Speech problem now a work problem

[jellis86]

Nighthawk...I agree with you. My wife and I were paying close attention while he did both feet and my toes curled down and my foot bent inwards towards itself slightly. No big toe stretching back and no other toes spreading apart. However, maybe we missed something that they saw?

He noted that, "His reflexes are moderately brisk throughout". Maybe that criteria is enough to show UMN damage.

 

[Nighthawk]

Nighthawk...I agree with you. My wife and I were paying close attention while he did both feet and my toes curled down and my foot bent inwards towards itself slightly. No big toe stretching back and no other toes spreading apart. However, maybe we missed something that they saw?

He noted that, "His reflexes are moderately brisk throughout". Maybe that criteria is enough to show UMN damage.

You might be right.
Usually, "brisk reflexes" point to something wrong going on with your UMN (Upper Motor Neurons).

That doesn't happen when the damage is exclusively to the LMN (Lower Motor Neurons) because in that case you'd likely have decreased reflexes.

Also, it doesn't happen (brisk reflexes) with diseases that mimic ALS such as CIDP, MMN or even IBM .

So, even without Babinski, they still MIGHT be right on their diagnosis.


Note: I capitalized the verb MIGHT at the end because, you never know what your actual diagnosis could turn out to be after several months.

 

[jellis86]

I'm on leave w/o pay pending disability retirement

An update since I haven't been on here in a while.

I am no longer working. The stress of trying to perform the communication parts of my job was just too much. There is too much ambient noise at work that I was always having to repeat myself. Add that to my broken ankle, (slipped on the ice last moth and broke my right fibula...not ALS related, I'm just that lucky...LOL) and I was unable to perform about 80% of the job.
So we decided that disability retirement was the way to go. Federal disability can take up to a year.

I have applied and been approved for VA compensation. I've also applied for SSDI but it's still being reviewed.

I enjoyed my job but I am so much more relaxed now that I don't have to try and do stuff that was becoming more difficult with each passing day.

 

[vickim]

I am sorry you had to retire but now you can go and enjoy family, friends and life at a slower more peaceful pace. Do something for yourself that you enjoy, you've earned. Hugs.

 

[Nighthawk]

I also enjoyed my Chemist job with a passion but, well...when this disease interferes with your ability to perform your duties is either quit and enjoy more time with your family and loved ones or stay and get more stressed out by not being able to perform in the same way you did before, when you were still healthy and that stress can even speed up your progression.

I would choose to stay with my lovely family instead.

With an ALS diagnosis I got approved full Social Security benefits and Medicare which started in just 5 months after applying.
Furthermore, I notified my 401K benefits Administrator and the process of getting those moneys didn't take too long for me.


NH

 

[jellis86]

Thanks Vicki, That's how I look at this too. Spend time with my wife and family instead of keeping such a fast paced existence at work. I am a lot less tired too...which I need right now because my wife slipped on the ice 3 days ago and fractured a vertebrae. So I get to tend to her until she's better and then one day soon she'll be taking care of me.

Nighthawk, Glad you ere approved so quickly for SSDI and Medicare. My SSDI has been in for close to 3 weeks without a decision made yet.
Can I aks, did you get a tax deferment when you withdrew your 401K. I took a chunk out of mine and expect to be hit at the end of the year with taxes and penalties. If there's a way out of that it'd be nice!

Thanks guys!

 

[Nighthawk]

jellis86,

Nope, unfortunately there no way out avoiding being bitten by Uncle Sam once you get your 401K savings.
They withheld taxes when I got mine but, I will fill out my tax form to get some of that money back.
I had to take it because of this disease, that's my justification.

NH

 

[Susan10]

Nighthawk I hope you didn't take a direct distribution of your 401(k) money. Doing that automatically triggers a 20% tax withholding by the Fed's. For every one in our case or anyone who is retiring, the 401(k) money should be directly rolled over into an annuity or some similar account that your tax advisor can recommend for you.I paid no taxes on my direct rollover.

 

[Nighthawk]

Susan,

I guess that's what I did and thus, I got hit hard by those people.
But, I think I can claim part of that money next year when I fill my tax forms.

 

[akhopkins]

Hello to all, my husband was diagnosed in Dec. 2012 with ALS. He has been retired for several years, can we still apply for social security disability even though he is on medicare and social security. If anyone has the answer to this I would be grateful.

 

[Nighthawk]

Hello to all, my husband was diagnosed in Dec. 2012 with ALS. He has been retired for several years, can we still apply for social security disability even though he is on medicare and social security. If anyone has the answer to this I would be grateful.

Well,

You can try. Although, I don't know with a 100% of confidence if you would succeed.
I say that because if his SS income already exceeds for much what he would get from SSDI, I don't know if they would grant it to him but, it wouldn't hurt to try it.

Hope this helps,

NH

 

[Nikki J]

I do not think you will be able to. The only time you can switch from ss to ssdi is if you 1 took early ss and 2 were disabled before you took ss. Even is you are not of full ss age say you started ss at 62 and got ALS at 63 you could not convert. Sorry

 

[fivestaralarm]

Thanks for sharing it. Very helpful for me.

 

[jpsteeler99]

ALS gets automatic approval for SSDI and you are eligible for Medicare in 5 months and disabalty pay in 6 months. I just went through it in January of this year. I believe you can continue to work during the 6 months you are waiting for it to kick in. That was where I messed up. I waited to apply after I stopped working. Should have applied before I stopped working.