hi, kelly
wow what a relief this must be for you. i know the feeling! it took me almost 3 years to get SSD, too, and finally going before an ALJ finally stopped the horrible deny, deny, deny process.
i guess the upside was, it had taken so long that by the time that judge approved me and then got around to issuing the appropriate documentation, my 27-month medicare wait period was over and that kicked in as well
it were a freakin' embarrassment of riches, i'm tellin' ya, kidlll
ironically, this all took place a good 18 months prior to my TOS dx...
what's that? kinda backwards, you say? yes i agree, as is the curve in my cervical spine.
bent too, much like my mind. (correction, what's left of my mind.)
i don't know what your personal circumstances are, kelly, but if you can afford it, try to get one of the supplemental "medigap" coverage plans to go with your medicare, especially if you are still having complications from your TOS surgery (which i can relate to, by the way, for i have them as well and man! are they no fun!). the premiums are not too bad, and if you need the healthcare services will pay for themselves many times over.
so glad this finally came through for you.
god bless the federal gov't.
alison