Ya know, Dream, I do believe you're right! I had never thought of that. But I got turned down at every step, had to keep plugging away (they hate that). RSD wasn't good enough, no.They then received the paperwork on the hiv, they gave no answer, just insisted I see a psychologist. It was after this that I finally got my first check!

I wasn't anywhere near depressed enough, though. In the last 2 years I had found God and a great man, my outlook was fine. I was a tough little broad, I guess. I had just been hurting so long, I knew how to mask it well. He was quite the doc, ended the session by telling me he thought I had been reamed for too long. He insisted I take a $20 he kept trying to hand me, lol... I've never heard of a dr. doing that before.

But as I exited, he asked one last truly strange question. "so, do you see the little people that live in the walls of our houses?" I gave him the oddest look, of course... and then answered. "You mean the Borrowers? I think they're really cool. They're responsible for all the little stuff that goes missing yet shows back up again later in a place you had checked 10 times. But they don't actually STEAL anything, it never leaves your home and they eventually give it back".

This is, of course, a book I adored when I was like 8, lol. But it seemed to be the answer he was looking for, and I left. That has always made me wonder what his report said about me, lol... but I never related that to getting my disability, stoopid me... I guess I was just so "broken" it never dawned on me that all my physical problems wouldn't be enough to count.

this story reminded me of when i had to be seen by the dreaded long termed disability doctors ... and they sent me to an ortho doc and a psychiatrist! i said ... what about a neuro doc or pain doc? ... but no they said. the psychiatrist wrote that i was no more depressed than anyone else with pain 24/7. the ortho doc said ... my goodness, what are we doing to you, you poor thing? ... and they still dumped me and i had to get a lawyer! i am not that crazy though, i fought and i won! joan

Hi - I applied 3 months ago and was told to wait. I know this could take a long time. I have RSD in both hands, so I wait. For me, it will be worth the fight. I tried to look at a number of jobs, but not one was handless. If I fail the 1st time through, I will keep on trying.

It's just like RSD, it just keeps going and going and going! But, we can win!

Hi Allen,

I do see a lot of people that I feel shouldn't be on disability around here. I do believe that we get mixed in with those sometimes and they can't distingish between the ones that are and the ones that aren't especially when some of us look so normal.

With me, I got beat out of my SS and ended up on SSI because of a lazy lawyer and I was so mentally distraught, I couldn't do what I needed to do to help myself.

My Dr. filled out my paperwork constantly and would have went to court with me if he'd had to but I honestly believe my lawyer was assing around on the golf course and just didn't care to go to court for people until he felt like it. I think it's important to find out what kind of lawyer you are getting. I didn't. I have seen so many people that won't go to him and he is actually known for being a good SS lawyer.

I like you would rather be able to work then sat here and do nothing. I haven't worked since 91. Even though I was sick in 87 I hung on until I got Susan through school. Bill was disabled already so I had to make sure that she got through school and had what she needed.

They put me down on my paperwork as obese. At the time we didn't know also that I was full of tumors. My Dr. is always giving me praise on how I got my weight down and kept it down. I always tell him it's because they took all of those tumors out of me that I lost the weight. LOL

I do look normal though to people. I do have cuts on my neck and they know by those that I have some medical problems but I have still had people ask me why I don't go to work since Bill passed. I actually tried going back to work 3 times before I got my disability and had to have surgery everytime. The 4th time I tried volenteer work and had to have surgery so my PCP finally said no more. I hate it because I can't work.

I see people though that actually do work while on disability and I know of 2 that just got caught at it last year and lost there disability. I see people going on trips everytime you turn around and out running around 18 hours a day. I do wonder about some people and how they get the disability.

It makes me angry that we are put into that catagory with them and I do understand why we are sometimes because some of us are normal looking.

It also makes me mad that we have Drs. out there that think even though we are so messed up that we might be able to hold down some kind of job. I haven't ran into that but I know a lot of people do.

I do get papers in the mail every year that I have to fill out to keep my disability but they pretty much leave me alone anymore because of all of my diagnoses.

It also made me mad that the depression was the only thing that they went by to give me my disability but I have heard that from so many around here, I think it's the most important thing to list on your SS paperwork and make sure you have the documents to back it up.

When you get your SS paperwork started, make sure you ask for copies of all of the paperwork from them, try to keep up with them and what is going on at all times, make sure you have a good lawyer if you get one. It's imperative that you stay on top of how it is going because they lose paperwork, send it to the wrong places and seem to misplace your case often. I see that a lot.

I was sent to a Psychatrist one day and turned down the next day by letter. I called and asked them how I got turned down one day after they sent me to a Psychatrist and she couldn't find where I had even been sent to one. It evidently came out of another state or office.

Do try for it though and don't give up.

Ada