My 51 year old husband was diagnosed at age 3 with type 1 diabetes. He has battled this disease for 48 years. He suffers from most of the results of longtime diabetes. He has worked all of his adult life but now finds that due to the lack of any feelings in his hands and feet (neuropathy), failing vision and he's had all five toes on his right foot amputated, he is having a hard time finding work that he can do. I have been pleading with him to apply for disability payments and I've tried to explain to him that people like him is what it's there for, but his male pride is suffering greatly. Are there any other long time diabetics who have applied for disability that can give me some advice? Thanks in advance. N

If you husband has not seen a counselor at your counties department of vocational rehabilitation call and make and appointment now. They will help you tremendously either by helping him find a job he can do or by getting him the help he needs. They will also help with any assistive devices he may need. Look in your yellow pages or do a seach on the web for your states DVR and get that appointment made. If he is already seeing someone from DVR then go with him on his next appointment and mention your concerns to them. Good Luck.

I have an acquaintance who is blind and has no legs from diabetes complications. He had some wild times in his youth which caused the complications he deals with today. Believe it or not, this guy snagged a job as a computer programmer. He has special braille and voice equipment on his computer. He's been doing this for years and been making fine money doing it. He does not work crazy hours and seems to be happy. i don't know what type of work your husband does now or if he would be interested in computers, but perhaps this type of job could help the situation. It can also give him a better sense of self-worth. I am sure he is grappling with feeling useless right now, and being able to do something-perhaps helping people with a similar problem will do wonders for him. Unfortunately, I don't know how you break into a field like this, but I will do some asking around. Maybe you can also check with your local chapter of ADA for some leads if you and your husband are interested.

ccc

any kind of complication from diabetes that is debilitating definitely satisfies social security disability..even though you have tried hardest to manage blood sugars....dopn't be fooled..A good attorney should be able to win you payments for life

[Deedee..do you know the major reason why there are amputations..IS it because of infection or gangarene or what?RSVP

I'm not really sure, but I do know that most of his complications occurred in the early 80s when there wasn't nearly as much knowledge and understanding of diabetes as there is now.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by brfnewsman:
[Deedee..do you know the major reason why there are amputations..IS it because of infection or gangarene or what?RSVP

I believe there are several reasons working together that result in amputations. People with diabetes often have, or develop, poor circulation to the extremities. This means that the blood flow to the feet and legs isn't very good, so any injuries don't heal as well as in normal people. On top of that, people with diabetes also tend to develop peripheral neuropathy, which means they lose the sensitivity to the nerves of the feet and legs, causing them not to notice when they get an injury (such as a corn, blister, etc.) Between these two conditions, it becomes very easy to get an infection that just won't heal.

The good news, as always, is that the tighter control one keeps of one's blood sugards, the less common are complications such as poor circulation and neuropathy. Additionally, even with those complications, daily inspection of the feet/legs can sometimes spot potential problems before they get out of control.

I appreciate the advice and information. The amputations are usually the result of loss of blood circulation in the feet and legs. With today's technology it is easier for a diabetic to control his blood sugar levels and help prevent some of the long term complications. Most doctors have a problem with prescribing the insulin pump for children. There is an eleven year old boy in our area who has to drive through Fort Worth and Dallas all the way to Tyler, in east Texas in order to see the doctor who finally provided him with an insulin pump. There was not a single endocronologist in all of the Dallas Fort Worth area who would do it. Deedee, any info on how your friend got into what he is doing will be appreciated.

Hi julio, I have been a T1 since 7. I have lost most of my awarness to hypo's. I recently applied for disability and was denied, guess what everyone says is true about being denied at 1st try. Anyways, I now have a lawyer and am going to my local voc. rehab for help in finding a job that will help me deal with these lows better than the other jobs I've had. Be forewarned tho, applying for disability is no fast process but Diabetes T1 or T2 sucks and when the complications arise its time to look for help. As far as pride goes, thats tough, I look at it like this we are stuck with a horrible disease that screws with our body and mind on a neverending daily basis. We didn't ask for this but we got stuck with it and when the time comes that this disease really starts kicking you down it should be our right to ask for help and receive it. Good luck to you both.

2mnylows,
I hate the thought of having to hire a lawyer, but I guess it may come to that. It's a shame we have to fight so hard. Thanks for your words of encouragement. Take care of yourself.

I have been a diabetic for over 35 years and have had my left leg amputated and have had a kidney transplant..my amputation was due to a bad sunburn...then the antibiotics killed the kidneys...yes I know the diabetes didnt help either...

I am a teacher and have been on disability for 6 years..and now I am trying to get back into teaching...I live in Canada and going on disability was not hard for me...and yes I was a little to proud to do it also

saskia

[A bad sunburn..did it result in poort circulation..I have some Peripheral neuropathy..but I am dieing with both my feet..sometimes I don't even feel the litle burning and it is hard to work..did you know that Pn which can be proven with documentation qualifies for disability in the US...people without diabetes don't know how good they have it