I have been thru 2 lumbar surgies i am now 51, i have had a spinal cord implant , and take up 8 pain pills aday , pain doc wanted me to go on morphine but i am scared , i worked as a retail manager for 20 yes and 2008 i went back for aporx 5 weeks after 2nd surgery i just could not do it so i quit for personal reasons , then had SCS put in, didnt want to burn my bridges .never giving up hope to be well again
i have now filed for SSdisablity, i also have moderate to sever asthma.
i just know in my heart i will be denied , because there are so many other people who are much worse off then me and were deinid , but i just can t work anymore do the dishes takes , half the life out of me sonme days better than others, is there "key" things to know if you might qualify? i filed on line , dont have a lawyer yes when do i get one.
thanks for listening to my rambling , i find many people of not most think you are a fake when it comes to back pain and leg pain

Try to hold off on getting an attorney until you get denied. If you go to the Social Security thread then go to SS guidelines it's almost at the bottom, I explain what you need to win. It sounds like your sick enough you just have to put it into the right words. Let me know if I can help. Take care.

Ohhhh nooo, there is no faking it ! My SCS is saving my sanity (i think ...?) I've only had it for 3 wks tho, but it is certainly helping with the lower extremity pain.

I'm very curious to know how your SCS is working?
Please elaborate!!

Rae

Welcome to NeuroTalk wdwgranny. I see that you have located the forums of particular interest to you. I'm so glad you've joined this wonderful place.

yes my medtronic works for some of the leg pain it doesnt cover any back pain which they told me it would not cover, i still use poiates to get thru and have actually increased since my implant , but io would not give back my SCS , i have just recently started having mod tosever pain at lead implantain site, dr has many reasons why but hasnt done anything about it . i have ot have it adjust so far 6 times since it was put in.
some people say it gave them thier life back , me it just , helps me get by which i am gratful for i have pretty much finally given up on getting better.
so that adjustment is hard to actually say i am disabled to an extend , hoping i can get ss disabilty as i really need the money to survie , i had to quit a high paying job which has taken alkl our savings and 401 retirment is now gone.

Welcome to NT

It is scary being disabled. You're not alone.

I don't want you to give up tyring to find things to ease your pain, or find something to make things just a little better, a little easier. You've come to a great place to find support, help, understanding and friendhship.

You have already got some good advice. I would just encourage you to write your US Congressperson. That's what they're there for. State your name, ss #, date of birth, address, age, current medical problems that will keep you from working for at least and over 1 year. You can write whatever you want. Also tell them about your work history.

Ask them to follow your case, inform you of everything that's going on in your case, and ask them to work for you because you're not able to work anymore.

I know being in pain 24/7 is miserable. We understand.

There's so much info here, I'm sure you can find lots of tips to help you.

See you around the board.

I'm sorry to about your problems and hopefully you will get the SS/disability you need. One thing I do know is you found the right place for support. This site has the most wonderful people!!

I do have a question regarding your moderate to severe pain at the incision site. Was that something that just started happening or have you had that pain since the surgery? I am curious as I have had the implant for only 5 weeks but have been struggling with incision pain from day one and I didn't know if this is something that will eventually go away or if this will stick around. I'm sure it is too early to tell for me but I was just curious about your situation. Is it an aching feeling, sharp stabbing pains, or more of a burning feeling? Sorry, I probably sound like a doctor asking so many questions!! Also, I had some bone removed in order to make room for the leads and a paddle so my surgery was a little more extensive than just implanting the leads. I know I need to be more patient and give my body time to heal. I just hope I didn't add more pain to the list of what I already have! Picky, picky, aren't I! Ha, Ha!!!

I appreciate your input and welcome!!! Please keep us inform with your story as it may help someone else who is experiencing the same things.

Hi.

Please believe me when I say you are not worthless. You are just in pain, and going through a very hard time.

I can only give you a gentle hug
and hope that Social Security comes through for you.

I also hope your SCS works out for you.

This is a very nice place with great caring individuals.

I do wish you well.

Take care,

Melody

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help. There are great number of fellow members here to assist as possible. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

Hi, and welcome to NT! This is such a great place with many caring and helpful people.

We're glad you found us!