Re: SSDI hearing for Ellen DETAILED

[Guest guest]

You've gone through the wringer on this one. I don't think I could

handle it. My hat is off to you!

Son number 4 just went through his this past Friday - pretty much the

same scenerio as yours but minus any pain meds, etc because he's been

fired from every doctor because they can't do anything to help him.

He said it felt like he was being asked to strip naked and bend over

and take one for the home team. Actually he put the last part a bit

differently but it is rather rude. The judge asked him about sex. Kid

almost started crying and told her they hadn't been intimate in about

6 years.

Asked him to pick up a pencil off table. He did, after a bit, then

dropped it and arm went into spasms. You know how much fun that is.

The state labor board representative asked him how many jobs would

have been available to our son if he hadn't been hurt. (skilled

metalworking, journeyman machinist) The man said about fifty (state

wide). Judge asked how many that would let him alternate between

sitting and standing and laying down, unable to work more than a few

hours a day (with laying down, sitting down, etc on company dime) he

said none. Judge said " That's all I need to know. Thank you very

much. " Then the camera went black. (Judge in one part of the state,

Labor in another, kid and lawyer in another.)

Should have a decision in 6 to 8 weeks. I am hoping sooner because

we're having to live on about 25 a week for food (both of us on

special diets) because we have to help keep their lights on, food on

table, etc.

Crazy how so many assume once long term disability insurance has an

end date. His ran out about 8 years ago. Been trying 12 years now.

Something bloody wrong about how people have to go through hell to get

some help. Really, really wrong.

Hang in there, ok?

Jeanne B in GA

> Ellen wrote:

> I had my SSDI hearing yesterday.

> They were not aware that long term disability insurance ends. I told them

that it does, after two years.

[Guest guest]

Sex questions??? Oh my God, I would have died. Of course, I could have quipped

a smart answer like 'well, there's one more profession I have to eliminate.'

I DID feel like I was taking one for the team. I know exactly how your son

feels.

May I ask what he has that won't respond to pain meds?

Ellen

> Jeanne B wrote:

> The judge asked him about sex. Kid almost started crying and told her they

hadn't been intimate in about 6 years.

[Guest guest]

Ellen wrote:

> May I ask what he has that won't respond to pain meds?

He was helping unload some big parts and things at one of his jobs and

one of the boxes containing a really expensive doofus started falling

off the truck and he caught it, kind of twisted around, immediate

pantie peeing pain sent him and the expensive doofus to the ground.

Workers Comp allowed him this particular orthopedic guy who diagnosed

muscle sprain, gave him a script for flexeril and percocet and told

him to use a heating pad.

Didn't touch the pain, so kid went back next week and told him the

pain was just getting worse. Doctor did one flat back xray, sent him

to physial therapy.

That's when the nightmare really began. They decided since he could do

one thing at one time but not another, he was faking. So continued

pushing him harder and harder until he started screaming. Our family

doesn't scream. I was sitting in the waiting room, saw him absolutely

green, sweat pouring off him and got a trash can to him as he puked

his guts up.

By then he could barely walk. The ortho allowed by worker's comp took

the physical therapist at his word (a 2 year program now for physical

therapy?), said he was just a drug seeker and go away. Workers comp

insisted he still keep kid as patient if he wanted the bucks.

Went on for over a year, kid getting progressively worse. Eventually,

after literally hundreds (yes, I mean hundreds, I was there) of

epidurals, including CAUDAL epidurals and trigger point injections,

they said he could go to a neurosurgeon.

Neurosurgeon gave one Xray and said " Look right here, spiral fracture

of three vertebrae. "

OK, so fix it? So he did more tests, including a dye study with

epidural which they SAID they'd sedate heavily for (um, our family has

a genetic quirk, lots of sedatives don't work), so his wife and I and

half the hospital heard him yelling.

So after months and months and a few more months, workers comp

people decided to allow the neurosurgeon to do a nerve ablation of the

spine.

Worked for about a day. Then back to excruciating pain, epidurals,

caudals, trigger point injections. Eventually the anesthiologist who

does pain management had him on a nasal spray for pain, percodan, the

duragesic patch, meperidine for pain, darvocet (??), flexeril,

neurontin and sleeping pills. All At Once.

Kid went in again, sweating and puking in pain and told the pain

management doctor that nothing was working and he was out of drugs (it

was exactly one month AFTER the other meds had been filled, and he

passed his pee test) so doc fired him as a patient for drug seeking.

He was there for his regular appointment that the doctor got paid over

3K for.

I went home with him. He sent his wife and kids to her parents. Her

parents came over to pick them up and said his addiction was a

terrible thing to force the kids to see. I said " What addiction, he

takes what the doctor GIVES HIM. " Wasn't happy.

Took a week of him begging me to kill him, week of hiding every knife

in the house and sending his gun away with a friend, him screaming in

agony, him on the floor where it was cool (winter) to take the heat

out of his body) him puking almost constantly, hallucinations,

seizures and more until he was off the drugs cold turkey. Had tried

taking him to the hospital but THEY WOULD NOT TAKE HIM.

Workers comp sent him to another pain management specialist and here

we went again. I went with our son the first time and begged them to

not do the whole drug cocktail crap then fire as a patient thing. They

said they didn't work that way.

They did, plus he had to go in DAILY to pee in a cup. He also had

DAILY epidural and trigger point injections. This time the patch was

fentanyl. In the end all the needles and procedures were making it

worse so they decided he needed a laminectomy.

He had the laminectomy. It failed. They didn't bother telling HIM it

failed, in fact they told him it worked. They lied.

Pain continued severe. Second pain management doc fired him as a

patient. The same week he fired a friend as a patient because she

wasn't getting coverage for the pain of stage 4 cancer. She died a

month later.

So once again we sent his wife and kids away, hid the knives, ropes,

belts, sashes to robes, breakables and everything else and he went

cold turkey again.

Went to the neuro and he said there was nothing he could do.

Went to the hospital, they wouldn't even see him.

Went to his regular doctor and he gave him phenergan for nausea and

suggested antidepressants.

Went to another neuro and he said another laminectomy. We're talking a

fairly bad spiral fracture in 3 vertebrae and the kid took copies of

his x rays, all reports with him to every appointment with every

doctor.

Another laminectomy, more caudal epidurals.

Didn't work. Didn't tell HIM it didn't work.

Sent him to another pain management doctor an hour away. Same song and

dance. More pee tests. This time he had gotten some relief from one of

the caudals the guy gave and didn't take as much of his pain killers.

Since he did not have sufficient drugs in his body but did have pill

bottle with exactly as many as he would have had left at that time of

the month plus the 2 he did not take, they fired him as a patient.

They also blacklisted him. There isn't a doctor in Southwest Georgia

who will see him. His regular doctor told him that he would have to

move out of state.

So that's pretty much why he can't take pain killers.

Jeanne B in GA

[Guest guest]

That sounds terrible. I have a friend with a broken back who is on oxycontin

and pain 'lollipops.'

When I fell, I was surprised the staff in the ER voluntarily gave me morphine

and phenergan.

I thought it was against the law for a person to be stuck with one workers comp

doctor???

I know when I sent employees to our doctor, it was so we could be sure they

could pass a drug test. I was always honest that they had the right to see

their own doctor of choice and workers comp still had to pay.

I think the only way to appear not to be a drug seeker is to formally terminate

the relationship in writing. That's what my doctor advised me when I moved out

of state.

Ellen

> Jeanne B wrote:

> They also blacklisted him. There isn't a doctor in Southwest Georgia

> who will see him. His regular doctor told him that he would have to

> move out of state.

[Guest guest]

I didn't know that about terminating the doctor. I'll tell the kid.

This whole thing and him getting told to move out of state is

ludicrous, in my opinion. This whole thing with doctors terrified to

give pain meds because they are afraid the Big Government is going to

audit them is beyond insane. People who want illegal pain medications

can do so without going to a doctor.

It just infuriates me. I even got on the bandwagon of being sent to 4

different doctors when my last Crohn's flare up started in July but

hasn't gone away and right now pain is cranking up to 8 and is hard to

breathe. Each doctor thought that the next one would give me something

for pain, which the next doctor didn't do.

Well, off to lay down and pray this pain will ease enough to feed my husband.

Thank you very much for the information. I know it will be a great

help to both of us. Jeanne B in Georgia

> I think the only way to appear not to be a drug seeker is to formally

> terminate the relationship in writing. That's what my doctor advised me

> when I moved out of state.

>

> Ellen

>

[Guest guest]

Wow ellen it sounds like you did fantastic at your hearing! I sobbed during

mine too. I had a hearing where the judge was conversing with me via

television. It was just me and my lawyer in the room.

When I walked out I could see the expression on the faces of people waiting. i

looked horrible! my eyes were so read and my makeup gone. I think the judge

saw me crying and I was trying not to and I think he realized that it was not an

act.

it is very stressful, but the best way to deal with it is to be honest to their

questions.

how long ago was your hearing Ellen?

hugs, Tami

--- Ellen wrote:

>

> I had my SSDI hearing yesterday. It's taken me 2 days to crank out this

> email. It's an important one.

[Guest guest]

Jeanne B wrote:

> You've gone through the wringer on this one. I don't think I could

> handle it. My hat is off to you!

>

> Crazy how so many assume once long term disability insurance has an

> end date. His ran out about 8 years ago. Been trying 12 years now.

>

> Something bloody wrong about how people have to go through hell to get

> some help. Really, really wrong.

>

> Hang in there, ok?

>

> Jeanne B in GA

>

>> Ellen wrote:

>> I had my SSDI hearing yesterday.

>> They were not aware that long term disability insurance ends. I told them

that it does, after two years.

>

All,

This is why I think it is very important to have a copy of your job description

and go through every task and state why you can no longer do it. Most of the

evaluation DOES deal with daily active daily activities and functional

assessments. That is why my functional assessment forms and the disability

evaluation checklist came in so handy.

The Social Security Psychiatrist asked me if I ever thought about dying and I

told him " Yes, I am being honest, sometimes I would like to just like to lie

down and go to sleep and NOT wake up as I am tired of waking up to pain " I

assured them I do not have a plan to kill myself and understand situational

depression and I am depressed because I have limited support systems but my

husband is very supportive and I belong to a " chronic pain group " that helps me

(That is you guys, thank you so much for being a lifesaver) "

So I was asked mental health questions and that is a disability allowed by

Social Security. I also had letters from my family, co workers, friends and

neighbors that wrote had my life had changed and my relationships with them

changes as I no longer go to church as sitting in the pews hurts, I cannot go

out on dates with my husband as sitting in the Movie hurts and I cannot clean

the house or do my hobbies such as gardening anymore and I used to be a Master

Gardener with a beautiful yard.

My pay dropped from sixty thousand a year, lost my Reserve pay (15,000.00 a

year) and the financial borden losing my income making has effected my family

and created stress we did not have before.

So my experience was the same and I think others thinking of applying should

make sure they know what their job descriptions detail. Ellen, my long term

disability never runs out as social security stated I have a permanent

disability and so did my Doctors.

Can you check your policy and appeal it if there is a section that states

permanent disability does not end in two years. This would be worth it

especially if your Social Security is approved and you can use that as a

justification. Bennie

,

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