New Here
 

Hello all,

I am new to this thread I have spent time at the Social Security Disability sight and the Thoracic outlet sight. I have been a chronic pain patient for over 25 years my diagnosis is Chronic Myofascial Pain syndrome, Fibromyalgia, severe degenerative disc disease, carpal tunnel left and right, ulnar nerve compression,
neuropathy, I have had a three level fusion with titanium plate in the cervical spine, Carpal Tunnel surgery left and right, Ulnar nerve decompression with transposition, I have had thoracic outlet surgery on left side full rib resection to release the brachail plexus impingement. Im in pain 24/7 I take oxycontin , percocet, trazadone, xanax, cymbalta, etal. I from manic depression I have suicidal ideation and have been hospitalized on several occasions for depression. I filed for social security disability 3 years ago and it has been a constant battle I have been turned down at application and reconsideration and finally have a ALJ hearing set for February 25th. I am so scared I don't know what I will do if I don't win at the hearing. I just feel that I have lost all hope. My husband and I have been financially devastated trying to live on his income only we have lost our home, cars, savings everything. I'm not really sure why I'm writing just looking for support I guess. I am in so much pain that I just feel I cant go on I feel that I have lost hope. I have strong faith and know that without my faith I would be long gone from this pain. I wondered if anyone could give me hope for winning at my hearing. I feel that if the finances could get a little easier that maybe the stress level would help me cope.

Anyway thats my story please pray for me.

Beverley

Hi Beverley-what a lot you are having to put up with, I can hardly believe it. How wonderful that your faith keeps you going.
Have you enlisted the help of advocacy groups to get the disability payment?
We have them here in Australia so no doubt you will have them too. They will have had experience with this sort of thing and should be able to assist.
I also had a bit of bother trying to get off the dole and onto the disability pension. The medical examiner asked a few simple questions, then had me raise my arms up and down, turn my head and so on. I passed this 'medical' and was deemed fit to work. What he ignored was my medical history, work history, and the fact that I couldn't do anything repetitive for more than a few minutes, and often not for days at a time. My doctor filled in all the reports but to no avail. I went to a neck specialist, who wrote to a rehabilitation centre to see if any rehab would work. After about 6 months I still had no reply so i wrote and asked what the outcome was. He sent me a copy of the report he had sent the specialist who referred me, and this said that there was nothing that could be done as it was arthritis. I submitted this report to the disability pension people and the pension was granted immediately. So the doctors had failed to tell me, and I was unable to convince the authorities.
What this told me was that ordinary GP's carry absolutely no weight, and you MUST have clearly written reports from appropriate specialists.
This is where an advocacy group may be able to help-they should know just what you need to do, and what medical reports you need.
When you are as ill as you are it is unreasonable to expect you to be able to handle all of this yourself. You need professional help. They have all their experts skilled in deflecting claims, so you need to fight them.
I found that honesty alone was not enough. You need big guns.
Hope this helps.
My daughter has severe ME and has trouble being upright and standing. She pleaded with them to let her do her fortnightly report by mail or phone, but they insisted she attend, and wait in line for an hour or so. This would make her even sicker. She finally found a doctor who was able to convince them of her true situation-but it was a battle.

Hi Beverley, try this site.
http://disability-advocate.com/

Thank you for writing to me and giving support
 

Dear Peter,

Thanks so much for writing to me I feel so desparate. I am in so much pain just can't seem to climb out of there valley. I do have a new attorney I met with him last week to go over the questions for the hearing. I think that it is to late to change anything and I do feel confident with this law firm. I just pray that God will be with me and that I will get my benefits. I am so nervous about the hearing it feels like I'm pleading for my life. I don't know what we will do if I don't win I can't even think about the future and living in this much pain the rest of my life. Again thank you for the words of encouragement.

Beverley

Hi Beverley, I just looked up what ALJ Hearing means, so now I understand.
It is so unfair that people who need the most obvious assistance and understanding are denied it, and then you have to pay to get what is rightfully yours.
In Australia we have a different system, with rising levels of appeal.

Another example. My daughter is housebound, but still needs to have regular consultations with her GP. He doesn't do house calls, and she can't leave the house, so they arrange phone consults. That is fine, except that there is no medicare rebate for phone consults!
A fit and healthy person can go as often as they like to their GP and get free treatment for the most trivial things.

My seriously ill daughter has to space her phone consults out so she is well enough to do them, and has to pay the full price out of her pension.
This is so unfair and unreasonable that I have lodged a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. They have now taken it to the medical body for comment.
You may also have a similar option if the hearing fails.

My daughter has a chat group for ME sufferers, and some of them are too ill to even do emails more than a few times a year, and cannot make or receive phone calls. so how can they be expected to handle their affairs? We were fortunate to be able to get an advocacy group to contact them so that they can represent them at social services, and housing departments. I had to do the research and organising as there was no way they or my daughter could even think about it.

I have some understanding of what constant pain does to your brain, and I also wonder what the future holds. What will I be putting up with in 5 or 10 years???
Do you have a good pain specialist?
Best wishes
Peter

Best of luck at your hearing Beverly, I hope it all goes well for you.

I too have been where you are. I have lost my home, 2 cars and my dignity over my disabilities. I had to live in an apartment complex for 3.5 years where there were drug busts, ODs and other assorted reasons to call the cops. For a short time, my husband and I lived off of my SSDI and LTD benefits only. We had no car for a short time as well. So, I know about the feelings you describe.
I was very lucky and got SSDI on my first try. But it is a difficult row to hoe especially when you are hurting.
So welcome.:grouphug:

Beverly I won at the hearing level just a little over two years ago. I think I drove my attorney crazy...I kept asking him if he really thought I would win...he just looked at me and said...I wouldn't be working for you if I didn't think you were going to win...I don't get paid if you don't win...

You will do great...pm me if you wouldl like to.

Hearing today fully favorable
 

Hello to everyone,

Just wanted to touch base and let everyone know that I had my disability hearing today with SS judge it was fully favorable back to original filing date Nov 05, I didn't have to testify and judge gave a bench decision fully favorable.

Thanks for all the support. To all those waiting don't give up!

Beverley