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Crohns and Social Security Disability

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/27/2013 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
I am not new to Crohns, was diagnosed with it back in 1983, age 25. So I have had it for quite sometime. I moved from Colorado to Maine back in 1987, hadnt seen a doctor for it, my primary doctor was aware that I had it from me telling him but never wanted to do a colonoscopy, etc. I've had two children while I've had Crohns. Now that I am getting older, and how they say once you reach 50, you should go for a colon screening test, colonoscopy. My question is, does anyone on this forum for Crohns Disease get social security disability and how long did it take you to get it? Not sure if Crohns was even listed on the disability list years ago, but it is now. I wish someone had told me about getting disability for it because I had to quit a good job because of it. I felt it wasnt fair to my fellow co-workers that I everytime I had a flare up I had to call out sick, so the only thing I knew what to do was to quit. I had great support from my boyfriend at the time and my family.

So back in April I had a real bad flare up, called my new primary doctor, (who is aware of my Crohns by me telling him) called the hospital a few days later to get on their "free care" plan, I was unemployed at the time. Went in for my colonoscopy. Surgeon who performed the colonoscopy sends me the paperwork telling me I have Crohns. Duh!

I go into my primary doctors office to discuss this with him and he tells me I dont have Crohns. (Surgeon sent him my results too) So after him telling me I dont have Crohns, I pulled out the paperwork from the surgeon and asked my primary doctor "If I dont have Crohns, then why did the surgeon send me this?" How do care for Crohns, what to eat and not to eat, plus my images of the colonoscopy plus,,,he had to do a CAT scan cause he didnt want to go all the way up because of the inflammation. Primary doctor asked me where I got it from and I told him,,,the surgeon, hospital. Anyways,,,now I have a lawyer to help with getting me disability. All my records from years ago the doctors and hospitals dont have any longer, unfortunately for me. So I have started back up gathering information to help my lawyers. I know this is quite lenghty, but was just wondering about the disability. I know some people have said to me that this takes some time to get. Wish I could go back to 1983.

Thanks for any help or any input!

Posted 9/27/2013 2:34 PM (GMT 0)
Do a search on the board. That's the easiest way to find the information. I stumbled upon a few posts in the past.
Posted 9/27/2013 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
I filed last December for SSDI. I am 54 and was turned down the first time, got a lawyer, here in Oregon they will only take it if you have been turned down the first time. They filed the appeal in May, still waiting. My Lawyer said it will most likely get turned down again and then will have to go to a hearing but that then I will get it. I have had Crohns since I was 27 but not diagnosed until 2002 with an emergency resection. I had another resection in Jan 2012. Since I have been off work the last year it is amazing how much better I have felt without all that added stress. I still have my ups and downs, mostly joint pain right now but a lot better than before. Sometimes I almost feel guilty not working but I know if I tried to go learn a new job it would just make things worse again. I worked all my life so everyone tells me this is not charity. The biggest problem is trying to survive with no income while you wait, I am going to have to start dipping into my 401K and that sucks. Good Luck!
Posted 9/27/2013 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
I guess basically all it is is a great big waiting game. SSDI is in no hurry, is what Ive heard and from what Ive read. Patience is a virtual. Hopefully my lawyers will work on my case. Thats all I can ask for. I did try to do it a few years back by myself. SSDI turned me down, said I didnt have enough doctors appts. Well, when you dont have health insurance for years and years,,,you just try to deal with Crohns yourself. I was put thru so much years ago that I do know my body. Lots of days it was just stay in bed and make sure I drank lots of liquids so I didnt get dehydrated. I just let it work its course. If SSDI could have seen my "folder" from the doctors office years ago, it would have taken them years to read it. It was at least 8 inches high. And yes, I did say folder. Back then, 1983, I didnt see anything on a computer. The biggest mistake I made was when I moved, I had asked for my records but they said it would cost me so much per page. Like I said, it would have cost me a fortune because of how many papers were in that folder. Plus I didnt want to travel with it all so I thought at the time my records would be safer right where they were plus if and when I was seen by a doctor, have them request my records. So anyways, I messed up regarding my records. Hospitals even have no records, after so many years they get rid of them too. Now if I had owned them a bill, I'm sure they would know my name,,,ha! So Ive been "living" with Crohns for 30 yrs now. Out of all my siblings, I got it. I was the best eater out of all of us. This Crohns hit me, all of sudden too. My doctor at the time said I was a rare case because usually you get colitis, IBS, or something first. I went to the top of the ladder, is how he worded it. My new gastro doctor is amazed at my story(s). I was pregnant and didnt even know it until I was about 8 months pregnant. Just thought my Crohns had goofed me up. So I call that son my miracle baby. He survived with me  being so sick when I was pregnant with him. At the time, I was 99 lbs, gained about 10 lbs during the whole pregnancy, which actually made me feel a little better. He was small, 5#-14 oz and is a healthly 28 yr old. Thanks for the inputs on this forum, I did do a search up top like you had suggested Question Everything. And thank you Porkysgal for your input. When I first got this, I never even had heard of Crohns and didnt realize how many people in this world has this. So to everyone that does,,,,good luck and I hope you have good doctors who help you thru each and every day. blush
Posted 9/28/2013 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
You will be rejected at first. Always. The initial application is basically "Do you have any of the ailments on this list? Nope? See ya." Crohn's isn't on that much shorter list. However, it is on the list of ailments that you can get disability for, so you have to appeal the first decision. This is where the lawyer is helpful. It took about a year from the time I hired my lawyer to the time of my hearing. The lawyer and judge were both smart guys who took their jobs seriously, so I didn't have any hiccups. That big long case history will be useful when your hearing comes up. The more documentation the better.

When you hire a lawyer, make sure they specialize in this sort of thing. There's a lot of details that can have an important impact on the end result, like your claim date. A general practice lawyer might not know them all.
Posted 9/28/2013 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
Bane - not everyone that applies is rejected the first. We have members here approved on first application.
Posted 9/28/2013 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
For Crohn's only, and w/o an appeal? I was told that was the case. I guess that's one case of "glad to be wrong."

Post Edited (Bane) : 9/28/2013 6:40:25 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/29/2013 2:49 AM (GMT 0)
I am hoping I dont have to go through the appeal stuff, I really dont want to go to court. I know in the end it'll be worth it though. I guess after all these years, I'm ready for a a fight. Like I said before, if I had known, or if SSDI accepted Crohns years ago, I would have collected then. Wish I could have my lawyer retro act that check,,it sure would be worth teep  then,,ha!I wish I did have ALL the documentation from 1983 and on, hospital I called that I was in no longer has any of my information, they're only required to keep it so many years. And I cant seem to find the doctor that I had. He may have retired by now, I cant remember what they had said about him when I called.  And yes Bane, the lawyer I have does specialize in disability claims, etc. I'm hoping to hear from her soon. Maybe in the next year or two, just kidding! I will definitely let everyone know how my case turns out. Lets keep our fingers crossed, I have enjoyed discussing Crohns with you all, almost makes ya feel better just knowing you're not the only one out there with this disease. I remember years ago when I first was diagnosed with it asking my doctor if I was going to die? Thats exactly how I felt at the time too, like I was dying. He told me and I quote, "yes,,I was going to die, BUT not from Crohns. tongue And here I am, 30 yrs later. Knowing all I know about Crohns, I'm going to say that I have had it better good the last 30 years. Probably in remission, if I had to guess. Unfortunately, its not the case any more! Appeals Judge would have looked at me years ago and said YES, she definitely is going to receive disability. Today, I'm not too sure. I dont look as sick as I use too. Hence why they call this disease the "invisible" disease. No one knows what you feel like, only you.
Posted 9/29/2013 6:16 AM (GMT 0)
Well, see, that's the thing. You CAN back-date your disability. That's the claim-date i referred to. I applied two years ago, and had my hearing last year. But I've been on disability since 2007, as far as they're concerned. I got a big check for all the time I'd been eligible but not receiving. 'course, I had to spend it all immediately, because it wasn't enough to live on but WAS enough to disqualify me from other assistance programs. Which, by the way, are much easier once you're on disability. Especially if your county isn't inept, like mine. Anyway, I'm not sure how far back you can claim, but you should be able to claim enough to get a hefty chunk of change.

Your lawyer should talk to you about when to date your claim; I was actually diagnosed in 2004, but since I had managed to work for 3 months in early 2007, my lawyer felt that it was better to claim after then than to risk having that brief period of health be a liability. And you should pay attention to that part, too: my lawyer actually forgot why we'd picked that date, so I had to explain to him and the judge during the hearing.

The hearing itself was a fairly relaxed affair. The judge had his workstation on a platform at the head of a conference table. I sat at the other end, my lawyer sat to one side, and the expert witness sat to the other side. My parents sat by the door as observers. The judge asked me for clarification on a few things, asked me to explain why I couldn't work, and a few other simple questions. It was honestly a lot like a job interview, except "Why do you want to work here?" becomes "Why do you need disability?" Once everyone took their seats it lasted maybe an hour total. I loaded up on "okay" foods and immodium, lol. I wouldn't worry about it.

For your medical records... your lawyer is going to want everything he can get. Anything you can remember would be helpful, even if it's just names.
Posted 9/29/2013 12:47 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks Bane, just reading about the procedure for court kinda eased my stress a little. I'm sure its still a long way off. I'm afraid I cant prove Ive had Crohns since 83. I've tried calling places in Colorado that I had been, ie, doctors offices, hospitals, etc. But I was just thinking of something else, I use to drive to Denver to meet about once a month with the Crohns/Colitis Foundation. We use to meet and actually it was quite interesting to sit with people who had the same problems,,,we all "looked alike" too,,,chipmunk cheeks, and it seemed with all looked skinny and frail, at the time! good ole Prednisone! The drug I've always called "the drug I love to hate"...nasty stuff! So my thoughts are is to maybe try calling the Crohns Foundation and see if they have any documentation of me going back 30 yrs ago? Stab in the dark, but maybe,,,who knows? It would make my life easier I know, to get on disability. People on it can still make just so much per year or per month,,correct? I know when I have flare-ups all I want to do is NOTHING! But when I feel half way decent, I want to do things. Just never know when the good days are going to be. rolleyes Just by reading your comments, you seem like an older person, hope I'm not offending you. When I use to go to the Crohns meetings, we had a 16 yr old young lady who had been diagnosed with Crohns. Even though I was only 25ish, I felt bad for her, just listening to her talk about her situations with school, and dates and any social events she attended. Anyways,,,lets hope for the best for everyone,,,and for me???,,,I'm hoping that this will all be over ,,,,soon!

Posted 9/11/2014 6:37 AM (GMT 0)
There are benefits for people with disabilities if your work is covered by Social Security and if you have medical condition that meets the criteria for disability. However, as the year begins, most Americans are seeing smaller paychecks as Social Security taxes increase. That is the reason a brand new Conference Board report cites for January's drastic drop in consumer confidence.
Posted 12/6/2014 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
Any one got information on UK disability entitlements for people with crohns??
Posted 12/7/2014 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I'm also in my early 20's when DX with Crohn's, 1985. I filed for SSD was denied, then found a lawyer who helped to get approved, cost me nothing, but took 2 years from when I first applied.
Posted 11/27/2015 5:15 AM (GMT 0)
You may not use this website to advertise merchandise.

Post Edited By Moderator (Ides) : 11/27/2015 11:48:34 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/30/2015 3:07 PM (GMT 0)
I was approved in 5 months. At age 59. In 100% remission now. 65 now. Remission since 2014. Went thru all the drugs, to no avail. Finally tried cannabis tincture and oil. Remission within a week
Posted 12/11/2015 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
May I ask where you find the cannabis tincture and oil? Looking for a good source.

Will it heal a fistula?
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