is fibro myalgia recognized as a disability by social security?
82089
"In a disability case, you need to prove one thing - that you are not able to work. If you remember nothing else about Social Security disability, remember that your capacity for performing work is the only thing that matters to a Social Security judge."
29099
I have had Fibro since I was 16 and am now almost 36. I have seen more doctors over the years than I can count from Neurologists to Rhuematologists to Chiropractors to Psychiatrists to Pain Specialists. In my experience pain medications do not work. A muscle relaxant is much more helpful. I have also tried biofeedback, steroid shots, trigger point injections, two sleep studies, nerve blocks, accupuncture, foot braces, wrist braces, carpal tunnel release surguries, and so much more. All just torture and I felt like a guinea pig.\nMy best advise is make sure to get plenty of sleep, take a multiple vitamin, keep active in at least low impact sports, and consider Magnesium and Malic Acid supplements (consult the doctor or a nutritionist to have her Magnesuim level checked- it is a simpe mouth swab and not painful), meditation does help some in keeping the pain back if you can seperate your mind from the pain, and try to take 2-3 warm Epson Salt baths a week (Epson salt contains Magnesium and soaking in a warm tub of it helps to get the mineral into the body. Magnesium aids the muscles in using oxygen and when the level is low which is typical in Fibro it can cause are cramps, spasms, and pain.) \nAlso, Fibromyalgia is a neurotransmitter disorder and certain foods can trigger similiar symptoms to Fibro. Try to have her eliminate Monsodium Glutamate from her diet. I did and some of my symptoms (chronic headaches and nausea) went away. It is in everything from Doritos to chicken soup. A few key finding's of an FDA study found MSG to cause a "burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest". Otherwise, learn your limits and pace herself.\nGood luck!
463576
Fibromyalgia, Reflex sympathic dystrophy, chronic fatigue, cirvical spondelosis, myofacicia, osteo arthritis, and carpel tunnes SYNDROME. \nIf you find any real, true, successful, treatments, please let me know.
1001775
Start by getting copies of all of your medical records from when you initially injured your back, to date.  It also wouldn't hurt to get letters from each of the doctors stating that surgery is not an option for you.  Then go to www.socialsecurity.gov and fill out the application for disability.  *Very Important* once you have completed the application, make sure you keep a copy of it for your records!!!  Once you have submitted your application, you will be contact for an appointment with a case worker.  When you go for your appointment, take a copy of all your medical records, originals of the letters from your doctors (keep a copy for your records), as well as a list of all medications (dosage and mg) that you take daily with you to your appointment.  Have them well organized and present them to your case worker.\n\nSince I am not a case worker for Social Security, I can't tell you for a fact that you will be approved for disability, but from reading what you have written, I would say that there is probably a better than 75% chance that you will be approved.\n\nYou may also want to dig around on the SSA website, I know there is a copy of there disability manual that outlines what qualifies for disability as I found it at one time, but for the life of me, I cannot remember where on the site it was located.
803270
http://www.doctormurray.com/conditions/Fibromyalgia.asp
969331
If you are talking about SSI/SSDI, then the answer is...it depends on how severely it limits the ability to function, especially work. There needs to be a long history and it needs to be well documented and the entire frustrating procedure can literally take years (this is not at all unusual.)
367211
Hi, my mother has has the same problem and she was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia....A lot of Doctors will tell you that you might be suffering from depression or stress but in reality there really could be another diagnosis. You should try to find a doctor that actually specializes in Pressure Point Exams and Fibromyalgia.\n\nAlso, I have been living with undiagnosed pain for the past 4 years. I have alot of the signs/symptoms so I am going to see a specialist soon that deals with fibro and maybe I can get my pain under control. I hope this helps!
44708
Fibromyalgia (pronounced "fie-bro-my-al-jia") is not a disease but a collection of symptoms (referred to as a syndrome) characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches and pains, stiffness, fatigue and muscle spasms. The exact etiology of FS has not been identified although a myriad of mechanisms have been proposed, including inability to acquire appropriate sleep, micro-circulation disturbances, hormonal changes and others.
37713
hi there ,, this is what i could bring to u about fibromyalgia ,,,,, hope it's useful \n\nFibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the muscles and soft tissue ,,,\n\nsymptoms of fibromyalgia :\n\nMost people with fibromyalgia endure cycles of muscle, soft tissue, and back or neck pain, \nsleep problems, and \noften debilitating fatigue. \nFibromyalgia is also characterized by the presence of up to 18 specific tender points on the body—these are painful only when you press directly on them.\n\nAlthough less common than pain, fatigue, and sleep problems, a variety of other symptoms may occur as well. These include headaches, morning stiffness, difficulty concentrating, a circulatory problem that affects the small blood vessels of the skin (Raynaud's phenomenon), and irritable bowel syndrome. As with many conditions that cause chronic pain, anxiety and depression are common in people with fibromyalgia and may make symptoms worse.\n\nSymptoms tend to come and go. Periods when they are constant (flares) may be followed by periods when they are absent (remissions). Some people find that cold, damp weather, emotional stress, overexertion, and other factors make their symptoms worse
697537
You are protected against this type of treatment under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I'm sure you don't consider yourself "disabled", but the ADA does protect your rights to keep your job. For detailed information regarding your rights go to U.S. Department of Labor web site. (www.dol.gov)
1185890
Social Security's definition of disability is a condition that is expected to last longer than a year or more or result in death that keeps you from engaging in Substatial Gainful Activity (SGA is the ability to earn $860 for non-blind individuals and $1450 for blind individuals.  Two people can have the same condition and one be approved for disability and the other person not approved based on the training, skills and experience of the individuals.  If this condition makes you unable to work, then you should file for benefits.
247953
What a terrible situtation for you! As if having Fibro isn't enough. The two answerers above seem to have forgotten that there's a little law called the Americans with Disabilities Act.  \n\nDoes your employer know for a fact that you have been diagnosed with having Fibro? If not, speak to your doctor about the situtation and have him/her send your employer's Human Resources Department and your Nursing Supervisor a letter explaining that you have Fibro and provide recommendations, be sure to get copied in on the letter for your records. Next, create a paper trail by keeping a journal of what happens each day at work and how you feel at the end of the day. Next share with Human Resources your situtation and see what they have to say. This gives them notice that the hostility needs to be addressed immediately.\n\nA study explains why we feel so much pain and you may want to share it with Human Resources also.\n\nFibromyalgia pain, isn't all in patients' heads new brain study finds. \nJune 7, 2002 \nfMRI scans give first objective measure of mysterious ailment, provide road map for future study\n\nANN ARBOR, MI - A new brain-scan study confirms scientifically what fibromyalgia patients have been telling a skeptical medical community for years: They're really in pain.\n\nIn fact, the study finds, people with fibromyalgia say they feel severe pain, and have measurable pain signals in their brains, from a gentle finger squeeze that barely feels unpleasant to people without the disease. The squeeze's force must be doubled to cause healthy people to feel the same level of pain - and their pain signals show up in different brain areas.\n\nThe results, published in the May issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, the journal of the American College of Rheumatology, may offer the proof of fibromyalgia's physical roots that many doubtful physicians have sought. It may also open doors for further research on the still-unknown causes of the disease, which affects more than 2 percent of Americans, mainly women.\n\nLead authors Richard Gracely, Ph.D., and Daniel Clauw, M.D., did the study at Georgetown University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health, but are now continuing the work at the University of Michigan Health System. In an editorial in the same issue, Clauw and U-M rheumatologist Leslie Crofford, M.D., stress the importance of fibromyalgia research and care.\n\nTo correlate subjective pain sensation with objective views of brain signals, the researchers used a super-fast form of MRI brain imaging, called functional MRI or fMRI, on 16 fibromyalgia patients and 16 people without the disease. As a result, they say, the study offers the first objective method for corroborating what fibromyalgia patients report they feel, and what's going on in their brains at the precise moment they feel it. And, it gives researchers a road map of the areas of the brain that are most - and least - active when patients feel pain.\n\n"The fMRI technology gave us a unique opportunity to look at the neurobiology underlying tenderness, which is a hallmark of fibromyalgia," says Clauw. "These results, combined with other work done by our group and others, have convinced us that some pathologic process is making these patients more sensitive. For some reason, still unknown, there's a neurobiological amplification of their pain signals."\n\nFurther results from the study were presented last year at the ACR annual meeting. The project will continue later this year at UMHS, joining other fMRI fibromyalgia research now under way.\n\nFor decades, patients and physicians have built a case that fibromyalgia is a specific, diagnosable chronic disease, characterized by tenderness and stiffness all over the body as well as fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and depression. Many patients with the disease find it interferes with their work, family and personal life. Statistics show that far more
899901
american disability act
994230
Medical science recognizes obesity may stem from various causes not always subject to the obese person's conscious control. Social Security recognizes that under certain circumstances obesity may be disabling and the obese person may be entitled to disability benefits.\n\n"Obesity" is a category of disability specifically listed in the Social Security regulations. It is one of the "Listings."
520264
I am disabled from fibromyalgia and I wear a morphine patch that I change every three days plus my doctor gives me Lortab for breakthrough pain.  Still have pain but it is tolerable for now.  Will still have flare ups and don't know why.  This disease has changed my whole life and I have felt like an 80-year-old woman since I was 40.  I've gained weight, sit bored on this computer most of the time, try to keep my home clean, and my husband helps me with nothing.  \n\nGood luck.  Most physicians are going back to the old beliefs about myofacial pain (fibro).  And that is that it is psychosomatic and people that have it are hypochondriacs.  \n\nI have been offered to take two different programs and the first thing they all say is, "NO MEDS" or you cannot participate.  The pamphlets say things like, "MIND OVER MATTER."  \n\nObviously health care providers cannot explain this disease; however, they know their patient's are having pain but cannot find out what is causing it.  \n\nMy doc seems to believe it is caused by a virus.  Another answer health care providers give for any illness they cannot explain.
1136527
I don't think SSI will consider that a long term disability. There are surgeries for carpal tunnel.... it is a tough road to file for disability. More illnesses need to be diagnosed for permanent disability and SSI.\nGood Luck with your illness...........  :o)
36901
Personally, I have had Fibro since I was 16 and am now almost 36. I have seen more doctors over the years than I can count from Neurologists to Rhuematologists to Chiropractors to Psychiatrists to Pain Specialists. In my experience pain medications do not work. A muscle relaxant is much more helpful. I have also tried biofeedback, steroid shots, trigger point injections, two sleep studies, nerve blocks, accupuncture, foot braces, wrist braces, carpal tunnel release surguries, and so much more. All just torture and I felt like a guinea pig.\n\nMy best advise is to take a good muscle relaxant (I take Zanaflex), make sure to get plenty of sleep, take a multiple vitamin, remember you are what you eat, keep active in at least low impact sports, and consider Magnesium and Malic Acid supplements (consult the doctor or a nutritionist to have your Magnesuim level checked- it is a simpe mouth swab and not painful), meditation does help some in keeping the pain back if you can seperate your mind from the pain, and try to take 2-3 warm Epson Salt baths a week (Epson salt contains Magnesium and soaking in a warm tub of it helps to get the mineral into the body. Magnesium aids the muscles in using oxygen and when the level is low which is typical in Fibro it can cause are cramps, spasms, and pain.) \nAlso, Fibromyalgia is a neurotransmitter disorder and certain foods can trigger similiar symptoms to Fibro. Try eliminating Monsodium Glutamate from your diet. I did and some of my symptoms (chronic headaches and nausea) went away. It is in everything from Doritos to chicken soup. A few key finding's of an FDA study found MSG to cause a "burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest". Otherwise, learn your limits and pace yourself.\nThere, unfortunately is no current cure.\n\n\nA study explains why we feel so much pain...\n\nFibromyalgia pain, isn't all in patients' heads new brain study finds. \nJune 7, 2002 \nfMRI scans give first objective measure of mysterious ailment, provide road map for future study\n\nANN ARBOR, MI - A new brain-scan study confirms scientifically what fibromyalgia patients have been telling a skeptical medical community for years: They're really in pain.\n\nIn fact, the study finds, people with fibromyalgia say they feel severe pain, and have measurable pain signals in their brains, from a gentle finger squeeze that barely feels unpleasant to people without the disease. The squeeze's force must be doubled to cause healthy people to feel the same level of pain - and their pain signals show up in different brain areas.\n\nThe results, published in the May issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, the journal of the American College of Rheumatology, may offer the proof of fibromyalgia's physical roots that many doubtful physicians have sought. It may also open doors for further research on the still-unknown causes of the disease, which affects more than 2 percent of Americans, mainly women.\n\nLead authors Richard Gracely, Ph.D., and Daniel Clauw, M.D., did the study at Georgetown University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health, but are now continuing the work at the University of Michigan Health System. In an editorial in the same issue, Clauw and U-M rheumatologist Leslie Crofford, M.D., stress the importance of fibromyalgia research and care.\n\nTo correlate subjective pain sensation with objective views of brain signals, the researchers used a super-fast form of MRI brain imaging, called functional MRI or fMRI, on 16 fibromyalgia patients and 16 people without the disease. As a result, they say, the study offers the first objective method for corroborating what fibromyalgia patients report they feel, and what's going on in their brains at the precise moment they feel it. And, it gives researchers a road map of the areas of the brain that are most - and least - active when patients feel pain.\n\n"The fMRI technology gave us a unique opportunity to look at