Has anyone gone down the road of filing for disability and receiving SS benefits, had the HR, and now back in the work force?
There is a lot of chat online about how we feel pre-op, and the pain cycle we OA'ers have to go through. i.e. activity/down for a few days/get back up do it again/down a few days/ don't do it this time cause it's going to hurt/screw it/ activity/ down again.
It's a constant cycle it seems. A cycle of pain and mental gymnastics to keep the pain from winning.
We say disabled, but do we meet the criteria for SS benefits? I feel that most of us just gut through it daily. Are we disabled?
When it hurts to walk, sit, stand, lay down, not to mention any pounding on the joint, does this not meet the criteria for disability benefits?
With OA, I believe we choose to not be disabled. We ignore the pain, get through the down times, and try to get the most out of our days. So, some days are better than others. Some days, don't even want to get out of bed.
Then....post op. Are we normal?