Going on Disability

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I'm on a fact-finding mission, and would like input from y'all on my

dilemma. I've coming out at the end now (I hope) of a bad flare-up.

Moving my jaw became excruciating (again) and it nearly locked closed

and has been causing an intense, non-stop headache for almost 4 weeks

now. I got a cortisone shot from my gp, a Medrol dose pack from the

rheumy and missed 3 days of work. The morning I was getting ready to

return to work, I sneezed and caused a flare-up of the arthritis in

my lower back, which had me barely able to sit, stand or walk for 4

more days. The Medrol dose pack didn't seem to do much for me this

time around.

This damn disease is starting to wear on me. I only work part-time

(25 hours/week), driving 30 minutes each way to work five hours a day

(when the roads aren't snow covered and slippery). It is getting

harder each day to try to get to work and I'm ready to throw in the

towel and apply for disability. I'm 48 and was diagnosed 6 years ago.

I also have Sjögren’s Syndrome, Raynaud's disease, sleep apnea, gastroesophageal

reflux disease GERD and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The arthritis is in my feet, ankles, spine, jaw and hands. As a

secretary my job requires much sitting, keyboarding, standing,

walking and some amount of stress (I work for a workforce development

agency). I can't remember what it's like to have a day without pain.

By the time I'm driving home everyday, I'm barely able to navigate as

the pain and fatigue are overwhelming.

What scares me about filing for disability is losing my health

benefits, which are excellent. I pay for coverage for my whole

family, and I don't want them to be without insurance because of me.

How do you make a decision like this? How can I go without insurance,

and essentially seeing a doctor or taking medication for 2-3 years

while waiting for disability approval and then medicare to become

available to me? What if I'm not approved and just threw away 15

years of job security? (I live in northern Michigan and the

unemployment rate in our county is over 20%.)

Please, I would like to hear from those of you who have made the

decision to apply for disability and how it impacted your life. I

don't know how much longer I can keep working, but the alternative is

terrifying. Help!

jane

Notes --

Sjögren’s Syndrome:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sj%C3%B6gren%27s_syndrome

Raynaud's Disease

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_disease

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irritable_bowel_syndrome