Each Day Already is a Challenge

Monday, Monday

Getting out of bed was rather painful today. Sitting is also painful this morning. Hmmm.

I was exploring my files (and with my fibro fog, I forgot why I was searching!!!) and in my search, I discovered this link. If you think that here in the good 'ol US of A that getting Social Secuity Disability is easy, think again. This essay explains one woman's experience. Her's is not unusual.

http://www.frontiernet.net/~lindaf1/bump.html

Personally, I first applied for SSD in June, 2003 - with "just" my back and knee injuries. Since then, I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, IBS, spastic veins and arteries, palmaplantarpustulosis, thinned skin, depression, sensitivity to drugs and chemicals.

The disability advocate I had got sick and didn't tell anyone how sick he was. While I was sitting in an abuse shelter in December, 2003, I was denied and had 60 days to respond. Andre didn't tell me I was denied. He finally got so sick that he transferred his files back to his home office. I moved from TX to MI and the disability advocates finally assigned someone to help me in MI.

My new advocate didn't know I had been denied either. When we inquired of SS, they always said that I was waiting for a hearing before an administrative judge. That information turned out to be partly true and partly false. I was waiting for a hearing, but not with SS. The hearing was for a Michigan judge to decide if I was disabled enough for Michigan benefits - Medicare, mostly, since I was receiving $284 in disability income from Michigan just because I was taking depression meds and seeing a counselor. This advocate finally discovered that I had been denied benefits, just before I moved to Ohio.

I have a good attorney in Ohio, but I had to refile my application, since I had been denied in 2003 and didn't respond in the 60 days. I might have been able to get the SSA to reconsider that first application, since I never received the notification. (The notification went to my advocate, since I was in a woman's abuse shelter.) But my attorney and I decided to file a new application, using the original date filed as my disability date.

I was denied within a few months. SSA acknowledged that I had all of the problems listed above. But they thought I could be a secretary somewhere. When I asked my attorney if SS was going to find me a job, he just laughed.

I have considered making a new resume, giving not only my skills and experiences, but also listing my maladies and what they would mean to my employer. Like...not being able to sit for more than an hour without walking around. And not being able to be on my feet for long. And maybe having to take a nap or two throughout the day. Possibly bleeding all over my work, if I just bump my hands. Perhaps I'll still do that.

Now I wait for a hearing with a SS judge. And because of the backlog in Ohio, that could be another year or so.

Yippee skippee.

At least here in Cincinnati, I have doctors who acknowledges that fibromyalgia is something real. In Michigan, I saw one doctor from another country who told me that she would never, ever fill out any forms about my having a possible disability. She informed me that if I lived in her birth country that I could have only one arm, one leg, one eye and numerous other ailments and would still be expected to work at something. I kindly suggested that she might want to go back to her country. Another Michigan doctor informed me that pain is never disabling. Really? I considered wishing that he had a few pains, but, of course I did not do that. I did pray that God would open his eyes.

Well now. See what happens when Kenzie starts searching for an old file? I wish I could remember what it was I was originally wanting to find.

Oh well. It did remind me that when I listed my maladies I completely forgot fibro fog!!!