Fibromyalgia Support Group

I'm tip toeing on this same subject hun. I keep putting it on the back burner.

But I've been researching it. And this is what I can share.

Start a journal. Simply list the following: Your pain scale for the day. What you were not able to accomplish for the day.
List what you did do...for example...did you exercise...how long and such.
I also keep a meds list of what I take.

I too have records scattered over a 3 county area. And tracing them down is not something I desire to do.

But the journal is a start if and when I may ever need it.

Other things that help (this is what I've learned from others here) is that when you have another compounding disorder such as Anxiety, depression and such...helps to win a case.

And last but not least...consider when and if you want to use an attorney or Allusp (sp...someone correct me on that if I have it wrong). Some cases go through quickly...others it takes quite a long time. Be prepared to be persistent. I can only imagine this may have something to do with how the doctors write the notes.

I wish you luck hun. For now, I'm hiding behind being a stay at home mom. I know deep down in my heart I wouldn't be able to hold a job. I have too many inconsistencies now to the point where my hubby has no PTO (paid time off) and we purchased an extra weeks worth of vacation just to catch up.

Hugs to you hun!

I'm in a similar situation. I haven't been to work since August. I don't know if I should apply for SSI--I've been discouraged by the fact that I can't even get short-term disability through my employer because they decided that I had "classic fibromyalgia" and that since I had already worked in pain for all of these years, there's no reason why I shouldn't continue...nice, huh?

Additionally, my family keeps stressing the fact that because of my age and education, I'll probably get denied SSI/SSDI. I just feel like I'm in limbo and I can't stay like this because I need income. I did speak to one of my doctors and he agreed to back me if necessary, but it's just such a hard decision and I don't know what the other doctors will do.

I wish you all the best in making your decision and hope that your outcome will be favorable.

Hello BugBite,
I would like to encourage you to keep a daily journal and then show it to your doctor. Alsup will request you to provide all medical records so they can present your case before the deciding judges. I used them to present my case and after awhile I was accepted for disability. You are on my mind as you make the decision. You are blessed....shawn

I don't think age is a factor. But medical records carry allot of weight as well as doctors opinions. As long as you know the doctors , or clinics & hospital where you have records if you have a attorney they will find all the information needed, you just have to fill out consent forms for them to be able to do it. I never kept a journal but is not a bad idea as sometimes when being talked to forget allot of things.

You can get free advice on if you would have a good chance of receiving disability from most attorneys who specialize in disability. They generally will not take a case unless they feel they can win it. I know some people handle this on their own and are successful but I could not handle the stress and hired a Disability Specialist (like a attorney) ...to handle my case. When tried on my own was denied. Allot of people seem to have success with Allsup too.

I am wondering because your husband is in the Military if they might have legal advisors that could assist you with this ? SSI I believe is income based so your husbands income might make you not qualify for it ? But SSDI is different. When you are still working 30 hours a week even though low key might make it harder to get... your wages are a factor too. I think they feel if you can work and make as much as you would get on SSI/SSD a month then you are not in bad enough shape. Lots of different guidelines.. ugh But if you can get a doc or two to back you with your breathing problem combined with the rest of your issues that employment is not good for you and would last for at least one year would help. Can get some information from the website for social security listed below.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/

My doctors all agreed with one another based on their seperate findings, opinions and observations so I think that helped allot. I think it may of helped because they were from totally different areas and not close assoicates and different time spans but all were in the same agreement... I had allot of older medical records that supported current records as well as new findings that helped too I think. I think it is better not to mention disability to a doctor , But to talk and tell them how you feel and how hard it is becoming for you to work both emotionally if that is the case and physically.

Hope this helps some.. wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

Take care gentle hugs

i filed for SSDI about 8 months after i could no longer keep up with work. i filed because i couldn't live off of VA comp alone. i was on the verge of becoming homeless and going back to work was NOT an option. i tried to go back to work 3x in that 8 mo, but i couldn't get up or get out of bed. my mom had moved in with me at the time and she had a broken collar bone plus severe carpal tunnel. she applied for SSDI and got it with in 2 months of applying. after seeing how she got it, i was like "damn! i gotta try that!" so i did and i won. it took 1 appeal, but it was worth it!

i think what really got me approved was the neuro-psych eval the docs had done on me. basically it's a test to see how you remember things and how your cognitive functions are. i guess you can say that the brain fog really showed up on it!

well I am no longer working 30 hours a week. My last day of work was back in september when the breathing issues started. I have been hoping they would resolve and thye havent. THey are even keeping me from going to water therapy as they dont want me to over exert myself. People are leaning toward it being the babies fault but its not. It started befor she was big enough and its not getting worse the bigger she gets as one would think. I doubt I will attempt applying for SSD prior to the baby being born as I will need to go through a lot more testing again to help prove and disprove everything. sigh