Hi Pebbles,

Welcome to NT !

Very few people have an easy time getting their SSDI applications done and approved. Welcome to the majority.....all of us who thought our lives were difficult and stressful enough because of our disabilities, thought things couldn't get worse, and then applied for SSDI and had to deal with more frustration.

Have you gotten copies of what the SSA does have on you from your docs ? I'm wondering if your docs did an adequate job explaining your disability on the forms they completed. If your surgeon has pretty much washed his hands of you because your incisions have healed and your PCP doesn't "get" RSD, it seems likely that you could be missing detailed documentation that describes how your RSD symptoms affect your ability to work at ANY job.

The right decision for me was to get a lawyer involved before my case got to the ALJ stage. He took on checking what the SSA had or didn't have and had me request more info from some of my docs to help my case. The SSA sends information requests to each of the docs you list on your application, but if the docs don't send in the requested info, your case proceeds without it. If one or both of your docs were not specific enough, you can ask that they redo their paperwork to more accurately reflect your condition.

Good luck.