The main objective to qualifying for disability is that you have to work 5 years straight out of the last 10. If you have not, your chances are slim to none. An MD also has to confirm that you were disabled from the very first day you stopped working, and it certainly helps if you have more than just one.
Being rear ended in a car accident kicked all of this into high gear for me, it was something that I could just never get over. I worked so hard, was so completely dedicated to getting over this, but just crashed over and over and over again.
My General Practitioner MD was the only one who could look past the accident, though it took a very long time, he sent me to the best teaching hospitals to see the Asst Professor/Surgeons, but there was not enough on the x-rays to warrant surgery, and I was told repeatedly that it would only make me worse. However the Pain Management Drs were the next step and they thought there was enough on the x-rays that their injections would help me, though no diagnosis was put forth.
After having all of the available injections with 5 different pain management Doctors, acupuncture, chiropractics, I got so hypersensitive that I could not stand to be touched.
Two neurologists, no diagnosis, first Rheumatoligist, no diagnosis, she even disagreed there was Fibromyalgia, and argued with the test results for Sjogren's even though the tests twice confirmed it was off the charts high, said there was no sign of arthritis or any other autoimmune disease. Even the Chiropractor did not like the Fibro diagnosis, he prefered Myofacial Pain Syndrome, said it was more precise.
So what all of this means is that because I only have one MD who considered me disabled from the start, and all of these other ones who see nothing wrong with me! The time is up, it's been up.
Took me 7 years to get a diagnosis confirmation from my current Rheumatoloigst, so I'm out of luck on any income compensation.
Be aware that ONLY someone who has completed medical school is considered qualified to diagnose you as disabled, no one else. NOT Chiropractors, PTs, acupuncturists, PhD Psychologists... So keep this in mind. I know that no one ever wants to even entertain the thought that they could be disabled, but many times the fibromyalgia diagnosis is just the beginning of the diagnosis.
Even if you cannot tolerate traditional meds or treatments, to qualify you need to have documentation and confirmation from a licensed Medical Doctor, and be seen on a regular basis.
I hope that sharing this is of help to someone. Don't give up, always keep trying to be completely diagnosed and helped, and realize that time is ticking as you continuously wait 6 months to see specialist after specialist, years are passing.
By the way, my complete diagnosis today is
Psoriatic Arthritis, the spondylitis type as my Primary autoimmune disease
Sjogren's Syndrome, Secondary
Raynaud's Phenonenon, Secondary
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Facet Disease
Costochondritis
Tendonitis,
Fibromyalgia,
Osteopenia
Spinal Stenosis
Scoliosis
And surely I have forgotten something!