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Posts Tagged ‘Disease’

Idiopathic Neuropathy and Receiving Social Security Disability

Friday, August 13th, 2010
A diagram of the Human Nervous system.
Image via Wikipedia

Neuropathy is a medical term that refers to diseases or malfunctions that affect your peripheral nervous system. The term is usually used to mean the same thing as peripheral neuropathy.

Your peripheral nervous system is a huge communications network that transfers information from your brain and spinal cord (your central nervous system) to all the other areas of your body. It also sends sensory information back to your spinal cord and brain. These are messages like your foot is burned or your hand is cold.

Peripheral neuropathy affects over 20 million people in the United States. Almost 60% of all people with diabetes have this disorder.

Idiopathic neuropathy affects 2 million of the 20 million people with peripheral neuropathy. It usually affects middle-aged and elderly people.

There are more than 100 kinds of peripheral neuropathy that have been recognized. Each of these types has its own characteristic set of signs, pattern of development and prognosis.

Idiopathic neuropathy is one of these kinds of peripheral neuropathy. It is referred to as “idiopathic” because the causes of it have not yet been identified and determined.

Idiopathic neuropathy affects your peripheral nerves. It interferes and affects the communication between your peripheral nervous system and your central nervous system.

Idiopathic neuropathy is considered to be a primary disease. This means it does not result from another or underlying condition.

As mentioned earlier, this disease is called “idiopathic” neuropathy because the causes of it have not yet been identified and determined. There are many cases where the cause or causes of peripheral neuropathy are not known. So, they are referred to as idiopathic neuropathy.

There are several different signs and symptoms that you may experience with idiopathic neuropathy. Some of these are:

  • Unsteadiness while standing or walking
  • Weakness in your muscles
  • Weakness in the muscles around your ankles
  • A feeling of pain, tingling and numbness
  • A feeling of faintness
  • Muscle cramps.

There can be other signs and symptoms depending on which of your nerves are affected. You may also lose the sense of feeling in your toes.

You or a loved one may have been diagnosed with idiopathic neuropathy. This disease and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it may be the reason why you or your loved one is disabled and unable to work.

You or your loved one may be thinking about applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of idiopathic neuropathy and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it? You or your loved one may have already applied and been denied by the Social Security Administration?

If you decide to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, consider this. People who are represented by a disability lawyer like the one you find at Social Security Home are approved more often than those who are not represented by an attorney.

Please do not wait. Contact us today to make sure you are getting the benefits you need.

Dysphagia and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Swallowing is an involved process. There are 50 pairs of muscles and several nerves involved in moving food from your mouth to your stomach. Swallowing takes place in three stages. First, your tongue moves the food around in your mouth so that you can chew it. Chewing is what gets food ready to swallow. Chewing also helps mix the food with saliva. Saliva is what moistens and softens your food so that swallowing is easier to do. It is during this first stage of swallowing that your tongue gathers the prepared food. This makes the food ready for swallowing.

The second stage of swallowing starts when your tongue pushes your food to the back of the mouth. This triggers a swallowing reflex that passes your food through the pharynx (the canal that connects your mouth with your esophagus). During this second stage of swallowing, your larynx (voice box) closes tightly and breathing stops to prevent food and liquid from entering your lungs.

The third stage of swallowing starts when food enters your esophagus. Your esophagus is the canal that carries food and liquid to your stomach.

Dysphagia is the medical term that is used for when you have difficulty swallowing. It can be a sign or symptom of different medical conditions, or dysphagia can refer to a condition in its own right.

The term is derived from the Greek dys, which means disordered or bad and phago, which means eat. Dysphagia is a sensation that suggests that there is difficulty in the passage of solids or liquids from your mouth to your stomach.

The signs and symptoms of dysphagia may come and go. They can be severe or mild, or they can get worse with the passage of time. Possible signs and symptoms include:

  • Choking, coughing or gagging when you swallow
  • Having pain when you swallow
  • Losing weight because you do not get enough liquid or food
  • Having difficulty getting liquids or food to go down on the first try
  • Having liquids or food come back up through your mouth, nose or throat after you swallow
  • Having pressure or pain in your chest
  • Having heartburn
  • Feeling like liquids or food is stuck somewhere in your chest or throat.

You or a loved one may have dysphagia. This disorder and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it may be the reason why you are disabled and in need of financial help.

You or your loved one may have applied for the financial assistance that you need from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by dysphagia and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it. Were you or your loved one denied by the Social Security Administration?

If you or your loved one reapplies or appeals the denial, think carefully about this important fact. People who are represented by a disability attorney like the one you will find here are approved more often than people who do not have a disability lawyer standing with them.

Please do not delay. Contact us today and we will put you in touch with a tough advocate who can help you get the benefits you deserve.

Ataxia and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Monday, July 12th, 2010

The word “ataxia”, comes from a Greek word, “a taxis” that means incoordination or without order. Ataxia means a lack of coordination or without coordination.

Ataxia can refer to a sign or symptom of incoordination that is associated with injuries, infections, other diseases or degenerative changes in your central nervous system. Ataxia also refers to a group of specific degenerative diseases of your nervous system. These are called sporadic and hereditary ataxias.

The reason ataxia causes problems with your coordination is because if affects the parts of your nervous system that controls balance and movement. Ataxia can affect your hands, fingers, arms, body, legs, eye and speech movements.

When nerve cells in your cerebellum degenerate, are damaged or lost, you lose coordination or have less muscle control. Infection, injuries, diseases and degenerative changes in your central nervous system can cause this to happen, which results in some type of ataxia. Some of the things that can result in ataxia are:

  • Chickenpox
  • Paraneoplastic syndromes
  • Toxic reactions
  • Trauma to your head
  • Cerebral palsy (link to page, “Cerebral Palsy and Disability”)
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) (link to page, “Multiple Sclerosis and Disability”)
  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
  • Tumor
  • Stroke
  • Heredity or genetics.

The signs and symptoms that you experience will depend on the type of ataxia that you have and whether it is a form of the disease or a sign or symptom of an underlying condition. Poor coordination and balance are usually the first indications of ataxia. Other signs and symptoms that you may experience, depending on the type and reason for your ataxia are:

  • A tendency to stumble and an unsteady walk
  • Change or slurring of your speech
  • Problems with fine-motor skills like writing, buttoning a shirt or eating
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Slow eye movements
  • Loss of balance
  • Loss of muscle coordination in your leg, arm or hand
  • Walking with your feet further apart to compensate for problems with balance.

Onset of these signs and symptoms will vary due to the type of ataxia that you have. Often, they begin in childhood, but indications can begin in adulthood in your 20s or 30s. They can even begin in your 60s.

You or a loved one may some form of ataxia. This may be why you are disabled and unable to work.

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by ataxia and/or complications resulting from or other conditions causing ataxia? Were you or your loved one denied?

If you or your loved one appeals the denial by the Social Security Administration, consider this. People who are represented by a disability attorney like the one you will find here are approved more often than people who do not have a lawyer.

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Cushing’s Syndrome and Receiving Social Security Disability

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Endocrine system: 1. Pineal gland, 2. Pituitar...
Image via Wikipedia

Cushing’s syndrome is an endocrine disorder. Cushing’s syndrome is a condition that occurs when your body is exposed to high levels of the hormone cortisol for a prolonged period of time.

It is a disease that happens when your body produces too much of the hormone cortisol. This happens when your adrenal glands, located above your kidneys, make too much cortisol. It may also occur if you take too much cortisol or other steroid hormones.

Cushing’s syndrome is a relatively rare disorder. It usually happens to adults between the ages of 20 and 50. An estimated 10 to 15 out of every million people in the United States are affected by it each year.

Cushing’s syndrome gets its name from American doctor Harvey Cushing who described and reported the disorder in 1932. It is also known as hypercortisolism.

The effects caused by Cushing’s syndrome are varied. Usually, however, you may have an increased amount of fat around your neck, upper body obesity, thinning arms and legs, and a rounded face.

There are other signs and symptoms that show up in your skin. Your skin heals poorly and bruises easily. It becomes thin and fragile. You may see purplish pink stretch marks appear on your thighs, buttocks, abdomen, breasts and arms.

Your bones get weaker. Normal, routine activities like rising or lifting from a chair or bending can result in rib and spinal column fractures and backaches.

Other effects that you may experience are:

  • Weak muscles
  • High blood pressure
  • Severe fatigue
  • High blood sugar
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Irritability
  • Women may have menstrual periods stop or become irregular
  • Women may also experience excessive hair growth on their thighs, abdomen, chest, neck and face.
  • Men may experience decreased fertility and an absent or diminished desire for sex.

The effects of Cushing’s syndrome and/or conditions resulting from or in connection with it can become incapacitating. It may be the cause of you or a loved one’s disability.

Do you or your loved one need help because of your disability? Do you need financial help?

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by Cushing’s syndrome and/or conditions resulting from or along with it? Were you or your loved one denied?

You or your loved one may be thinking about appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you do, remember this.

You or your loved one may need a  disability lawyer like the one you will find at here to counsel you in what can be a long and trying process. The reason for this being true is because people who are aided and represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

Ludwig’s Angina and Receiving Social Security Disability

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Ludwig’s angina is a serious, potentially life-threatening infection of the tissues of the floor of your mouth. It usually occurs in adults with adjacent dental infections.

Ludwig’s angina is also known as angina ludovici. This infection is named after the German physician, Wilhelm Frederick von Ludwig who first described this condition in 1836.

Ludwig’s angina should not be confused with angina pectoris that is commonly referred to as “angina”. “Angina” is a word that comes from the Greek word ankhon, meaning, “strangling”.

Ludwig’s angina refers to the feeling of strangling, not the feeling of chest pain. However, it is possible for chest pain to occur in Ludwig’s angina if the infection spreads into your retrosternal space.

Ludwig’s angina is usually caused by a bacterial infection, like streptococci or staphylococci. There are also other bacteria that can cause this infection.

Ludwig’s angina seems to occur more frequently in people with a condition of lowered immunity, but it can take place in healthy individuals also. With the coming of antibiotics, Ludwig’s angina has become a rare disease.

There are several ways that you may be affected by Ludwig’s angina. Some of these are:

  • Pain, swelling and raising of your tongue
  • Swelling of the tissues of your submandibular and sublingual spaces
  • Swelling of your neck
  • Malaise (general feeling of sickness or weakness)
  • Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
  • Fever
  • In severe cases, difficulty in breathing.

Important effects to look for with Ludwig’s angina include when you are not being able to swallow your own saliva and the presence of audible difficulty in breathing.

Ludwig’s angina is not normally a condition that will disable you and cause you to be unable to work. However, if you have other conditions along with Ludwig’s angina or you have complications that have resulted from it; you may be disabled.

If this is the case for you or a loved one, you may need help. You may need financial help.

Who will be able to give you the financial assistance that you or your loved one needs? Where will that help come from?

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by complications along with or resulting from Ludwig’s angina? Were you or your loved one denied?

You or your loved one may be thinking about appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you do, here is something to remember. People who are represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than those people without a lawyer.

This is something that could affect you or your loved one for the rest of your life. Do not delay. Contact us today so we can help you find a disability lawyer near you.

Hemochromatosis and Receiving Social Security Disability

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Hemochromatosis, also called iron overload disease, is an inherited condition in which too much iron builds up in your body. It is one of the most common genetic diseases in the United States.

Iron is a mineral found in many foods. Your body normally absorbs about 10 percent of the iron in the food you eat. You absorb more iron than you need with hemochromatosis. Your body has no natural way to get rid of the extra iron. It is stored in your body tissues. This is especially true with your heart, pancreas and liver. This extra iron can cause damage to your organs. Hemochromatosis can cause your organs to fail if you do not get treatment.

There are different forms of hemochromatosis. Primary hemochromatosis, also called hereditary hemochromatosis, is an inherited disease. Secondary hemochromatosis is a result of an underlying condition.

Juvenile hemochromatosis and neonatal hemochromatosis are two additional forms of the disease. Juvenile hemochromatosis leads to severe iron overload and heart and liver disease in adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 30. The neonatal form causes rapid iron buildup in a baby’s liver that can lead to death.

Some people with hereditary (primary) hemochromatosis never have any signs or symptoms. Other people have a wide range of problems. These may be different for women and men and can vary considerably from person to person.

The early effects of hemochromatosis are like those of other common conditions. Some of these are:

  • Impotence or loss of libido (sex drive)
  • High blood sugar levels
  • Abnormal liver function tests, even though no signs are present
  • Arthritis, especially in your hands
  • Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function)
  • Abdominal pain
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Amenorrhea (lack of normal menstruation).
  • Stiff joints

Later stages of this disease may lead to serious conditions. Some of these are:

  • Diabetes
  • Cardiac Arrhythmia
  • Cirrhosis which is irreversible scarring of your liver
  • Liver cancer
  • Liver failure
  • Discolored skin that is gray or bronze in appearance
  • Congestive heart failure.

Hemochromatosis and/or complications resulting from it may be the cause of your disability. If this is so, do you need financial help?

Have you applied for financial assistance from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by hemochromatosis? Were you denied?

You may plan on appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you do, consider this.

You may need a disability lawyer like the one at socialsecurityhome.com to guide and advise you in what can be a long and arduous procedure. The reason for this being true is because people who are represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

Do not wait. This is something that could affect you for the rest of your life. Contact us today to get a free review of your disability appeal.

Glomerulonephritis and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Your kidneys are complex organs whose principle job is to remove wastes, unneeded electrolytes and excess fluid from your body. Any condition that interferes with your kidney function can lead to a potentially dangerous buildup of waste products in your bloodstream.

Glomerulonephritis is a type of kidney disease that hinders the function of your kidney to remove waste and excess fluids. Glomerulonephritis can be a part of a systemic disease like diabetes or lupus, or it can be a disease by itself. It is then referred to as primary glomerulonephritis.

Glomerulonephritis can be acute. This refers to a sudden attack of inflammation.

It can also be chronic. It comes on gradually when it is chronic.

Glomerulonephritis is also known by other names. It is also called glomerular disease and glomerular nephritis (GN).

The effects caused by glomerulonephritis may depend on whether you have the acute or chronic form of the disease. They can also depend on the cause of your glomerulonephritis.

Your first indication may come from the results of a routine urinalysis. Your effects may include:

  • Foam in your toilet water due to protein in your urine (proteinuria)
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Decrease in frequency of urination
  • Weakness and fatigue from kidney failure or anemia
  • Diluted iced-tea-colored urine resulting from hematuria (red blood cells in your urine)
  • Edema (fluid retention) along with swelling in your feet, abdomen, hands and face

If you have the chronic form of glomerulonephritis you may gradually begin to experience some of these signs and symptoms:

  • Vomiting and nausea
  • Malaise (general sick feeling)
  • Headache
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Frequent hiccups
  • Generalized itching
  • Muscle cramps  and muscle twitching
  • Headache and seizures
  • Decrease in alertness
  • Bleeding or bruising easily.

You or a loved one may have glomerulonephritis. This disease and/or conditions resulting from or in conjunction with this disorder may be the reason you or your loved one is disabled and unable to work.

If this is the case, you or your loved one may need assistance. You may need financial aid.

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by glomerulonephritis and/or related conditions? Were you or your loved one denied?

You or your loved one may decide to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you do this, there is something that you need to think about.

You or your loved one may need an disability lawyer like the one you will find at Social Security Home to counsel you in what can be a long and trying process. The reason why this is true is because people who have a disability attorney on their side are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Receiving Social Security Disability

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS). In fact, there has been much difficulty in settling on one name for this disorder because there is no consensus within the medical, research and patient communities about the defining features of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFIDS) is also known by some other names. Some of the other names for this disorder are myalgic encephalomyeletis (ME), post-viral fatigue syndrome and low natural killer cell disease, to name a few.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating and complex chronic illness that affects your brain and different body systems. It involves chronic physical and mental exhaustion.

Incapacitating fatigue that causes you to feel totally exhausted, with extremely poor stamina is the primary effect of chronic fatigue syndrome. However, there are many other signs and symptoms that you may experience with this disorder. Some of these include:

  • Sore throat and headache
  • Unrefreshing sleep
  • Tender lymph nodes
  • Flu-like symptoms, such as pain in your muscles and joints
  • Post-exertional malaise (generalized feeling of sickness or weakness).

There are many other signs and symptoms reported by people with chronic fatigue syndrome. These signs and symptoms fluctuate and vary in intensity and severity.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFIDS) was once stereotyped in the 1980’s as “Yuppie flu” because the ones wanting help were primarily well-educated, well-off women in there 30’s and 40’s. Since that time, however, doctors have seen people from all races, ages and social and economic classes from several countries around the world with this problem.

You or a loved one may have chronic fatigue syndrome. This condition may be the cause of you or your loved one’s disability.

If this is the case, you or your loved one may need help? You may need financial help?

Where will that financial assistance come from? Who will provide the help that you or your loved one needs?

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by chronic fatigue syndrome? Were you or your loved one denied by the Social Security Administration?

You or your loved one may be thinking about appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If this is what you decide to do, here is something that you need to think about.

You or your loved one may need a disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com to represent and counsel you in what can be a long and trying process. The reason why this is true is because people who have a disability attorney on their side are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

Do not put this off. This is something that may affect you for the rest of your life. Contact us today.

Dementia and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Dementia is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to disease or damage in the brain that is greater than what might be expected from normal aging. Cognitive function refers to how a person comes to know and interpret things.

Dementia can occur at any stage of adulthood. However, it is much more common in people over age 65.

With dementia, the cognitive or knowing areas that can be affected include attention, language, memory and problem solving. Most frequently in the later stages of dementia people can be disoriented in time (not knowing what day of the week, month or year it is).  They may also become disoriented in place and person (not knowing where they are or who they are).

The effects caused by dementia can be widely different depending on the person and the underlying cause of the condition. These signs and symptoms can be obvious or subtle, and go unrecognized for a long time. The first effect of dementia is usually short-term memory loss. Other indications of early dementia are:

  • Forgetting names and appointments
  • Losing things
  • Difficulty doing familiar tasks
  • Word-finding difficulty
  • Uncharacteristic behavior
  • Confusion, disorientation in unfamiliar surroundings
  • Poor judgment
  • Mood swings
  • Personality changes.

Intermediate dementia has some signs and symptoms. Some of these are:

  • Worsening of the signs and symptoms in early dementia
  • Hallucinations
  • Abnormal moods
  • Disrupted sleep
  • Poor concentration, inattention
  • Inability to learn new information
  • Greater risk of falls and accidents because of poor judgment and confusion.

There are also effects that are caused by severe dementia. These include:

  • Complete dependence on others for daily living activities
  • Inability to move or walk from place to place unassisted
  • Worsening of the signs and symptoms seen in early and intermediate dementia
  • Complete loss of both short-term and long-term memory
  • Complications like dehydration, aspiration, seizures and malnutrition.

If this describes a parent or loved one, you may have applied for financial help on their behalf from the Social Security Administration for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by dementia. Was your parent or loved one denied?

If so, you may be trying to figure out what to do next? What options do you have?

One thing that you can do is to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration. If this is what you decide to do on behalf of your parent or loved one, think about this.

Your parent or loved one may need the advice and representation of a disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com in this process. The reason for this is because people who are represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than those people who are without a lawyer.

Arthropathy and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

The term, “arthropathy,” comes from two Greek words that mean “joint” and “disease or feeling”. Arthropathy is a blanket term that is used to refer to joint diseases.

There are several different forms of arthropathy. Some of the more common forms are Charcot, facet, crystal, diabetic, reactive, enteropathic and neurogenic arthropathy. These are due to a variety of causes, and they have to have different approaches to treat them.

The incidence and prevalence of the various forms of arthropathy are not known. This is because arthropathy is usually secondary to an underlying disease.

Women are more likely to have arthropathy than men. It is far more common in people over the age of 40 than in children or young adults.

As mentioned earlier, there are a variety of causes for arthropathy depending on what form of the disorder that you have. Heredity, injury, fractures or overuse are possible causes for various forms of arthropathy.

There are some risk factors that may increase your likelihood of getting some form of arthropathy. These include:

  • Obesity or being overweight
  • Having a metabolic disorder
  • Being injured
  • Participation in a competitive contact sport.

The signs and symptoms that you may experience with arthropathy will be different according to the root cause of your disorder and what type of arthropathy that you have.

With some forms of arthropathy you will feel stiffness and pain around the affected joints. However, with other forms of this disorder you may have a loss of feeling or sensation around the affected joints because of nerve damage. Other signs and symptoms, depending on the type of arthropathy that you have, are joint deformity, instability, swelling and dislocation.

Your doctor will probably do a complete physical exam and want to know about your signs and symptoms in order to diagnose your arthropathy. He or she will likely check for underlying conditions and want to rule out other possible causes of your signs and symptoms. There are diagnostic tests that will help to do this. These include:

  • Blood tests
  • X-rays
  • MRI scan
  • CT scan
  • Bone scan.

You or your loved one may have been diagnosed with arthropathy. This disorder and/or complications arising from or in conjunction with it may be why you are disabled and not able to work.

Your may need help if this is your situation. You may need financial assistance.

Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by arthropathy and/or complications resulting from or in conjunction with it? Were you or your loved one denied?

If you decide to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, think about this. People who are represented by a disability attorney like the one you will find here are approved more often than people without a lawyer.