Dawg Tired

It took a YEAR - yes, exactly one year and one day after I filed I finally got an initial denial. OUTRAGEOUS!!!

For some reason lately I have gone from being free of hot flashes to 3-4 a day. The kind where I am suddenly drenched in sweat. I had a hysterectomy/oopherectomy in 1996 and have been on HRT since. In the past I have sometimes had this problem and I adjusted my dose of estradiol upward from 1 mg to 1 1/2 mg for a few days and it always took care of it. Could this be thyroid? I haven't had it checked for over a year.

YAAAYYYY!!! I am SO happy for you! (Can you see me doing a happy dance for you??) What a relief!

Oh Jessica! I feel sorry for you that you just moved down there URRGGG Of all the times so many storms to hit. How is Ethan doing with all of this? Hang in there, we are all thinking of you!

Sue, I have had 4 removed. The last one (this isn't for the faint of heart!) was seen on mammogram. I couldn't feel it, my doctor couldn't feel it, and the surgeon couldn't feel it. It was located right behind the nipple and I had to go for an ultrasound wire placement before I went to the surgeon's office to have it removed. The radiologist numbed "the area" and put a thin wire into the lump so the surgeon could follow it to the lump. I concluded that people who have their nipples pierced are MUCH tougher than I am!! Good luck - I am praying for you that everything will turn out okay.

The attorney thought it went very well. The judge asked me if I was able to drive, I told him I drive very seldom - once every couple of months - and then only for very short distances; usually less than 2 miles. He asked a lot of questions about jobs I had in the past. My attorney asked mot of the questions, regarding how long at a time I was able to sit, stand and so forth. She also discussed all of the accomodations my last employer had made for me. The Vocational Expert testified that, given the restrictions I had there was no jobs in the national economy I could do. So now I wait. My husband had a hearing in March and just 2 weeks ago we heard he had been approved. But another step in the process is now behind me! Again, Thanks SO much to all of you for the great support I get from you! {{{{HUGS}}}}

Thanks so much, everyone. I really appreciate the support this community offers! I will tell all Tuesday when I get home. We have both been so stressed for so long that we decided to take a mini "vacation" following the hearing. The hearing is going to be in Springfield, Missouri; it is only about 45 minutes from Branson, Missouri so we are leaving from the hearing and going down to spend the night. My sister sent me some money last week and told me to do something fun with it - this is what I chose. There is a motel down there with an indoor pool and rooms are only $27 a night - so we are going to go relax!

Oh Sue!! I'm praying that this i just an occluded milk gland or something. How frightened you must be on top of everything else you are coping with. BIG Hugs and prayers coming your way! {{{{{{ HUG }}}}}}

Needless to say I am nervous to the max. This has taken me just shy of 2 years to reach this point. I am SO glad I applied just a couple days after I was no longer to sit upright at work anymore. At the time I applied I was still in the "denial" stage where I hoped a couple weeks of sleep would "cure" me. I figured that when I got better I would just drop the claim. I am SO glad I didn't - it would have set me back even more! So, here I am, just a day away from the long-awaited hearing. I am taking my Xanax on a regular (3 times a day) basis to keep me evened out. My lawyer says I have an extremely strong case but even so - I am ready to jump out of my skin!! Thanks for letting me vent - I needed that!

Well, now! THERE'S a mixed bag of responses! I guess as usual for us it is a trial and error situation. I will say that I started out avoiding caffeine like the plauge after being told it was the cause of all my problems ; then within a year I had come full circle to discovering that it was the only thing that DID help. I think it just illustrates that we don't have a "magic pill" or a one size fits all solution. JLB, I hope we have been of some help!

I do the full-body jerking thing, it used to scare Hubby - he thought I was having a seizure or something! Now he's used to it. He says at least that way he knows I'm still alive!

I have NCS and POTS, I drink 10-12 oz of brewed coffee in the mornings and it seems to help. I couldn't tolerate Florineff or Proamitine. I have a pacemaker but it hasn't helped. But the coffee does. On mornings when my digestive system just can't handle it I drink tea or a Coke. It's really the only thing that has helped.

Glimmer, I have spent a lot of time where you are. I felt like rejoycing on the day I got enough energy to make it to the living room... So I could lie on the couch instead of in bed! Keep coming here, this place is a great source of support.

I have NCS and I have also had this problem. It is very occasional - maybe once or twice a year - but it does give you an uneasy feeling!

I totally relate! Even a car trip of 40 miles - as a passenger - does me in for a couple days. Having to go through the event itself is a whole separate trauma. I would look at it in the light of " they have to accept this sometime" and put my foot down.

I have a pill caddy; not only for my daily pills but I also put in a maximum daily dosage of my pain meds as well, that way I know if I hit the max dosage and won't overdo it. I always take what is left of the PRN meds and put them in the next week's caddy. But it eases my mind when I can look and see if I have taken the daily dosage of my regular meds.

YAAY Jessica! I went through Hugo in South Carolina. Glad y'all escaped!

How strange... My sister and I were discussing just last week how I always seemed tired even as a child. Our Dad was a basketball coach so naturally we were all expected to participate in sports. I was so "lazy" it was a joke in high school that I could shoot a basket from almost half court; that way I didn't have to run all the way to the end of the court!

Thank you all so much! Hubby said it doesn't take away the chronic pain he has but it really helps the stress level around here.

My husband - who had a head injury in a plane crash 14 years ago - had his SSDI approved this week. YAAY!! We have had NO income for over a year, since my LTD got cut off by a Dr who had never seen me. We have been pursuing SSDI for 2 years. He had not applied for it initially because his family back then didn't want what they saw as "welfare". But as the years went by he improved then started having worse problems. After we married I was able to support us until I got sick but he was very resistant to applying until I made him go in and apply the same day I did. This is a massive relief for us. My ALJ hearing is the end of this month. It took 5 months after his hearing for us to get a determination but at last we got good news!

Just in case anyone decides to drive anyway...You might want to check your car insurance. The company that my hubby and I use (which is the cheapest we could find!) has a section where you have to sign if you have had any neurological, cardiac conditions, history of head injury, seizures, or syncopal episodes.

I sympathize with you Jessica. I once, however, had luck with getting records from my former insurance company. They had to have copies of a lot of pertinent info so they could pay claims. They didn't have everything, but it was better than nothing! I think this does call for a letter from a lawyer, or a patient advocacy group at least.

My pacemaker didn't help, I haven't driven for a couple years.

My problems started right after having nasal surgery with a general anesthetic. It was to treat my sleep apnea and the ENT doctor told me I would need a total of 3 surgeries; the second would be 6 weeks after the first one. When I went in for a follow-up and to schedule the next surgery the doctor told me he didn't want to do any more. He wouldn't give me a reason why. I got my operative report but there wasn't anything in it to give me any clues.

Ernie, I feel your frustration. I know exactly what you are going through. The other night some people decided to "drop by". I told them I was too tired to visit but they decided to stay anyway. I fell asleep while sitting on the couch. My husband told them they should LISTEN when I say I'm tired.