Back Pain Support Group
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care. In fact, about 3 in 4 adults will experience back pain during their lifetime! The term back pain includes pain affecting the neck, midback and low back. Acute back pain may begin suddenly with intense pain but typically lasts fewer than three months. Usually, chronic back pain is persistent, steady, and...
Hi, everyone, I really have a lot on my mind and am confused. I recently had an MRI of my entire spine. Each area, cervical, thoracic and lumbar had a full page of issues. Lots of degeneration, arthritis, herniated discs, etc., etc.
The NS said you must have a genetic predisposition for DDD to be this bad at your age - I am nearly 50. I had an L5 S1 discectomy in 1997. My new NS asked me if I had insurance because in order to fix everything it was going to run $250-400,000 which included laminectomies in my lumbar area, a discectomy at T11-12, and a cervical fusion of C5-C7.
I just applied for SSDI two days ago. I'm afraid once they start operating, they are going to create even more arthritis and put me in even greater pain after all the surgeries. I have been managed by my IM guy for pain for 5 years and have continued working. Then I moved because I basically couldn't do the job I had and got fired and got all new docs including a PM who is excellent.
Back at the end of September after an issue at my new work due to pain, pain medication and anxiety, I was asked to resign. This makes the third job I've lost due to health issues. I also had a car accident while on pain meds - fell asleep and totaled my car. Fortunately, no one was in the other lane because I crossed over to the wrong side of the road and then came back to my side into a guard rail. Thank God no one was injured, including myself.
I have really struggled with asking for SSDI. I just want things to be better, but I'm thinking it's a pipe dream now. I just don't have the strength and endurance to work while taking pain medication. If I get stressed at work, I usually get upset and take it out on someone there and that has gotten me into trouble twice now. I also have MS type issues with my eyes and a couple of brain lesions.
Do you think I will have problems getting SSDI based on my story? Do you think they will expect me to continue to work while on pain meds? I can't stand, sit or walk w/o pain pills for any length of time without lying down.
Sorry for the long post but I have been frozen in inaction and can't make a decision or be objective any longer about what I should and shouldn't be able to do. Brain fog is a real problem as well and any additional stress wipes me out. I have been coming home, flopping on the couch after work and spending the weekends there for over 5 years. This is no life.
So long of short is 1. Will I have trouble getting SSDI and 2. Should I get the surgeries or just continue to manage with pain meds which I can do OK if I don't work? Sorry again for the long post...
Posted on 02/28/10, 10:02 pm
The NS said you must have a genetic predisposition for DDD to be this bad at your age - I am nearly 50. I had an L5 S1 discectomy in 1997. My new NS asked me if I had insurance because in order to fix everything it was going to run $250-400,000 which included laminectomies in my lumbar area, a discectomy at T11-12, and a cervical fusion of C5-C7.
I just applied for SSDI two days ago. I'm afraid once they start operating, they are going to create even more arthritis and put me in even greater pain after all the surgeries. I have been managed by my IM guy for pain for 5 years and have continued working. Then I moved because I basically couldn't do the job I had and got fired and got all new docs including a PM who is excellent.
Back at the end of September after an issue at my new work due to pain, pain medication and anxiety, I was asked to resign. This makes the third job I've lost due to health issues. I also had a car accident while on pain meds - fell asleep and totaled my car. Fortunately, no one was in the other lane because I crossed over to the wrong side of the road and then came back to my side into a guard rail. Thank God no one was injured, including myself.
I have really struggled with asking for SSDI. I just want things to be better, but I'm thinking it's a pipe dream now. I just don't have the strength and endurance to work while taking pain medication. If I get stressed at work, I usually get upset and take it out on someone there and that has gotten me into trouble twice now. I also have MS type issues with my eyes and a couple of brain lesions.
Do you think I will have problems getting SSDI based on my story? Do you think they will expect me to continue to work while on pain meds? I can't stand, sit or walk w/o pain pills for any length of time without lying down.
Sorry for the long post but I have been frozen in inaction and can't make a decision or be objective any longer about what I should and shouldn't be able to do. Brain fog is a real problem as well and any additional stress wipes me out. I have been coming home, flopping on the couch after work and spending the weekends there for over 5 years. This is no life.
So long of short is 1. Will I have trouble getting SSDI and 2. Should I get the surgeries or just continue to manage with pain meds which I can do OK if I don't work? Sorry again for the long post...
Posted on 02/28/10, 10:02 pm
You have a lot on your plate, and BTW, yes DDD is heridatary so your NS is right. OK, as far as SSDI, I think that with your history, you should have no issues getting your disability. My story and yours sound very similar. I've had 5 spinal surgeries and I was approved for SSDI the first try, right away, did not need a lawyer at all, so yes, I think that you have a pretty good case. And BTW, do you know that you can start your application online? This is their website:
http://www.ssa.gov/
As far as having surgery, I don't know, that is a very personal decision. I had a lot of issues with DDD on my lumbar spine and had a 3 level/360 fusion in 07, that surgery failed (do to the surgeon error) and because of that I had been through 4 more surgeries on my lumbar spine, and will probably will end up with more before all is said and done.
I am also 8 days away from having a one level cervical fusion because of my C5-6 is out of control and I have numbness and pain on my left arm/fingers,etc.
The question is, Can you live with the pain? Can you live with the pain for the next year? What about longer? If you answer yes to that, then wait and get surgery later, if this is not something that is going to jeopardize or compromise your spine. But, if waiting to have surgery will make things worst for you, then I would have the surgery.
One thing that you need to understand is that recovery from spinal surgeries is very long and painful. Full recovery from spinal fusion, is a year. There is a lot of sacrifice, laying around, having no life, etc. that comes with recovering from spinal surgery, so if you can handle that, then go for it. I can tell you that during the recovery from my first surgery, I though that I was going to go through the roof! I was so tired of been in pain, and of laying around with that heavy brace, I was going nuts! But now when I look back, I know that it was what I had to do in order to do well.... Little that I know, that things were going to go crazy within months, but oh well, things happen!
OK, this have gotten long winded.... LOL! I hope that I answer some of your questions and that I helped your decision making process. Good luck to you and I hope that whatever decision you make, it would be the best decision for you and for your family,
Take care,
Tipper
Thank you for taking the time to read my winded post. I was hoping you would because I have read your posts to others and respect your opinion. Your response also confirmed what I've decided to do on surgery and that is wait. I remember the "little discectomy" I had in 97 and I can tell you, I absolutely dread going through anything like that again and these surgeries are far more complicated.
I can live with the pain with my pain meds. I'm lucky that way, I feel. Some of my family won't like my decision since they are extremely sensitive about "freeloaders." I am convinced now that I'm making the right decisions. I don't heal well and I got extremely weak with the last surgery. My response to others' opinions will just have to be "You don't live in this body!"
When I get approved for Medicare, how long would I have to wait if I decide the pain has worsened enough to get surgery? Do you get Medicare right away; do you need to get a Medicare supplement after that; will I be able to get a supplement if I'm on disability? And so questions, questions, questions. Since you've been through the process, maybe you could tell me?
Again, thanks. I feel a thousand pounds lighter.
Jim
Yeah, your family can just live with it! You are living with far worst!!! OK, you get Medicare 2 years after getting approved for SSDI (I know, it sucks.....), but you can get Medicaid some times, so check on that, I think that it varies from State to State. When I say 2 years, it means 2 years from the day that you were declared disabled by a Doctor. For instance, if you get declared disabled by a Doc in June 0f 09, and apply for disability in June of 2010, and get approved for Disability in Dec.of 2010, that is a year and half since your were declared by a Doc that you were disable, so you will get the disability 6 months after getting your first SSDI check, or in June of 2011. Does that make sense? I hope that I did not confuse you, LOL!
Getting a Medicare supplemental is a good idea. I live in Miami and here the supplemental that I have which is an HMO/Medicare Clinic I pay 0 for it. All the meds, dental, tests, surgeries, etc, are covered and I pay nothing. I get $3000.00 medication allowance a year, $4000.00 dental and I also get Optical covered... I know, we have it good in Miami, LOL!
In some other States the supplemental's are not as good as here, but it is a good idea to get one, specially now that Medicare has decided to only re-imburse Doctor's 21% of what they charge, that means that a lot of them are not going to want to take Medicare alone. Unless there is a supplemental to up their office visit and surgery pay, they will run away from Medicare patient's like we are plague!
If you have anymore questions let me know, I will be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have. Take care Hun,
Tipper