Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
My S.S.D. hearig is March 8th. I'm having a hard time trying to think of how to explain to the board exactly how I feel.
Because I also have arthritis, COPD, CHF and Mayofacial Pain Syndrome. I can't tell which pain comes from which problem.
How do I explain that I just hurt. All the time every minute of every day. I haven't been on meds ( except for B.P meds) for 3 years, since I lost my insurance.
It is scary because what if I really don't deserve the S.S.D. What if I'm not as bad off as I think I am. What if I'm just one big pity party?
Because I also have arthritis, COPD, CHF and Mayofacial Pain Syndrome. I can't tell which pain comes from which problem.
How do I explain that I just hurt. All the time every minute of every day. I haven't been on meds ( except for B.P meds) for 3 years, since I lost my insurance.
It is scary because what if I really don't deserve the S.S.D. What if I'm not as bad off as I think I am. What if I'm just one big pity party?
You only know how bad you are and you are deserving of benefits since you have paid into them. I am assuming your attorney will be there with you. Ask him if you need to do anything before the hearing.
Good luck
At an SSD hearing you don't need to explain much of anything, they may ask questions but they already have all your information in front of them.
At the very end of my hearing the judge asked me where I hurt and I said that I'll just start at the top of my body with my headaches and then when I got to TMJ they started a discussion and looked back through my medical records to make sure it was noted by my doctor and I didn't have to answer anything else in regards to my pain.
The only other question I was asked was what do I eat? I knew that was a question to trip me up as I had read in a support group from someone that if you are able to cook and clean for yourself then you aren't disabled, so I said I just ate microwave dinners and that did the trick.
Good luck. I know that you wait forever for your hearing date and wonder if it will every come, and then suddenly you get the notice and it's in less than 30 days. It's enough to set you into a bit of panic.
One thing my attorney had me do the week prior to the hearing was get in to see my Rhuemy and have her fill out a functional capacity form that was geared toward Fibro. Not all Docs will do this but mine did and I think it really helped me win. I got the form from my attorney.
Anyway, I would just encourage you to be yourself. Do not worry about hair and makeup, dress comfortably and not for show, if you know what I mean. And be prepared to share just how disabling this pain is for you.
Best wishes.
Gee I never thought they would ask what I'd been eating! And I don't have to worry about "gusseying" up to look good. What looks I had are gone by the way of illness and poverty.
But I do have love, I just have to remember that.