As promised, here are some excerpts from my personal medical affidavit. **Please note** I have not yet been approved for disability. You are going through the process with me. I apologize in advance, as the letter doesn't flow well. There are several more personal paragraphs that have been cut out to protect myself from humility.
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To whom it may concern in Disability Determination:
My name is Melissa and I am 27 years old. I would like to write to you to help you to understand my disabilities and how they have an impact on my life every day. I have many different roles that I must satisfy in my life and having disabilities limits my abilities to perform these roles.
I was diagnosed with Lupus (SLE) in September, 1999 after several months of being sick and told that I had amoebas, giardia, parasites, mononucleosis, and Lyme disease. I was just entering my senior year of high school and was hit with this diagnosis and worse yet, the feeling of extreme fatigue, body aches, depression, and questioning why I was the one to become sick. It has been a major struggle physically and mentally since being diagnosed.
Since being diagnosed with Lupus, I have added several other diseases to my list. I have Fibromyalgia, Membranous Glomerulonephritis, Herniated discs, and Narcolepsy as well. Each illness has symptoms or sub-illnesses that create more of a difficult time for me. I will explain each of these symptoms and sub-illnesses in detail.
With Lupus, I also have Reynaud’s Phenomenon. Reynaud’s Phenomenon is when your circulation is poor and your extremities turn red, white and blue and get numb and tingly. In my case, my Reynaud’s Phenomenon was so severe that I had to move from my home state of Connecticut to Florida for warmer weather. While I was in Connecticut I had developed ulcers on my fingertips that were so painful that I did not have use of my fingers. The ulcers would ooze green and brown slimy, creamy puss, and keeping the ulcers clean was such a task as they took 9 months to heal. I still have scars on my right pointer and middle finger from my ulcers and every now and then they start to reform. Luckily, the warm weather of Florida allows me to stop the ulcers before they get too painful.
Lupus has caused me to develop Acid Reflux Disease. I have a burning sensation that goes from the pit of my stomach into my throat that never quite goes away. At times the burning is so intense that I end up throwing up a little bit in my mouth. Anything I eat or drink causes the burning sensation. Something as simple as lying down causes the burning sensation. Although this illness is not a disability at all, it is very painful and in the larger picture of things, adds to all of my pain.
Lupus has caused me to develop an on again off again pattern of Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). I bruise very easily most of the time and my platelet count is sometimes very low, which means that I have a hard time clotting if I get a cut and start bleeding.
Lupus has caused me to go through a period of time in the beginning of 2009 where I had lost half of the hair on my head. I had lost so much hair that I bought a wig to wear. Hair is just hair until you are the one losing it. Being a woman, losing hair is devastating. My self confidence has been shot down. Beauty may only be skin deep, but when half of your head is bald and you do not know when your hair will stop falling out or if it will even re-grow, that is one of the most depressing feelings I have ever experienced. My hair is growing back now, and I have 4 inch sections that stick out in cowlicks all over my head. I am very thankful that my hair is growing back, however I still suffer from low self esteem from the disaster that I call my hair. I am afraid that my hair will go through another period of time where it will fall out again, and I will have to wear a wig again.
From Lupus, I have rashes on my arms and on my face. These rashes are red, bumpy, scaly, and itchy. I have tried creams, foams, washes and nothing helps to alleviate the itching and take away the rash. This is another issue with Lupus that causes me to be depressed and have low self esteem. I have had people ask me if I have poison ivy, if I got stung by a jelly fish, or if I am having an allergic reaction to something. Having people constantly ask me why my face and arms are red, bumpy and scaly is horrible, and it is just one more reminder that I cannot escape the Lupus. Sun exposure and UV lighting exasperate the rashes.
I experience joint pain daily from having Lupus. I have had pain in every single joint, including my toe joints. When I have joint pain, I feel as if my bones are being drilled into. The pain starts in the joint and I can feel the pain extend throughout the bone. My bones feel like they could break from the pressure that the pain causes. I have tried time and time again to explain in words what joint and bone pain feels like, however it is impossible to explain to a person without joint and bone pain what it feels like. I have days where I see any sort of physical activity, including walking, and I cry in anticipation of the pain that the activity will cause.
Fibromyalgia has caused my muscles to be in constant spasms. The muscles affected most are from my neck down to the back of my upper thighs. Sitting in any position for more than 5 minutes is so painful and I feel like I want to rip my spine and legs out. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but if you felt the pain and uncomfortable feelings that I feel you would say the same thing. Imagine having sunburn over a bruise. Now imagine someone scratching your skin on your sunburned bruise. Imagine this feeling constantly with no relief. This is how my whole back and thighs feel every second of every day. I do what I call the “hotdog”, I rotate constantly as if I’m a hotdog on a grill. I also get this deep down muscle burning sensations throughout the front of my thighs, my arms and my hips. Sometimes it is very hard to determine if the pain I’m feeling in my joint areas are coming from muscles, bones or both.
I have had headaches daily for 2 months because of muscle spasms in my neck. I have tried Tylenol, Head On, cool compresses, and hot compresses, along with a rice sack around my neck. Nothing at all helps my headaches.
I would like to thank you very much for taking the time to read my letter in regards to my disability case. Please contact me if you need any further information regarding my case.
Melissa Fairchild
Be sure to check out Lissa's World for other useful information!
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