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Archive for August, 2011

Concerns about SSA funding continue–especially for SSDI benefits

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

SSDI benefits exempt from many creditors, but funding hammered by high, chronic unemployment

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We’ve addressed this before, but with the debt-ceiling debate, US credit downgrade and endless political posturing, it’s probably a good time to once again discuss the financial health of Social Security overall and the SSDI and SSI programs in particular.

Experts warn of shortfalls in retirement and disability benefits

As we’ve written before, Social Security itself has been declared to be OK until about 2036; in other words, if nothing changes between now and then, the fund will be able to pay out only about 75 per cent of scheduled payments. Medicare is in slightly worse shape, but SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) will be busted sometime between 2015 to 2018.

SSDI could run dry as early as 2015

According to long Wall Street Journal piece on SSDI payments increasing in Puerto Rico (but also instructive for its good info on the SSDI national status), “The SSDI is set to soon become the first big federal benefit program to run out of cash—and one of the main reasons is U.S. states and territories have a large say in who qualifies for the federally funded program. Without changes, the Social Security retirement fund can survive intact through about 2040 and Medicare through 2029. The disability fund, however, will run dry in four to seven years without federal intervention, government auditors say.”

Applications have risen along with increased unemployment

According to an Aug. 22 account at Politico.com:

The Social Security disability fund is fast running out of money and may not be able to make payments starting in 2017, thanks in part to the bad economy driving claims up over the past decade, The Associated Press reported.

Applications for benefit claims have risen almost 50 percent in the past 10 years, as many people with disabilities are laid off and cannot find new jobs in the difficult job market. And, the AP added, the rush for benefits is causing a major backup for applicants currently waiting to get their cases decided.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the disability trust fund will be exhausted by 2017 unless Congress acts. If the fund’s balance falls to zero, it cannot pay out full benefits unless the law is altered. And it’s not the only benefit fund that’s nearly insolvent: In 2040, the CBO projects, Social Security’s retirement fund will also be out of cash.

So, the exact years are in question, but the timeframes are roughly equivalent.

One concern: the ‘multiplier effect’

And it’s not only the SSDI direct benefits that add to the bill. From the NYT’s piece, which gives a dollar figure of benefits in Puerto Rico as averaging a “modest” $1,064 a month:

But the program opens up access for recipients to other government programs, multiplying the ultimate cost to taxpayers.

Anyone who spends two years on SSDI qualifies for the Medicare health program, which usually is available only for those 65 years old and older. SSDI recipients tend to remain tethered to the program for years, and the government’s lifetime financial commitment averages $300,000 per person, estimates David Autor, an SSDI expert who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “The system has profound problems,” Mr. Autor said.

SSDI’s financial woes pose a major test for the White House and Congress, which have been reluctant to tackle the budget-busting costs of entitlements.

Analysts who track the program say the only short-term way to save it without raising taxes would be to fold it into the fund that pays Social Security. That would likely force retirees to face benefit cuts two or three years sooner than they otherwise would have done, because SSDI costs would diminish retirement funds.

SS & SSDI fundings have been combined before

Various sources agree that Social Security (retirement) and SSDI (disability payments) were, in fact, temporarily combined in 1994, as a stopgap, emergency measure. What I’ve not understood, yet–although I do get it about the “multipliers–is how can payroll-funded benefits be such a problem?

In other words, if unemployment is the prime factor, i.e. joblessness strains the system via reduced payroll-tax contributions, then why doesn’t the system seem to care more about unemployment?

Weeding out beneficiaries who ‘sneak back to work’

SSI is not funded by payroll deductions but by the general revenue fund. In other words, a work history is not required to qualify. However, it is much more restrictive. According to the AP, a chronic problem–which we’ve reported about–is lack of review that would spot beneficiaries who have gotten work but kept taking benefits:

Today, about 13.6 million people receive disability benefits through Social Security or Supplemental Security Income. Social Security is for people with substantial work histories, and monthly disability payments average $927. Supplemental Security Income does not require a work history but it has strict limits on income and assets. Monthly SSI payments average $500.

As policymakers work to improve the disability system, they are faced with two major issues: Legitimate applicants often have to wait years to get benefits while many others get payments they don’t deserve.

Last year, Social Security detected $1.4 billion in overpayments to disability beneficiaries, mostly to people who got jobs and no longer qualified, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

Delays can leave unpaid bills piled high

Another concern, according this piece at credit.com, is the delay and lag-time in receiving benefits. As mentioned, the influx of applicants from the unemployed adds to the delay. So what shape are beneficiaries in when they finally begin receiving payments?

For many recipients, Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are their financial lifeline. Their more immediate concern may not be what happens in Washington to save the program, but what happens today to the money they receive. I couldn’t find any statistics about how many SSDI and SSI recipients have past-due bills, but if our email is any indication, plenty of them are struggling and getting calls from creditors or debt collectors threatening to take the little income they do get each month. And because it takes so long to get approved for disability these days, applicants may find themselves already in the hole by the time they start receiving benefits.

Benefits not shielded from child support, taxes or student loans

However, there’s a bright spot in that few creditors can successfully come after these benefits. Again from credit.com: “For those who rely on these benefits, the good news is that they are generally protected from creditors and debt collectors. However there are exceptions in the case of past-due child support, past-due taxes, and federal student loans. “ ‘They can chase you (for student loans) to the grave,’ warns bankruptcy attorney Cathy Moran.”

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Just remember, we can help connect you with a compatible, trained attorney who can help you with your case–if nothing else, it’s possible that an experienced attorney might be able to steer your case toward a more reasonable outcome.

Help is available whether you’re fighting denied or delayed benefits or whether creditors are threatening to attach benefits you’ve already received. Consider signing up for your free evaluation today.

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Pulseless Disease and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Friday, August 26th, 2011
LAO angiographic of Takaysu Arteritis taken fr...

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Vasculitis is a large inclusive medical term for a class of uncommon diseases that are characterized by inflammation of your blood vessels. Your vascular system is composed of the blood vessels of your body.

In turn, your blood vessels are made up of arteries that transport oxygen-rich blood to the tissues and cells of your body. Your vascular system is also composed of veins that take oxygen-depleted blood from your tissues to your lungs to get more oxygen.

Vasculitis is marked by inflammation in and damage to the walls of different blood vessels in your body. Each one of this category of diseases is distinguished by distribution of blood vessel involvement, certain patterns of particular organ involvement and laboratory test abnormalities. As a group, these diseases are referred to as vasculitides.

Pulseless disease is a rare kind of vasculitis. Your aorta is the large artery that takes blood from your heart to the rest of your body. If you have pulseless disease, your aorta is hurt by inflammation. Pulseless disease also causes inflammation in the main branches of your aorta.

Pulseless disease is known by other names. It is also referred to as Takayasu’s arteritis and aortic arch syndrome.

Dr. Mikito Takayasu was the one who first described this syndrome. He described it in 1908.

Pulseless disease can take place in anyone, at any age, and this disease takes place in all races. Having said that, pulseless disease develops most often in Asian women who are between the ages of 15 and 30. In fact, women are 8 to 9 times more prone to develop pulseless disease than men are.

The cause of pulseless disease in not known at this time. Researchers think that it may be an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is one in which your immune system that attacks anything foreign that invades your body, for some unknown reason, attacks healthy tissues and cells of your own body.

There are some signs and symptoms that are characteristic of pulseless disease in its early stages. Some of these that you may experience include:

Ÿ  Weight loss that is fast and unintentional

Ÿ  Night sweats

Ÿ  Muscle or joint pain

Ÿ  Skin rash

Ÿ  Fatigue

Ÿ  Abdominal pain

Ÿ  Occasional low-grade fever.

As pulseless disease advances and progresses, it may result in the narrowing of your arteries. Then, you may also begin to experience other signs and symptoms. Some of these are:

Ÿ  A feeling of weakness that comes about from mild anemia

Ÿ  Absent or diminished pulse in your wrists

Ÿ  Disturbances that occur in your vision

Ÿ  Blood pressure that is not the same in each one of your arms

Ÿ  High blood pressure in your lung arteries that can result in shortness of breath and fatigue (pulmonary hypertension)

Ÿ  High blood pressure (hypertension)

Ÿ  Dizziness

Ÿ  Notching of your upper ribs

Ÿ  Atrophy of your facial skin

Ÿ  Pigmentation of your facial skin

Ÿ  Chest pain

Ÿ  Transient weakness on one side of your body

Ÿ  Weakness or pain in your arm when you use it (claudication)

Ÿ  Increased gamma globulin levels in your blood

Ÿ  Headaches and lightheadedness.

Pulseless disease, along with complications that have resulted from it or other disorders that you may have in conjunction with this disease, may be the reason why you are incapacitated and cannot work. Because of this, you may have applied for financial help from the Social Security Administration by filing for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits.

Did the Social Security Administration turn down your application? Did you file an appeal? Was it denied, also? Are you trying to decide what you should do now?

The attorney at socialsecurityhome.com is the one who can advise you on what to do now. Do not put this off. Turn to socialsecurityhome.com, right now.

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Histotoxic Anoxia and Receiving Social Security Disability

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Anoxia is a condition that is characterized by an absence of oxygen supply to a tissue or an organ. This is in spite of there being an adequate amount of blood flow to that organ or tissue.

Hypoxia is a condition that is evidenced by a decrease in oxygen to an organ or a tissue. Again, as with anoxia, this takes place in spite of there being an adequate blood flow to that tissue or organ.

Anoxia and hypoxia are often used interchangeably. This is in spite of the fact that they refer to conditions that are similar but different. Hypoxia refers to a condition that involves a decrease in oxygen reaching a tissue or an organ, while anoxia refers to a condition in which there is no oxygen reaching an organ or a tissue.

There are five different forms of anoxia. They are stagnant anoxia, anemic anoxia, anoxic anoxia, affinity anoxia and histotoxic anoxia.

Histotoxic anoxia is anoxia that develops in spite of the fact that your body is receiving an adequate amount of oxygen. The problem is that your body is not able to use the oxygen because of physiological difficulties that are occurring at a cellular level.

Histotoxic anoxia is usually brought about by exposure to toxic substances. This can include things like acetone, toluene, formaldehyde and certain anesthetic agents.

Histotoxic anoxia may result from substance abuse. This can be things like the excessive drinking of alcohol or excessive use of narcotics.

In other instances, histotoxic anoxia can be caused by exposure in poorly controlled or insufficiently ventilated areas to poisonous gases or chemicals like cyanide poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning or poison gas attack. In these instances, the ability of the hemoglobin in your blood to carry, bind and release oxygen are inhibited by these poisonous substances.

There are also several other things that can lead to histotoxic anoxia. These are things that may result in all of the various kinds of anoxia, in addition to histotoxic anoxia. Some of these include:

Ÿ  Cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)

Ÿ  Electrical shock

Ÿ  Brain tumors

Ÿ  Respiratory disorders that interfere with your breathing

Ÿ  Compression of your trachea

Ÿ  Respiratory arrest

Ÿ  Suffocation

Ÿ  Extremely low blood pressure (hypotension)

Ÿ  Near Drowning

Ÿ  Choking

Ÿ  A heart attack (myocardial infarction).

There are several signs and symptoms that you may have, which may be an indication of histotoxic anoxia. Some of these include:

Ÿ  Numbness

Ÿ  Limp muscles

Ÿ  Headache

Ÿ  Tingling in your fingers or toes

Ÿ  A dizzy or lightheaded sensation

Ÿ  Cyanosis (your fingernails and lips looking blue)

Ÿ  Impairment in your judgment

Ÿ  Being drowsy

Ÿ  Impairment in your vision

Ÿ  A decrease in your reaction time

Ÿ  A feeling of euphoria

Ÿ  Confusion

Ÿ  Coma

Ÿ  Difficulty with your memory

Ÿ  Difficulty with movement

Ÿ  Loss of consciousness.

The diagnosis of histotoxic anoxia is usually made on the basis of you displaying the clinical signs and symptoms of this condition. If your doctor thinks it is needed, there are diagnostic tests and procedures that can be used to help confirm a diagnosis of histotoxic anoxia. The particular test that you would undergo is usually determined by the suspected cause of your histotoxic anoxia.

 

Has histotoxic anoxia and/or complications that have arisen from it or whatever the underlying cause of the condition is caused your disability? Is histotoxic anoxia keeping you from working.

As a result, do you need financial assistance. Have you applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration? Was your application denied by the Social Security Administration?

If you are wondering what to do now, your really ought to go to socialsecurityhome.com. The lawyer at socialsecurityhome.com knows what to do. The attorney at socialsecurityhome.com will be on your side. Do not hesitate. Call socialsecurityhome.com, today.

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Aortic Incompetence and Receiving Social Security Disability

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
Micrograph demonstrating thickening of the spo...

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The main artery that leaves your heart is known as the aorta. Blood goes out of your heart by moving from your left ventricle (lower chamber) through your aortic valve into your aorta. Aortic incompetence is a condition in which your aortic valve does not close as tightly as it needs to. This results in some of the blood that was just pumped out of your left ventricle leaking back into it.

When you are afflicted with aortic incompetence, your heart may not be able to effectively pump out blood to the rest of your body. This may result in you feeling breathless and tired.

Aortic incompetence is a condition that may take place suddenly. If this is how it occurs, aortic incompetence must have immediate medical attention. When it develops in this way, it is referred to as acute aortic incompetence.

Aortic incompetence is called by other names. It is also known as aortic regurgitation, aortic insufficiency and aortic valve regurgitation.

There are several different things that may lead to aortic incompetence. Some of these are:

Ÿ  The use of the diet medication that is known as fen-phen

Ÿ  An infection that occurs in your heart (infective endocarditis)

Ÿ  Simply growing older

Ÿ  Treatment for cancer that involves the use of radiation therapy

Ÿ  Dilation of your aortic root (an enlarged aorta)

Ÿ  Rheumatic fever

Ÿ  Congenital heart defects (those that are present at birth).

There are some other things can result in acute aortic incompetence. Some of these include:

Ÿ  Difficulties that are associated with aortic valve replacement

Ÿ  Endocarditis (an infection of your heart)

Ÿ  Any type of trauma that happens to your chest

Ÿ  Dissection of your aorta.

There are some risk factors that may increase your likelihood of getting aortic incompetence. Some of these are:

Ÿ  Your aortic valve being damaged by some other disorder or disease, such as rheumatic fever or endocarditis

Ÿ  Having certain other medical conditions or disorders, such as ankylosing spondylitis, Marfan syndrome or syphilis

Ÿ  Being born with a congenital (present at birth) heart defect.

Most of the time, however, aortic incompetence is a condition that develops gradually. When it occurs in this way, aortic incompetence may not cause you any signs or symptoms at all. You may not even realize that you have aortic incompetence.

The signs and symptoms that do result from aortic incompetence will usually begin as the condition starts to get worse. Some of the signs and symptoms that you may experience include:

Ÿ  Fatigue and weakness that gets worse when you exercise or the level of your activity increases

Ÿ  Shortness of breath that takes place when you exert yourself in some way or when you lie flat

Ÿ  Swelling in your feet and ankles

Ÿ  Heart palpitations (feelings of a rapid, fluttering heartbeat)

Ÿ  An irregular or rapid pulse rate

Ÿ  Chest tightness, discomfort or pain (angina) that usually gets worse as you exercise

Ÿ  Lightheadedness and dizziness

Ÿ  Pulsations in your neck

Ÿ  Fainting or passing out

Ÿ  Problems with your breathing at night.

Has aortic incompetence and/or complications that have been brought about by it or other disorders and ailments that you have along with it led to your disability and inability to work. If this is your situation, have you tried to get Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration?

Was your attempt at getting these disability benefits denied by the Social Security Administration? Did you ask for a reconsideration? Was it also turned down?

You may be trying to figure out what to do now. Socialsecurityhome.com is the place that will help you determine the right course of action that you need to take. The lawyer at socialsecurityhome.com knows how to deal with the Social Security Administration.

Do not put this off. Go to socialsecurityhome.com, before it is too late.

 

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Variant Angina and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
Basic illustration of positioning of aorta, pu...

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The word “angina” probably causes you to think of your heart and chest pain. However, angina is a word that can refer to pain in other parts of your body, also.

For example, Ludwig’s angina is a serious, potentially life-threatening infection of the tissues of the floor of your mouth. Abdominal angina is a type of angina that is used in reference to postprandial abdominal pain that occurs in people when there is not enough blood flow to take care of your mesenteric visceral demands.

However, in spite of those types of angina that were just mentioned, when you hear the word “angina,” it is probably chest pain and your heart that comes to your mind. The form of angina that has to do with chest pain and your heart is known as angina pectoris.

Variant angina is a kind of angina that involves chest pain and your heart. As the name implies, variant angina is a variant form of angina pectoris.

Variant angina is a syndrome that is usually characterized by angina (heart chest pain) that develops while you are at rest. Variant angina is heart chest pain that takes place in cycles while you are resting.

Variant angina affects about 4 out of every 100,000 people in the United States. Even though variant angina may occur in anyone at any time, most of the time it develops in people who smoke, have high cholesterol or have high blood pressure (hypertension).

Men get variant angina far more often than women do. In fact, 70 to 90% of the people with variant angina are men.

Variant angina is known by other names. It is also called Prinzmetal’s angina, angina inversa and coronary artery spasm. Once again, it is a variant type of angina pectoris.

It should be understood that variant angina is not a disease or an ailment. Variant angina is a sign or symptom of an underlying ailment or disease that is causing it to occur. In fact, variant angina may very well be the primary indication of whatever that underlying condition is.

Variant angina is caused by something that is called vasospasm. Vasospasm is a narrowing of your coronary arteries that results from the contraction of the smooth muscle tissue in your vessel walls rather than being caused by atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty plaque and hardening of the arteries).

The primary sign or symptom of variant angina is chest pain. This is chest pain that usually takes place while you are at rest, rather than with exertion. These attacks of chest pain usually develop at night. The pain caused by variant angina may:

Ÿ  Be relieved by taking nitroglycerin

Ÿ  Cause fainting or a loss of consciousness

Ÿ  Develop most often while you are resting

Ÿ  Take place at the same time each day, which is usually between 12:00 midnight and 8:00 AM

Ÿ  Be located under your breast bone

Ÿ  Continue for a period of time lasting anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes

Ÿ  Be described as crushing, pressure, squeezing, constricting, or tightness

Ÿ  Be severe and radiate (move) to your arm, shoulder, jaw or neck.

Are you disabled and prevented from being able to work because of the underlying disease or ailment and/or complications that have come about from whatever it is that has caused your variant angina. If this is true, do you need financial help?

Have you applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration? Was your application turned down by the Social Security Administration?

The attorney at socialsecurityhome.com can help you as you seek after Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. Do not waste time. Go to socialsecurityhome.com. Socialsecurityhome.com is the place that can help.

 

 

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A Coronary Artery Spasm and Receiving Social Security Disability

Monday, August 22nd, 2011
Pain in acute myocardial infarction (front)

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When you hear the word “angina,” you probably think about chest pain and your heart. Did you know that angina can also be used in reference to pain that develops in other areas of your body?

An example of this is abdominal angina. It is a form of angina that refers to postprandial abdominal pain that develops in people when they do not have sufficient blood flow to meet their mesenteric visceral demands,

Another example is Ludwig’s angina. It is a serious, potentially life-threatening infection of the tissues of the floor of your mouth.

Even though there are other forms of angina like those just mentioned, when you hear the word “angina,” it is still probably your heart and chest pain that you think about. The kind  of angina that is about chest pain and your heart is referred to as angina pectoris.

A coronary artery spasm is a brief, temporary narrowing (contraction) of the muscles in an artery wall in your heart. A coronary artery spasm may narrow and decrease or even stop the flow of blood to part of your heart muscle.

If a coronary artery spasm lasts long enough, it can result in angina or even a heart attack (myocardial infarction). The angina caused by a coronary artery spasm usually takes place while you are at rest. This is not like typical angina. It usually occurs with some type of physical activity.

A coronary artery spasm develops in about 4 out of every 100,000 people in the United States. Even though a coronary artery spasm may take place in anyone at any time, it occurs most often in people who smoke, have high cholesterol or have high blood pressure (hypertension).

There are other things that may trigger a coronary spasm. Some of these may include:

Ÿ  Stimulant drugs like cocaine and amphetamines

Ÿ  Extreme emotional stress

Ÿ  Alcohol withdrawal

Ÿ  Medications that bring about narrowing of your blood vessels (vasoconstriction)

Ÿ  Exposure to cold.

However, a coronary artery spasm may take place in someone who has no risk factors like those that have just been mentioned. It can also occur in people who have disorders that are affecting their immune system like lupus.

Men are far more likely to have a coronary artery spasm than women are. In fact, 70 to 90% of the people who have a coronary artery spasm are men.

A coronary artery spasm is not an ailment or a disorder. A coronary artery spasm is a sign or symptom of an underlying ailment or disease that causes it to occur.

The hallmark sign or symptom of a coronary artery spasm is angina (chest pain). This is chest pain that usually occurs while you are resting, rather than with exertion. The pain resulting from a coronary artery spasm may:

Ÿ  Be located under your breast bone

Ÿ  Be described as squeezing, crushing, constricting, tightness or pressure

Ÿ  Develop while you are at rest

Ÿ  Take place at the same time each day, which is usually between 12:00 midnight and 8:00 AM

Ÿ  Be severe and radiate (move) to your neck, jaw, arm or shoulder

Ÿ  Continue for a period of time lasting anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes

Ÿ  Result in fainting or a loss of consciousness

Ÿ  Be relieved by taking nitroglycerin.

You may be incapacitated and unable to work because of the underlying disorder or disease and/or complications that have been brought about by whatever it is that has resulted in a coronary artery spasm. As a result, you may need financial assistance?

Have you put in a claim for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration? Was that claim denied?

The lawyer at socialsecurityhome.com can help. Do not delay. Contact socialsecurityhome.com, today. Socialsecurityhome.com is the right place to go.

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Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes and Receiving Social Security Disability

Friday, August 19th, 2011

One of the many difficulties that is associated with cancer is a complication that is believed to be a result of cancer but is not directly a part of the cancer. This complication is referred to as paraneoplastic syndromes.

Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of disorders that are believed to be caused by cancer, but they are not considered to be a part of the cancer. Researchers believe that they develop as a result of your immune system’s response to a kind of cancer that is known as a neoplasm. A neoplasm is an abnormal growth of tissue that is due to the fast division of cells that have developed a mutation (defect) into sets of cells with the same genetic composition (mitosis).

Paraneoplastic syndromes are believed to develop when white blood cells (T cells) or cancer-fighting antibodies not only attack cancer cells but also mistakenly attack normal cells in your nervous system. This usually takes place during the early stages of cancer. Most of the time, this happens before you even know that you have cancer.

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are used in reference to these syndromes when they develop in your nervous system. Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are degenerative disorders. What this means is that they get progressively worse as time goes by.

Thankfully, paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are extremely rare. They occur in less than 1% of all the cases of cancer.

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes usually develop in people who have lung, breast or ovarian cancer. The vast majority of the time, they originate because of the mistaken response of your immune system that was mentioned earlier. However, no one knows for sure why this immune system response occurs in some people with cancer but not in others who have the disease.

There are several different signs and symptoms that you may have with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. Some of these include:

  • Slurring of your speech
  • Problems with maintaining your balance
  • Seizures
  • Difficulty walking
  • Loss of muscle tone
  • Vertigo or dizziness
  • Vision problems
  • Disturbances in your sleep
  • Numbness and tingling in your arms and legs
  • Loss of fine motor coordination
  • Problems with swallowing
  • Memory loss
  • Dementia.
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Nasopharyngeal Cancer and Receiving Social Security Disability

Thursday, August 18th, 2011
Human thyroid with cancer nodules

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Cancer is a disease that originates in the basic building blocks of your body. This is your cells. Mutations (defects) develop in your cells.

The result of this is that old cells do not die when they should, and new cells are made even though you do not need them.

A mass (tumor) can form from these excess cells. These tumors are either benign or malignant. Benign tumors are not cancer. Malignant ones are cancer.

Cancer is much larger and wider than a single disease. It is a large group of diseases. Cancer is marked by cells that are invasive (they invade and destroy adjacent tissue), aggressive (they grow and divide without respect to normal limits) and sometimes metastatic (they spread to other parts of the body).

There are many different kinds of cancer. Cancer is usually named by where it originates in your body. For example, thyroid cancer begins in your thyroid gland. Gallbladder cancer begins in your gallbladder. Cancer may metastasize (spread) to other areas of your body, but it is still designated by where it began in your body.

Nasopharyngeal cancer is one of the many different types of cancer. It is cancer that originates in your nasopharynx. Your nasopharynx is the uppermost area of your throat (pharynx). Your nasopharynx is situated where your auditory tubes and nasal passages join the rest of your upper respiratory tract. This is above the back of your throat and behind your nose.

Nasopharyngeal cancer results from genetic mutations (defects) that occur in the squamous cells that line the surface of your nasopharynx. These mutations cause your normal cells to begin to grow out of control and invade surrounding surfaces. In time, they will metastasize (spread) to other areas of your body. However, no one knows what causes these genetic mutations to occur.

Nasopharyngeal cancer does not usually display any signs or symptoms in the beginning stages of the disease. Later, as the disease progresses, possible signs and symptoms may include:

  • Nasal congestion that is on one side of your nose
  • Headaches
  • A lump in your neck that results from a swollen lymph node
  • Pain in your face and neck
  • A bloody discharge from your nose
  • Double vision
  • Hearing loss that occurs in one ear
  • Ear infections that develop frequently
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Gelineau’s Syndrome and Receiving Social Security Disability

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
Narcoleptic Minute 006 0001

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Are you troubled by extreme, intense daytime sleepiness? Do you fall asleep suddenly during the day? If so, you may have Gelineau’s syndrome.

Gelineau’s syndrome is a sleep disorder that is evidenced by excessive daytime sleepiness. Gelineau’s syndrome is a disorder that results in you having a hard time staying awake. It can cause you to suddenly fall asleep during the day.

Gelineau’s syndrome is sometimes mistaken for other conditions. These include simple lack of sleep, fainting, seizure disorder, depression, laziness, recreational drug use and other conditions that result in abnormal sleeping patterns.

These “sleep attacks” take place even after you get enough sleep at night. In fact, you may find it hard to stay awake for long periods of time no matter what your circumstances are. The unusual sleep pattern that occurs with Gelineau’s syndrome can cause problems at school, work and in your social life.

Somewhere around 200,000 people are affected by Gelineau’s syndrome in the United States. However, only about 50,000 of these cases are diagnosed. Gelineau’s syndrome is as widespread as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. It is more common than cystic fibrosis, but Gelineau’s syndrome is not as well known.

The cause of Gelineau’s syndrome is not known at the present time. Recent research has revealed that certain genetic (hereditary) conditions that involve an area of Chromosome 6 that is known as the HLA complex may increase your risk of developing this syndrome.

Another risk factor for Gelineau’s syndrome may be an imbalance in certain brain chemicals that are important in the regulation of sleep. There is also the possibility that your immune system could play a role in causing Gelineau’s syndrome by mistakenly attacking certain cells in your brain.

The hallmark sign or symptom of Gelineau’s syndrome is excessive daytime sleepiness. It is an overwhelming drowsiness and uncontrollable need to sleep during the day. You may fall asleep without warning at any time or in any place.

There are some other signs and symptoms that you may experience with Gelineau’s syndrome. These may include:

  • Cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone)
  • Restless sleep at night
  • Decreased alertness through the day
  • Hallucinations
  • Sleep paralysis
  • Automatic behavior (continuing to do things, such as talking and moving things during sleeping episodes but awakening with no recollection of doing these things).
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Myeloid Metaplasia and Receiving Social Security Disability

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Myeloid metaplasia is a serious disorder of your bone marrow that upsets the normal production of blood cells by your body. Your bone marrow goes through fibrosis. What this means is that fibrous scar tissue takes the place of the blood-producing cells in your bone marrow. This leads to abnormally shaped red blood cells, an enlarged spleen and anemia.

Cells that are known as fibroblasts make fibrous (connective) tissue that assists your blood-producing cells when your bone marrow is normal. With myeloid metaplasia, these fibroblasts make too much fibrous tissue. Your blood-producing cells are crowded out when this takes place. This leads to fewer red blood cells being released into your bloodstream, anemia developing that becomes progressively more severe and red blood cell production decreases.

In addition to these problems, many of these red blood cells are immature or misshapen. Variable numbers of white blood cells and immature platelets may also be present in your blood. The number of your white blood cells may decrease or increase, and the number of your platelets usually decreases as myeloid metaplasia gets worse.

Myeloid metaplasia was first described in 1879. It is now classified as a myeloproliferative disease.

Thankfully, myeloid metaplasia is a rare disorder. It affects about 2 out of every 100,000 people in the United States. Myeloid metaplasia can develop at any age, but it occurs most often in people over the age of 50.

Myeloid metaplasia can develop independently, or it can be a consequence of other blood disorders. Myeloid metaplasia is caused by the proliferation and growth of a defective (abnormal) bone marrow stem cell. When this happens your bone marrow is replaced with fibrous connective tissue. However, no one knows what causes the abnormal bone marrow stem cell to occur.

Myeloid metaplasia usually develops slowly. Many people do not have any signs and symptoms in the early stages of the disorder. However, as myeloid metaplasia progresses, here are some signs and symptoms that you may experience:

  • Frequent infections
  • An enlarged liver
  • Fever
  • Pale skin
  • Pain in your bones
  • Excessive sweating as you sleep (night sweats)
  • An enlarged spleen that causes fullness or pain below your ribs on your left side
  • Shortness of breath, feeling weak and tired as a result of anemia
  • Bruising easily
  • Bleeding easily.
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