Wednesday, August 22, 2012

"Once More Unto The Breech........Or..........Hope Springs Eternal........."

Good Evening;

So......from Henry V to Alexander Pope and here I go again. 
My meeting with the young woman, (forgot to ask her if I can use her name, so I'll err on the side of anonymity for now), from Health Care for the Homeless, (HCH), was, in my opinion a rousing success. I felt that there was a true sense of interest, empathy, & compassion on her part and that I was not just another nameless number, and that a connection was made.
She was well versed and familiar with the procedures and pitfalls of the S.S.A. and what needed to be done and how and when in filing an S.S.I. claim. With the basic information gleaned from this meeting she is going to restart the initial process. Once that is begun we can walk into an S.S.A. office and get the documents required for the TDAP claim at D.S.S.

Tomorrow I'm going to D.S.S. to refile for FoodStamps and Medical Assistance, and  get the forms to be filled out by the doctor for the TDAP.
I can use the HCH address with a c/o in her name as a mailing address.
For the first time I feel a confidence in an advocate and a sense of hope in navigating the process with the help of those who know what they are doing.

Which is a good thing, because last night was HELL! I tried to roll over from sleeping on my left side to my right side and woke up literally screaming in pain. My left lower back, hip, and upper left leg felt as if someone had jammed a knife in me......and began twisting it and jabbing it in and out.
(And YES, I DO know what that feels like....and I have the scars to prove it!)
THEN.....I reflexively tried to sit up, in one continuous motion.....
Well I must have blacked out for a minute or two. When the dizzyness and confusion cleared I sat up, then pulled myself to my knees an stood up in stages by hanging onto the shelves in the shed. I stood there until the pain faded to a dull throb and carefully lay back down and took a dose of the muscle relaxers and pain meds, (ibuprofen and 'bupe'), and went back to sleep, eventually.
Either tomorrow after D.S.S., or Friday, I need to get back to the doctors to get a referral for another MRI to determine what is going on with the tumor on the Sciatic nerve......whether it has enlarged greatly or twisted around the nerve.
I switched over to the boots I got from Monkee, so I am standing and walking level and my feet are flat not on a sideways incline sloping outward because of the way the heels wear, that has helped some, but I can feel something is 'not right'.
Anyway, it looks to be yet another beautiful night to be 'camping out'.....though I'd love to find a nicer "campsite".........lol!
And it looks as if the 'picnic lunches' are going to be from the "Dunkin' Dumpster" for the ?????? foreseeable future, as I have bus fare for 2 days then that is the end of all my cash. If...IF, I am lucky I may, MAY get my Foodstamps expedited and get them on September 7th. If not, then it will be October 7th.
(And there is the chance I will get a column next Wednesday, but most of that will go to the State Fair with Rachel)


Anyway...I want to actually catch the 9:03 pm. bus...which is usually 15 minutes early, so........

Later..............................Dave

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