Quote:
Originally Posted by moneymaker8
Hello all,
I am new to this thread I have spent time at the Social Security Disability sight and the Thoracic outlet sight. I have been a chronic pain patient for over 25 years my diagnosis is Chronic Myofascial Pain syndrome, Fibromyalgia, severe degenerative disc disease, carpal tunnel left and right, ulnar nerve compression,
neuropathy, I have had a three level fusion with titanium plate in the cervical spine, Carpal Tunnel surgery left and right, Ulnar nerve decompression with transposition, I have had thoracic outlet surgery on left side full rib resection to release the brachail plexus impingement. Im in pain 24/7 I take oxycontin , percocet, trazadone, xanax, cymbalta, etal. I from manic depression I have suicidal ideation and have been hospitalized on several occasions for depression. I filed for social security disability 3 years ago and it has been a constant battle I have been turned down at application and reconsideration and finally have a ALJ hearing set for February 25th. I am so scared I don't know what I will do if I don't win at the hearing. I just feel that I have lost all hope. My husband and I have been financially devastated trying to live on his income only we have lost our home, cars, savings everything. I'm not really sure why I'm writing just looking for support I guess. I am in so much pain that I just feel I cant go on I feel that I have lost hope. I have strong faith and know that without my faith I would be long gone from this pain. I wondered if anyone could give me hope for winning at my hearing. I feel that if the finances could get a little easier that maybe the stress level would help me cope.
Anyway thats my story please pray for me.
Beverley
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Hi Beverley-what a lot you are having to put up with, I can hardly believe it. How wonderful that your faith keeps you going.
Have you enlisted the help of advocacy groups to get the disability payment?
We have them here in Australia so no doubt you will have them too. They will have had experience with this sort of thing and should be able to assist.
I also had a bit of bother trying to get off the dole and onto the disability pension. The medical examiner asked a few simple questions, then had me raise my arms up and down, turn my head and so on. I passed this 'medical' and was deemed fit to work. What he ignored was my medical history, work history, and the fact that I couldn't do anything repetitive for more than a few minutes, and often not for days at a time. My doctor filled in all the reports but to no avail. I went to a neck specialist, who wrote to a rehabilitation centre to see if any rehab would work. After about 6 months I still had no reply so i wrote and asked what the outcome was. He sent me a copy of the report he had sent the specialist who referred me, and this said that there was nothing that could be done as it was arthritis. I submitted this report to the disability pension people and the pension was granted immediately. So the doctors had failed to tell me, and I was unable to convince the authorities.
What this told me was that ordinary GP's carry absolutely no weight, and you MUST have clearly written reports from appropriate specialists.
This is where an advocacy group may be able to help-they should know just what you need to do, and what medical reports you need.
When you are as ill as you are it is unreasonable to expect you to be able to handle all of this yourself. You need professional help. They have all their experts skilled in deflecting claims, so you need to fight them.
I found that honesty alone was not enough. You need big guns.
Hope this helps.
My daughter has severe ME and has trouble being upright and standing. She pleaded with them to let her do her fortnightly report by mail or phone, but they insisted she attend, and wait in line for an hour or so. This would make her even sicker. She finally found a doctor who was able to convince them of her true situation-but it was a battle.