Poor and Disabled

I have fibromyalgia and I can barely walk and can only stand for 5 minutes I'm in constant pain all over my body so I cannot work. It takes months to apply and be approved for disability and in the mean time I'm 18 so I have no savings and very little support. I can't make it to my appointments because I have no car, no license or money and I can't walk. I can't get a job. I don't have any money to start making money and I haven't eaten a meal in weeks. I get by on bread, crackers and eggs and canned food because that's all that's here. I'm supposed to be vegan and I don't remember the last time I had a fresh vegetable because I can't go to the store and I have no money. I don't know how much longer I will have a phone or health insurance because I can't pay for it. My family has been supporting me less and less these past few years and I don't blame them. My mother doesn't care about me, my grandmother is 80 years old and the only one paying bills. I have no where to turn to. I don't know what to do.

if it is indeed impossible to get to the center of social services, you can call or email them and explain your situation and they will send someone over. you'll fill out your forms together so you can get on benefits. they also have staff who follow ppl who are home bound, and volunteers, and services who can arrange transportation and help with grocery hauls, doctor's appointments etc.

fibromyalgia isn't a disease, it's a syndrome. a dx of fibromyalgia is basically a diagnosis of everythinghurtsitis, and you don't need a doctor to tell you you're in pain. what you do need is someone who will look for the underlying cause. nine times out of ten, it's a combination of an occult infection and psychological pain. when you have that addressed properly, you should find your fibromyalgia improve as well. please don't let anyone tell you this is your final diagnosis and there's nothing but pain management they can do. it's simply not true. i've worked in toxicology and there's hardly been a time a fibromyalgiac wasn't found to have an underlying condition causing all over inflammation and pain. mention any history of tick bites to your gp, or other insect bites you may have suffered abroad, and have your teeth scanned if you haven't recently. if your labwork shows elevated crp and sedimentation, or the ANA test, you can push to have the cause investigated. additionally, addressing depression or any other other psychological issues is proven to work far better for pain management than physical treatment alone.

how do you plan to collect your disability if you are house-bound? will you authorize someone? because if you tell them you can't get out of the house to apply for help, but you can to draw money, it's not going to look right.

You need to apply for disability. That's the only option you have right now. You're going to be extremely uncomfortable and miserable until then, but if you have any hope of making things better in the long term, then you need to focus all your energy on getting social security so you can support yourself. In some countries there are youth/women's shelters who will house you for a time if things get really bad, but you are probably better off staying at home and looking at options for income. You may eventually find work you can do from home part-time as well, which will give you some extra income to help you - things like court transcription, data entry, maybe even bookkeeping. Things can and do get easier

i don't feel right not emphasizing this. it's a syndrome, a collection of symptoms, and they have a cause. colleagues in the past have shocked me when they told me fibromyalgiacs in the states end up on fentanyl rather than being directed for further investigation. are you kidding me- do you realize what you turn into just days or weeks into fentanyl treatment?? it's legitimate for pts for whom nothing can be done regarding the cause and progression of their illness, but this isn't the case with fibro pain. you're not terminally ill. you have something causing your body to ache like that, and when that cause is addressed, your condition may improve significantly. it's profoundly linked to psychological and infectious disturbance. and both of those can be worked on. you don't need to be in this much pain, or sentenced to opioids at such an early age.

but you need to be the one interested in your circumstance improving, asking for medical insurance, appointments, help getting there, help with occupational counseling, benefits and all other help available.

I haven't eaten a meal in weeks. I get by on bread, crackers and eggs and canned food because that's all that's here. I'm supposed to be vegan and I don't remember the last time I had a fresh vegetable because I can't go to the store and I have no money. I don't know how much longer I will have a phone or health insurance because I can't pay for it. My family has been supporting me less and less these past few years and I don't blame them. My mother doesn't care about me, my grandmother is 80 years old and the only one paying bills. I have no where to turn to. I don't know what to do.

Where are you living now? I can't imagine living at home and there's no food in the house and no-one cooking any meals. Seems a bit odd. You say you're 18 - what do you mean when you say "My family has been supporting me less and less these past few years and I don't blame them." - the past few years would make you a minor. How can your family not feed and support you when you were a minor?

Sorry about all the questions. Just trying to put the pieces together.

Can you start the application online?

Can you start the application online?

usually you can do this. but i would check waiting lists. where i live, it can take as long as two months to get approved. it's different if you talk to them in person, because they get to hear exactly how dire it is, and your specific needs, so they'll be able to prioritize what you need urgently and tailor their services to you. that way, you may be approved before the workweek is over. if you just fill out an online application and form, you won't draw special attention to yourself, since there's hundreds or thousands of people in need applying and there has to be a waiting line. but if they see there's something dire and specific going on, and especially if they see you take initiative and show interest in actively improving your situation, they'll gladly speed things up.

usually you can do this. but i would check waiting lists. where i live, it can take as long as two months to get approved. it's different if you talk to them in person, because they get to hear exactly how dire it is, and your specific needs, so they'll be able to prioritize what you need urgently and tailor their services to you. that way, you may be approved before the workweek is over. if you just fill out an online application and form, you won't draw special attention to yourself, since there's hundreds or thousands of people in need applying and there has to be a waiting line. but if they see there's something dire and specific going on, and especially if they see you take initiative and show interest in actively improving your situation, they'll gladly speed things up.

It took my son eight months to get approved . I started his application 6 months before he turn 18 . But there was such a backlog they did not even look at his application for the first six months . When I started calling is when they got the ball moving . Then he went for the personal interview passed the financial criteria which was easy because he has nothing . Then the doctor filled out the medical package and we had to have the medical diagnoses to prove his disability . The medical package was then mailed to the ajudication committee and we were notified of their approval 6 weeks later .

When I started calling is when they got the ball moving .