her solar plexus.
[6] headaches accompanied by the bruised feeling at the
cheekbones and temples.
[7] ice-like numbness pervading her upper-respiratory
tract (on specific occasion.)
Moreover, diagnoses given to her have included:
(1) Allergic and Irritant Asthma (Reactive Airways).
(2) Glossitis (inflammation of the tongue).
(3) Rhinitis and Turbinate Hypertrophy.
(4) Chemical and Irritant Sensitivities.
(5) Reactive Hyperplasia.
(6) Excessive Cholinergic Stimulation of the Nose and Lungs.
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Introduction
The corporation involved in the following account is one whose 2005 financial report marked its stockholder equity value at $11.2 billion. Net tangible assets were marked at $4.2 billion.
December 2006 one-line addition/update:
Until mid-2006, the corporation involved was legally known as the Cendant Corporation, of Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ.
Continuing with the Introduction...
The geographic region involved in the following account is Elizabethton, Tennessee. Cendant Corporation once had a place of business there.
The apex of the following account concerns a year when the corporation's CEO received $17 million in salary and bonus income. During that same year, $1.02 million was placed into the CEO's pension fund. And an additional $4.54 million of stockholder money was used to pay the premiums on his $100 million life insurance policy.
The place of work involved in the following account is a former coal tar pitch research center. The corporation no longer uses it. It was found to have minute sized monfilament fibers pervading the employees' work areas. And needless to say, the smaller the molecular agent, the greater is its potential to infiltrate and afflict the complex human anatomy. After all, this was the case with a number of WTC cleanup crew members exposed to the Manhattan site's pulverized concrete dust. It resulted in Small Airways Disease.
This account highlights a former employee of that corporation. She was in the process of loosing the sum total of everything during the same year when the corporation's CEO was amassing a multimillion dollar income. Throughout the account, she is referred to as "the woman." That is to say, her name will not be used. Furthermore, other persons who worked in the former research center reported symptoms similar to hers.
The corporation was advertised as: The world's largest real estate brokerage franchisor.The world's largest vacation ownership organization. The world's largest "provider of outsourced corporate employee relocation services." One of the world's largest hotel franchisors. And one of the world's largest car rental operators. Operations included the telemarketing of its services.
Not Even a Get Well Card
During her six months with the corporation, the woman highlighted in this account generated approximately $500,000 in sales revenue. In fact, her sales of hotel room reservations averaged $2,777 per four hour shift. And in return for her services, she was rewarded with a chronic disability. To this
day, the corporation has offered her no apology, while the corporation's insurer has offered her no compensation. She was not even sent a Get Well card. Instead, the defense attorneys and independent medical examiner involved in her workman's comp case sought to have her tagged with a psy-
chiatric label which can conveniently serve as an excuse for the severe illness which developed during her time of work at the former coal tar pitch research center.
day, the corporation has offered her no apology, while the corporation's insurer has offered her no compensation. She was not even sent a Get Well card. Instead, the defense attorneys and independent medical examiner involved in her workman's comp case sought to have her tagged with a psy-
chiatric label which can conveniently serve as an excuse for the severe illness which developed during her time of work at the former coal tar pitch research center.
She Had to Fire Her Attorneys, in their Gross Negligence
That is to say, she had to file a voluntary dismissal
The woman won her Social Security disability case a year ago. But, in December 2005, she had to fire the legal counsel involved in her workman's comp case. Technically speaking, she filed a voluntary dismissal. Her attorneys refused to enter into evidence recent medical findings that resulted from an October rhinolaryngoscopy. And in the refusing thereof was mention of the cost of entering the new evidence.
The attorneys furthermore refrained from emphasizing the woman's prior medical findings. In fact, they accepted as uncontroverted truth the averments (assertions/allegations) of the defense counsel. Such averments would have resulted in the woman loosing her case. And those averments contradict her medical records. Therefore, the woman had to dismiss her attorneys. As a result, she is without legal counsel at a time when she is in need of it. And she is in need of it. After all, when you have lost all, and remain severely disabled, you can't easily survive on Social Security disability income alone, especially when you have a child in need of your support, and have always been the only parent in the child's life.
HER OBJECTIVE MEDICAL FINDINGS
The defense counsel in her workman's comp case asserted that she had no objective medical findings to support her symptoms. And a "mental health person" diagnosed her as having agoraphobia, along with panic anxiety. Yet, she has over a dozen objective medical findings attached to her medical records. And such findings indicate the presence of a physical illness, and not a psychiatric one.
Furthermore, four board certified physicians diagnosed her outside of emergency room settings. And those diagnoses are much different than the one given by the "mental health person."
Two of the diagnosing physicians are allergists & immunologists, while another one is a cytopathologist (a cytopathologist diagnoses illness at the cellular level.) And the third diagnosing physician is an ENT specialist who is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. The diagnoses given to the woman came predominately from the fine-needle biopsy, the fiberoptic rhinolaryngoscopy, and ER room records. In examinations and testing performed outside of emergency room settings, the woman was found to have:
(1) Grossly enlarged turbinates
(2) Erythematous uvula.
(3) Edema of the true vocal cords.
(4) Adenopathy in the left postauricular region.
(5) Thickened coating over the dorsum of the tongue.
(6) A firm 1x1 cm nodule in the right postauricular region.
(7) A circumscribed nodule in the left occipital region.
Plus, attending ER physicians recorded the following findings:
(1) Wheezing.
(2) Tachycardia.
(3) Hypopotassemia.
(4) Gruntled breathing.
(5) Rales and crackles.
(6) Erythema of the oropharynx.
(7+) A couple additional findings consistent with Rhinitis.
Her diagnoses were:
(1) Allergic and Irritant Asthma (Reactive Airways).
(2) Glossitis (inflammation of the tongue).
(3) Rhinitis and Turbinate Hypertrophy.
(4) Chemical and Irritant Sensitivities.
(5) Reactive Hyperplasia.
(6) Excessive Cholinergic Stimulation of the Nose and Lungs.
Upon certain environmental exposures, her symptoms reproduce themselves in a predictably reoccurring pattern. Nothing about her symptoms is random. In fact, due to the predictabilityof her condition, she quit keeping a diary of her ills as far back as June 2003. Furthermore, she has been in need of filtered masks and air cleaners, as well as ready access to oxygen. In addition, prescription medications posted in her medical records are consistent with one who has severe asthma. Her medications have included Albuterol, Ipratropium Bromide, Xopenex, Levalbuterol Hydrochloride, and Salmeterol, Spiriva, Allegra, Accolate, as well as intravenous steroids.
And finally, keep in mind that she was exposed to obscenely inordinate amounts of toxic dusts at her place of work (as is described in her exposure history account.) Well, she tested severely positive for dust mites (in RAST testing), while having tested negative for every other type of high weight molecular agent (such as ragweed.) In as much, a person can
become sensitized to dust mite proteins as much as he/she can become sensitized to formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, phthalic anhydride, etc. In fact, barn workers have been documented as having become sensitized to storage mites.
become sensitized to dust mite proteins as much as he/she can become sensitized to formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, phthalic anhydride, etc. In fact, barn workers have been documented as having become sensitized to storage mites.
HER EXPOSURE HISTORY
(transposed from her diary)
THE FIRST 3 MONTHS
April 10th 2002 Health: Perfect
Mental Health: "Optimistic, inspired, forward looking".
She moved from Tuscaloosa, AL to Johnson City, TN. Jogged and walked everyday. Could go up and down the entire complex; a span of about four miles. Went to the library, to Bristol Stores and malls. Explored the local university and the book stores. She generally did what one does when one moves to a new city.
May 2002 Health: Perfect
She was hired by the previously mentioned corporation, and put into a two week training program. Near the end of the two weeks, she developed what appeared to be the flu. This included a sore throat and fever, along with body-aches and headaches. She did not complete the training at that time. However, after her health improved, her training restarted. And shortly afterwards, she was hired as a temporary and part time employee. During the last few days of training, one of her fellow trainees had an asthma attack. She noticed some stuffiness in the corridors, along with a strange chemical odor. But, she did not pay attention to this at the time.
Late June/July 2002 Health: Perfect (for the final time)
Her group was assigned to work downstairs, at the main call center. And during her first day there, she noticed a stuffy stale smell. The chemical odor downstairs was more intense than the one on the floor where she was trained. And she also noticed an inordinate amount of dust everywhere. Furthermore, on the cubicle walls were tiny and transparent fibers the width of human hair, embedded into the cubicle walls' fabric. In fact, the cubicle partitions had a visible layer of brown dust on them.And upon a slight tap, a cubicle wall would spew out dust.
The agent resource books were laden with dust, also. Picking one of them up would result in dust spewing out from the pages.The carpeting was dirty, as well. And pesticides were sprayed indoors, even with call center employees on duty. Some of the ceiling titles had apparent water damage attached to them, and within time, fellow employees would point out blackened mold to the woman.
THE NEXT 11 MONTHS
July/August 2002
Health: Alternating between well and ill
She began to get a dry cough. Things then worsened, and it became very difficult for her to talk on the phone. Yet, she was expected to take a new phone call every three minutes. She soon felt a degree of tension in her lungs and bronchi, due to the dust and the continual talking. She resorted to throat lozenges, Tylenol, and Robutussin.
While the HVAC system was being fixed, her crew was often told to sit upstairs. The chemical odor was still present upstairs, and in addition to that, free standing fans were run at the far end of the call center. She preferred to sit at that end, being the other end was an entranceway crowded with smok-
ers and cigarette butts. Every time the door opened, smoke would waft into the room.
ers and cigarette butts. Every time the door opened, smoke would waft into the room.
During the hot summer months, whenever the air conditioning was non-functional, this same door would be left open. And because of the obvious air quality issues there, she requested to sit upstairs. Her supervisor agreed. However, another supervisor spoke of having almost passed out when training new employees upstairs.
While working downstairs, the former employee had troublebreathing. It initially started off as a “choking” episode each time the free standing fans were turned on. The fans were laden with dust, and they were turned on frequently. The blowing air would agitate the dust in the room and propel it directly into the employees' breathing space. Many fellow employees began to complain about choking.
August 2002 Health: Quite Ill
When upstairs, the sensation of burning eyes was very much prevalent, as was the dry cough and the choking. Dust was on the cubicle walls upstairs, also. The woman developed sinus congestion, a runny nose, headaches, and a continual low grade fever. And she would get home from work exceptionally fatigued. Many of her fellow employees who were stationed upstairs had the same symptoms.
On one occasion, as she was going upstairs to clock in, her heart began to palpitate furiously. The staircase had not been cleaned, or if it had been, the cleanliness had not lasted long. Furthermore, the heavy chemical odor was present. And in addition to that, there was a strong musty and greasy smell.
Her hands began to sweat, her knees started to shake, and a tightness in her chest was making it hard for her to take in a breath. She was also dizzy. She went to her work area and clocked in. She then realized that if she didn't get fresh air soon, she would pass out. She went outside, and then to a nearby gas station, getting Benadryl and something to drink.
September 4th, 2002. First ER Visit.
Health: Declining
She was now starting to feel fairly bad on an everyday basis. She noticed that she felt better at home. It was only when she was at work when her symptoms were induced. This included the dry cough, the burning eyes, the choking, and the palpitations which would begin soon into the shift. In addition, her nasal passages, throat, and lungs felt as if they were filled with grittiness.This was the time when she first went to an ER. She was treated for allergies there, and then prescribed Claritin and Biaxin. She was diagnosed as having Allergic Rhinitis. The doctor noted on her records that she had a fever, rhinorrehea, and erythema of the oropharynx, along with post nasal drip. He also noted abnormal constitutional signs.
She continued to treat herself with Benadryl, as it was getting progressively difficult for her to work. After twenty minutes into a work shift, she would start coughing. She could now hardly speak on the phone, and the Benadryl made her sleepy. Her throat hurt and her voice squeaked, breaking off frequently.The heart palpitations continued.
A co-worker told her that he had begun to have these same types of symptoms soon after he had started working there. He also said that it seemed to be getting worse for him in 2002.Another fellow employee told her that he had frequent heart palpitations when at work, in addition to the dry cough.
September 8th 2002 Second ER Visit
She began work at 8 p.m and worked until 2 am. Throughout this time she felt a tightness forming in her chest area. She was taking Children's Benadryl and thought that this anti-histamine would be sufficient. Because of these exposures, she had a lot of congestion, along with a suppressed level of dry coughing. She completed the shift with much difficulty.
After work, as she was driving out of the parking lot, she began to choke. She tried to cough but no phlegm emerged. She pulled over at a gas station and called Emergency Medical Services. The EMS crew gave her a breathing treatment in their vehicle. It was albuterol. She was then taken to a hospital. The treating physician prescribed Volmax and an inhaler. In fact, he stated in her medical records that she was allergic to the work environment. And he noted the following: "Constitutional signs: abnormal; Tachycardia."
