[DonnainGA]

Hi everyone! Im so glad that I found y'all. Im 46 yrs old. Have been a RN for 25 yrs with 24 yrs of it mainly in Labor and Delivery. I initially hurt my back when I was 22 yrs old while lifting a nursing home patient back into bed at the hospital. The first hospital I worked at, was a small country hospital that only did 50 deliveries a month so we often got "floated" to another department to help out. I was diagnosed with bulging discs at that time at L2/L3, L3,L4 and L4 L5. I also injured C2, C3 C3,C4, C5.
Anyway, right now Im on LTD with failed back surgery syndrome. I had back surgery dec '05, which only made my pain in my right leg and hip worse than it was. I also have bulging discs and degenerative discs at L3/L4, L4/L5.L5/L6. Compounded by the flare up of my Cervical discs. I have pain from my neck down to my toes!! My pain is so severe at times, even on pain medicine, that I feel like Im going to die. Ive been with a pain management physician since Feb "07. Ive had 3 unsuccessful epidural injections, a unsuccessful nerve block and finally had a discogram that showed the amount of degeneration in my lumbar discs. He is now wanting to do a nerve conduction study related to the pain from the cervical discs which is causing me to have pain down both arms, numbness and me dropping things all the time Some days are worse than others, but the majority of the time, I stay in the house watching TV and surfing the net when I can. Since I cant sit long or use my hands for long.
Im also divorced and paying cobra to keep my health insurance. What im going to do when the LTD runs out, I have no clue except to apply for SSI which I hear takes a long time. It just saddens me that after all the years I have put in as a nurse, I have nothing to show for it now. At this point in time I dont know what is going to happen to me. I just thing there should be something available to seasoned nurses that have experienced injuries such as ours. A home based type of work that we can utilize our knowlege in some way. I live an hour from Atlanta, so there are'nt any big insurance companies or research type jobs in this area. Anyway, I am so glad I found this so that I can at least vent and get ideas or just have friendships with people that truely do understand what we are going through.
Donna

[Hoozdo]

Welcome to the back pain thread Donna!

I suggest you file for SSD now. If they award it - then they just deduct what you get from LTD from your benefits. The sooner you get SSD the better because you would then be able to get Medicare Part A and Part B and eliminate those huge Cobra payments. I believe there is a 6 month waiting period to get Medicare once you are approved for SSD. I could be wrong and it is longer though.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

I started a poll on back injuries awhile back. Here's the link.

http://allnurses.com/forums/f118/do-...ng-108249.html

[harley007]

Good luck to all of you - I know it sounds so lame to say - I wish I had a majical disc wand!
Totally unrelated - Hoozdo, is that a Schipperke in your picture? Lost mine in a divorce and still miss her so much. I hope it is one as they are such a comfort when you're dragging.

[woody62]

Originally Posted by Hoozdo

Welcome to the back pain thread Donna!

I suggest you file for SSD now. If they award it - then they just deduct what you get from LTD from your benefits. The sooner you get SSD the better because you would then be able to get Medicare Part A and Part B and eliminate those huge Cobra payments. I believe there is a 6 month waiting period to get Medicare once you are approved for SSD. I could be wrong and it is longer though.

To be eligible for Medicare you have to be unable to work for twenty four months. Since most applications for SSDI take eighteen months, hence you wait only an additional six months. Opt for the fee for service. You will have co-payments that are slightly larger but you will not have the restrictions you have with HMO Medicare.

Woody

[DonnainGA]

Thanks Hoozdo for the advice. I have one question though. While I was surfing the other day I found a site called Allsup inc. They are a company that assists you in getting SSD and have a 97% success rate. Has anyone heard of it or even used them???? Seems like a great deal that they handle all the paperwork and stuff.

[Hoozdo]

Originally Posted by DonnainGA

Thanks Hoozdo for the advice. I have one question though. While I was surfing the other day I found a site called Allsup inc. They are a company that assists you in getting SSD and have a 97% success rate. Has anyone heard of it or even used them???? Seems like a great deal that they handle all the paperwork and stuff.

Well, it's not really a great deal because they will take part of your SSD payment for the services they provide.

About 10 years ago I applied for SSD for end stage liver disease. I got it on the first application. I had my transplant, changed careers to nursing, and have been happily working ever since. The key to getting SSD is to throughly fill out the paper work, throw in every dx you can think of that applies. If you should get denied, THEN I would think about retaining an SSD lawyer or service that you are talking about.

It is not hard to apply for SSD, but is time-consuming.

[Hoozdo]

Originally Posted by harley007

Good luck to all of you - I know it sounds so lame to say - I wish I had a majical disc wand!
Totally unrelated - Hoozdo, is that a Schipperke in your picture? Lost mine in a divorce and still miss her so much. I hope it is one as they are such a comfort when you're dragging.

I got her from the Humane Society when she was a puppy. She looked like a chow mix - the cutest little teddy bear of a dog. She grew up to have short hair and sort of a Corgie body style, LOL. Since I have no children, my animals are my children. Two humane society dogs, and 4 humane society cats. And one husband, LOL.

[woody62]

Originally Posted by DonnainGA

Thanks Hoozdo for the advice. I have one question though. While I was surfing the other day I found a site called Allsup inc. They are a company that assists you in getting SSD and have a 97% success rate. Has anyone heard of it or even used them???? Seems like a great deal that they handle all the paperwork and stuff.

I've never heard of them. But I have a feeling they will take as much of your back award as they legally can. You can fill out the papers yourself. You need to get every doctor treating you to say that you will be unable to work for at least twelve months. And getting supporting documents from them. If after your first two attempts, if turned down, get an attorney that specializes in social security disability appeals. He will usually do the trick for you.

Woody

[Selke]

Rehab nurse, my heart goes out to you. My issues are tiny mites compared to yours. Have you looked around where you live for disability rights support groups or legal assistance? Is there a law school in your area which has a legal rights clinic? Have you checked with your state or county for assistance? If anyone deserves help, it's you. I hear from women who are disabled with scoliosis, for example, that it is nearly impossible to get SSDI. It seems you have multiple medical issues that should make it easier to get it, but I could be wrong. How are you surviving right now?

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