Hi,
I have a rare spinal cord disorder -- HSP, or Heriditary Spastic Parapalegia. I applied for SSDI in 2003 and was approved in 90 days. When I presented my application to the local SSDI office the gentleman that took my application said it was the best he had seen. On the ten page report, the first page asks the two most important questions - Describe what you have and then why it affects your ability to not work. They give you two lines to list this information. It is imperative to put "See Attached Narrative" and list what is wrong in very detailed, very descriptive, dialog -- how very bad this disorder or disease is affecting your life. Describe your WORST day. Talk about everything, don't hold back. Get gross if you are having problems with incontinence, talk about those lovely embarrassing things like peeing yourself. Talk about the pain. Talk about the emotional side of it. Even the stuff that only happens "once in a great while", like weird sensations or things your muscles do. Describe ALL OF IT. Overwhelm them with information - make them feel like they have it too. I stressed the parts about being unable to stand to cook or dress myself because I am really fatigued. How difficult it is to sit in a chair, get in and out of bed, or a car, to take a bath. Make it sound as terrible as you can -- but as intelligently as you can. I did not have to see one of their doctors. I did not have to go to any hearings. I had very good doctor information and that is also a key. I look at others who have probably worse problems than I who get refused and I can attribute that to not filling their forms out with details, details details.
Hopefully this can help those of you who may be filing in the furture.
Hope26

if you have a line item such as paralyses or blindness you are approved.
i also think some states are worse than others

I have HSP which is not paralysis. It is parapalagia. This does not automatically give you approval. I belong to a support group on the Internet and there have been a good number who do not get approved on the first go round. It is a progressive disorder and not a paralysis. I was giving advise to help all who apply on being sure to give details beyond the two silly lines they give you on their first two important questions...
Hope26

This what I credit my approval. I attached and painted an entire picture. I was a police officer and it affected my ability to protect myslef or the community, I could not kick, fight, hit, lift, drag etc....

I painted apicture of not using button when it asked if I could, I put use pull over loose fitting. No iron, stretch wear easy wash, wear a few times before wash unless someone is helping me do launddry, I can't switch from washer to dryer, often clothes stay in the laundry basket or dryer where the family has to yank what they need.

Easy meals, no big home cooking, take out, frozen easy to prepare, paper plates.
No movies hurts to sit, last one was the year before my injury, cape fear.

Friends don;t call they don't want to hear the whine. 'All the for real life stuff.

I appleid without telling any doctors, first time approval, I was in college at the time, noted case with office of vocational rehab.

It was a relief. I noted every test, where they were done, the address phone no. Every medication, dose amount and how often I take them, all on seperate worksheets. It did take me several days if weeks to finish the entire form, they called twice for it.
Thanks for the post.
Dianne

I applied for SSD and was approved the first time with no lawyer. My accident lawyer was impressed.

I included all timesheets, med lists from pharmacy, letters of resignation from the jobs I had to quit. I even sent my resume and salary history. Everything was documented. I sent everything but the kitchen sink. I also gave a complete copy to my physician so he had it should SSD contact him.

I know they tell you to only fill out the form and add nothing else but I don't agree. My diagnosis at that time was myofacial pain, fibromyalgia. I hadn't been diagnosed with TOS at that point. I hadn't heard about the form only "rule" at that time. I just figured the more info on me thay had, the more they would know when they got the ap. I don't know for sure what clinched it but I'm eternally grateful!

It helps to have objective information. My wife holds a record of submitting one page with tests done several years apart each showing her disability. And she got her disability. The lesson is: if you can get someone to measure your inability to work, that will help.

I wish it had been like that for me. I documented every detail also. I did this two times on my own. Of course with the help of friends and family. My own doctor had turned me over to the pain clinic, there was nothing else he could do for me. His last entry was that the patient is disabled. Sometimes it takes someone else to help you.

In Feb '05, about a week after my second lumbar spinal fusion in 10 years, the pedicle bone broke where the screw was inserted. They waited about 6 months before they went back in to fix it. They were not sure how to repair it. Then I was diagnosed with Arachnoiditis. They went back in and extended the hardware up higher two levels and removed the broken pedicle bone and screw that was lodged. I have permanent nerve damage in my hips, legs and feet. I can hardly bare for anyone to touch my skin on my lower back most days. I also can not sit longer than 10 minutes at a time now. After 10 minutes, a throbbing starts in my thigh and only gets worse until I lie down or get up and walk around. I also can not stand in one place for any lenght of time. The pressure on my legs is more than I can bare.

I had worked since I was 15 years old. I had my current job for the past 21 years. Of course it was a desk job. My friends filled out the SS paperwork for me because I had too much pride and could not admit that I could not do things on my own. I cried so hard signing my name, but it was all the truth. I think I cried even harder when I was turned down. We did it all again and followed all the rules and I was turned down again. My next step was the court room.

I knew that I mentally and physically could not go through a court session. I was on so much Oxycontin and Percocet along with antidepressants and lots of other stuff at night, I could not sit in a court room and have someone judge me. I felt like they had already told me that I was lying about my ability to work two times before. To have this said to my face would have put me over the edge of sanity. Friends and family agreed, I had had all I could bare for a lifetime. I called a lawyer. I went to his office, laid down on his couch and cried while my husband gave him all my paperwork. He told me right there that I would be approved and it could take up to 6 months for a court date. He said he would let me know when it would be. I would only have to show up.

I got a letter about 8 weeks later from SS telling me that I had been approved without a court date. It said I would receive my money in about 4 weeks and everything else that we are finally blessed with. When I called the lawyer, he didn't even know about it yet. They had notified me first! All he had done was sent in to ask for a court date. He told me that they pull and approve about 1 out of a 1000 applications from the court calendar because it is so full. Mine was one that pulled. I don't know if that's lucky or not? I didn't want to be there to begin with.

I've been reading this board and the old board for a long time now. I appreciate everything that is written and I'm sure it has helped me along the way. It's been 2 years since my original surgery and I finally have my life and antidepressants under control and don't spend my days crying any more. I do yoga some days and it helps me. I'm also on Topamax, so excuse the spelling and rambling, it also helps.

I hope you all keep on trying and don't give up.

Thank you so much for posting. (I hope you do more of it, you are very good!) I am now over 2 years waiting and am told it could be another 12-18 months. But when I finally built a fire under my attoryneys staff to check on my case this month, they found out that it's moving along much faster and might only be six months if SS continues to move at the current processing pace. The system is designed for us to give up and go away. Guess what, I'm not going away.

Thanks again;
Nancy H

Nancy, I think you hit the nail on the head! The system is designed for us to give up and go away. I think that's why if you go to the trouble of hiring an attorney, they know that you are not going away.

It's amazing how many people I overhear talking about "I just applied for disability". They are talking about it just like they are talking about what they had for dinner last night. It makes me sick! My friends and family also tell me of people they all know that have decided they would rather apply for disability than do anything else. Once they are turned down a few times, they forget about it and carry on with their lives as if they never applied. In my opinion people are using it just like unemployment! There is not a thing in the world we can do about it except continue to suffer and try, try again.

Just don't give up!