Dismissed by Both My Doctors and Social Security

I initially started having back problems but the doctors I was seeing could not figure out why or why it did not respond to basic treatment. One doctor even told me it was just stress. I went for three years with doctors trying to guess what was wrong as I became sicker and sicker. The pain and other problems left me barely able to walk or use my right leg.

Then I began to develop exhaustion type issues and other symptoms. I could barely walk across a room and was in horrible pain all the time. Doctor after doctor either threw up their hands or decided I was faking it. When it became clear that I was not going to get adequate treatment, a diagnosis or any hope of getting better anytime soon I told my current doctor I was going to file for disability.

Instead of helping me he made a sarcastic comment in my medical records and stated I had no limitations on working. I was in his office the previous month curled up in pain and unable to remember driving there. So I went with no pain management or treatment for months. I was eventually referred to an alternative medicine doctor who diagnosed me with an old ligament injury that never healed, leaving my back unstable. I did gain improvement from the treatments done by this doctor.

I was finally able to walk normal but sitting or standing was still excruciatingly painful. The exhaustion and brain fog became worse and worse. Many times I could not even comprehend what someone was saying to me and even making a simple statement was difficult to do. Meanwhile I had applied for Social Security without that earlier doctor’s support. I was sent to see a local doctor who did actually seem to care and listened to what I told her about my medical problems. I found out later than her exam and review was very positive to my case. Yet I was rejected again on the appeal.

At this point I hired a lawyer to deal with the Social Security issue. I was just too sick and in pain to deal with it myself. Having someone to make sure these things were being done correctly was a huge help. Around this time my symptoms became even worse. I could barely breathe and eventually could only sit in a chair while I wheezed and coughed. I saw an allergy specialist who put me on massive doses of steroids while they ran many tests to rule out other conditions and potential exposures to toxins.

My back pain changed and became worse too. I would have pain days so bad that I would be panting and sweating and unable to do anything. In trying to find anything to deal with my increasing decline in my health I found some studies online that noted allergy issues can be made worse by certain hormone problems. Upon my request the allergist referred me to an endocrinologist. I also sought the help of a rheumatologist. The endocrinologist found that my thyroid levels were extremely low and I had an auto-immune thyroid problem. The rheumatologist ran test after test and sent me for an MRI. They found some arthritis in my back but didn’t think much of it. The rheumatologist also diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and felt that this may be causing some of my pain and joint problems.

By this point I could barely walk and holding a pen was difficult. The rheumatologist did eventually refer me to a pain management doctor. Meanwhile my Social Security has been again rejected and rejected on appeal. They keep insisting nothing is wrong with me. I had records from my doctors regarding the laundry list of conditions they were finding. The doctors understood I was in pain and barely able to function yet what translated to Social Security was that there really wasn’t much wrong with me.

I did eventually get a hearing. I was able to explain my situation and point out where doctors agreed I had these medical problems. I still couldn’t do anything that required effort, sitting hurt, standing hurt, I had cognition and memory problems and could not think straight. The judge rejected every single positive doctors statement either out of hand or not being as bad as they said. He did pick the one comment from one doctor five years earlier. The one that said I could work. The judge ignored all seven doctors that said otherwise including the doctor Social Security had examine me. I was floored. So was my lawyer. In the mean time I kept researching my diagnosed medical conditions. I found respected medical studies that showed my conditions were all connected. I also found a number of studies that showed the high levels of steroids I had been left on to deal with out of control allergy and asthma problems can cause the very symptoms I was dealing with. They can make pain worse, cause brain fog and exhaustion. I tapered out all of the steroids and replaced them with an over the counter nasal spray and allergy medicine.

Gradually many of the exhaustion and fog symptoms went away. My pain doctor worked on finding the right pain medications and some new treatments for my back pain. Through all of this she discovered the root of all of my pain. It is in the section of my back that the other doctors dismissed as minor, I had a significant degeneration and arthritis. With some new treatments that work directly on the area rather than relying on pills they have made me able to at least get around and do things all day. If these treatments continue to improve and keep the improvement I might actually be able to go back to work part time. It has now been seven years of doctors dismissing me, throwing up their hands or doing treatments that actually made things worse.

In seven years I have not been able to work and was bedridden for a time, I have not seen a penny from Social Security. But had I not taken my health into my own hands I would still be unable to do anything at all. Now finally after seven years and finally seeing my health improve I may never see a penny of those seven years I was unable to work as now that my health is improving Social Security will see no reason to pay me back for the seven years they have dragged me though the system.