Quote:
Originally Posted by jana
Hey Dew!
Great Smoky Mountains -- are you in Tennessee?? Acccording to statistics I have seen on the net, Tennessee has the lowest disability approval rate. 
Can you speak clearly? If not, get thee to a speech therapist PRONTO!! It will probably cost around $100-150, but the resulting evaluation and report could make the difference between being approved and denied.
If you are having trouble breathing, your GP/internest needs to put this in his records -- a breathing test (with the machine) would be better, but generally, ONLY pulmologists or MG specialists have this equipment in their offices. If your internist knows how to do the simple breathing test -- having you count out loud to see how far you get before running out of breath, get him to do that and document how bad it is. ANYTHING like this will help. GET your own copy of these medical records and take them WITH you to the hearing.
I'll have to go look up the impairments list on the Soc Sec website and post the link for you, but basically, the "automatic" MG disabling symptoms are significant difficulty with speech, swallowing, or breathing OR significant weakness in your limbs (arms and legs) while on prescribed medication (Mestinon will do).
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabi...dult.htm#11_12
11.12 Myasthenia gravis. With:
A. Significant difficulty with speaking, swallowing, or breathing while on prescribed therapy; or
B. Significant motor weakness of muscles of extremities on repetitive activity against resistance while on prescribed therapy.
IF you can get your doctor to use any of these EXACT words in your medical records (IF these words are TRUE, of course), this should improve your chances of winning your appeal!
BTW, amitriptyline is on at least one "take with caution" list for MGers -- might cause problems, might not. I don't know about the other med you are taking.
http://www.mginc.mb.ca/docs/MG_DrugList_Final-1.pdf |
Hi Jana, thanks for all the info on your post. Yes I am in Tennessee, and those percentages aren't favorable huh?
As for speaking clearly...well today has been the 4th day in a row where I have slurred so bad that it was hard for my sisters to understand me. It seems to come in spurts. Along with the slurring comes the inability to walk. I do have severe weakness in all my extremities. Just typing these posts takes so long, because I end up hitting two or more keys at the same time.
I just got over pneumonia about 2 wks ago, due to me not swallowing so well. I am on the generic of Mestinon. Up to 60mg 4 x's a day now. I was dx on Oct 18th and started the meds that day. I have been unemployed for 5 yrs due to "something", and all the er rooms and clinics thought it was in my head. I initially thought it was due to my stressful job at first. I decided to take a yr off of work to take care of myself. By the time I should of gotten back in the work place, I couldn't. I was first dx with TIA's....which made sense. Long story short...I have not had the medical care to follow this. Only a few er visits( where my chief complaints were, slurring, right eye closed, and total body weakness) I had my sister take a pic of me when my eye was closed..that is how my doc realized what it was. I have only seen him 6 times. So I don't have alot of records. What I am doing is taking a vdeo record of when I slur, and unable to walk. Hopefully the judge will view them. They are over several days, with the date stamp on the video. I know I run out of breath pretty easy most days when I try to carry on any lenghty conversation. I am just now beginning to realize what this MG means
to my life.
Now I am overwhelmed. I I can't keep a good thought process, and I am trying to get all my records in order. One good thing is I looked up the judge I will have, and he has an 85% approval rate. I don't know what I will do if I get denied. I really appreciate your links. It is scary, because I have been living with different family members for years, and I do not want to be a burden anymore. I have a great work history, and was a single mom. Now i'm just scared. I will do what I can, but my options are very limited because I have 0.00 money...
Thanks so much
Dew