Hello Marketta: Do you like that new moniker? I am sorry to hear that you were turned down. Wouldn't it be great if there was a machine that could connect us to others so that they could feel our pain? I'll bet most people would jump up and run away screaming if they were somehow wired to our nervous system.

Pain is the most debilitating of symptoms. It is what sends someone to the dentist ASAP when they get a toothache. Pain stops us in our tracks. Also, I cannot understand why someone young has such a hard time getting SSDI. Do you hurt more when you are older? Can a younger person with the exact same symptoms and disabilities just "suck it up" and keep on working. I think not.

I am 60 and can barely manage by myself. If I was 30 I still would bareley be able to manage by myself. I think our society paints all of us with the same brush - one size fits all. Youth = health and vitality. Male= strength and stoicism. A young man who cannot lift a carton of milk? Not possible -must be a malingerer.

It is good that you have an attorney. The next time you have a hearing, don't hold back. Let them know how much RSD has impacted your life and that you have difficulty just taking care of yourself let alone working. Tell them that you sometimes sob, feel depressed, useless, cannot sleep, etc. Be like you really feel when you are alone at home. Maybe then someone will get the real picture.

Sorry to ramble here. Lil