Hi Pat,

When I became too sick to work, I went out on a WC disability leave of absence from my job. It took a year for me to get the treatments that I needed, and the rest I needed, for me to feel better enough to go back to work. You can go out on a WC leave from your job without regard to the Federal Disability end of things, and then decide after a while if you feel you are able to work again. A good attorney that is well versed in the laws of both WC and SSDI can help you with that.

In my case, my employer would only hold my job for me for one year. So I needed to go back when I did, or I would have lost my job and my family health insurance benefits.

Have you talked to anyone from your employee benefits group yet? Or are you afraid to? WC is really dicey. Insurance companies can be really evil, and not everyone believes you when you say you are too sick to work.

Ketamine infusions have helped me enormously - they are the reason I am able to work again. My RSD started from a torn rotator cuff and 2 shoulder surgeries, I had 8 stellate ganglion blocks, 1 lumbar block (because it spread), and 8 lidocaine infusions before I tried ketamine.

I truly wish you the best of luck. I remember how awful I felt when I first became sick like you. Don't ever, ever give up on trying to find the treatment to help you get better. And I would advise you to hire a really good WC lawyer to handle the legal end of things and then just try not to get too uptight when the usual denials and delays occur along the way. BTW, I use my regular insurance when WC denies my meds, doctors, PT, blocks, infusions, etc. My attorney has assured me that as long as WC denies the expense, it's fine for me to do that. I submit my co-pays to my attorney for reimbursement (which they usually need to submit in WC Court before I can get my $$ back).

XOXOX Sandy