I just filled mine out not to long ago. I have had IC since 2005. I have had a terrible time with it. I also have other health issues as well, but the IC is by far the worst!
I would not even mention the little baby sitting you did. The point here is, you have IC and it is debilitating to you. I know I could Never hold down a job with how I feel. I may have a couple good days here and there ( and when I say good days, I mean I am not crying curled up in a ball in awful pain, I still have pain though). My bad days far outweigh those tolerable ones I get now and then. Also my pain varies. I can be so-so like a 4 with ten being the worst on the pain scale and within a couple hours it can go to a 10.
One thing I will tell you is that you have to explain everything to them in detail. I even added extra sheets to write what I go through. You have to be careful though because even if you have like one or two tolerable days a month, if you put that down there, they will think you can hold down a job! Unreal
You also should put down on your forms that you are suffering from anxiety and depression. If you are seeing a doctor who diagnosed you with it, also add their names on the forms. Everything you suffer with you should list and also names of doctors you see. I have been on disability since 2007, though I stopped working in 2002 due to getting sick with other health issues. I never imagined I would stay sick though. I always held out hope that I would get back to work. It just seemed I kept getting hit with one health issue after another. When IC hit me that was like the worst. So I would not even mention the babysitting, it was not like a full time job or something you were doing regularly. Were you doing it for a friend? I just don't think it counts unless you are doing it all the time long term. Fill out the forms honestly, but again, if your days are mostly bad, meaning you know there is no way you could hold down a job with how you feel, then you explain to them how bad it is. For me, There are lots of days I just sit with my heating pad and do Not even get out of my jammies because I feel so awful and the pain is so bad. I just literally lay down and only get up to go back and fourth to the bathroom. You have to explain to them how awful it is for you. For me one of my biggest issues is Not being able to take medications. I get side effects from most all the medications I take so it makes treating my IC sooo hard. They always ask what medications you take. I always felt odd not being able to put many on the sheet. I mean they probably think a real sick person should be on tons of meds. For me though, I cannot take them! This is the biggest problem I face so I had to explain to them why I was not on tons of meds. It is because I am unable to tolerate most of them.
Don't worry, I know it is frustrating and scary with worry about getting kicked off. Believe me, if they had to deal with IC and the torture it causes they would totally see how disabling IC really is for a lot of people who have it...
Leave a comment: