Thursday, June 27, 2013

Slightly Disabled Post 1: SSI Denial

So I used to work in a pharmacy, in what feels like another life. I often heard the woe of SSI denial, but it was not until I dealt with it first hand did I see just how disgusting it was. When I got my denial letter, I was wheelchair bound if I was moving more than ten feet, and then I had incontinence at the age of 24. I literally shit my pants after arriving at my orthopedic/neurosurgeon's office, thankfully I dressed in layers and discarded my panties and shorts, and came home to a letter stating I was perfectly healthy.

Originally I had had an appointment with a physician in the SSI department, but they promptly sent me a letter canceling it, both sent while I was hospitalized. For three months, and even now, I was so wheel chair dependent and had little control over bodily functions. For anyone new to it, the trick it, go A LOT. Pantie liners and pads can help, too. Surgery gave me back most control, but even now, it still takes concentration.

I have no insurance, so I have a county aid program called ACE of Ventura, CA that helps me out. It is a nightmare, too. Many of the doctors and nurses are kind, but the actual program is terrible. I needed back surgery urgently in March and did not receive it until June.

At home I cannot really sit up without being in pain. I cannot walk very much in one stretch. SSI, what job can I do on a crappy laptop, lying down, and heavily sedated by pain medication and anti-depressants and randomly drop out because I have an attack of pain from 4 pinched nerves? Oh, and I tend to be hospitalized without notice frequently... SSI, where is this job?