Disability Update: Call Us in 10 Days

I got a letter today from the determination specialist for Disability Determination Services.  It reads:

Dear Ouiser,

We have found your blog at WordPress titled “Ouiser’s World” and have been so deeply moved by the stories of all who frequent it that we are issuing a check for $50,000 to each person listed on your blogroll. 

He, he!  Wouldn’t it be nice if the world really worked that way?  Here’s what it actually said:

We are now investigating your claim for disability benefits.  Please call us within 10 days from the date of this letter.  No further action can be taken on your claim until we speak with you.  We need information regarding the following:

Additional information about your condition.

A description of your activities and interests.

Please call 1-800-BLA-BLAH ext. BLAH between the hours….. yada yada.  It is very important for you to call immediately.

Hmmm…. now why didn’t they just call me?  I guess they are giving me the opportunity to call at a convenient time for me as I may be on there a while.  Tomorrow is looking slammed full with running errands, getting my grandson to the doctor, going shopping… but I will post this on the fridge and give you all an update when I get it done.

Owen asked an interesting question tonight.  He asked, “Did your doctors tell you to file for disability?”  After all the horrible things Owen has said about my illness in the heat of battle, I’m a bit paranoid over anything he says about it these days.  My gut reaction when he asked was to take it the same as him having said, “Do your doctors think you are disabled or is it just you that thinks you are?”  But then, maybe doctors are typically the one who suggest filing and he’s telling me in a round about way that I might have put the cart before the horse?  I’ve never asked anyone, really, so… do doctors typically suggest filing or is that something the patient is supposed to pursue on their own?  I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation about filing with my doctors and perhaps I should have.   It just seemed rather odd to be talking to my doctor about my financial problems.  Sort of like asking your banker for a flu vaccine.   For those of you who have applied, did your doctor mention it to you first?  Did you tell your doctor before actually applying?  How does that work?

Are They Done Yet?

It seems like everytime I’ve tried to blog lately, WordPress has been doing some sort of maintenance to my site.  Same thing happened last night, but I got stuck in maintenance land somehow.  Every time I opened a page, I got that “wait and refresh” page.  I kept waiting and refreshing and waiting some more and NOTHING!  I closed the browser window and re-opened wordpress and was told that I would have no dashboard for like 52 minutes!  I gave up and went to bed.  I’m almost afraid to hit “publish” now!

I’m happy to report that the cold is finally starting to improve…  I can breathe through my nose now!  I’ve still got a lot of chest congestion, but at least I have a productive cough at this point.  Sadly, it doesn’t seem to matter how much I get coughed up cause my body just makes plenty more.  Wonder how long this part of it all is going to take?  I’m about whooped at this point.  I’ve coughed so much that my back, chest, and ribs feel like they’ve been beat with a stick.  And now I’m finally able to venture out into public without fear of sneezing snot all over some unsuspecting passer-by, but I have absolutely no desire to go anywhere.  This “lack of motivation” is becoming a pretty constant thing with me!  Actually, it is kind of interesting how feeling sick from this cold isn’t much different from feeling sick from a flare, as far as getting out and going are concerned.

So many people are quick to say that having chronic illness is nothing like the flu or stomach bug, but that is so untrue!  With chronic illness, you may not have the sneezing, coughing, watery-eyed tell tale signs of being sick, but your body still feels as though it is under full-on attack from unseen enemy forces.  We chronic people seem to understand what we mean when we say “flu-like symptoms,” but still so many people relate that only to the things mentioned above… sneezing, coughing, etc.  Oh enough whining for now!  I need to go find some motivation!

I’ll be back around later to get caught up with all of you on your blogs… wordpress willing, that is.