1. < Mental Health

Bipolar 2, Total Knee Replacement Revision: Apply for Disability?

Posted by Barb @amberpep, Mar 22, 2018

Hi everyone. I have not been here for awhile, so a lot of you probably don't know my story. It's just hard to get moving a lot of days. Anyhow, I'm 73, divorced, and have moved closer to where my 2 girls live, about 4 hours away from my "home" .... that was 3 years ago. I do get S.S. and my son does help me a bit. Several years before I moved here, I had a breakdown, and have been diagnosed with Bipolar 2. I also had a total knee replacement 5 years ago, and 1 year afterwards had to have a revision (a total re-doing of the TKR) The ups and downs are crazy making, and while they're not as severe as Bipolar 1, I'm heavier on the depression side. A "manic" time would be just normal for others. I drive back to my therapist every other week, and also see my Psychiatrist afterward for the medication Rx's. Several people down here where I now live have told me I should apply for disability since I just don't have the push most days to do anything. I'm tired, worn out, and just want to be left alone .... I don't want to work, but if I must I must. Can any of you give me any input on what qualifies a person for disability? Thanks.
abby

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Barb | @amberpep | Mar 25, 2018

Thanks Jim. There is no way I can use an attorney. It cost me a fortune to get my divorce and move from MD to VA.
abby

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Barb | @amberpep | Mar 25, 2018

I would probably just try myself ..... is the form on line?
abby

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1 reply
kdo0827 | @kdo0827 | Mar 25, 2018
In reply to @amberpep "Thanks everyone for the help. I can't afford a lawyer, as it is I live in..." + (show)
@amberpep

Thanks everyone for the help. I can't afford a lawyer, as it is I live in low-income housing now. I just don't want to do anything, until it gets so bad that it screams for "doing." Right now I have 5 loads of laundry waiting to be folded, and a sink full of dirty dishes waiting to be put in the dishwasher. I'll do them, eventually, but only when I absolutely must. My 2 girls down here have been very sweet, I see them about once a week ... I can't expect more because they have lives too. I pretty much just stay home all the time, watch movies, and sleep. I am adopting a dog, which will make me move more and give me something to focus on. Unfortunately my X lives down here too, about 20 miles away and he is "the best" when it comes to grandparents. It stands to reason as he's been down here far longer than I have and has a very large 2 story home on about 3 acres of land. He knows the grandkids really well and they know him ..... I'll never get to that point with them, and although this sounds awful, I don't much care. Still have no church ..... and only have gone a few times since I left MD. There I was going every week. I'm Western Orthodox. My daughter wants me to go to church with them on Easter .... there is no way I'll do that since my X, and their father also go there. They don't understand what's going on with me, and it's so complex I don't even try to tell them anymore. Somehow, my moving down here was to have made everything all right. It didn't, and probably made everything worse.
Thanks for listening.
abby

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Wow Jim you were very successful! I had to hire an atty but was so glad I did. In N.C. they don’t charge anything up front and can only collect a certain fee from SS. Well worth it if you don’t get it the first time.

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Mar 26, 2018
In reply to @amberpep "I would probably just try myself ..... is the form on line? abby" + (show)
@amberpep

I would probably just try myself ..... is the form on line?
abby

Jump to this post

@amberpep

I'm sure it's online at the social security website. You could probably go to the social security office and get the forms, and they might help you with it. That probably depends on the office and on the person and on the person's mood.

Jim

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christy363 | @christy363 | Mar 28, 2018

If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability. They will not approve Social security + Disabilty. I recieve Disability each month and when I turn 65 I will qualify for social security and my disability payments will stop. The check will be for the same amount of money I received under disability.
If your getting Social Security that’s all the government will pay you. If this is the case, look into your State and county’s Eldercare programs. There are many programs available to seniors and disabled people you may not be aware exist.

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6 replies
Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Mar 28, 2018

I was 55 when I applied for disability, but when I turned 65, Social Security dropped the disability part of my label. But I still benefit from a number of services locally because the Seniors with Disabilities office continues to work with me.

Jim

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Jen, Alumna Mentor | @sandytoes14 | Mar 28, 2018
In reply to @christy363 "If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability...." + (show)
@christy363

If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability. They will not approve Social security + Disabilty. I recieve Disability each month and when I turn 65 I will qualify for social security and my disability payments will stop. The check will be for the same amount of money I received under disability.
If your getting Social Security that’s all the government will pay you. If this is the case, look into your State and county’s Eldercare programs. There are many programs available to seniors and disabled people you may not be aware exist.

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@christy363
Good point! I didn't even pick up that she posted her age. How was the process of applying and waiting for disability for you? I was denied and now am seeking an attorneys help.

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christy363 | @christy363 | Mar 29, 2018
In reply to @christy363 "If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability...." + (show)
@christy363

If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability. They will not approve Social security + Disabilty. I recieve Disability each month and when I turn 65 I will qualify for social security and my disability payments will stop. The check will be for the same amount of money I received under disability.
If your getting Social Security that’s all the government will pay you. If this is the case, look into your State and county’s Eldercare programs. There are many programs available to seniors and disabled people you may not be aware exist.

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Try not to use a lawyer. They will get a large amount of your claim. My advice is to file the claim yourself. This time it is very important to give QUANTITATIVE Measures to questions. How much can you lift? 5 pounds. How long can you stand? 5 minutes unassisted. Sitting? In a state what type of chair you can sit for X number of minutes. These are very important in completing the application.

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christy363 | @christy363 | Mar 29, 2018
In reply to @christy363 "If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability...." + (show)
@christy363

If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability. They will not approve Social security + Disabilty. I recieve Disability each month and when I turn 65 I will qualify for social security and my disability payments will stop. The check will be for the same amount of money I received under disability.
If your getting Social Security that’s all the government will pay you. If this is the case, look into your State and county’s Eldercare programs. There are many programs available to seniors and disabled people you may not be aware exist.

Jump to this post

I filled out the forms online, met with a counselor who reviewed my case (I think they wanted to make sure I was a real person) and from the date I applied to approval was 90 days. They back dated my payments to the beginning of that year. No lawyers. I’m grateful to have completed it when I did; I thought I’d be out of the workforce for maybe a year. I had another surgery on my cervical spine that ruined any chance of recovery. Now, I’m permanently disabled and have to fight every month for medication. I had no idea that when people are at there most vulnerable they are treated with such disrespect!

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Mar 29, 2018
In reply to @christy363 "If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability...." + (show)
@christy363

If you are 73 years old, you qualify for Social Security. You shouldn’t apply for disability. They will not approve Social security + Disabilty. I recieve Disability each month and when I turn 65 I will qualify for social security and my disability payments will stop. The check will be for the same amount of money I received under disability.
If your getting Social Security that’s all the government will pay you. If this is the case, look into your State and county’s Eldercare programs. There are many programs available to seniors and disabled people you may not be aware exist.

Jump to this post

@christy363

Can you tell us what you've been dealing with regarding getting medications?

My doctor had to set a daily limit of 100mg of opioids a year ago, and last week he told me that now it's down to 60mg. I'm taking 15mg of morphine sulfate contin three times a day, and he told me he wouldn't give me any more. I'm going to appeal to the pain specialist when I see him on the 19th, because I need a higher dosage. I was taking 30mg three times a day, and my pain is increasing as the neuropathy progresses.

It's sad that pain control has become a political issue. Many people are being affected.

Jim

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