About me

[ksjacksonjr]

Hello my name is Kevin, I live inb WI. I was dianosed with crohns disease about 4 years ago. I am 39 years old. My life has been turned upside down do this illness. I am currently unemployed, and am finding difficult to find work. I was a construction worker for 15 years. I hung, taped and painted drywall. I always had work even when work was scarce. I went to work when I didnt feel well all the time and had good production. As soon as I got a medical diagnosis I noticed that i worked fewer and fewer. Not by my choice. I had a union job with healthcare and other benefits. As soon as I started to use the insurance to pay for medications like remicade and humira I was no longer put to work. Then one day I had a bathroom accident and had to go home to clean up. The next day I was laid off and have not worked for almost 2 years. The other problem is when this started I weighed about 230 lbs. I am 6ft tall, so that weight was not bad for me. I was not considered obeese due to my muscle mass. All of a sudden I started to put on weight, I am now 330lbs. No one can offer any reason. I take in less than 1000 calories a day and most of that goes right through me. My diet consits of mostly noodles and other starches because thats what I can tolerate. I have had 3 surgeries, 1 colectomy and 2 fistulotomies. This has caused even more problem for me. People do not belive I have my disease, other than my doctors, because I am overweight now. Even when I provde my medical records showing it was surgically confirmed. Yes I had to provide them to Wal-Mart when I worked there. I woked there for a year, never had a problem, good performance reviews, was even asked if I wanted to be a supervisor. Then I had a flare that put me bed ridden for a week. I was disciplined and written up 3 times because I missed a week of work due to this flare-up. Even when I proved my condition was valid this still stood, because they didnt feel it should be exscused because I hadn't been ther a year and had no sick time of vacation time. I have to tell employers about my illness because if I don't then they can let me go for not letting them know. Then an the flipside when I let them know I dont get hired. I am very frustrated and upset. I am being punished for something I did not create or ask for. I am sorry if I sound like I am whining. I just neede somewhere safe to vent. And to see if anyone else is having similar situation as me. I am a very prideful man and having my wife work two jobs to support me is tearing me apart inside. At one point I was so sick my GI Dr. listed me as medicaly disabled. I applied for disability only to be scoffed and called lazy, and told I was just trying to get a free ride by the SSA. They told me I did not qulify because I was capable of working 4 hours a week and my disease does not count as a disabilty. I paid into SSA my whole life and can't use it when I need it. I would rather work, but as I stated earlier that is another problem. What do I do? Any comments or advice is welcomed.

 

[Entchen]

Dear Kevin: I am so sorry that you are going through this. I cannot offer advice but I want to send some support. What an awful, awful situation. The one idea I have is that sometimes people who are not working can get assistance to take a college course or program; this might be something to do while you are struggling to find work, and it might help you find a position that does not have rules about sick days for employees who have been there an entire year (how unbelievably unfair).

As an aside, you will find others on the site (me included) who have gained significant amounts of weight with Crohn's; the general response from GIs is that it doesn't matter (ah, but it does, see!).

 

[ksjacksonjr]

I have applied for every program possible. The only thing I qualify for is student loans. There just are not any programs available for white men in this country. My wife makes too much money for me to get help with anything. But if she quits her job we cant get by. Mot trying to bring race or sex into it but this is just fact. My wife and I both applied for shool assistance. I got refused and she got help. The money i get from loans only covers 6 credits a semester. I am using this but i will run out of funding long before i get my degree. I am pusuing a degree in Networking Administration. Thnk you for your reply.

 

[Dunbar]

Heya Kevin,
Keep trying with SSA, these agency's almost always turn you down on the first go. Copies of job losses, drs info, write out your Worst day and if you have pictures of colonoscopies (in colour send them too. I had an advocate help me with my disability claim, was turned down,reapplied and was accepted. I went thru one helluva emotional grieving process,learning to accept that I wouldn't be working. Gone were the 90hr weeks, being fruitful and challenged. The flip side to that is, I don't work 90hrs a week and I spend time with my grandsons and I am learning about Crohn's,me and others dealing with chronic illness. I hope everything comes together for you soon.

 

[xJillx]

Hi Kevin and welcome! I am so sorry you are struggling with your Crohn's, but I am more sorry to hear about the injustices you have faced. I am so angry for you! And I can't believe you were denied SSA. I agree with Dunbar, KEEP TRYING. My brother is a lawyer and he used to help people get disability. He helped many who had been denied before, several who had IBD. You just need to find the right person to help you. Don't give up! I wish you all the luck in the world!

 

[Snap]

:tongue: Hey Kevin--I'm soo sorry to hear about your struggle....but agreed that people just don't get it! Maybe try Freedom Disability--google it. Write your congressman as well. Be relentless---keep scrapping and fighting. All we need is for someone to listen to us for at least 5 minutes! I have always wondered what is worse----the disease, the damages from the drugs that you have to take, or the financial beating that you take??!!! But, through it all, hold on to those you love and who love you, and keep fighting! Eventually you will stumble across someone who will listen. Social workers are also good resources---perhaps your local hospital employs social workers. There is also a web site that I stumbled across, an attorney named Jennifer Jaf (hopefully I spelled that right) offers all kinds of resources and help with disability and patient rights. She also has published a couple of books about patient rights. Give that a go---and hang in there. Let me know how you do---I am scheduled for an abdominoperineal resection surgery in 4 days--yikes----hopefully I'll be back to work in 6 weeks----we gotta eat and heat the house. Sigh! Take care.
Warmest regards, Snap