I was denied the first time I applied. Got approved on appeal.

My neuro, who's in Northbrook, told me there are only 2 reasons that SSDI is approved for the most part-back pain and cognitive dysfunction.
I was approved due to cognitive dysfunction. But after I got denied, he told me to write in very simple words how I am unable to work due to the issues with memory, organizing information, etc.
Did you have a neuropsych exam yet? If not, that should be on your list of things to get done. See if there are hospitals like Rush who will take your case for free...call around. If not, maybe U of Illiinois hospital will take your case...I know they took my sister's high risk pregnancy, even though she was poor.

Just keep trying. You need to tell your doc that you are trying for SSDI.
You need to tell your Doc why you feel you can no longer work. You need to tell him what your worst days and weeks are like. All that will then be in your records. Hang in there, sweetie

I got mine from cognitive dysfunction, but it was on the the third try. My lawyer was no help. She even missed deadlines, and when she was going to miss another one, I took over the did it all myself. They didn't even allow her her full payment,saying she had not done the work. She was herself disabled (not MS) and the MS Society recommended her.
I told them later when she was going to give a presentation that I objected, as she had not done it right for me. I am sympathetic with the disabled but she was trying to pretend she was not disabled enough to have to quit working as an attorney. I was disabled enough to have to quit working as a teacher.

I actually had much more serious problems than my mild cognitive dysfunction, but they paid little attention to those, as someone said. It has no relationship to reality.

I too had a test by a physiatrist and got my private disability the very day I applied. She wrote that I could do nothing. I could do nothing that day, as it was one of my worst days. She made a point of saying I was not faking. However, Social Security took another several years to award benefits. I fortunately had a husband and his medical plan.

I know the gov't is broke (more so now than then) and the situation is not easily solved.
But lying to make it work is a horrible way to do it. (them lying about what the actual disability is).