I am currently employed by a very large international telecommunications conglomerate. I was decompressed 12/11/12, but was pulled out of work by my surgeon at the end of September because my symptoms were interfering with my life and ability to do my job. My company uses a third party insurance company to handle disability claims, and that company has denied my claim twice because their medical team has concluded my symptoms weren't severe enough to stop work prior to surgery. I'm in the process of appealing the second denial now but I won't have answers for another couple weeks at least.
I'm scheduled to go back to work April 1, but I don't think I'm actually ready for that. My recovery has been slow and difficult, and my surgeon has told me that if I feel like I need extra time I should take it. My problem is that my company's short-term disability ends after 6 months, and because the insurance company has denied it, I'm not eligible for long-term disability, and by not returning to work I run the risk of losing my job. I know if I go back it won't be good for anyone involved. I work third-tier tech support in an in-bound call center, so my job isn't terribly physically demanding but can be extremely stressful. I'm expected to sit at a desk, stare at a computer and talk on the phone for 8-10 hours a day. As it is now, I have difficulty doing any of those things even in short bursts. I don't know what I can even do about this. It doesn't seem right that I should lose my job just because I got sick and some dude at the insurance company doesn't believe me. I don't think I need SSDI or anything really long term, I just need another couple months.
The disability company gets to say whether or not my company pays me while I'm out and whether I keep my job while I recover. My company has a rather generous disability policy that would entitle me to 100% of my pay while I'm out. The insurance company makes the determination about my claim independently of my company, but acts on its behalf. They are, in effect, ignoring my doctors' determination because their medical team disagrees with the severity of my symptoms prior to surgery.
I just saw my surgeon today, and despite me telling him that I still don't feel right or good and that I'm finding it hard to function as a normal human, his response was that by now I should be fine, and he's inclined to believe that any issues I'm having aren't related to Chiari or the surgery. I find that incredibly hard to swallow, based on what I've heard from other people and the research I've done online.
I'm going back to deal with my PCP next week, but since my NS won't sign anything else to keep my out of work, losing my job (and my medical insurance) are now a certainty. I spoke with an SSDI lawyer, and he wanted to get the ball rolling, but since my surgeon doesn't think there's any reason for me to not work, that might be difficult. Will getting a second opinion complicate matters?
Soreness/stiffness in my neck, shoulders and back is new... it hurts so badly that it's distracting.
Extreme fatigue is new... I can't be out in the world or doing chores for very long before I'm totally exhausted and feel like I need to sleep. For example, Easter involved mostly sitting and eating/talking with my family, and I had to leave early (after about 4 hours) because I was beat, and the next day I was completely useless.
I'm also having blurred vision, problems with my concentration and balance, headaches all the time, and dizziness/vertigo, but I was having these before the surgery. They've gotten markedly better, but they're still present and still impacting my life. The NS ordered another MRI, basically to prove to me that I'm fine.