Is my epilepsy a disability?

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Sabbo said:
I completed a Bachelors Degree with a double major (prior to the complex partials starting), and I often joke that I wasted my time doing so. Those seizures started about a year later.
One even occurred when I was at the train station--if another person hadn't been there, I'd have fallen onto the tracks!! Another scary complex partial occurred when I got off work one evening. I recall coming out of the building, & the next thing I knew, I was coming to at the hospital. Apparently, I had collapsed on the sidewalk.
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Good! Joking is the best way to get through seizures so you don't get depressed out of it. I've collapsed many times over the years.
 
I'm also on disability and the medicare I receive is my only medical insurance.
The doctors have now proposed surgery that they think has a 70-80% chance of stopping my seizures. My biggest fear is that I go back to work and lose the guaranteed income and medical coverage. Has anyone else gone back to work and then have to stop again?
 
Because of what I've done to myself during Complex Partial seizures, I'm pretty sure that getting SSI the next time I apply won't be difficult, especially with the aid of a lawyer.
 
It shouldn't be It took me almost three years to get mine,but that was 2005-2008 The lawyer said you only needed to have two seizures a month to qualify
 
truegrit said:
It shouldn't be It took me almost three years to get mine,but that was 2005-2008 The lawyer said you only needed to have two seizures a month to qualify
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Do you know if those seizures would be Tonic Clonic or Focal (or both)?
 
I'm not sure. He only asked for my medical records and seizure diary. At the time I was having both kinds of seizures
 
I average 1-3 seizures/month. I've even had Complex Partials within hours of taking my medications. Oddly enough, the first time I tried, the doctor they sent me to said that I WAS eligible/should receive disability. That was before the really dangerous complex partials.
 
I know should not comment on your health system so I won't.In uk it bit of grey area I posted thread called pip it disability allowance and hit and miss if you get it but as to Meds seems unfair Americans have to worry about this in civerlized country.
 
Interesting comments here, I haven't followed this thread.

truegrit said:
It shouldn't be It took me almost three years to get mine,but that was 2005-2008 The lawyer said you only needed to have two seizures a month to qualify
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I'm curious about this statement because I have probably a hundred seizures a month, lol. The thing is, I can still work, although I have to rely on Uber/Lyft for transportation to and from work since I can't drive.

At this point, I am back in a full-time job with a good employer, but part of my job will require travel. I'm not sure yet how that will be handled.

I took a few days off of work already from some mood issues and I feel like I'm in a bad spot. The stress from the new job combined with changes to my benefits right off the bat leaves me wondering what to do. The disability card is still on the table (although saying that right now I feel crazy). I'm concerned about the high probability I will simply not be able to work a regular job and have to fall back on some other means of supporting myself.
 
Personally it came down to what was the safest option for me and my family.
When I first applied I lived in CA and was turned down because was working.
I was an Auto Diesel mechanic and even though my employer did what they could for me it was no longer safe to work with cars and heavy equipment. CA offered me job retraining though and helped me find a job as a service manager at a large truck stop here in Indiana. Unfortunately at the end of my probation period and after several seizures I was "no longer what they were looking for" At that time I decided to file again knowing that if I was approved disability earnings would cover my house payment and guarantee medical coverage. It took a long time to get used to not working and being the primary bread winner. That combined with Neurontin made for a period of depression. However, after going to church for awhile I realized that "not working" didn't mean you had to stop participating. It meant you could work by volunteering your time and talents other places. It meant that government disability payments were something that guarantee your ability to contribute to the community
 
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