Trust me here, things never really heal %100. Down the road old injuries rear their ugly head. I'd say use some standard amount, but that would be cheating you out of something you earned. Everyones time has value, some is worth more than others. Whethor you hire a lawyer or not one thing is sure and that is a lawyer is already involved. If you come up with a fair figure their lawyer will sign off, if they refuse a fair figure then and only then consider a lawyer to protect your interests, reinforce the fact that if you end up with a lawyer the fair figure will raise sunstantially to cover legal costs and the time associated with dealing with them. It isn't about how much you can get, it's about recouping loss, past, present, and future.
Boy, I hate to think about all my past injuries coming back to haunt me when I'm old. That's going to suck big time...
I do understand what you're saying, and that insurance companies are nothing but lawyers and CS reps.
I guess it's the "putting a dollar value on the loss - past, present, and future" part, is what I'm struggling with. My doctor continually reminds me that I have a high pain threshold. In fact, one time my doctor actually said to me "We've already determined that we can't rely on your pain receptors as a reliable feedback mechanism", after I hyper-extended my knee (partial tear of the MCL & ACL). This makes it difficult for me to determine what "suffering" really is, and what compensation for it should be worth.