My husband and I are going to try to get disability. We are breaking into pieces trying to make it like normal people in the world.He has bipolar 1, three heart attacks, a herniated disk, torn rotater cuff...he is a creative designer for a huge credit card co. He fell down the steps three weeks ago and hurt his neck and has no feeling in the ' money hand.' He has gotten the run around from incompetent, too busy to care, Neuro surgeons, neurologists, been in the hospital three times in one month...also had a heart cath.
If he goes back to that high pressure job, he will use bath salts again to try and keep up. It is legal speed. We almost got divorced over it but he is now in recovery...almost two months clean. He is severely depressed. I am often in a mixed state and cycling rapidly. We take our meds, go to therapy, and see pdoc regularly. We live in a spiritually and financially bankrupt and corrupt city and it is wearing us down to shreds. We can't take it anymore.
He is 50 years old and has worked full time sence he was 16. He is on fmla leave and is trying to set up neck surgery. Doctors don't call back, we don't know who to go to, we keep getting told different things by different drs. He, for the first time tonight, declared that he is ready to make a life change and not go back to his job. He wants to have some years with me and at the workaholic fast track pace he was on, he won't make it. His pride has kept him from seeking out help through disability in previous years. He is the hardest worker I know. It is symbolic that his right hand is completely numb...he can no longer operate a computer. He designed the credit cards as a graphic artist. He made the company millions of dollars. They love him. I hate them but I know he allowed this situation to occur. He can't say no, and we are people pleasers, but trying to now take care of ourselves so we can have a few nice years to live and enjoy life.
I on the other hand have rapid cycling, mixed state BP 2, anxiety and a torn rotater cuff that I have dealt with for 11 months because it happened at work and the large corporate company I worked for is trying to wheedle me down by extending court dates, doing a complete background check on previous injuries. Trying to make me give up. My orthopedic surgeon says i need surgery and can not go back to work. I have been completely honest about
everything and will find out in 30 days what the decision will be from the judge on whether i will be compensated or not. I didn't even know what workmans comp was and my mgr told me nothing but to use my husbands insurance for my surgery. She didn't want to look bad herself to the district mgr. The girls at work told me it was a work comp case. I called hr and was given instructions on what to do. I am still employed by the co. The mgr was horrible and was fired six months ago. I had to shorten my hours before the injury due to bipolar symptoms. I have just re-injured my rotater cuff by unloading groceries and have been at urgent care half the night. I have been living with severe pain for 11 months and have blocked it out of my mind until i injured it again today.
My husband and I have each had several suicide attempts and hospitalizations.
We are at the jumping off point. We must surrender to win. I tried to get on disability three years ago and was denied and never pursued it. I went and got a job and ended up hurting myself. What was i trying to prove?. That i could be like everybody else. We both suffer from addictions...his to bath salts and me with beer. We are working A.A., Alanon and N.A very hard. I just celebrated 60 days.
Would we be able to get some assistance through disability nationwide or are we just going to die from trying so hard to make it in the world? What does that really prove? Isn't it better to accept our limitations and work within that? We would like to be able to have abfew years of peace but we are both ready for the psyche ward again.
How do we go about
this disability thing? Can someone pleases help us? Please.
Post Edited (red lightening) : 5/25/2012 1:57:02 AM (GMT-6)