Speaking of SSDI

[Guest guest]

My application for SSDI was taken in the first week of June. Two

weeks later I received a letter stating that it could take up to 120

days before an answer would be received back. It didn't seem to

matter that I had taken in over 250 pages of my medical and hospital

records, absolutely everything that is on file with any physician or

hospital in the state where I have been seen. All the work was done

for them, all they had to do was review what they had. A friend

told me that they would resubmit requests for all of this information

all over again, which seems like a colossal waste of time.....

So since that time I have been waiting, and waiting. I received my

first phone call from a reviewer three days ago. She began the

conversation by asking me about my depression, saying that she had

read I was on medication for depression, what was it and why was it

prescribed? Had I seen a psychiatrist? I answered, no, that my

Gastro had prescribed the Celexa initially based on my need and

behavior at the time, and then I forgot to tell her that the reason I

didn't see a psychiatrist was because I was in ICU in the hospital

during the time that my appointment with the shrink was scheduled!

My Gastro had recommended a consult two months after he had already

started me on medication for depression, after I kept calling him

with worry and concern about my weight loss and accelerated pain.

For those who are new, the reason for this weight loss and

pain " wasn't all in my head " as my Gastro implied, it turned out to

be that I was developing diabetic ketoacidosis at the time and ended

up being hospitalized.

The evaluator asked if I felt the medication was working, and I told

her that I thought it was doing okay. " So then you think you feel

like a normal person? " , she asked. Of course, I had to disagree with

that and explain how I really felt. She asked if I would consent to

seeing a psychiatrist if she felt it was necessary, to which I

answered " yes. " She asked me what did I do all day, who did the

shopping, who paid all the bills, did I go to church and did I have

any family or friends close by? I realized afterward that I probably

was not as forthcoming as I could have been. I answered most of her

questions with short one or two word replies, with very little

explanation. It was a situation where I didn't elaborate on anything

at all, and now I wish I had, but I wasn't feeling well when she

called. If only I'd known! Everyone tells me they can always tell

when I'm not doing well, because I clam up and become very

untalkative, and that's exactly the way I was on the phone during

this privotal call. Oh well............

That pretty much sums up the call. So now I go back to waiting, and

waiting..... According to the deadline, I should be hearing

something within the next 30 days.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments and advice are personal opinion only, and should

not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

" What les behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared

to what lies within us. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson