I understand your feelings of being nervous about your hearing. I went through these feelings too and was the first time had experienced anything like this too.

Most of what I was asked were simple yes or no answers. I took my time to answer and process whatever was being asked.... Just be yourself like your attorney said if U need to stand or move around then do so.

My hearing was very short think less then 15 minutes. I too have problems with meds and still I was approved. My med records showed that had tried many but was unable to take them. It is not uncommon for some people with FM to not tolerate meds.

Wishing U the best of luck with your hearing...

take care gentle hugs

I am in the process, and went to their doctors last month. I'm just waiting to hear what comes next. Anxiety over this has nearly paralyzed me.

I wish you all the best. Hope everything goes well, and that you will be approved with no problems :~D

I'll keep you in prayer for this to go through for you. I've just started the process of filing SSD for the first time, so I guess in 2.5 years I'll be at a hearing - lol! That's crazy how long this process takes. I really hope you are approved.

Have No Advise...Just offering a Hug & a Prayer...

My friend had to go through this, and when the judge found out she had had several cortisone shots in her one knee, that seemed to be the thing that took her over the top. (She might have Fibro, not sure, but had other vague problems) The shots really convinced him she was desperate for help.

Hope this helps. Don't know if you've had shots or not, but anything you can think of to show your desparation may help convince them.

Good luck!

Go to the Disability group on DS:


http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/social-security

Thanks everyone for your suppor!


Judy,I have had the cortizone shots,too, but they were like every thing else I have been put on for the pain.They made me deathly sick for 4 days afterward.My lawyer has the records where everything we have tried has made me so sick I couldn't stand up.For some reason I can't tolerate anything like that.From what she [lawyer] said that looks really good for me.

Hey, Mamaw!

I have some advice that will help to organize your records so that it is apparent to scientists and doctors, judges and everyone, how Fibromyalgia is affecting your life.

First list all of your symptoms down the left hand side of a piece of graph paper. Across the top, list the days of the month. (Xerox this blank so you don't have to rewrite it every month). Then evaluate your individual symptoms on a scale of one to ten depending on severity. Add each line up and write the number at the bottom. Divide that number by the number of symptoms you had on that particular day. This will give you your average "misery" number for that day.

On a second sheet of graph paper, write the days of the month across the bottom. On the bottom left, write the number zero that corresponds to day one. Going up the left side, write from that zero, the next number - 5, then above that--10, above that 15 and so on until you reach the top of the paper and have no more room on the left side at the top. (xerox this blank graph so you don't have to make a new one each month).

Then enter a dot above 'day one' on the graph that represents the number you got when you figured your average on page one. Do this every day. As you place dots above each day of the month, connect the dots to form a graph that easily shows how this disease waxes and wanes depending on how much stress you undergo each day. You can write in comments at the top to indicate things that caused your illness to increase. For example: "Went to the grocery-in bed two days as a result."

I have done this firstly, to get social security disability in the first place, and it actually was the reason they decided not to give me a 5 year review. That NEVER happens. They always put you through their paces.

I hope I have explained it clearly. If you don't understand something, just ask and I will try to make it more clear to you. You see, there is nothing that Social Security likes better than lots and lots of paperwork. With your illness laid out for them in a matter of graphs and charts, it just tickles them pink! The very fact that someone would go to the trouble to put things on paper like this shows them that you are serious about your disease.

One other piece of advice is that it helps to tell them that you are, for instance, operating at only 20 % of normal, or whatever the case may be. Say, "I am 95% home bound", for instance. They seem to like percentages. Be prepared to tell them what a normal day consists of. Say; "I wake up at about 4:00 am. I can't get back to sleep because of the pain. I take my pain medicine as soon as I wake up and have to lie there for 45 minutes waiting for it to kick in before I can get up. I have a terrible time sleeping. I eat a bowl of cereal and drink a cup of coffee. My husband helps me bathe. I many times have to go back to bed at this point. I sit on the couch and watch the Morning Show till 10:00.

I might fold some clothes. My husband has to do the laundry and bring it up the stairs because I can't go up a flight of stairs much of the time.

Any, you get my drift. Have all of this prepared. Write it out for yourself and study it so you will be ready for their questions. Have your pain level in your mind. Describe the fact that mornings are unbearable. That your pain level is an 8 or a 9 when you wake up.
Things like that. Just think it through and write it down and get it in your mind. They'll ask you if you can drive. Tell them you only drive about 5 miles to church on Sunday. That you use the motorized wheelchair in Wal-Mart when you get the groceries and that your sister, husband or friend must go with you because you can't life over 15 or 20 pounds. They'll ask you how many pounds you can lift.
Tell them you cannot stand for more than one or two minutes. Whatever the case may be. They want details of your everyday life and they also have it in the back of their mind what kind of labor you could do if they got you a job. Telephone work, things like that. Tell them about your bad memory. That you leave pots on the stove and forget them and you almost set the house on fire one day. Describe how that occurred Have your story ready. Tell them your short term memory is pitiful You find things half done or open soda cans all over the house and have no memory of starting a task or opening the soda cans. It's like someone else is in the house with you. And it gives you the creeps. Anything like this. You don't remember conversations and that your husband gets frustrated with you because of it. Details, details, details. Talk their ears off. Be the saddest case you can be. Talk about how you hate being so isolated and miss your old life and wish you could be a part of the world once again.

All I know is that is what worked for me. But you must be ready for them and have your answers practiced in your head. Put your heart into it. Be angry that no one can seem to make you well and give you your life back. Talk about how you miss your co-workers and the freedom you had before your livelihood was taken away from you. Talk about how useless you feel and how frustrating it is to have these god awful memory problems and live a life of a 90 year old crippled woman. Let it all out. Then you will be believable.

I have all my records and everything I have done with regard to social security. I recommend you make a folder and keep copies of everything they send you and xerox everything you send them. Feel welcome to contact me for any further questions you may have. I wish you good luck. If you're prepared, you won''t be so nervous.

Hope this helps.

Mizroze