Hello, all. This is a rather long post, so I apologize. What I am looking for here is some opinions on what you believe my chances of being--eventually--awarded SSI benefits. I have an appointment at the SS office on the 26th, and I am trying to prepare myself for it. I have read the stickies and other sites, and they were of great help.

The reason I am applying for SSI is that in last December, I woke up in extreme pain. I lost my job due to it, and I also had to quit attending school (college). I haven't been able to work or attend school since then.

Apparently, the main pain causer is a herniated disc at L1-2. It is impinging the nerve root and causing severe pain and some numbness in the groin area. The pain is debilitating, and i haven't found a medical treatment that helped yet. (Did physical therapy, medication, and epidural injections.) Sitting, standing, walking, and stepping up all increase the pain. I have to change positions every 10-15 minutes to keep the pain level down.

My neurosurgeon said he can't recommend surgery because my scoliosis has progressed since I was a child and it is the reason my discs are herniating. Surgery on the disc would destabilize my spine and require massive reconstruction which due to my age (22), he is really hesitant to even consider. He is also not a deformity specialist so he wants me to see a deformity specialist who is a neurosurgeon to see if that doctor can determine if surgery is an option at all. He also wants him to monitor my scoliosis progression. I likely won't see him until next year as he is a very high profile doctor, apparently. In the mean time I have this pain/condition and have no income whatsoever. I have only worked for 2 years total as a waiter and was told that I—obviously--did not qualify for SSDI by the SS office. So I am here at the SSI.

This is what my Neurosurgeon put down for me to take to the specialist in deformity when I see him eventually. I was wondering if anyone could go over it and give me their opinion on if it sounds like something that I could eventually get SSI for. I realize it is lengthy so ANY input is greatly appreciated.

---From the Doctor--

Has had known idiopathic scoliosis. Over the past year he has developed some left leg pain felt to be due to L1-2 foraminal/extraforaminal disk herniation, as well as some other leg pain felt to be related to some other lower lumbar degenerative disk disease. He has failed physical therapy, as well as epidural injections. At this point, he considered surgical treatment. He is unable to work or attend school due to his pain. He has trouble sitting. He has no right leg pain. He has no weakness. He has intermittent numbness. It is not present at rest. Symptoms are aggravated by activity. Pain is most prominently on the left groin, left hip, anterior, and lateral thigh. It does not go below the knee on the left. He has no right leg symptoms.

He has negative straight leg raise bilaterally. Non tender hip range of motion. Has 5/5 strength in hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, ankle dorisflexion, plantar flexion. He can heel-walk and toe-walk without difficulty. He has obvious scoliotic deformity with rotational deformity with prominent right-sided rib hump and left thoracolumbar hump. It is more apparent with forward bending. His coronal balance appears good when standing. The patient did have 2+ DTRs of patella and Achilles. No clonus.

X-rays demonstrate a thoracolumbar scoliosis. Could not measure, as we lack a device to do so, but appears to be fairly substantial. There is rotational deformity as well.

MRI is reviewed. He has a left L1-2 foraminal/extraforaminal disk herniation causing significant stenosis, as well as some degree of left L4-5 disk protrusion.

Diagnoses:
1. Idiopathic scoliosis.
2. Lumbar disk herniations.



--end

Oh, I am also under treatment for Depression/Anxiety and have been diagnosed with it since I was a kid. It prohibited me from attending school and led to me dropping out in 9th grade. I received state aid for the disabled due to it, and still qualify for disability insurance in the state. I still struggle with it, but it is really aggravated now due to the physical issues. I checked myself into an inpatient facility 2 years ago due to an elevated case of mania/depression. I take an anti-depressant, an anti anxiety medication, and sleep aid for those things. I have not yet spoken to my Psych doctor about possible SSI application yet, but I intend to.


Thanks, hope everyone is doing ok today.