Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog

Featured Link — MyFibro.com

Many of our Social Security disability clients suffer from Fibromyalgia. This can be a difficult disease to diagnose and treat, and we have found that these clients are constantly seeking more information about their disease. MyFibro.com is a resource for people with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and related issues. It has a lot of good information, and we recommend checking it out.

Fibromyalgia and Social Security Disability

A number of our Social Security Disability clients suffer from fibromyalgia. Individuals suffering from this disorder frequently experience the following symptoms:

∙           dull muscular pain,
∙           multiple tender points (e.g., between shoulder blades, upper chest, etc.), and
∙           fatigue or disturbed sleep.

The course of prescribed treatment can include medications which may include analgesics for pain and stiffness, antidepressants to promote sleep, physical therapy, and counseling. While not all individuals who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia will be found disabled under Social Security rules, one source of information for people with fibromyalgia that we recommend is Fibromyalgia Professional Resource Center. This is a non-profit wefull of information and resources to those suffering from fibromyalgia.

Recently we assisted numerous individuals with severe fibromyalgia in getting Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income. Their cases were among the more severe of those suffering with the disease, and each had other co-existing conditions such as lupus and depression. The frequency and severity of an individual's symptoms are unique in each case and will determine, to a large degree, whether an individual claim will be granted benefits.

Some diseases are included in Social Security’s Listing of impairments, but fibromyalgia is not included on the list. In some instances, a disease, while not Listed, is addressed in a Social Security Ruling. The Rulings offer guidance but do not set out specific criteria for an award of benefits. Other diseases are not in the Listings or recognized in a Social Security Ruling.

Regardless of the disease, you or your lawyer should have the following:

∙           a good working list of your symptoms,
∙           a knowledge of the degree of certainty of your diagnosis,
∙           a general understanding of the consistency between your symptoms and your diagnosis,
∙           a good understanding of what evidence might best support your contention that your symptoms are disabling, and
∙           which legal theory will most likely be accepted by the Social  Security Administration given the particular facts of the entire case.

If you, or someone you know, is suffering from severe fibromyalgia with dull muscular pain and multiple tender points, consider visiting the Fibromyalgia Professional Resource Center for additional information on the disorder. If you are considering a Social Security Disability claim, we advise you to speak with an attorney. We handle cases throughout the state of Texas, but we are always happy to give you a referral if we are unable to assist you.

Link of the Day - Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

A number of our Social Security disability clients suffer from chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome. Fortunately, there are several good Internet sites for discussion of this condition and for support of the people who suffer from it.

One of the best of those sites is ImmuneSupport.com. Here is an interesting section of the site:

How Can You Tell if You Have Fibromyalgia?
Your doctor will ask about your pain symptoms and then press on a series of anatomically-defined soft tissue body sites called “tender points.” There are 18 tender points on the body that will usually be highly sensitive to pressure in people with fibromyalgia as specified by the American College of Rheumatology criteria. People who do not have fibromyalgia are much less tender to pressure applied at these tender points.

What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in localized areas of the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips called “tender points.” According to William Hennen, Ph.D., author of Fibromyalgia: A Nutritional Approach, fibromyalgia has been classified as a syndrome, not a disease. He explains that a disease is a condition with a clearly identifiable cause, while a syndrome is a set of symptoms that define the condition without a single causative agent upon which to place the blame.

What are the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
While the symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia fluctuate from person to person, there is one common symptom that all agree on - they ache all over. The pain can feel like a deep bone ache, pains and needles, or a stabbing or burning pain. Muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. There are times this pain is mild, others when it is so severe that it becomes unbearable.

Along with pain, many Fibromyalgia sufferers report headaches, poor sleep, fatigue, depression, and irregular bowel habits. Many others simply describe their symptoms as "flu-like."

Link of the Day - ToxicDiscovery.com

Toxic Discovery is a group devoted to helping people who have suffered injury or disability from such sources as silicone breast implants. Our firm was recently able to obtain Social Security disability benefits for one of their members.

As Toxic Discovery states on their Web site:

Established in 1994 and consisting of over 25,000 injured consumers,Toxic Discovery maintains one of the most impressive libraries of medical research data, educational materials, and peer reviewed studies in the United States on the topic of medical device failures .

Toxic Discovery produces educational materials including their "electronic" Newsletter - The 'TOXIC NEWS & VIEWS' which is produced weekly and goes out to thousands of readers Nationally and Internationally.

Toxic Discovery's membership is made up primarily of medical and environmental professionals who are dedicated to disseminating information concerning chemical injury and medical device failures.

Toxic Discovery coordinates Support Groups, supports "Advocacy" efforts, encourages networking, maintains a "Clearing House" of research data, promotes educational seminars, and provides appropriate referrals to medical and legal professionals when requested.

Toxic Discovery is listed with the FDA, NIH and other Federal Organizations. Toxic Discovery has been successful in lobbying for laws to protect women and children's health.