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Social Security/Disability Interview Today

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 11/7/2008 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
I have my interview for disability today at 1:30pm......definitely getting a little nervous about it, just been trying to gather all the information i'll need...gathered all my medical info, doctor's names and places i've been treated and dates, drugs i'm on, my complete job history for the past 15 years, and the hardest part, all the symptoms i've had and still have since my crohn's started, just hard to remember all this stuff, and i want to be as complete and thorough as possible.....stress and anxiety levels will be high today, i have some time to kill, so meditation and breathing excersises, and maybe some video games to get my mind off of things, while periodically getting back to my list as i think of things that i'll need to mention during the interview.....

just hate feeling like i have to prove myself, prove that my condition is disabling, and that I can't work, unless the job was extremely accomidating and flexible with me....i seem to be in kind of a remission right now, but i know too well that it may not last....but i'm also still extremely weak and my feet and legs are extremely swollen, so there would be no way i could work an 8 hour shift anywhere, doing anything......

i understand from things i've heard from people here, and the person that has been helping me with my finances and stuff, that almost everyone gets denied the first time, but i can appeal it until i get accepted......just sucks to have to go through all of this....it is a fact that i have crohn's disease, and crohn's is considered a disabling disease, its on the list on the disability website...would be nice if they could just talk to my doctors, get the info, and just hook me up with what i'm entitled to, instead of stressing me out and making me jump through hoops......

it'll be ok....gonna stay positive and try to stay chill today....lol

peace and love

sully

Posted 11/7/2008 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
Sending (((BIG HUGS))) and bunches of good luck your way. I hope everything goes well for you today.

God Bless,
Gail *Nanners*
Posted 11/7/2008 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Good luck and I am sure you will do find after all us crohnies are tough. lol gail
Posted 11/7/2008 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Do you have it by phone? Or is it in person? Remember that it is VERY important to discuss your PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS (your disability) because of the disease. It doesn't count that you don't feel well. You have to say that you are UNABLE to do things because of having the illness or taking the meds. "I MUST be near a bathroom at all times. I cannot go for more than 15 minutes without need to go to the bathroom" OR "The prednisone causes me to have "the shakes" or tremors so badly that I am unable to cut food with a knife, drive a car, or hold a pen steady." OR "the purinethol side effects cause me extreme weakness that make me have to lay down all the time because I am too weak to sit up."

DO NOT say those things if they are NOT TRUE. I'm just giving you examples of how to qualify your impairments. They already know you "Feel bad", they need to know HOW it limits you or prevents you from working. Don't sugar coat anything. Let them know how bad it really is. And don't feel a bit embarrassed if you have to excuse yourself from your interview to go to the bathroom. It'll only be proof of how bad your disease is. Good luck to you.

Stef
Posted 11/7/2008 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Don't sugar coat your symptoms or be wishy washy. Say it the way it is and emphasize your limitations and setbacks.

Emphasize how much time you spend in the bathroom and how many times a day and how it is unpredicatable and uncontrollable. This is pretty much the case for any crohn's flare.

If you're going to discuss your pain, make sure they know how it physically limits you from doing things like lifting, walking, vaccuming, having things touch your tummy like clothes, etc. Alot of us have trouble walking a lot because it gets our bowels spasming more, for example.

Best wishes.
Posted 11/7/2008 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the tips and the support everyone......

my interview is going to be over the phone........the thing i'm not sure about---over the past year since crohn's has entered my life i've had all kinds of different symptoms, some more disabling than others, but some of these things come and go, during extreme flare times i have the constant diarhea and i'm pretty much stuck in bed or in the bathroom.....with pain in the back, legs, feet, toes, swelling, extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, etc..........but right now i feel good, for the past 2 weeks i've been in what seems to be remission, but that shouldn't erase the past year of hell.....and it could flare up again at any time and any of these symptoms or even new ones could arise, so how do you know what to include in the interview?? i obviously don't want to tell them i feel good and life's been great lately, cause that could change tomorrow, but can i include every symptom i've experienced?? thats my plan, to list every detail i can remember, especially the ones the show physical limitation......

2 hours to go....ahhhh, lol
Posted 11/7/2008 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
DON'T tell them you feel good! DO NOT! It's not really relevant. You can have a good day, but that doesn't discount the 364 that have been terrible. Tell them everything as if you were in the middle of your worst flare. YES, you can include every symptom and you SHOULD. Good luck. Keep us posted. And - if you want to excuse yourself or ask the person to call you back in 15 minutes because you have to go to the bathroom, then do it.
Posted 11/7/2008 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck, Sully! Blessings, Julie
Posted 11/7/2008 7:42 PM (GMT 0)
just got off the phone with the ssdi dude....wasn't as bad as i thought it would be, but of course i still felt sketched out the whole time.....weird thing though, all they wanted, since i filled out the online form, was just to verify info, and to get numbers and addresses to my doctors, when i asked if they needed to know my symptoms and stuff....he said crohn's disease is pretty straightforward.....i guess that means its a more accepted disease for disability these days or something, otherwise the phone conversation probably wouldn't have been happening......we'll see....he said the process should take anywhere from 4 to 6 months for them to get all the info from doctors and stuff....so i don't know, the balls rolling, and it looks good from here.......i'll keep my fingers crossed, lol

thanks again for the support and good vibes everyone! :)
Posted 11/7/2008 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
sully, just to give you a heads up, at some point they will prolly send you to another doctor (in many cases a shrink) for further evaluation (chat). whatever you do, don't embellish your symptoms and tell them that you can't work. tell them the low down and unpleasant things that happen to you that render you unreliable for an employer to take a chance on you. don't be a prude, include the most embarassing details. what they are looking for is how the disease has changed your life. that may sound like an obscure concept, but will become clearer the longer you live with it. i will say that your age will probably work against you. what i have noticed is the closer to 60 that you are, the easier to get approved. the closer to 20, the harder. location also comes into play, the larger the city the harder, for obvious reasons.

remember, be honest and thorough, and don't embelish! good luck....

vv

ps: welcome to the forum
Posted 11/7/2008 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
I can't believe it takes 4-6 months!!! Why so long? It takes just a few weeks in Canada with all the doc's paper work and forms sent in.
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