I AM FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I AM HERE TO HELP YOU ! Well I thought I would start off with a joke anyway !!! &nb sp; I have heard both horror stories ( dyna pg 2 of sad santa ) and good stories ( chris and lauuri on pg 2 -3 of sad santa ) on appling for and receiving disability. How long had you guys been dx'd with RA before applying and did you have other medical problems as well. I would like to hear any other stories of SSA agony as well as I am now in day 55 of my little trip to heaven. So far so good but I do realize I am in the 1st inning of 13 inning game.
Remember..... Cookies its not just for breakfast anymore
Gosh Some doctors can be so smug . Well either now he will listen ( and beleive me more ) or he will keep treating me like crap and I'll replace him.($#^@$$*&%%%$@&*&##**&^^% , Now I feel better ! If I could type faster than 2 words a minute I would explain it more , however when Santa went to school it was'n't COOL to take typing , Yeah look whos Cool now !
Hope everyone had a better day than I ! Sleep well !
Don't feel bad!! Some drs are really jerks!! Where is the pain the worse? I now it is hard I have a physical demanding job myself and there are some days I swear i can't get out of the car by the time I get home!!!! I am trying to keep from SSi as long as I can, but I know there are alot of people out there that should be on it but keep being denied. I am sorry things aren't going well ((((((((((()))))))))that is a big hug for you. take care
I'm sorry your trip to the RD wasn't a good one. And 3 hrs one way to be treated like that. That's awful.
I don't think I could afford to go back on SSD again. It just didn't quite cover the bills. My job is actually pretty physical, and today was very much so. I only live 6 blocks from work, but by the time I got home I could hardly move. I'm in so much pain right now that I could cry. But I love my job, and can't afford to quit. So I, like meme, am putting of the SSD as long as possible. Plus I don't feel up to the hoops they make you jump through.
I hope you do give your doc something SPECIAL this year Santa. And let him know it's from all of us.
Hope tomorrow is a better day for you. Hang in there.
Cris
Thanks Chris, the Main reason I am pursuing the SSA Disability is if accepted then after 24months medicare is avalible to you . As it is, I cannot get insurance to cover me because of my RA and OSA. Remicade has been a lifesaver to me however even if I could get insurance they would'nt cover it as the cost alone is 00 a month for the drug alone .I NEED the insurance more than anything and as it takes forever to get accepted ( if you do ) into disability I figured I better start now.
As far as the dr goes , you would think that after having RA for 21 yrs the dr would have to ASSUME ( I would think ) that I have an idea about RA
I can see why you would need SSD. Does Medicare cover the cost of the meds? I sure hope so at 00 for the Remicade. I sure hope it goes through for you without too much trouble. I guess I'm fortunate to have insurance through work. I'm just hoping that once I go to the RD, that it will be covered. I had the RA before starting work, but it was in remission at the time. So I don't know if it will be classified under "pre-existing" or not. I'm kind of waiting on pins and needles to find out. Finances here are ugly. Not to mention my daughters and I just went to the dentist this morning. The girls both NEED braces, and I have about 00 worth of work that needs to be done. I have a feeling I'm in for a VERY expensive year.
Take care Santa. I'm pulling for you.
Cris (I'll leave you EXTRA cookies this year.)
Cris,
Yes , medicare will cover Remicade. I also stayed away from filing for disability for yrs , my ex-rheummy suggested it about 8 yrs ago I guess I should have done it then , but felt I could still work and I did so now I am paying for it. Like I always say ..... Put off today what you can do tomorrow !
I also understand some doc's are jerks but they have NO RIGHT to make you feel like a 2nd class person just because they can't see or feel your pain.I was in EMS for 15 yrs and treated EVERYONE with respect and concern even if they were illegal aliens or had no insurance.Here I go again, better stop before the blood pressure jumps up.
Chris, I am on kid #2 for braces so I know what you mean. Those cookies , they would'nt be m&m cookies would they ?
meme , thanks for the hug and chatspace information
Santa,Wayney , after reading the information I will make sure you have something special in your stocking, not as SPECIAL as what my rhuemmy is going to get
Also SOMETIMES its good to be BAD ( so I have heard )
It has been almost 2 years since i have applied for SS so I am still waiting and waiting. I am supposedly to go to court on it in October. The first group who denied me said I did not have RA. It was clearly stated in my medical records over and over. I wanted a re hearing because obviously nobody even bothered to look they just denied me. But of course my lawyer said no. Then they would not get a ny decent amount of money I figure. So you wait and wait. Like itis going to go away. I have never needed money so bad in my life and they just delay and delay I hope yours does not goes as long as mine has. Good luck and I will let you know what happens.
Hi All,
I'm new here and just signed on so I could give you all some hope on getting you're disability.
I had been diagnosed and treated for RA a year before I finally had to quit working. I went almost another year in pain before I finally realized and admitted to myself I wasn't going to be able to work again. I couldn't even walk much less work. It's in my hands, wrist, knees, ankles and feet. By this time I had used all my savings, had no insurance, no money for doctors or meds. and was on food stamps. I was also very depressed as I saw no way out of the situation I was in. I to had read and known of people waiting for years to get their disability.
I applied for SSI in Jan. 2005 asking to be sent to one of their doctors as I really needed help for the pain. I was informed their Doctors do not treat but evaluate.
In March I received a phone call from the office where I had applied and my case worker said they were giving me six months disability while they worked my case. I was in shock but very happy as now I could get the medical attention I needed. I started looking for a rheumatolgist that same day but couldn't find one taking new patients and Medicaid.
I called a family clinic who would take Medicaid and explained my problem. They didn't have a rheumatolgist on staff but they could refer me to one who did take Medicaid. I went to the clinic where they did blood work and then sent me to the hospital for x rays and put me on Prednisone and Celebrex to help with the pain until I could see the rheumatolgist.
The next week I had an appointment with the SSI doctor who did more x rays.
I saw the rheumatolgist May 2 and she put me on Arava along with the Prednisone and Celebrex. About two weeks later I was informed that I now had my disability. I don't know how I got it so quickly. I don't know if my age (58) and being single had anything to do with it or not, I'm just thankful I can get the medical help I need.
I hope this will give encouragement to some of you waiting to hear from them.
Sandy
Santa:
Although I had only been diagnosed for about a year before applying for SSD, it is very apparent that I've had the disease (adult onset Still's - same as systemic onset JRA) for much longer than that. Docs think that preliminary symptoms started back as long as 10 or more years before.
Although it took 6-months from the date of application to be granted SSD, I did get it on the first go-round and I did receive a nice retro check. The assistance I received at our local Social Security office was unbelievable. I was treated with dignity, respect and felt like a first-class citizen -- all things I wasn't expecting. I received a personal phone call from Social Security to tell me that I was approved for benefits and that I would be getting my retro check within 5-days. I did!
I was a lucky one -- but also think I helped make my own luck by being very thorough on the paperwork -- especially the Activities of Daily Living forms in which you are to detail how the disease affects your life.
I will not get my Medicare until this coming January or February -- there is a two year waiting period. That will be one happy day as I have been without any form of insurance for more than a year.
I will be keeping positive thoughts about you and hope you are granted your SSD.
Janis
Thank You All for your replies, I wish I could have gotten back to you sooner but been having puter problems and have not been able to post 99% of the time I try , Darn thing just freezes up on me when I get to Message boards . I guess I should not have trashed my Doctor so much ! Pay back I guess. I am in day 83 of the SSA process and although I am older than Sandy ( I am 700 yrs old, OK 45 ) I am hoping that the length of time I have had RA ( 23 yrs ) will be to my benefit. Lord knows that the amount of pain typing this causes I dearly hope my Remicade helps me tomorrow ! Thanks To ALL ! Santaruss