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Long term disability
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 19:56Has anyone been on long term disabity due to seizures?
I've worked for a company for over 15 years, and I've had epilepsy most of my life. I've tried many different medications and even had epilepsy surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. I now have complex partial seizures on average 8 per month. I also have type I diabeles and chronic adrenal deficiency. I've recently used all of my short term disability due to my seizures and feeling of extreme weakness (due to a combination of the epilepsy and adrenal deficiency.)
I have the disability insurance under Cigna, and my short term disability was approved by them based on what my Cleveland Clinic neurologist said. I'm now done with the Short term, and Cigna will now decide if I'm allowed on Long term.
Has anyone gone through this process?
Thanks,
Rosalie
Re: Long term disability
Submitted by tommyinhi on Wed, 2011-07-27 - 13:08
Wow... I have had over 35 Gran Mal seizures in my life, only 3 of which happened prior to the partial removal of a brain tumor in my right temporal lobe, I had to stop "free diving" and riding my motorcycle, and driving for a number of years on the island of Oahu.
The scary thing was after June 2, 2002 (my surgery) thinking all would get better?? My gran mal's got worse and far more frequent and even to the point were my neurologist told my girlfriend at the time to go and buy a stopwatch an "clock" my seizures, because unless my gran mal's when above 3 minutes?? He didn't want her to even dial 911!
So after a death in the family, we left Honolulu an moved to the small town of Everett, Washington and it was there and only there I was then diagnosed with (complex partial brain seizures) and finally they got my meds right and to this day I am still taking Topamax and Keppra which does a pretty ok job of semi-controlling them.
Mind you the first two lawyers I got dropped the ball on my social security case and now as of last year I finally received SSI somehow / someway by me calling and re-interviewing on my own but not a lawyer received a dime! The reason I'm writing this is because nowadays I spend alot of time eating well, and taking vitamins and exercise along with plenty of rest, I never stay up late. I know how to read my own brain scans (MRI'S, PET, CAT scans) probably cause I've had 3 neurosurgeons and 9 separate neurologist!
My only fear is they will drop me from SSI when in fact I should be getting something like SSDI, hmm medicare vs medicaid I'm assuming??? My life has been affected so many ways, from the meds to social interactions with friends and family its insane. I even sometimes question my own sanity, I am very intelligent but at the same time with all the meds in my body I feel like a zombie, I may as well be on street drugs!
Aloha & Mahalo,
Thomas~
Wow... I have had over 35 Gran Mal seizures in my life, only 3 of which happened prior to the partial removal of a brain tumor in my right temporal lobe, I had to stop "free diving" and riding my motorcycle, and driving for a number of years on the island of Oahu.
The scary thing was after June 2, 2002 (my surgery) thinking all would get better?? My gran mal's got worse and far more frequent and even to the point were my neurologist told my girlfriend at the time to go and buy a stopwatch an "clock" my seizures, because unless my gran mal's when above 3 minutes?? He didn't want her to even dial 911!
So after a death in the family, we left Honolulu an moved to the small town of Everett, Washington and it was there and only there I was then diagnosed with (complex partial brain seizures) and finally they got my meds right and to this day I am still taking Topamax and Keppra which does a pretty ok job of semi-controlling them.
Mind you the first two lawyers I got dropped the ball on my social security case and now as of last year I finally received SSI somehow / someway by me calling and re-interviewing on my own but not a lawyer received a dime! The reason I'm writing this is because nowadays I spend alot of time eating well, and taking vitamins and exercise along with plenty of rest, I never stay up late. I know how to read my own brain scans (MRI'S, PET, CAT scans) probably cause I've had 3 neurosurgeons and 9 separate neurologist!
My only fear is they will drop me from SSI when in fact I should be getting something like SSDI, hmm medicare vs medicaid I'm assuming??? My life has been affected so many ways, from the meds to social interactions with friends and family its insane. I even sometimes question my own sanity, I am very intelligent but at the same time with all the meds in my body I feel like a zombie, I may as well be on street drugs!
Aloha & Mahalo,
Thomas~