For what it's worth, I found out on Monday that my SSD application was approved on the first pass, four and a half months after I filed it.*

So I may be forgiven if I am inclined to accept what the current administration is saying about its intentions to reform the system.

That said, I may have been lucky in drawing the two professionals with whom I dealt, the gentleman in my local Social Security Office who interviewed me when I dropped off over 300 pages of documentation after filing electronically the night before and who called me on Monday morning with the news, and my case analyst in the California Department of Social Services, with whom I struck it off from the start. My thanks to both of them for the courteous and professional nature with which my claim was handled.

Mike


* I had delayed an almost inexcusably long time in or to file my claim, so long that my eligibility to seek federal disability compensation actually expired the year before I filed, but there is a procedure in which you can seek an immediate determination that the intervening years without gainful employment shouldn't count against you, so long as you can make a credible showing that you were disabled during the time you were not working. The fellow who interviewed me when I showed up with the documentation made that determination on the spot (a February 2004 letter from Robert Schwartzman, MD may have been helpful) and literally re-set my clock on the spot, both for determinations of social security and disability eligibility.

Where I had been receiving annuity payments since 2003 under an old "own occupation" private disability policy, I had foolishly delayed filing for SSD because I didn't think I could meet its more stringent standards. That is, until I was sufficiently aware of the impact of the CRPS on my organizational abilities and the like that I asked my psychiatrist if I had reached the point where he now considered me to be disabled under SSDI tests, and he said yes. Before filing I also confirmed that with my treating pain management physician, as I understood that his opinion would be most likely sought in the course of evaluating any claim I might file, and he gave me the green light as well.

Then it was just a matter of assembling records, including making records requests to places that treated me years ago. However, it was apparently worth the effort where my claims analyst told me that my assembly of the records meant that it was one less thing her office had to do, thereby allowing her to expedite the claim.

Mike, I am glad to hear of someone else who had their records when they went in to file. I go to my appt. on Monday. I have a stack of records from my family doc, rheumatologist, neurologist, orthopaedic doc, 2 pain management doctors, bronchial specialist, eye doctor, massage therapist, physical therapy, foot surgeon etc.

I am having trouble with the pain psychologist. She keeps saying she will send a letter to me, but has not. I just now called and asked again.

The letters and records say the problems I am having with movement, etc, and my diagnosis, but none say in so many words that I cannot work. That concerns me.

I have been complaining for at least 6 months about my lack of concentration and being unable to read a novel, or make sense out of printed material. No where in my records does it state that. I have been on Namenda twice because of problems thinking, but all it states is that it was prescribed, not why.

One thing I don't know about is should I make a note on the records when something is obviously wrong. Such as they say right arm and it is left arm.

Mike, congratulations! I am so glad to hear that your ssd went thru so fast. I think it was because you were so prepared and knowledgable.You definetly deserved it to happen so quickly, you help all of us so much with your knowledge and help us keep our heads on straight(If that is possible)Congrats again, Go and CELEBRATE!!!
Your friend Wendy

Congrats fmichael! :)

Daylily, Do NOT alter the medical records in any way, make your notes on a separate piece of paper if you feel the need to do so. Medical documents are legal documents and as such should not be altered in any way.Lisa

MIKE, CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy to hear your excellent news, Lisa

Mike!

I am so happy that the system has seen the light and granted you what you deserve!
I hope this brings you some peace of mind and in doing so lessens the burden of this life-changing disorder...even though we may accept the changes..
You give many people inspiration and encouragement with your good news!!
:hug: Many hugs from Hope4thebest :hug:

Lisa -

GREAT CATCH! (I missed it completely.) That said, I ran across the same problem when I was assembling documents for my application and came up with what was a nice little solution.

Last fall I was hospitalized overnight for a suspected TIA (transient ischemic attack, a.k.a. a mini-stroke). As with each and every hospitalization I had in the last few years, I pulled a complete copy of my chart a few days later: most places give it to you free of charge. I then had the "pleasure" of reading what a two-faced jerk was putting in the file, dictating one thing while telling me another. Primarily, it was just a matter of a staff neurologist earnestly listening to me; while his notes made clear that he had trouble finding me credible although he saw "no reason for secondary gain" on my part. No big deal, it ticked me off, but it was of no consequence.

However, another report by an internist was more problematic, in which I had allegedly "denied any edema." There were any number of problems with this: (1) I didn't see the internist until the following morning, the report at issue was dictated by his PA in the ER under the internist's name, (2) I would have never "denied edema" had the question been raised and (3) why else would I have been on at least 40 mg. of the diuretic Lasix every day, if not to counteract fluid retention in the body? I figured that what happened was that when dictating the report, the PA realized that he hadn't asked me about edema, so he just filled in the virtual blank based on his recollection of how I looked and, lying for hours on a gurney, there may indeed be little edema in my feet: gravity would be more likely to send excess fluid elsewhere. So what I did was fax a letter to the doctor, going over these points, and asking him to insert an addendum in my file, knowing that he would be unlikely to do it. But it didn't matter. At that point I had a photocopy of my letter to the doctor which I then clipped to the record at issue when I turned over my documents. Not only was my position clearly set forth in the record, but having been faxed to the doctor, it should become part of his file as well!

And in light of the fact that you have six months in which to complete the online application along with the far, far lengthier medical and work history report, with your benefits typically going back to one year before you started the application, there's no reason why, after beginning the basic application, your next order of business isn't to order copies of all of your medical records. That way you accomplish two things. First, you have plenty of time to spot and address any truly meaningful mistakes in the record: and even if the doctor never responds the problem may well be effectively neutralized. (Just be sure that you are sending out letters and therefore highlighting problems only if they truly matter.) Secondly, and as mentioned before, the more records you turn over the easier you make the job of your case analyst: someone you want to be on your side.

Finally, picking up on another point that was made, it is essential that you discuss the filing of a potential SSDI claim with your current treating physician(s) before you do so, on the assumption that each will receive a short questionnaire seeking his/her views on your disability. Hopefully there will be a meeting of the minds. But if not, and as loathe as I am to suggest doctor shopping, it may be time to move on and fully establish a relationship with a new doctor before filing, assuming that enough time remains for you to avoid losing your disability eligibility in the interim. That of course will not prevent whatever state agency contracts with the SSA to perform its disabilty evaluations from seeking the records if not the opinions of the problematic physician, but I can only believe that the "older and colder" the problematic professional relationship, the better off you will be.

Mike

I wanted to thank you for sharing this article.I found it very interesting. I am still waiting to see if I can qualify for disability. I am at the point right now with my fight that it has to go to a judge. I have been waiting a long time to see wether I will ever qualify. the disease has put me on a walker,and I can't get a doctor to diagnose whether the rsd has spread to my right arm,shoulder and lower back including my legs and feet. I get burning pain and just pain overall and loss of balance so I need a walker to help me keep myself stabilized from falling.I don't have much feeling in either hand especially all my fingers.I have pain just like everybody else but just can't get a doctor to diagnose whether it has spread. I think it has because there are a lot of symptoms that are the same as my original injury site which is my left,dominant,hand/wrist which has moved up into my shoulder including that entire arm.I deal with it every day and take one step at a time.I can't push myself to hard or I pay with more pain later but sometimes that is what I do because I don't want to let go of my old life where I could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I know I have to but I am struggling to let that life go. I do seeki psychiatric help which is helping me a lot but I still have a lot of times that I just don't want to release who I was to who I am now.If it is this hard for me I know it has to be tuff for my husband and my 14 yr. old daughter.There is a lot of stress in my home but I have to deal with it no matter what. I love my family and I will do what ever it takes to keep ahold of my family. They are my #1 priority.I love them more than this entire world and would do anything to go back in time and change what happened. We were so happy then but now it is very stressful because of the things I cannot do,but I try to deal with it the best I know how because I love my family.

Sincerely,
Tracy

Hi Screwballpookie.

I am sorry that you are having such a rough time. Here are a few things from my own experience that you may find helpful (or may not, but I will ramble anyway).

Three years ago I was completely beaten down by my CRPS and was ready to give up. Through a lot of hard work and proper treatment I have managed to bounce back a considerable amount. So if things seem terrible, do not give up, there is always a way to bounce back. You just need to find your best treatment and what works for you.

I can also relate to not being able to get a doctor to diagnose the CRPS spread. I had many, many years of various doctors reporting my CRPS spread, but it did not get officially added to my accepted condition until an IME doctor put it into his report years later. So again, it may take a long time, and it may be frustrating, but do not give up.

If you are having trouble with your doctors it is well worth your while to research and seek out the absolute best CRPS specialist you can find in your area. I did this and there can be an incredible difference in the quality of care that you can get from a top specialist. Being very proactive and searching out the best CRPS doctor can go a long way.

You mentioned pushing yourself and letting your expectations of your old life go. In my experience, while it is true that I had to accept new realistic parameters for my ability, it was also very helpful to me that I did not give in to the CRPS. Sometimes that drive to be what I once was, gives me the motivation to fight through the pain and expand what I am capable of doing. It’s a delicate balance of course, and different for everyone, but don’t let that drive to be your old self go away completely, it can be a very helpful motivator.

You mentioned stress and the love of your family. I have found a few things very helpful for me and my family. Once a week I talk to a therapist who specializes in chronic pain. While it may not fix anything, this is very helpful because I get to vent out all the built up pain stress to the therapist, and this keeps me from taking it out on my family. My family members also talk to my pain therapist when they want to. This is also extremely helpful since watching a loved one suffer with CRPS can be just as devastating for the family as for the person with CRPS. Sometimes a combined session is helpful because everyone gets to vent together in a neutral space, and it also helps the family to better understand the CRPS.

The love of family is just as important as anything else that may be done to treat the CRPS. For me, the love and support of my family has been one of the most important factors in keeping me motivated to fight my CRPS. Doing whatever I need to do to keep their stress manageable is very important. I intentionally isolate myself when my pain is terrible so that I won‘t take it out on my family, and so they won‘t have the stress of seeing me when I am in obvious agony.

I hope that some of this may have been helpful to you. Don’t give up, there is always a way to bounce back. God Bless You.

Bernclay- :holysheep: