well I was very nervous about this appt today...my bp was the highest it has ever been. The dr was very nice! I was surprised as another patient left the waiting area when asked if he would mind this doc instead of who he was scheduled to see....he said he didn't like his manners.... however he did make me cry once....when he asked me about my depression and how this is effecting my daughter....it was like he actually GOT IT!
In the end all he does is submit a report of the exam....he said he hopes it can help but fibro is a difficult one....now I just have to wait.....again!
I have a feeling this may vary by state. It took nearly a full month and a half after I saw the SSDI doc and psychiatrist (did they send you to both of those?) before I got my decision. It may be you only had to see the one doctor because I also have depression/anxiety and panic disorder that goes along with my fibro and RA? Or maybe that also varies by state. Who knows with these government agencies. :-)
I had to giggle when you mentioned your blood pressure being high, because mine has always run very low - all my life it has run low. But at my appointment the nurse took my pressure and she said, "Has anyone ever told you you're pre-hypertensive?" I looked at her (must have been that deer in the headlights look!) and said, "HUH?" lol
I know the waiting is tough but hang in there. Our fingers are crossed for you!
I was denied twice without ever seeing a SS doc. I finally got a hearing at the fed level with a live judge and was given immediate approval. It usually takes up to 60 days to hear back. You can contact SS and ask them about your case and what has been turned in and completed. In spite of the spinal chord damage, arthritis, and ddd, the judge really seemed sympathetic to the fibro! He asked me several questions that indicated he had seen a lot of people with it and seemed understanding! Wow! Good luck to you, keep on trying if you get denied. It is quite common to have to keep appealing until you get to come before a judge.
Mim Gregg
I got a call this morning from the Disability reviewer....he said he got the report from their doc & asked me questions about depression as that doc noted it....the reviewer is going to consult with someone to see if i need to go see their pysch dr or if the reg doc last week was good enough.....so fingers crossed that i dont have to go again......I would love to just here "you've jumped through enough hoops...you're approved!!"
I got a call this morning from the Disability reviewer....he said he got the report from their doc & asked me questions about depression as that doc noted it....the reviewer is going to consult with someone to see if i need to go see their pysch dr or if the reg doc last week was good enough.....so fingers crossed that i dont have to go again......I would love to just here "you've jumped through enough hoops...you're approved!!"
Either way, it's good news that someone is actively reviewing your case and getting in touch with you personally! Geez, in Indiana I'm sure I would have gotten a letter and it would have taken a couple months to get that!
Sounds like they're on the right track with you - keeping my fingers crossed!!
I seen I guess reg Dr---although mine went through on 20 plus years of depression---I was starting down the road of hunting MS and Fibro but I really had a good dr. he said he did not make a decision one way or the other, just fill in the blanks. however my counselor said they do.
I also had two of my children write letters and a very good friend (don't know if that made a difference--but it doesn't hurt.
__________________
Donna
Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet,when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
well, its been a week since the phone call so I called today to see if I would have to go see another doc.... I was told by a rep that its unlikely as my claim is in the "finalzation stage" and should mail by the end of the week. I asked if that meant I was denied, but was told she couldn't release that info over the phone....so I'm guessing I was denied. About 2 hours lateer the gentleman working on it left me a vm stating he could not send me the docs report but would send it to my doc so he can review it with me.....so waiting yet again!!
It took 6 months from the time i applied for ssdi until i was approved by mail. No one ever called me about anything. I saw a psychologist. I cried during the appointment just because i was so stressed out. No one notified be by phone. I received some back pay too and my step daughter received benefits also even though she didn't live with me. I live in illinois. I was told that i would have another review in 3 years but it has been 5 and i still haven't heard anything. I tried to go back to work twice, but i just couldn't do it. during that time i received my ssdi benefits. also i had 8 years of psychiatric notes and 4 months of fibro notes from 2 or 3 doctors.
I stressed a whole lot waiting for the decision and kept throwing myself into pain and fibrofog flares. It's hard to do but try to let it go until you are notified. the worst thing that can happen is that you will be denied and you can appeal. Try not to worry or obsess over it.
I am sooo sorry! Honey, immediately reapply. I was denied twice and finally got a ALJ hearing before a judge. He had reviewed my file and I was finally awarded disability on the spot. I applied June 06 and got the approval February 09. I know it is devastating, but don't give up! My judge was angry I had not been awarded immediately as they had the same information he had. It seems they try to discourage us in the hopes we will not pursue it. I had to pursue it as I am a single mom and had not worked since Oct 05. Hang in there and keep trying!
Mim Gregg
I have recently started the process. I have heard how hard this could be. but, I am not going it alone. I have enlisted the help of a private company who prescreens you over the phone to determine if you are eligible to apply. they ONLY get paid if you win and they get paid directly from the government. They get 25% or $6000.00, which ever is less. It comes out of your reto award. Everything is done over the phone and mail.
I had to wait a week before they called to tell me they would represent me. The hold up is I am currently able to collect unemployment. I am also a single mom of two teenagers. I don't have a choice. I am unemployed because my Fibro interfered with my job so much. I was in all commissioned sales. Obviously my sales figures suffered.
I don't have the phone number near me, but if anyone wants the name of the company, it's Freedom Disability. Oh, did I mention, if you are denied, they don't get paid. I hope this may help.
I wouldn't hire a law firm unless denied. Initially they can do no more than you can. Why let them take 25%? If you create a good dialog with your adjudicator, you can be updated along the way, and actively get the records if your drs. are not being timely in sending them in. It is really not a lot of work.
IF denied, then the lawyers get actively involved and THEN they earn their $$
I have a feeling this may vary by state. It took nearly a full month and a half after I saw the SSDI doc and psychiatrist (did they send you to both of those?) before I got my decision. It may be you only had to see the one doctor because I also have depression/anxiety and panic disorder that goes along with my fibro and RA? Or maybe that also varies by state. Who knows with these government agencies. :-)
I had to giggle when you mentioned your blood pressure being high, because mine has always run very low - all my life it has run low. But at my appointment the nurse took my pressure and she said, "Has anyone ever told you you're pre-hypertensive?" I looked at her (must have been that deer in the headlights look!) and said, "HUH?" lol
I know the waiting is tough but hang in there. Our fingers are crossed for you!
I have an appointment with a doctor on the 28th from The Division of Disability Determination Servicesa and I was told in the letter it would be an exam and blood studies. I've had just every type of blood test you can imagine in the last year all thru the facility where this doctor is going to meet me...why take more blood? I just had blood work done yesterday for that matter. I won't have any blood left!! I see a shrink 9-21 because I too have depression issues and anxiety and a little panic thrown in for good measure. Do they think that having this condition and losing the ability to do every single thing in life that gives you any pleasure at all isn't going to be depressing?? That and living with constant pain 24/7/365?? Oh yeah, I am just a little depressed. The shrink I can deal with...it's this doctor on the 28th that has me freaking out...oh yeah, did I mention I have big time ANXIETY?? All this isn't helping me. It's just stressing me out more. I hope I hear something favorable after these doctor's visits. The lawyer filed my claim on 12/22/08 and I've been waiting since then.
Take care,
Sharon
I wouldn't hire a law firm unless denied. Initially they can do no more than you can. Why let them take 25%? If you create a good dialog with your adjudicator, you can be updated along the way, and actively get the records if your drs. are not being timely in sending them in. It is really not a lot of work.
IF denied, then the lawyers get actively involved and THEN they earn their $$
I had a lawyer do all the filing for me because my fog is just too bad to go through all those papers and have them done in any reasonable amount of time. It was all too much for me. I had no choice but to get someone to handle it for me. I thought it was the best way to go and I'm not sorry I have them.
sharon
I went with a disability advocate private company, best thing I could have done since there was no way I could have filled out the paperwork myself, just to much. I got approved 3 months after applying, had many issues not just fibro. Best decision I could have made, well worth the fees, they held my hand every step of the way, which I needed. I was prepared to wait forever and be denied at first, just didn't happen. Their screening of applicants helps assure the ssa that the applicant has case. I would whole-heartedly recommend representation from my experience.
I have already had my appt. w/ Social Security's dr. and shrink and both were the biggest joke. The medical dr. would not let me talk except when he asked me a direct question and then if I tried to get real descriptive, he cut me off. He then gave me what seemed like a DWI test on the side of the road by walking back and forth across the room on my tip toes and holding my arms out in front of me and on the side of me. The only thing I think that impressed him was all the bottles of my meds for my various health issues.
As for the shrink, when I got there, it wasn't a doctors office, but a room with a desk and 2 chairs that was rented in an office bldg. I had an 8:30 am appt., but no one showed up until 8:45 am. It turned out not to be the doctor, but some assistant who had a few pages with questions she asked me and wrote my replies on.
Both exams were definitely not done for my benefit, but that of Soc. Sec. I was denied twice and I'm not waiting to get my hearing date to appear before a judge.
One thing that I did recently to help my case since none of my drs. really understand what my physical limits are, is get a Functional Capacity Evaluation done for a cost of $500 to me. I know its alot of money to pay out of pocket, but it so well worth every penny because as I said my dr. have no idea what it is really like for me to hold down a job, my pain mgmt. just wanted to know what my pain level was on a scale of 1 to 10. My primary care dr. who prescribes my 2 antidepressants for my depression would not fill out a form sent by my atty asking him to give a detailed description of my condition. Once I faxed him a copy of my Functional Capacity test, his office even phoned me to let me know he was going to fill that form out and return it. I went to a shrink back in Feb. to was strictly to get an official diagnosis of OCD (since Soc. Sec. is so darn picky) and to also get diagnosed with ADD. I didn't realize I ADD had until my best friend told me she thought I had it, so when I looked it up on the internet, it was like reading the story of my life or, basically why I had issues getting along with people at work which is one of several reasons why my company let me go. Anyway, long story short, the shrink I chose is a moron who screwed up my mail-in prescriptions by writing them out for 30 days instead of 90 days. When I left him a voice mail explaining what happened, he called me back and chewed me out so bad, I was crying and got very depressed and thought I was a horrible person. Two mos. later, I am now getting duplicate 90 days prescriptions for those 3 meds and the ins. co. said he recently called in the scripts all over again. This nut job has refused to fill out the form about my depression, OCD and ADD and how that affected me at work.
I know that you can get disability benefits for having OCD or ADD, but I don't know if just my remarks will help since the shrink isn't providing any backup for me. Its just another good reason why the Functional Capacity test is so cruical because it backs up how Fibro limits me physically. If anyone is interested in getting the evaluation, physical therapists perform them (but not all, so you need to ask when you call) or ask your primary care dr. for a reference to one (that's what I did). The test is 4 hrs. long and I decided not take any oral meds before the test since I do have a pain pump in my stomach and I knew I would need breakthru pain meds afterward. You have to fill out paperwork about your physical problems and rate your pain level at that particular time before starting the test. Some of the things you will have to do is touch your toes from a standing position; while sitting sitting on the floor, you are asked to reach towards your toes as far as you possibly can (I was only able to reach 3 inches, which is pathethic by the way); hold your arms over your head for 15 mins. and out in front of you for 15 mins.; walk as fast as you can on a treadmill for 15 mins. (I made it for 5 mins. at almost the lowest speed); walk up a flight of stairs to the next floor; and there were many other ways they test your strength to do things. One thing you do not want to do is fake anything because the physical therapist is required to report that and if he does, you just wasted your $500. You really need to be yourself and be consistant. After testing, you fill out a questionnaire and one of the questions asked is how you rate your pain after the test from 1 to 10. It only takes a few days for the results to be typed up, which is about 5 or 6 pgs. and it will have a summary of your limitations written out. One of the things the summary includes is what percentage of the work day are you capable of working. Mine came out that I can only work 1% to 33% depending on my pain level. Also on the results will be mentioned how long you can sit or stand and what kind of pain it causes. I hope by reading this you can see how beneficial this test is for someone with Fibro if you're standing for a judge who doesn't think Fibro is a big deal.
I'm curious if anyone else with Fibro has had this test done for their Soc. Sec. disability case.
I am my first SSDI appointment yesterday. I saw a medical doctor and my appoitnment went very well. He could see that I was limited in my abilities to do too many things even though I tried...I couldn't. In the end he told me he was going to recomend me for disability. Both of my doctors had recomended me. My Rheumy told me from the first meeting I couldn't return to work again. The doctor I saw yesterday was in agreement. Next month I have to see a shrink and then I guess I wait to see what happens next. This has been a long process. My lawyer filed my claim 12-22-08 but I think just maybe by the end of the year I might be approved...I hope anyway. So, if you're facing your own SSDI appointments...they don't all go badly. Just be yourself and present your case and hope for the best.
Take care,
Sharon
I noticed a major typo in my last post where I said I'm
"not" waiting to get a hearing date set before a judge. I meant to say I'm "now" waiting for a hearing date to be set before the judge.
I'm glad that things are going well for you Fibrobugsme and that the Soc. Sec. drs. are on your side.
Since I live in Houston, which is a huge city, I believe there are more people here who are applying for disability and that the employees of Soc. Sec. are so overworked that they stopped caring long ago.
Once after filing online, I wanted to drop off some paperwork to the original case worker handling my case at the local Soc. Sec. office and I was stunned at the length of the line of people that were standing outside because it wrapped around the entire shopping center the office was located in. It looked more like a line of people trying out to be on American Idol. There was no way with Fibro that I could wait in a line that long and I felt sorry for those in line because I'm sure whatever their disabilities were, they would be physically hurting by the time they got to speak to a rep.
