Has anyone ever filed for disability with fibromyalgia and won?
81321
Yes. I am on SSDI for Fibromyalgia. I had the problem that I filed when I was 27 years old so the Board that reviews the applicants denied me twice. Finally, my application was going before the Appeals Judge and before the court date he read my file. He overturned the original rejections and I received payment back to the date of disability. It took over two years for this process.\n\nMy best suggestion is that when you answer any questions answer as if it's your worst day possible. There's an article called Helping Fibromyalgia Patients Obtain Social Security Benefits by Joshua W. Potter, Esq.\nFrom: The Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine September 1992\nhttp://www2.rpa.net/~lrandall/ssdi_fms.html\n\nAnother good article is http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/social_security_disability_fibromyalgia.html\n\nAnother helpful article is:\nWhy Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) & Fibromyalgia (FM) Sufferers Lose Their SSDI Claims\nby Janet Mizrahi\nImmuneSupport.com\n\n09-01-2000 \n\nYou feel awful all the time. You can barely dredge up the energy to take a bath, no less get dressed, go to work, and actually be productive. You know you’re disabled--your doctor knows you’re disabled. So you’ll win that disability case to get SSDI, right? Well, not necessarily so, says Scott Davis, an attorney who specializes in FM/CFS disability cases. \nAccording to Davis, “One of the biggest reasons people lose disability cases is because they don’t retain an attorney at the beginning of the process. It sounds self-serving, but it’s not,” he adds. “Disability attorneys work on contingency fee basis, meaning you only pay a fee if you win your case – you have nothing to lose.” \n\nUsing a lawyer before or at the time of filing a claim will help build the proper case to show to Social Security and a judge, who will ultimately hear the case and decide your fate. \n\nBut besides that, Davis says, an attorney can help you forge ahead with the process. Many people never bother to file a claim because they don’t have the energy or feel it’s just hopeless or simply because they don’t know what to do. An attorney not only can give you hope that you have a case, he or she guides you through the process. \n\nAnother death knell to a disability case, Davis says, is inadequate medical records. “Disability cases are ultimately won and lost on adequately documented medical records and detailed opinions from the treating physician regarding their ability to work, or their inability to work,” he states. \n\nLack of documentation can happen in a number of ways. One may be a result of a lack of adequate treatment. “Particularly in the FM/CFS arena,” Davis says, “people are repeatedly told by their doctors that there’s nothing medicine can do, to live with their illness and deal with it. Which is exactly what people do. They stop seeking treatment. \n\n“Or I’ve seen people do the opposite. They go to a host of doctors on an odyssey to get a diagnosis. After being worn out from seeing doctor after doctor and getting treatments without any benefit, they quit going. The attitude becomes, why bother? Nothing is helping to alleviate the symptoms.” \n\nBoth tactics result in barren medical records -- a huge mistake. “Even if you have a very good attorney, I’m only the orchestrator,” Davis says. “My ability to help a client is more limited if there are no medical records or if the medical records don’t say anything. Medical records load the gun for me to use when I argue a client is unable to work.” \n\nDavis suggests that ideally, people should view their medical records on a regular basis. This way you can see for yourself if your complaints of pain or other symptoms are being documented. If they are not, patients can tactfully ask their doctors to work with them to get the records in shape for their cases. Many general practitioners and HMO physicians are overburdened and do not take the time to dictate their repo
369905
I was diagnosed with CFS and Fibromyalgia when I was sixteen. That was over six years ago and I am still suffering from it. At this point in time there are no cures for either. Some people can go through a remission, I'm still waiting for mine. I am currently a full time college student and recently joined a gym. I've found that I'm better if I remain active and push through it rather than letting it keep me down and in bed.\n\nI hope for your sake that you do not have it, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. \n\nFeel free to email me if you want to talk about it. :)
1156220
well sorry but it will take a while to get an approval for disability ( if you get approved at all)  my friend who has a serious illness was declined twice, had to get an attorney and took three years to finally get approved ( he got all the back pay though)\n\nBut you have to start with social service, go talk to one of the case workers,  they will have perhaps food stamps ( EBT cards)  and at times some emergency money for rent and utilities.
525296
Nothing much except you get to stay on workman's comp a little longer and they will pay your Health bills. As for the disability letter; it does no good. My husband received a letter same thing. Stayed on Work mans comp, tried to go back to work at same place and they would not allow him, claiming the had no light duty. Ended up firing him and then he was denied unemployment. What a mess. Now he owes $800.00 to the Work mans comp...we don't know why. Good Luck!
439225
You might be able to collect disability till workers comp kicks in. Worth a try. That usually kicks in after your third missed day.
522125
Oh, PLEASE. "God will help you!" I'm still waiting.\n\nI was involved in three car smashes in the space of four years. Each time I was hit from behind by another driver - two of these three were hit-and-run. I now suffer pain, day and night, including chronic migraines and sometimes, agony so bad that I literally cannot think. I have fibromyalgia, which is chronic incurable pain. I had to give up ballroom dancing, martial arts, horseriding and more. I can't even do grocery shopping anymore and have had a disabled parking permit since I was around 24 years old. A good night's sleep doesn't help, because when you have fibro, there's no such thing as a "good night's sleep". The pain is such that proper sleep - and often, ANY sleep - is impossible.\n\nInterestingly, I was a devout born-again Christian at the time of the first two accidents. Jesus didn't help me.\n\nTo give you an idea of what fibromyalgia is like, have you ever been in a car smash and when you woke up the next day, you could barely move? Or have you ever had a really bad flu, so bad that every part of your body ached and you couldn't think? That is what fibro is like - EVERY SINGLE DAY. I have days where the pain is so bad, I can barely move and even just lying down in bed is agonising. Two Panadeine Forte don't do a damned thing (that's 60mg codeine and 1000mg paracetamol).\n\nYet I know that there are people who suffer much more pain than I do, and I cannot believe that there are other people who would stop them from ending their own life. The pain I endure on a daily basis has been disabling and debilitating - I no longer have a social life and doing normal, everyday things is nearly impossible. Even standing in a queue is an almost insurmountable task for me. But I *can* stand, and I *can* walk. What about those who can't?\n\nI am willing to put money on it, that the people who would have the "right to die" made illegal, have never truly experienced severe pain, and if they have, they haven't lived with it day in, day out, year in, year out.\n\nUntil these people live in agony every second of every day, year after year, with no cure and minimal relief (if any), they have NO RIGHT to stop another person from ending their own life.
655499
have you tryed getting him on some kind of disability like 's.s.i'??? i know when you get ssi usually you get a medical card,and that helps with medicine.
881162
I have fibromyalgia, too, but I haven't tried Neurontin yet. Has it helped at all, other than the icky mental effects? How long have you been on it? Has your doctor told you how long it's supposed to be before you know whether or not it's going to work for you?\n\nI have similar cogntive deficits (in addition to the ones normally caused by fibromyalgia) from taking Topomax for migraines. I and others often call it "Dopomax" as a result. It works too well to stop taking it, but I've found that taking Omega III fatty acids makes a major positive difference in how well my brain works. \n\nAll fibromyalgia symptoms, including "fibro fog," are worsened by stress, so the best way to reduce that (and therefore help your overall cognitive functioning) is to control the sources of stress that you can control in your life. Set firm boundaries in your life about not being around negative people. Make your home, and especially your bedroom or another room that's your retreat a special haven - a place that's purely comfortable, tidy, free of anything you're allergic or sensitive to, full of your favorite things, soft and sweet. Be very careful about getting enough sleep each night, drinking enough clean (filtered, although you don't need to bother with bottled) water, eating well, taking care of other health problems, etc. Declutter your life to the point that if you don't love if AND need it, it isn't there.\n\nThose things have made a HUGE difference for me - and for my daughter, who also has fibro. I was diagnosed in 1993. She's 16 now and was diagnosed in 1999.\n\nGood luck! Don't hesitate to ask further questions, and please let me know how you're doing.
897045
I don't know how the pain for bone cancer feels, but as a fellow fibromyalgia sufferer I do know that fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder of hypersensitivity. That means that EVERYTHING affects how you feel more than it would with the FMS. Your nervous system reacts more strongly to the weather, tastes, pain, a weird smell, an itchy sweater, or harsh lighting more strongly than it did before you developed fibromyalgia.\n\nDo you have regular checkups to make sure the cancer hasn't returned, though?
1072134
Nope.  When you file for disability your doctor submits his records and test results only.  They don't care what his opinion is, the insurance company and/or Social Security has their own doctors who review the evidence and come to their own conclusion based on the parameters of the program your applying for.
148178
http://www.med-help.net/Fibromyalgia-Doctors.html\n\nhttp://www.fmscommunity.org/findingadoctor.htm\n\nhttp://www.fmaware.org/fminfo/findingRightDoctor.htm\n(scroll down to the very bottom for links on finding a doc)\n\n\nyou also might try calling the dr.'s office and just asking if they treat FM, or asking whether the dr. has any experience dealing with it. Probably need to speak with a nurse. \nin my experience, i went through many many dr.'s until was I diagnosed. i didn't know anything about it until a little under a year ago, after complaining to a friend who has FM who told me my symptoms sounded just like hers. no dr.'s ever mentioned the word Fibromyalgia, some even suggested that it was in my head. \nafter researching FM, i confronted my current dr. with it. \nafter constant badgering (i felt) on my part and insistence on blood tests, or on any tests that would find something (or nothing in the case of FM), she finally realized i had it, and sent me to a rheumatologist who confirmed it within 5 minutes. \ni guess my point is that you have to be your own advocate.. go to the dr. armed with information and your symptoms of FM. you have to be very persistent and a little pushy i think to get someone to listen to you.\ni hope this helps. good luck and remember that it won't kill you, just make your life a living hell some days:)
580948
It took my ex husband two years to get it, and he was all messed up.  I worked for the Disability Determination Board in Little Rock several years ago, and they automatically deny all claims initially, at least they did then.  That was in 1980.
122578
Have you been checked for Fibromyalgia? PTSD is usually caused by a traumatic (physical or mental) event and so is Fibro. However, Fibro could be what is causing your pain. If so, pain medications will not be of assistance and you may then want to look at muscle relaxers instead. I have had Fibro for twenty years and have tried every pain reliever possible. Most worked initially and then I built up a tolerance causing me to move to heavier medications.\n\nHere are a few exerpts that I found linking Fibro and PTSD and are sourced below.\n\nThe mysterious chronic pain condition fibromyalgia is widely thought of as a woman's disease, but new research suggests it is also common among men with posttraumatic stress disorder. \n\nPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or chronic stress may play a strong role in the development of fibromyalgia in some patients. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is a reaction to a specific traumatic event. Symptoms of this condition, which can occur for years after the traumatic event, include emotional withdrawal, hopelessness, irritability, mood swings, sleep problems, inability to concentrate, and an excessive startle response to noise. There is some evidence that PTSD actually results in changes in the brain, possibly from long-term overexposure to stress hormones.\n\nThis is a list of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia http://www.fibrohugs.com/article.php?story=20040301122908997
1009355
I do and it is quite debilitating.\n\n“Fibroid myalgia” or fibromyalgia as it is better known is a common condition characterized by generalized pain and fatigue. This condition has nothing to do with fibroids, but is more a form of rheumatoid athritis.\n\nI regularly see a Chiropractor, Accupuncturist and a Massage Therapist and I take Naproxen and Norflex because the pain is so intense sometimes.   It affects my lower back and my shoulder blades are constantly aggravated.  I am usually in constant pain and stressed out about my back because it affects my daily living. My muscles are always sore and makes me tired and irritable.\n\nI am looking to see a rheumatologist.\n\nOh yeah -- symptoms include migraine headache, decrease in short term memory, cognitive dysfunction, blurred or double vision, hypersensitivity to sound and smells, shortness of breath, chest pains, palpitations, irritable bowel, irritable bladder, painful menses, painful urination, multiple drug allergies, multiple sensitivities to chemicals.
571009
Oh darlin- good luck to you!  I just went thru this whole damn thing!  I had injured both my hands in a fall and ended up out of work for 3 months.  I got fired for missing work!  NICE huh?  Well after being out 3 months I found a new job and was doing great at first and ended up making my hands even worse and I just had double hand surgery!  I did luck out and get the first employer to pay for it plus benefits but I had to get an attorney to do that much!  Good luck to u!
551224
NO. TRY WORKERS COMPENSATION, OR MEDICAL DISABILITY
790922
Yes, definitely for over 7 years. It is the most unrelenting disease that most doctors don't understand. I have been blessed with a fabulous doctor who understands my pain and doesn't think  I am faking it like some others think. This is a real uncurable disease with many men and women suffer everyday. You are not alone. I don't know what you are asking? Just remember, you are not alone. There are many web sites available for fibros. There is one, fibrohugs.com, which is a very, very good forum. Try it out. Good Luck and Good Health. Fibrohug to you!!