First rejection- and a note for

[Guest guest]

Well, Saturday I got my letter from SSDI. They don't feel that I

qualify for it. No surprise. My rheumatlgist is still trying to

figure out what the heck is going on with me. I definately have

Sjogren's, Raynaud's, FMS. He just can't decide if I have RA,

Lupus, or something totally different. One thing I have in my favor

is my Long Term Disability company. I have an income, though it

barely makes ends meet. I pay off credit cards with other credit

cards!! I hate to do that. Any way, they set me up with a lawyer

and the LTD will pay for it. So, hopefully they can help me.

, I'm so sorry your message went without response for so long.

Don't take it personally. This group is so large and has it's

issues and there is the fact that the weekends tend to be a little

slower. I requested to be refered to a pain management doctor. My

doc's were just playing around with my pain meds and it was scarring

me as to where it was going. So, with my first appointment, they

took a history, did a short physical, and looked at the meds I was

on. I was on Vicodin for pain with Percocet for break through

pain. I got my scripts from which ever physician I was seeing at

the time. I also made sure they were aware of what the other docs

were ordering but I was running out of meds. I didn't want to look

like a drug seeker. Pharmacist also pay attention to who is giving

you what. Anyway, the Vicodin and Pecocet were not as effective as

they used to be and I was having to take more and more of the meds

and that scared me. I told all of this to my pain management

doctor. One thing they will ask of you is to have ALL of your

prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy. In some cases, if you

start going to different pharmacies, they can drop you as a

patient. Be honest with your pain management doctor. They want to

be the ONLY ones giving you pain meds. If you have surgery, dental

work, ER visits and they give you narcotics, be sure to let your

pain managment doctor about this. I recently had a root canal

done. It was a difficult procedure. They were going to prescribe

me a narcotic for pain. I told them that I had pain meds at home

and I will just take them. So, I asked them to write a note that

they told me to take my percocet every 4 hours as needed. Well, I'm

taking that for breakthrough. I went to see my pain doctor a few

weeks later and gave her the note. That was cool with her. They

will occasionally do blood work and will on occasion ask you to

bring in your pain meds. They will do a pill count to make sure you

are not taking more than prescribed.

Going to this pain management doc was the best thing to do. She has

been wonderful and I know I got lucky getting a good one. I would

suggest that you ask your doctors. Your family doc, your rheumy,

your orthopedist, all of them. Ask them who they would recommend.

I hope this helps and sorry for writting a novel. , if you have

any questions, please post them. You may email me privately, as

well.

Take care, Gentle hugs and luv, Marina

[Guest guest]

Marina,

Sorry about the SS rejection. It would have been nice to have that issue

behind you. Something tells me that the LTD lawyer will probably be good.

Did you ever make it to the Cleveland Clinic? What about a trip to s

Hopkins for ideas on your diagnosis?

Hang in there.

Not an MD

[ ] First rejection- and a note for

> Well, Saturday I got my letter from SSDI. They don't feel that I

> qualify for it. No surprise. My rheumatlgist is still trying to

> figure out what the heck is going on with me. I definately have

> Sjogren's, Raynaud's, FMS. He just can't decide if I have RA,

> Lupus, or something totally different. One thing I have in my favor

> is my Long Term Disability company. I have an income, though it

> barely makes ends meet. I pay off credit cards with other credit

> cards!! I hate to do that. Any way, they set me up with a lawyer

> and the LTD will pay for it. So, hopefully they can help me.

>

> , I'm so sorry your message went without response for so long.

> Don't take it personally. This group is so large and has it's

> issues and there is the fact that the weekends tend to be a little

> slower. I requested to be refered to a pain management doctor. My

> doc's were just playing around with my pain meds and it was scarring

> me as to where it was going. So, with my first appointment, they

> took a history, did a short physical, and looked at the meds I was

> on. I was on Vicodin for pain with Percocet for break through

> pain. I got my scripts from which ever physician I was seeing at

> the time. I also made sure they were aware of what the other docs

> were ordering but I was running out of meds. I didn't want to look

> like a drug seeker. Pharmacist also pay attention to who is giving

> you what. Anyway, the Vicodin and Pecocet were not as effective as

> they used to be and I was having to take more and more of the meds

> and that scared me. I told all of this to my pain management

> doctor. One thing they will ask of you is to have ALL of your

> prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy. In some cases, if you

> start going to different pharmacies, they can drop you as a

> patient. Be honest with your pain management doctor. They want to

> be the ONLY ones giving you pain meds. If you have surgery, dental

> work, ER visits and they give you narcotics, be sure to let your

> pain managment doctor about this. I recently had a root canal

> done. It was a difficult procedure. They were going to prescribe

> me a narcotic for pain. I told them that I had pain meds at home

> and I will just take them. So, I asked them to write a note that

> they told me to take my percocet every 4 hours as needed. Well, I'm

> taking that for breakthrough. I went to see my pain doctor a few

> weeks later and gave her the note. That was cool with her. They

> will occasionally do blood work and will on occasion ask you to

> bring in your pain meds. They will do a pill count to make sure you

> are not taking more than prescribed.

>

> Going to this pain management doc was the best thing to do. She has

> been wonderful and I know I got lucky getting a good one. I would

> suggest that you ask your doctors. Your family doc, your rheumy,

> your orthopedist, all of them. Ask them who they would recommend.

>

> I hope this helps and sorry for writting a novel. , if you have

> any questions, please post them. You may email me privately, as

> well.

>

> Take care, Gentle hugs and luv, Marina