I went down to the office this morning, by 11:00 AM I got a call that BOTH my forms, one for the disability and the other for my mortgage insurance were filled out and faxed.......

I won't get paid for about 2 weeks but I should get 3 weeks worth of payments, I have enough money to get us by BARELY.....

I don't know if they will be this way on future forms but I definately WILL be up on the office all the time when I need them to fill out forms.

Yea Cherie, it is messed up that the insurance company needs to keep checking that I am still unable to work every 2 weeks...........

Good news is that my numbness from my chest down is starting to subside, the pain I had in my shoulder blade has moved down to my right wrist........I must be on the UPswing from this flare, I foresee a few more weeks and hopefully I will be 75% better........:-)

What does your calendar say as to when I was going to get better....

i know that when I start the Tysabri I will most likely be almost 100% because that is still about a month away from happenning....

Thanks for all your help Cherie, it has made SO much of a difference and has kept me going throughout this......:-)

Thanks everyone else for your input on this insurance issue....

This board is GREAT...:-)

Thanks again!

Joe

Am glad to hear things are looking up MS and money, just be careful on feeling good dont over do it too soon....plus keep track of the cash and your taxes you might have to pay on it

every two weeks what if you got a FMLA form filled out would that make a diff? I pretty sure the letters go in that order I believe its the Family medical leave act.

hope everything works out well and maybe with any luck the cash will show up sooner

Well, you are at about 7 weeks now, and right on schedule for recovery.

Things may fluctuate a bit, and you may even have a couple-of-day-NEW symptoms that crop up over this next 3 or 4 weeks, but don't worry too much about that. It will be when you hit 10 - 12 weeks (about a month from now) that you should feel as good as you ever could have dreamed possible in July.

I am so relieved that you followed the same pattern as me, because we know the results aren't always so positive. Every time I talk someone through this, I pray they will not be one of the unfortunate few that never see improvement. From my experience . . . that you are improving exactly as I did, has always indicated that the person will continue to pretty much follow the same pattern to the end.

There may be some left-over symptoms too (probably nothing TOO debilitating), Joe . . . but you cam heal more as each month passes too (bit, by bit).

I'm glad I could help, and that you kept faith in "the process". It made 'coaching' you much easier, I can tell you that!! (The men are always easier. )

Good luck with the financial situation, and with transitioning back to work when you are ready.

Cherie

hahahaha, the men are easier huh........thats a good one Cherie...

I am happy that I am coming along just as you thought.......When do you think I could go back to work.......I know that even if I FEEL better I should wait a while to make SURE I am out of this, am I correct?

Thanks again for helping this "easy" guy.....LOL

:-)
Joe

Hey! I'm glad you're getting better. Your mood's definitely improved. Sucks about the neuro's office and the paperwork. You're absolutely right to stay on top of them for getting forms filled out.

Keep improving! Being on the upswing certainly has a good ring to it.

Well, I had quite different results after my second big TM attack then after my first, and it really depends on how you are feeling and how hard your job is (for the symptoms you still have).

Either way, I would suggest you PLAN a progressive back-to-work program. What that might mean is that as soon as you feel you can take things on, first try to achieve some routine at home.

What I did was force myself to get up early for a week, just like I would if I had to go back to work that week. I disciplined myself to 2 - 4 hrs of a routine every day, doing things that were similar to my job (like "researching" or "organizing"). In other words, I pretended I was working.

If I did ok with that after a few days, I organized with my employer to actually work two or three 4-hr days the next week. If that was ok, I moved to four 6-hr days the following week . . . etc.

You will not have the stamina that you used to, at least initially. Things will tire you out much easier, and depending on how quickly you jump back in to full-time, it might be all you accomplish in a day for 3 or 4 weeks.

It's hard to guess any of this, cause every time it will be a little different. Just don't lock yourself into more than you can handle fairly easily, but keep taking one step ahead.

You are "out of this" though, Joe. This should be the only time you ever go through anything as this severe again too. I just got lucky (NOT!) and experienced it more then once . . . but that is very rare.

Cherie

Hi Cherie,

My right hand and arm are still messed up and I am still numb in BOTH hands with pain in my right wrist and ahoulder blade, it does seem like it is going away in reverse of the way it came on, if this is the case I might have a couple more weeks or longer. My job is VERY stressful and I don't want to jump back into it without being 110%. I do believe it was stress that caused this from my job in the first place, I have been thinking about long term disability because the printing industry is so stressful and I do not want this happinng again but that is a THOUGHT at this point.

I would love to stay on the short term disability for just a while longer until I am TOTALLY ready to take on the stress factor again....thanks Cherie for all your help you are giving me through this....

And Gazelle, thank you also for the words of encouragement.

weegot5kiz, SallyC, NurseNancy, FinLady, Dejibo and Blessings2You, (I hope I didn't forget anyone), thanks to all of you too for your input, this board is SO great.....:-)

Joe

You are welcome.

It was most likely an ignored infection that brought this on, which usually happens when we are very stressed. That or jarring your spine. Those are two things we need to avoid; infection/sickness & taxing the spine in any way.

I agree that you should not try to get back into the game until you feel you are ready. It's once you do feel reasonably well that you would plan to PROGRESSIVELY get back to work with a back-to-work PLAN. All I'm really trying to say is that unless you are 75%+ when you try to go back to work, you will have a very hard time adapting if you try to go back right away to the 9 - 5 routine from the get-go. Do a shorter week, do shorter days . . . don't try to do a full week for the first few.

I think it was about 10 weeks before I was feeling about 65% pre-MS normal after the first TM attack, but I was back to work much sooner then that. I needed to work though, so I didn't have much choice, plus I was in denial about the MS at that point. I think I got back to 90% normal by the end of 18 months . . . and that is all I EVER got back. I didn't have any other notable attacks for another 12 yrs though, so this isn't necessarily a turning point for you.

After the second attack like this, I never got back to the office. I was able to work for another 2 yrs, but I did it at home and on flextime. I didn't heal so well after that attack though, and was left with considerable damage. It wasn't until I got on LDN that I would say I regained about 65% of my life back . . . but I was probably only at 30% for the two years prior.

Only you know how you are feeling, and whether you feel you can cope . . . but you need your neuro and doctors 100% support if you go off on LTD. They will do objective testing, and you will need to show even them that you are "disabled" to the point that you can't work. This is easier to do in the short-term (STD) then it is in the longer term, especially since you will improve.

My LTD covers me for life ~ well at least till I am 65 yrs old. I don't know about your coverage (hope it is for life?!) but a lot of the plans I've heard of in the US only cover for 2 yrs. Also, you need to find out what your LTD % coverage is, and whether it is taxable. I paid my own premiums, so mine is not taxable . . . but if your employer pays your premiums, it is. So, if you get 65% of your wages while on LTD (it is not the same as STD), then you may have to pay taxes too.

If you improve enough to want to work again, your company only has to hold your job open for X amount of time. If you improve to the point that your neuro says you can work, you may find yourself having to look for another job in one or two years. The next job will NOT LTD coverage most likely either, because you have a pre-existing condition . . .

Anyway . . . those are more long-term considerations . . . but things to look into.

Cherie

I can't believe that you have to go through all that while still recovering from a major attack. I am sorry that the people did not send the form right away.

You have received good advice so I am just adding my emotional support to you. Definitely they should 'overnite' (FedEx overnight) the check and any support letter to you or to the insurance companies.

Ask the doctor to have a 'priority' placed on any such documents.

Now, try to relax and tackle just one problem at a time!

BTW, I just wanted to clarify what I meant in my last posting, about being i.e.: "65%", "90%", "30%" normal at certain periods along the way.

What I am really talking about by those percentages, is my personal assessment of my "Quality of Life", compared to before the event . . . NOT overall disability level.

There are lots of people who would have an ongoing EDSS of 7 or so (which I only ever got up to during the TM attack period), and they can still work. They use a wheelchair, or there job does not require certain abilities to perform . . . so they CAN stay in the workforce.

Someone else might only have fatigue and cognitive challenges as their debilitating symptoms (no other notable physical symptoms most of the time), and they CAN'T work because of those things.

Since being on LDN, I reduced my EDSS one whole point to 4.5. There are lots of people who can continue working with that disability level, and others who have to stop working at an EDSS of 2.0. It really depends on how disruptive the symptoms are (whether we can make it through the day without a long nap, etc.), and if we are having more regular relapses (dependability, etc.), that determines whether we can continue to work or not.

Cherie