Well... things have taken a step backward. Not a BIG step backward, mind you, but a step backward nonetheless.

I just got off the phone with the lawyer. I had to have the appointment done by phone rather than in person, because our car had to be taken to the shop to get worked on last week. I spoke with the lawyer, Jamie, about the different things that are wrong with me, and told her about my past situation with SSI. How I was previously in Michigan and had been on SSI for nearly fifteen years there and never had a review go sour, but that I'm baffled as to how the first review here, I'm being denied my benefits.

we went over my condition, and the different medical issues I have. My hydrocephalus/seizures, migraines/headaches, anxiety/depression/mood issues, my sleep apnea and my back. I mentioned how I didn't understand how I was being told that I was doing better considering I only recently had brain surgery. Here's where things started going a bit downhill. After talking with her about things, her thought was that I was probably being turned down BECAUSE I had the surgery. The fact I've not had a seizure or had too many migraines may be giving them a reason to believe I'm better now. There are SOME records of the other things wrong with me, but she thinks there might not be enough that proves I'm unable to maintain a job, if the seizure issue is taken out of the equation. For example, she suggested I should contact my PCP and get an MRI done of my back, to see what's there and give a current image. She also suggested that I get myself into some mental health counseling, which, in itself, makes me uneasy, because the last time I had a therapist, it ended up having the opposite effect because he didn't treat me well and eventually I lost the therapist anyway because he transferred to a different place and I was never given anyone new, though this was years ago.

It was also suggested that I apply for the Aged, Blind and Disabled program here, so that I can at least get some funds as I wait for the whole SSI thing to play out, which I'm going to likely end up doing, simply because February 1 will be the my last SSI payment, unless the SSI stuff goes in my favor.

The upshot to all of this, sadly, is that, right now, she said she cannot take me as a client right now, because there isn't enough that can be used to help my case right now, BUT she said if I can get things going by getting myself the MRI and getting myself into the Mental Health Counseling, (in other words, following the advice she suggested) I could call her again and she'd be able to help me out.

So, yeah, sadly, as I said, it's a step backward, but I'm not giving up yet. I'm going to talk to my PCP and get an MRI scheduled if I can, and see about getting the Mental Health Counseling. The latter scares me, but, from what I was told, I can arrange my meetings to be done via phone call, rather than in person, similar to what I did with the lawyer here, so I'm going to look into that, and see where I can take things from there. Sometime in the next day or so, I'm also going to look into the ABD program, which, although will only be about half what my SSI is normally, will, at least, be an income while I'm waiting for stuff to happen, and, apparently, it would only need to get paid back if I eventually succeed with my SSI, at which point, it gets taken as a portion of whatever my owed back pay is.

Not exactly happy right now, but I'm gonna just keep moving forward. I won't give up.