(no subject)

[sprinklethief]

my dad is trying to get me to go on temporary total disability until i get my spine under control (lumbar and neck). the pain is classified as debilitating (i'm assuming that's why they give me so much percocet) in my lower back and hasn't been examined by a neurosurgeon yet in my neck (in a few weeks - sooner if i can get in) tho they've already recommended me for surgery based on the MRI's and symptoms.

i'm in so much pain most of the time i don't get out of bed or off the couch unless i have to - then i get real good and doped up and top it with an adderall so i can keep going. it's a miserable existence, but i have to keep full time status at work in order to keep my benefits.

does anyone have experience with this or any advice?

Comments

[ciani.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how this works out. When I was completely out of my mind my psychiatrist tried to get me to apply for it, but I didn't. I was actually kind of worried about the stigma of being considered so mentally fucked up I was disabled. :P

The good thing about being considered disabled is that you'll get social security. Considering it's not likely to be there when we actually retire at least you'll get some of what should be coming to you. I also think you would qualify for additional medical insurance from the state, but that might depend from state to state. At the very least it would mean that you won't have to work and can devote the bulk of your less painful time to school.

I also think you need to get another opinion about your back.

[paroxysm-cycle.livejournal.com]

that's sort of what i was thinking he meant - get taken care of so i can still go to school while getting my back under control.

i agree about the back, though this is my second opinion. now after all this time of doing useless little surgeries they're all about fusion. fusion fusion fusion. no replacement - FUSION!! this coming from the people that swore physical therapy would fix me.

[ciani.livejournal.com]

My aunt had fusion done :( For her it had the opposite effect.. she's now permanently disabled. They tried putting electrodes in her back for the pain, but it didn't work so she's been on oxycontin for years. I'd definitely get yet another opinion before you go that route :(

[paroxysm-cycle.livejournal.com]

according to them we've tried everything else (which i believe since that was procedure #9). i'm trying to find as much info as i can on the disk replacement surgery because it maintains motion and doesn't put added stress on the adjacent disks like fusion does. its just that no one wants to do it because it's relatively new and "we don't know the long term outcomes yet" even though they've been doing them in canada for the last 10 years at least and even longer in europe.

i *did* find a surgeon at lutheran who specializes in that tho, i'm going to try to talk to him. turns out he's even covered by my fickle insurance PPO network.

if i get in there i expect visits from all the cleveland peeps during my little stay dammit!

[ciani.livejournal.com]

I hope he has good news for you. Who are you going through now? Cleveland Clinic?

[paroxysm-cycle.livejournal.com]

right now i go to western reserve spine and pain down here in kent but the guy i'm going to try to get into is with cleveland clinic/lutheran.

[ciani.livejournal.com]

oh good! I can't keep track of who was absorbed into Cleveland Clinic.