Last post Thu, May 29 2008 12:43 PM by sam1980. 6 replies.
I was wondering if anyone here suffers from Copd and CHF? If so, I would like to hear about your symptoms and how you are being medically treated. I dont feel that Im recieving enought or the right treatment for my illnesses. I stay in the hospital alot, but for some reason, I can not qualify for disability. So I have to keep working. I feel like im losing myself altogether. Eventually, Im not going to make it to the hospital in time for the proper treatment. They know that my job is the main culprit for my COPD which causes me to go into Right Sided Heart Failure, then I end up in the hospital for 4-6 days. This is getting so frustrating. I dont know where to turn. I feel like Im just fighting a losing battle no matter which way I turn. So if anyone has any ideas or information on how I can obtain some kind of help with the disability matter or if you know of a good pulmonologist/ cardiologist. Please let me know. Im open for any help or information. Thanks,
Donna
It does not make sense that you cannot qualify for SS, and it seems that you need to appeal and have your docs make a better case. A lawyer can help, and as has been pointed out here in the past, they often do not require payment until successful. Your profile also states that you have Parkinson's Disease, so with all of this going on, and the specialists you should be needing, the case should be able to go through, in my opinion. Sometimes we have to fight for our rights. Good luck
I'VE BEEN IN-OUT OF HOSP FOR LAST 7 MO. WITH HEART PROBLEMS ALSO. I HAVE TRIED FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO DRAW SS .I WAS A STAY AT HOME MOM AND WHEN I COULD HAVE WORKED I WASN'T ABLE.SO,I'VE BEEN TURNED DOWN IN GA. FOR SSI AND SS. BUT, MY HEART HAS GOTTEN WORSE THE PAST WEEK.I WAS TAKEN FROM A REST. BY AMBULANCE TO THE ER. HAVE YOU HEARD OF SPASMS IN THE AORTA. I CAN HAVE A ANNIRISM{EXCUSE THE SPELLING}.WHEN MY CHEST AND BACK START TO HURT. I ALSO HAVE LAD ,MY LEFT ARTERY IS TOO NARROW AND THIN FOR A STENT. AND I 'VE GOT CHEST WALL MUSCLE DAMAGE BECAUSE IF ALL OF THIS GOING ON.HAVE YOU HAD PROBLEMS IN DISABOOM FINDING HELP /INFO FOR THE HEART?I HAVE.I'M GOING TO BE CHECKED FOR COPD IN 2 WKS.
Hello Donna,
Where are you located? It is clear to me from your post that you are not receiving the correct medical care. What medications are you on? What tests have you had recently? When you say you are afraid you will not get to the hospital in time for proper treatments, what treatments are you receiving in the hospital?
I have CHF, and would love to help you, but need to know more about your situation. I look forward to hearing form you, and hopefully we will be able to start a heart discussion soon!
Best,
Sam
Everyone has given you great advice. I too have COPD. I do not have CHF, but that could be a possibility on down the line I guess. My family doctor diagnosed my COPD. Wrote me some prescriptions and that was it. I went for a second opinion with a pulmonary specialist. He took an interest in me. But since then we have lost our medical insurance. I am having trouble with my memory. Forgetting things that usually are easy for me. I believe it is my oxygen level dropping. I myself am fighting SSA and what a battle it is. I been denied twice and onto the next appeal. It is so frustrating but I wont give up. And neither should you. They keep denying hoping we will go away. That is my belief anyway. I have since gotten an attorney. I believe it helps the process. I have some other disabilites that I am claiming, too. You have COPD with CHF and numerous hospitalizations. You keep fighting SSA. You well deserve disability. They keep telling me I can breathe and do most of my usual activities. That really gets to me. My whole life has changed due to COPD. To me they are a bunch of pencil pushers that have no clue or simply do not care. SSA process is a joke. I live in the Louisville area and my pulmonary doctor was Dr. David Hasselbacher. I dont know if that helps you or where you are located. There is a company called Allsup that helps with disability cases. I had a friend that used them. And she won her case. They handle cases nationwide. I already had my attorney before I knew about Allsup. They have a website. You take good care of yourself and hang in there with SSA. I wish you the absolute very best.
I left you a message not too long ago. I know you are going through alot. I dont mean to impose, but I do have a question for you. I too have COPD. In my message to you, I stated that possibly on down the road I may get CHF as well. Well, I am scared to death, that I may have spoken those words and it maybe true now. I am having swelling in my ankles. Especially the left one. Back some months ago, I put on extra weight for no reason. All my family members kept telling me I looked swollen. I have since researched CHF. And all my symptoms are pointing to possible CHF. Since all this began with the swelling, I have also developed high blood pressure. Which came as rather a shock to me, as I always had somewhat low blood pressure. My blood pressure is currently stable, as I am now on blood pressure med. But, my heartrate is always high. Between 100 bpm to 110 bpm. Which leads me to believe that my heart is now working extra hard. My fingernails are becoming blue colored. And my memory is not what it was whatsoever. I forget things that once came easy to me. My husband is greatly noticing this memory problem in me, also. Hard to explain but my speech is even being effected. Words and thoughs just not coming out quite right. I am in the moderate stage of COPD, but I do believe it is advancing into the severe stage. But, did your CHF begin with the edema or swelling in feet, legs and other parts of your body? My doctors always look at my ankles. I know they are looking for swelling. Well, it seems the swelling is now becoming part of this lung disease. Any input would be so appreciated. I have you in my thoughts and prayers. Keep fighting for your disability, as I plan to fight them tooth and nail so to speak. It is our money we seem to have to be begging for. I have little use for Social Security. They deny good people that truly need it. Thank you and God bless you.
Good morning Robbie.,
Do you have health insurance again? Your last post before this one stated you had lost your health insurance. The number one thing you can do to get SSI/SSDI to work with you is write to your senators. They have people devoted solely to getting SSA/SSDI to cooperate.
That being said, it sounds like you need to start aggressively tackling your health care. Everyone's symptomology is different for CHF, I myself do not swell in the ankles at all, rather I carry all my extra fluid in my abdomen. However, you know yourself, and it sounds like you are just not up to your normal operating level. That is cause for concern.
So, write your senators, and in the meantime, look around you locally for low cost health clinics. I know they are not ideal, but if you are aggressive you can get a lot of miles out of one. Also, look around in your state for the state health-care program. It is frequently much easier to get into than SSI and is seen as a stepping stone.
Do not give up!
best,
