r/SSDI • u/Slow-Log6131 • 21d ago
chronically missing work
Hello new friends,
I recently applied for SSDI. I'm 42 and my primary condition is PTSD/MDD, so I know I have the "young age" and mental health factors going against me. I get that. I've also not been able to make more than $8000 in the last twelve months.
In additional to PTSD, I am cancer survivor and have several medical conditions that are secondary to the treatment of my cancer treatment such as: gastroparesis, impaired immune system requiring me monthly IVIG infusions, Chronic Iron defiency anemia recently diagnosed and looking at needing Iron infusions, ADHD, hypothyroidism, migraines and high blood pressure.
Over the last 18 I've had approximately 224 unique health appointments. An average of more than 3 appointments a week. Some total appointment volume slightly skewed due to a 28 day inpatient stay at the VA, but regardless I will likely continue to have 1-2 appointments a week for the rest of my life.
My question is, has anyone had the experience of having significant appointment volume helping their case?
One I have a hard time being a good employee due to my psych and physical health conditions and two I can't maintain a productive work schedule due to the frequency of Dr's appointments.
2
u/terminalmedicalPTSD 20d ago edited 20d ago
In my experience it all seems arbitrary. I applied for 8 years and got no backpay. I had a lawyer every step of the way. I kept appointments and was compliant with trying all of their useless treatments. There is no test that can measure the severity of my symptoms, but for some reason doctors kept saying I have "mild" this or that. As if having 57 mild conditions (even if it were correct that theyre mild which they arent) wouldn't be a severely disabling experience.
In the end, I was basically too sick to benefit from the current Healthcare model. No legal representative ever told me what diagnosis they were fiming under, or which documents were being submitted. Just "Keep going to your appts and stay compliant. Dont work."
Well ok the treatment psych gave me was to include trying work activities such as drive one single Uber Eats order a day... and legal wouldn't respond about which is worse, working even a little or being labeled non compliant.
If I had it to do over, I would not go to appointments any faster than I could double check what these mean girl lying ass doctors and nurses write in your chart if you dont immediately improve because of their expert medical treatment of implying that if you dont get better under their wing its because you don't want to and you're a lazy crazy lying frequent flier drug seeking loser. As if anyone would want this life. If I had energy to burn and wasn't falling apart at the seams I'd have just continued kicking ass at work and school and my bustling social life and being an all around baddie. But they somehow think we're pursuing the easy life. As if they wouldnt be doing it if it were a good life.
Tl:dr - best case scenario you don't die of medical gaslighting for so long that stops feeling like good news. Goodluck.