Hi everyone,
First the problem with Social Security Disability. I have applied for it 3 times now. Once in 2003 and the second in 2005, the third in 2010. On the first I was denied 4 times that included a hearing with a lawyer that did not work for me but worked for my insurance company. It took till 2007 for me to get to a hearing. In the hearing SSDI's own doctors said I was not healthy enough to work. However the judge did not care because I look healthy. Even now I look healthy but in fact I am very bad off. Since I had no money coming in anymore I had to force my heart doctor to release me so I could work. She cautioned me very much that she did not recommend me going back to work. But I did and it caused even more damage than I was before. Now I have filed again and I am awaiting a hearing date. Which could take a year. I have went through all my finances and have begun to borrow from family and friends.
       
Some history of myself. I was born with a heart defect called Truncus Arteriosis. It is very rare. I have type one I believe. A small description is I was born with one vein instead of two coming in from the top. I also did not have the center wall and I was missing a valve. All of these items were built or put in plus another valve for a total of two. I had my first surgery at 5 years of age 1974. After having the first surgery you have more surgeries to replace valves because they get wore out. Approximately between 5 and 7 years. My second surgery was in 1985. Yeah I beat the odds huh, 11 years. NO, I unlike everyone else was a normal child. I played sports, I ran, I climbed trees, went hunting and so on. The doctors at this time told myself and my parents I was not to do anything. Not even to go outside and play. Because of the second surgery and other people like me that wanted to be normal we changed how doctors thought. They realized exercise was the key to a longer life for patients after surgery. Then I got older, actually in 2000 I had my third, 15 years. I beat the odds again I doubled it. But wait, When my doctor removed the valve he realized my valve was the same as it was right after he put it in. I lived 15 years with my valve basically destroyed. Anyone that has had a Cardiac Catheterization knows it's not fun at all. But that is how they realized something was wrong.

Summery of my problems. Have a Congenital Heart Disease,  an Aneurysm, High Blood Pressure, Congestive Heart Failure and now High Cholesterol. When I was working I would get pneumonia after only a few months of working in the last 15 years. I have had a lung collapse and I'm susceptible to having it collapse again. Oh yeah there is one thing that really upsets me. I have a chest pain that never stops, it is like someone is squeezing my heart with some needle like gloves pricking the outside of my heart. But I also have what I call attacks where the the gloves have changed to knives and they are using both hands to squeeze even harder. I can't walk very far before I need to stop and catch my breath. I am only allowed to lift 5 pounds unless I am getting milk from a gallon jug. I can't stand for long periods of time and I can't sit for long periods of time.

Now why I am disappointed with SSDI is, I worked hard when I was young. I worked two and three jobs at a time.  Now my condition has caught up with me. It's not my fault I have been honest and up front with them the whole time. Yet they keep denying me. I don't look sick because I have been sick all my life and have just ignored the pains to keep going. But now I'm bad, I could pass at any time. If my aneurysm bursts I'm dead. What makes things worse is I am stressed out to the max. I have no income, and five kids to support. The stress is making my health even worse. I know people on SSI that should not be on SSI but yet I can't get on it because of schooling I had back in 1993. What I learned is obsolete. I can't type very well because I lost three fingers on my left hand. My training was computer science. I have heard this from several people like me that need to be on SSI. Then I hear about someone that is on SSI that could clearly work. It just goes to show how much the government really knows or does it show how much the even care.

If you have a similar story please, put it on here. Maybe someone will pay attention for once.

PS. I know why they send you to a psychiatrist when being screened for SSDI, it's so they know how long it will take you to just give up.

PSS. One more thing when I applied for SSDI I told them I was applying for it because of my Congenital Heart Disease but it asks on the form what are your symptoms which one is the Congested Heart Failure. When they put it in the computer they automatically changed that I was filing for CHF Not CHD because if I was put in for CHD I would have received benefits right away. But CHF is different it goes by your injection fraction. I am not sure if it was done on purpose but now they wont change it back the way my application was written out. So are you being denied when you deserve it.