[finz]

Please wish me luck, keep your fingers crossed , or pray for me. I have my have my hearing in 10 hours and I am a nervous wreck.

I'd rather have my health back, but at least knowing I had some regular income would releice some of the stress my family has been through

[Koala77]

I was one of the lucky ones who got mine on the first try, so I wish you all the best.
Please let us know how you get on.

[allentgamer]

Good Luck finz!!!

[Friend2U]

My husband was just approved. But no check yet... It's been over 6 months since he had to quit working. I know how hard it is financially. My thoughts are with you!
~Friend

[echoes long ago]

good luck finz today! dont forget to look at the alj as you are answering his/her questions.

[tinks]

good luck

[karousel]

Best of luck!!

[thursday]

I hope it went really really well!!! Please post a follow up with all the details. I have a good feeling about it- you can't be denied!!!

[finz]

Phew.........at least it's over with.

I think it went well, although it wasn't at all what I had expected. I was very nervous that I would say the wrong thing.

I've heard that they ask you a lot of questions and then try to trip you up. Like....they could ask what I do all day and I could answer that I sit in front of the tv and play on the computer most of the day. They could then conclude that I could do a desk job for 8 hours a day. Of course there is no way that I could do that. I can't bathe or dress most days because of the pain . I do sit in my high backed chair with arm support so I can lean on an ice pack. I have to lay down every few hours. I read or play games on the computer, but it's my laptop on a table pulled up to my chair and I use just my index finger for the mouse. It's usually just a few hours a week, a few minutes at a time, that I use my left arm too for typing and even then I have to keep it brief. So I was nervous that I would say something without fully qualifying it.

It was much shorter than I expected. The only questions that I was asked were mostly the ones on the sheet that they have your doctor fill out on the form. The ones that say, out of an 8 hour workday. how long can you sit, stand, walk, how much can you lift, etc. I said that I could probably sit for 8 hours in a calender day, but not all at once. I have to lay down a lot. The judge wanted to know how long I could sit at a time. I said that it depends, some days I can't get up at all or am only up for an hour, but on good days I can be up for quite awhile. I imagine that it's like that for many of us.......if the planeys align just so, we can have good days and do a lot. The judge had to keep saying........"Not on your worst day or your best day, but on average or most days." Well, most days after 1 to 3 hours, I need to lay down for a bit. She asked the vocational consultant guy at the back what job I could do that would accommodate me laying down every few hours and he said......"None. That would preclude gainful employment." Then it was over .


I took that as a great ending note. My lawyer said that he thought it went well. He said nothing is a given, the judge still needs to see the medical evidence to back up why I need to lay down so often. He did say that if the judge suspected that an applicant is exagerrating their disability, they tend to ask a lot more questions. He said I should hear in 1 to 2 months

So fingers crossed !