This is going to be a long post. It is an educational post. About gastroparesis and the Social Security Administration. While gastroparesis is mentioned in the information for summaries it has not been given a designation itself! Why does that matter? One reason it matters is because if you are living with inflammatory bowel disease (like crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), short bowel syndrome, liver disease, or another disease that has been designated by the Social Security Administration? It will be an easier road to the help you desperately need! Never wanted or expected to have to ask for? Nor ever imagined that you would be battling an incurable and not well understood motility disorder/s you need the road to this help to be as clear as possible not hindered as it has been! This why we are trying to achieve the signatures on the petition! We know there is a round about way in the language to arrive at receiving disability, but if inflammatory bowel disease can be designated in the Blue Book? Then we most certainly can be given a code of designation in the Blue Book!
We are not asking nor expecting to not have to prove our disease! We are asking for it to be acknowledged as a stand alone diagnosis! Even though it never comes alone for long, it brings all kinds of problems with it! But this step is long overdue!
Yes we vary in degrees, but that factor can also be determined. Designate the disease of Gastroparesis! We fight for a diagnosis, treatments, to be symptom free, to keep our jobs (until we physically can no longer work) don’t make us fight this piece as well! When we are being turned down with feeding tubes in us – something is very wrong! This is not my story but one of my GP Family members!
Thank you for your patience on this long post! But I truly believe that when we communicate with each other and realize we are all on the same team? The one seeking, with love & compassion of each other, to #CureGP? There is only a joyful victory awaiting us because we are on purposeful journey, not of our design, but of providence! We can do all things through Christ! It is with this Optimistic mind of Hope & Prayer I believe we will be in Harmony & Victory!
Here is the wording from the SSA ON GASTROPARESIS..
Gastroparesis and Social Security Disability
Gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach muscles are weakened or do not function well, impairing the digestion process. As a result, the muscles are unable to contract to push food through the stomach and the is then unable to properly digest food. The term gastroparesis refers to a “partial paralysis” of the digestive functions, usually because of damage to the vagus nerve, which controls the stomach muscles. Gastroparesis can be caused by conditions like diabetes and Parkinson’s, certain medications or drug use, and irregular eating habits.
Chronic nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain are among the earliest signs of gastroparesis. Because the stomach is unable to move food through the body at an appropriate rate, someone with gastroparesis might feel full after only taking a few bites of food. In the long term, this can lead to bacterial infections because of undigested food that has fermented inside of the body, as well as seemingly irreversible weight loss. The food that remains in your body may also harden in your stomach, forming a mass called a bezoar, which can become dangerous as it blocks food from entering the small intestine. Gastroparesis patients with diabetes are at risk for increased irregular blood glucose levels and heart palpitations.
Gastroparesis is usually diagnosed using X-ray imaging or an endoscopy. While there is no cure for gastroparesis, there are treatments to help manage the condition and prevent it from worsening. A doctor may recommend dietary changes and prescribe medication that either manages the nausea or stimulates stomach muscle function. In more severe cases, bypass surgery may be required to assist the stomach’s weak functioning.
*Filing for Social Security Disability with Gastroparesis*
The effects of gastroparesis can be severe and unpredictable on a day-to-day basis.
The blue book does not mention gastroparesis,
but you may qualify for benefits under a listing associated with a similar digestive dysfunction, such as Section 5.06 Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Section 5.08 Weight Loss due to any Digestive Disorder. There are also listing associated with the areas of the body affected by the symptoms or complications of gastroparesis: diabetes is found in Section 9.00 Endocrine Disorders, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis are listed in Section 11.00 Neurological Disorders, and immune disorders like Scleroderma are listed in Section 14.00.
You can also qualify for benefits without meeting a blue book listing through a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment. An RFC assessment is used to evaluate your mental and physical capacity to maintain a job on a regular basis.
Your Gastroparesis Disability Claim
You may find it difficult to qualify for disability benefits with gastroparesis because the symptoms can vary from mild to severe and are rather unpredictable. You must present enough medical evidence demonstrating that gastroparesis prevents you from working and earning a living. If you are unable to do this by matching a blue book listing, you may be able to qualify through a medical-vocational allowance, which takes into account your remaining functional ability and any previous education or employment in order to see what other work, if any, you can perform. If you are found unable to adjust to another type of work, you would then become eligible for benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Because of the difficulties associated with a gastroparesis benefits claim, you may want a Social Security Disability lawyer to help you prepare for and submit your application. These attorneys are experts in the disability benefits process and can increase your likelihood of receiving benefits at the earliest possible time. By using an attorney, you are also cutting down on the risk of your application being for simple mistakes. Considering the SSA denies most of all the first time applications submitted, hiring attorney to assist you might make the difference between receiving a denial or an approval.
Petition to Designate Gastroparesis as A Disability
