Tips For Your Fibromyalgia Disability Evaluation
If you've been struggling with widespread pain, fatigue, depression, and memory problems, it could be the result of fibromyalgia. Since this condition not only affects most of your body and increases the brain's pain response processing, it can often be nearly debilitating. In fact, many patients who suffer from fibromyalgia find themselves applying for Social Security disability because they are unable to work a normal job anymore. Here are a few tips to help you avoid some potential issues with your medical evaluation for your disability application.
Be Clear About The Mental Effects
Patients suffering from fibromyalgia often struggle with cloudy thinking and forgetfulness. It's often referred to as brain fog in the patient circles, but using a term like that with the disability professional makes your statement vague and hard to evaluate. You need to be clear and specific about what you struggle with.
Take some time before your appointment to write down some of the specific struggles that you often lump under the brain fog umbrella. For example, if you struggle to remember events, conversations, and medication schedules, tell the doctor those things. If you've had to rely on reminders, alarms, and notes for your daily life, explain that as well. The more specific you can be, the easier it will be for the doctor to evaluate your condition.
Don't Generalize Your Pain
One of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia is widespread pain. It can leave you feeling as though your entire body hurts because specific pain areas radiate out. Resist the temptation to just generalize that pain as your entire body. Instead, explain exactly where your pain is. For example, if the most intense pain is around your lower back, explain that. Also tell the doctor about the other areas that are painful, and explain how severe or debilitating that pain is. If you generalize it, it makes it difficult for the doctor to adequately assess how your pain affects your ability to work and live a productive life, so being clear about it is important.
Explain Your Ups And Downs
When the doctor asks about how your condition is from day to day, it's tempting to say that it comes and goes, because fibromyalgia can be unpredictable. Some days will be more difficult than others. That's typical of any condition like this. However, telling the doctor that your discomfort is up and down won't really explain much. The best way to help him or her understand is to keep a journal for a few weeks that describes how you feel each day, what you've tried to do, and the results.
If your doctor tells you to try to be more active, keep notes of what kinds of things you try to do and what you experience. That helps the examiner to see what your actual limits are and how frequently you have bad days. Writing it down as it happens helps you ensure that you have accurate information for the appointment.
Follow Your Treatment Plan
When you're trying to secure disability benefits, you have to prove that you're following your doctor's recommendations. Don't stop taking medications and swap them for herbal supplements or skip the physical therapy appointments that your doctor recommends. If you're not doing the things you're supposed to do to manage your condition, you may be denied benefits simply for that.
There is no doubt that fibromyalgia can heavily affect your life and your ability to work. But that doesn't make it easy to secure disability benefits for it. With the tips in this article, you'll be better able to get through your medical examination with success. For more information, visit websites like http://www.socialsecurityesq.com.