] ** Jo**

[Guest guest]

Hi Jo,

Yes,  I was taking all of my sick days slowly...the least I could take was 4

hours a pay period....needless to say, my paycheck was for only  .37  for 2

weeks after they took out for taxes and insurance...but I was still considered

working there, just on a personal leave....then after all of my hours ran out

(in April), I went to the S.S. office and filed a bunch of papers...they waited

until they received some papers from my Rheumy and PCP and the hospitals I went

to (probably confirmation from them that I truly was in the hospital 5 times

since being diagnosed in Oct. and the dates)  Then they had me go to one of

their Dr.s and he was real nice and just asked questions on when all this

happened and what happened (how it all came about)...My feet and legs were real

swollen then too so it was real bad at the time I went to him...and I was also

in a lot of pain and could not move my hands or feet real well...he told me to

get a cane...Then about 10 days later (this is July now) I noticed some ''extra

$$'' in our savings account and it was the automatic deposit from S.S. (back pay

from when I first applied in April!)..I told them too that my memory is real bad

(I asked my Dr. why and he said I was on a lot of heavy duty drugs!!)  I told

them I could not move up and down real fast at all like you have to when a

trauma comes in (I just can't tell a gsw to the head ''hold on, I am meditating

right now! I can't have str

ess!!)  Are you having problems or anything from S.S.?   I also told them how

I did things (opening up a can of beans or a jar of mayo I needed help

with---getting dressed, I needed help with...just walking, I needed help

with....stopped driving...etc. 

 All the things I said to them was as if I was in a flare up...because you

never can tell when one will happen...one cant work and tell the boss, '' I am

having a flare up today and I wont be in today, I know there were only 2 of us

working and now my partner has to work alone..I don't know when I will be back,

maybe a week or maybe 3 months!! I will let you know'' 

That is not fair to the boss nor the other tech you are working with..I was also

afraid I would hurt the patient because if I could not help them on the table

and they fell, or could not prevent them from falling off the table or wasn't

fast enough to inject them with contrast at just the right moment ...and if the

i.v. was infiltrating and you have to run in the room to stop it and call the

radiologist to look at it..blah blah blah..you know what I mean..

They say to stay away from sick people and avoid stress...how in a trauma one

hospital working the midnight shift was I going to do that??  Today my hands

are swollen and hurting real bad and I took 3 tablets of 800 mg each ibuprofin

and a dilaudid!!   grrrrr

sorry to ramble on...

Keep me informed...

Diane....42

=0

A

when you used up all of your sick time did you file for disability? It

sounds like we are having such a similar experienceo for evaluation. Not sure

what they will be

looking for, b