California Fibromyalgia Sufferer Moves Forward With Life

Obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be a time-consuming and stressful experience. Two out of every three applicants initially are denied. While training for a marathon, Kristen Johnson discovered she had fibromyalgia and found herself in the race of her life. As her health deteriorated, so did her ability to keep up with work. Applying for SSDI disability benefits seemed to be the answer for her growing financial burdens and inability to continue working. Read how Allsup came to the rescue of this work at home mom and her family.

 

 

 

Fullerton, California—They say to never judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.

 

To turn a phrase, never judge a woman until you’ve run a marathon in hers. At 37, Kristen Johnson has triumphed in the face of adversity, having run her own personal race, both literally and figuratively.

 

The family-oriented Californian enjoyed her work as a controller for a compounding pharmacy, where she handled all financial aspects of the pharmacy. For seven years, Mrs. Johnson worked from home, providing the pharmacy her knowledge and experience to help ensure the financial matters were running smoothly.

 

“If you needed a medication, but were allergic to certain ingredients, the pharmacy would custom-make it for you,” Mrs. Johnson explained. The pharmacy also provided various anti-aging and wellness therapies. More important was the extra time the job allowed her to spend with her children.

 

“My job afforded me the opportunity to attend my kids’ class parties, be room mother and that kind of thing,” Mrs. Johnson recalled. She also did volunteer work for local churches, and eventually decided to train for a fundraising marathon race for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

 

During the course of her training, she began to experience severe fatigue and pain throughout her body. “I didn’t realize the strain the training was placing on my body, and, after the marathon, I became very, very sick.”

 

A visit to her doctor resulted in a grim diagnosis: fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic muscle pain and fatigue. Before long, it seized control of every aspect of her life.

 

Making matters worse, complications from her prescription medication resulted in liver damage. “I was experiencing a toxic reaction to my medication,” Mrs. Johnson recalled. “I wasn’t initially aware of the damage it was causing, but the effects just kept getting worse over time.”

 

Mrs. Johnson insisted that if she hadn’t been able to work from home, she would have been without a job. “There was no way I could have gone into an office,” she said.

 

For some time, she was able to take advantage of the flexibility that working from home provided. “If I was awake at 3 a.m. I’d just work then,” she recalled. “It was very convenient. If I needed to rest in the afternoons, I could. There’s no doubt that I wouldn’t have been able to handle even a part-time office job with my condition.

 

“I was in such bad shape that I couldn’t even eat properly. Sometimes I’d have one meal in three days. I couldn’t concentrate or focus, which was a real problem because I was in charge of handling other people’s money. It was just terrible.”

 

Adding to the mounting frustration was the fact that fibromyalgia is largely misunderstood.

 

“It was frustrating trying to get doctors to understand what was wrong with me, and it was difficult trying to make sure I got the proper treatment,” Mrs. Johnson explained. “In some ways, it’s almost easier if you know you have cancer. Then, at least doctors know what’s wrong with you and how to go about treating it.”

 

She also faced the burden of defending herself against the judgment of others. “It became frustrating trying to make other people understand,” she elaborated. “I kept trying to tell people, ‘I’m not lazy.’ ”

 

As her health deteriorated, so did her ability to keep up with work. During the last few weeks on the job, she found herself working from her bed before she realized her situation was no longer manageable.

 

In June 2007, she was laid off from her job and financial entanglements quickly followed. Disability benefits from the state helped for a while, but they were only temporary. “Once that check stopped, I was literally living off credit cards,” Mrs. Johnson said.

 

“We were on the verge of losing our home,” she continued. “We were faced with the possibility of having to move out of the neighborhood where our kids went to school. We thought we might lose everything or have to file for bankruptcy.”

 

As her health spiraled downward, Mrs. Johnson was bedridden nearly 24 hours a day.

 

“Life was passing me by,” she remembered. “It doesn’t stop just because you’re sick. The kids still were having parties. Christmas still happens. I couldn’t be involved with those things anymore. Friendships suffer. I haven’t eaten Christmas dinner with my family for two years.”

 

Clearly, things were going to have to change, so Mrs. Johnson decided to file for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. When her claim was denied, she turned to the Internet for assistance. While researching the National Fibromyalgia Association website, she discovered a link to Allsup.

 

Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicare Secondary Payer compliance services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers.

 

Founded in 1984, Allsup employs nearly 700 professionals who deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. The company is based in Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis.

 

She called Allsup in June 2008. Allsup was upfront with her, preparing her for the often lengthy process. They also prepared her for the likelihood of denial because the SSA denies two out of three initial applications.

 

Because she already had been denied, Allsup helped Mrs. Johnson appeal the decision, which was denied again. Her case then progressed to the next level, where it was set to appear before an administrative law judge. That’s when Allsup representative Rick Gruchala stepped in.

 

“Rick was great,” Mrs. Johnson said. “He took me very seriously when I told him how we were on the verge of losing everything. He sent a letter to the judge on my behalf, requesting my case to be expedited. Luckily, the judge complied.

 

“Whatever Rick put in that letter literally made the difference of us being able to keep our home and stay in the same neighborhood where the kids went to school. Otherwise, we would’ve lost everything. I know for a fact I couldn’t have done that on my own.”

 

Hoping to spare Mrs. Johnson the ordeal of appearing at a stressful in-person hearing, Mr. Gruchala presented her medical records to the administrative law judge and asked for an on-the-record decision.

 

In February 2009, Mrs. Johnson received a letter that her case had been favorably decided.

 

“I felt total relief,” she recalled. “I was kind of shocked, but totally relieved. Not a lot of people get disability benefits for fibromyalgia, so I really appreciated Rick’s help. He really gave me the ins and outs of the process.”

 

Things are looking up for the Johnsons these days. No longer living off credit cards, Mrs. Johnson finds daily life much more bearable. She is still cautious, however, and is careful not to overexert herself.

 

She advises others seeking disability assistance, “Do your part of the work. Even if it doesn’t work out, at least you can walk away knowing that you did all you could.”

 

She also recommends others to Allsup. “You need someone who knows the law and who are experts like Allsup. There are so many people out there who don’t even know that companies like this are out there to help them.”