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Avatar universal

Does being on interferon count as a disability?

Right now I'm going to school, going to graduate in May. I have 1a and got it in 2004 (I recall the lapse in judgement clearly, and had just tested negative a few months before; a few months after I was +)

I went and saw a respect GE in the area. My ALT/AST have been slightly elevated, less than 1.5X normal at most, sometimes just a few, since then. I I have genotype 1a. I told him I don't want to do SOC available at the time, but would monitor. I check Alt/AST every 6 months and viral load plus a few other things. VL has varied from less than 100,00 to almost a million in these past years. Once a year I do an US. It generally looks fine, liver slightly enlarged. I biopsy ever 5 years, just had one done. Not sure about the details but Ithink stage 0 but with certain abnormal cells evident. I understand the younger (34) and healthier you are, and the least progressed, the better chance of SVR (would use triple now OF COURSE). I have no symptoms I'm aware of and I don't drink. The schooling I'm doing is intense so I've only worked off and on one day a week. My wife is the breadwinner and she doesn't make much, especiallly since my ins premiums (even on an employer group plan with no pre-existing check) are almost $500 a month. I've been taking student loans to  help us survive.

Once I grad though they come due and with this job market i probably won't find work for a while. I'm going into healthcare, so it'd be nice to ideally have the Hep C gone before I start work, plus I don't know if I'll be unable to get insurance; right now at least I'm covered. I think Hep C is protected class under ADA, and due to HIPPA I don't think a future employer would be allowed to run blooadwork on me before hiring (but going into healthcare maybe they can). At minimum if I don't get into a large copmany with group ins I probably won't have insurace (until 2014, when the no-pre-existing clause of the Affordable Care Act kicks in.

I can probably defer the student loans, but from what I hear I probably won't be able to work while doing treatment (even if I found a job). So we're thinking of going ahead and doiing treatment  right after I grad. Get it out of the way and if anyone asks why I wasn't working in that 6mo to 1yr I blame the economy.

Complicating things, my wife is going into early menopause so we're trying to get pregnant now. Since you have to wait a year after interferon to have a child, I don't think we'll have time to wait.
So the plan is I stay home with baby, doing treatment, while she goes back to work. She doesn't make much plus we live in the most expensive state in the naiton. I think her income just falls over the line for food stamps. But if I'm "disabled" we should qualify. Also probably for WIC and TANF (which I know nothing about)
The other optioni is to just put off treatment longer, but it'll probably be harder to take a year off later after I've got a career, we've bought a houseand I can't take a year off work cause I'll lose my insurande etc.

Does anyone know about this? I'm not talking about SSDI or anything, just the state stuff to help with food.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
55 Responses
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707563 tn?1626361905
This thread is closed.  Please do not post to it again.

Thanks,

Emily
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Avatar universal
The original poster's question has already been addressed.  We are now closing this thread.

********NO FURTHER POSTS THIS THREAD IS CLOSED *************
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419309 tn?1326503291
"So the plan is I stay home with baby, doing treatment..."
-------------------
For the welfare of the baby, not a good idea if you think treatment would make you disabled enough not to work.
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163305 tn?1333668571
Will you guys leave this poster alone?
Its understandable that Hector had an off day, and that the poster didn't check into Hector's background.
I don't check people's backgrounds  and I have days when I react emotionally.

We are all human!
Enough said.
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Avatar universal
No need for name calling , have a little respect . if you do not want a answer do not ask the question . HectorSF was only giving his opinion and I would have to say his comments have been helpful to me and many others .
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1669790 tn?1333662595
Agree - have read several of my posts with so many typos and incomplete thought/sentences, wishing there was a way to go back and correct them.  It could be the drewel dripping on the keyboard as I type that makes the keys all sticky.  :-)
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179856 tn?1333547362
Heck I'm at work and didn't even take my Ambien yet and had a typo ;)
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179856 tn?1333547362
TJ Most of us have been there...........and even in worse shape.......we get it dn't be embarrassed ♥
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1394098 tn?1385960134
Sorry I am a little embarrassed by my last post   I was almost sleep writing.  I was in terrible pain though. I'm lucky I did take the whole bottle of sleep meds. Please excuse the crazy rant and weird typos.
Helpful - 0
1394098 tn?1385960134
PS please excuse my numerous typos. I'm typing in  pain on an iPod (my computer crashed tonight) without my glasses after taking two Ambien. Not a good combo.
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1394098 tn?1385960134
PS please excuse my numerous typos. I'm typing in  pain on an iPod (my computer crashed tonight) without my glasses after taking two Ambien. Not a good combo.
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1394098 tn?1385960134
I am one of those rare ppl that had really bad side effects to the meds.  The dr was a little nervous about me being on interferon and RIBA again because of last time. I did work last time but I missed a lot of time because I was  sick some ppl get worse than others. I was one of them. I couldnt stay awake and my body hurt so much I was in tears. That may work out in some work places but not all.  I agree that ghostly just wants to "work the system but that doesn't mean that some of us don't get sick enough that we should be vonnsidered for some assistance. I quit my job this time because I was miserably sick everyday. I plan to call my Dr tomorrow about the pain I'm in even now. I took two ambein because I'm in so much pain right now and just need relief. If you are willing to do that because of pain and you really don't want to wake up, IMHO you should be considered disabled. Howevè, even under those circumstances I am no trying to get any government help.  As I said i hhink this guy may have had fraud in mind but I want ppl to know there ARE some very sick ppl out here.  Fir real.  And you can just dismiss us or make us a part of a problem but it only makes us feel worse because you make us feel we are just whimpy or making stuff up.  Thanks for listening
Helpful - 0
1130586 tn?1316266292
For what it's worth .. I'm Tx with P/R - 54 shots into a total of 60 in my case ..

Still functioning just fine , Sx are mostly low Hgb related , low stamina / motivation .. a headache not so often and then which doesn't last long , in my case.

I still do what I want for the most part , just don't physically push as hard as pre Tx .. two days before my shots I usually feel real good and fingers crossed after EOT .. physically I'll be able to get back to "normal"... whatever that is for a 54 year old, fairly active guy ...

Got to remember , folks who have a hard time & there are enough of them , but they may not be the majority of folks Tx .. visit forums for support ...

A large % of those that feel ok during Tx rarely visit public forum's , if at all and just go about their life in a "normal" fashion , work, family , hobby's ... I have 4 old school friends who went through Tx , never visited a forum and 3 are SVR ... getting on with their life's no problems ... 1 has to re Tx but still not interested in forums ...

Just sharing my experience , Aaron
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1746242 tn?1318209702
Woot! Woot! I have worked for my states medicaid program for 33 yrs So much abuse and with job cuts and early retirements our workload is crazy!
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Avatar universal
"My understanding is that government assistance is based in 'income' and 'need' and 'condition' as opposed to 'medication.' " True, guess I've just read too many horror stories of people being complete disabled by the interferon, which if all true would put one into the 'need' & 'condition' category. Having just graduated from school and being unemployed would put me in the 'income'
But, I appreciate your response, knowing that even those undergoing chemo are expected to "suck it up" and go to work. Of course medicated does not equal disabled.

Believe me, I am among those against big government (except when it benefits me personally har har har), and it would REALLY require swallowing my pride to sign up for food stamps. Though I've got fellow students on Medicaid (our degree program requires us to carry health insurance) I refused to go that route and worked full time the first few years of school so I could have health insurance. I only signed onto my wife's insurance when I could no longer work enough hours to qualify for benefits.

Thank God for my wonderful wife. Without her I wouldn't even be almost done with my degree. This is a 2nd career for me, I went right into IT out of high school and never thought it necessary to get a degree; thought the good times would last forever. Now I need a useful, marketable skill-set and license that I can take anywhere. When the time comes to treat the Hep, I'll be back.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
JbOne,
First, I would like to say that if you ask questions on a forum, you should anticipate that you will receive answers and opinions, some that you like and some that you don't like.  So far as I can see, no one used inappropriate language or name called anyone BEFORE YOU DID.  I think that you, with little liver damage and not currently experiencing side effects from treatment, need to be respectful to those who took the time to read your post and answer your questions based on their own personal experiences, and refrain from inappropriate language or name calling.  If you had taken the time to read the profile of the person you swore at and name called, you would know that this person has advanced cirrhosis, portalhypertension, varices, and liver cancer, all of which are disabling and life threatening conditions, and the combination of which leave limited options.  You are not in that situation (yet), so I think that you need to take a step back.  There are some people on this forum who are very sick, whose lives are at immediate risk, or who have lost someone due to Hep C complications, so be respectful.
Second, in my opinion, your top priority should be taking care of your health for your wife and your future family.  It is not fair for anyone to delay taking care of their health and risk leaving a spouse or a child to care for them or bury them.  Taking care of your health means consulting with your doctor and deciding together what is best for you in your individual situation.
Third, you asked about working while on therapy.  My husband is in his third round of therapy for Hep C since he was diagnosed in 2007.  His liver damage went from F 1-2 to beginning Cirrhosis in 3 years.  There is no way to predict an individual's progress with this disease.  My husband has worked every day (other than 2 days missed for liver biopsies in the past 4 years) while undergoing each of these therapies.  Many people on this forum are working while on therapy.  Each individual responds differently to the medications and the side effects are more severe for some than others.  There is no way to predict how you will respond, but many people are able to work through therapy.
Fourth, you asked about insurance coverage for medications.  In my husband's case, on all three therapies, the only way we knew for sure what his insurance would cover, was when the doctor submitted it to insurance and wrote the letter stating his medical need.  Within 1-2 weeks we were contacted by the insurance company to tell us what would be covered and what our co-pay would be.  I wouldn't recommend making a decision based on talking to a representative on the phone who does not have the specifics regarding your treatment from your doctor.  Our co-pay is currently about $85 per month for Peg, Riba, and Incivek (Telaprevir).  It will increase if/when he needs additional medications such as Procrit or Neupogen as he did with treatment #2.  Again, this has to be prescribed and submitted by your doctor before you will be able to find out the specifics from your insurance company.  Chances are your insurance company will require you to use a specialty pharmacy that they contract with to handle specialized medications.
Good luck on your decision making.
Advocate1955
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Avatar universal
I did get SS Disability during my first tx ( 10 yrs ago) It took 8 or 9 months to get a check from them. Tx is usually over by then with today's triple tx. I still had to go bankrupt a couple years later. I was way less fortunate than you in that I didnt have a site like this to gain info from. My tx was based on fear rather than fact, and it was the worst time of my life by far. You on the other hand are armed with probably as much info as the person treating you, and have time to make a wise decision based on facts. As others have mentioned tx is very challenging and not to be taken lightly. There is also nothing telling you at this point that HCV is a death sentence for you. Everybody's body handles it differently. Be aware that you do have this issue, and protect your liver. But dont let fear be your guide!! Learn all you can and make the best choice for your family, and yourself. Your wife's concern is very understandable, but it sounds a lot like my choice to tx the first time. Good luck to you in all you do!!
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1815939 tn?1377991799
After talking with your doctor, if you decide to wait to treat, please come back to this forum when you do decide to treat. There is help from the med companies to help pay for the drugs. Plus people here have a great deal of knowledge about Hep C and also about the side effects and managing the side effects.

Also, as you found out, half of the staff at the insurance companies don't know what is covered. I had the same problem figuring out what my insurance company would cover. I spoke with at least 6 different people and evey single one of them told me something different. In the end, my insurance does cover all of the medications excpet for a relatively small co-pay (which I think the drug companies may cover but I have not asked them to cover the co-pay).

Best of luck to you in your endeavors.
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419309 tn?1326503291
Is the person getting chemo for hairy cell leukemia or melanoma  and unable to work as a result of toxic drug side effects able to get government assistance? Or is it  just "suck it up and back to work" for them too?
--------------------
Actually, yes it is, suck it up and back to work for them, too. My understanding is that government assistance is based in 'income' and 'need' and 'condition' as opposed to 'medication.'  Simply being prescribed a medication doesn't qualify someone for federal assistance unless one were to actually develop a documentable disability because of it (something like retinopathy for example might do it.) My husband did Interferon for over two years and even though he was unable to work on and off during that time, yes, he had to suck it up.  And the same is true for cancer chemo; he's done liver cancer chemo for two months so far and we continue to have to suck it up; in the government's eyes, it doesn't make him any more eligible for any assistance than when he wasn't treating his illnesses -- he's medicated but not disabled, so no assistance.  Good luck to you and the wife on working on that new baby ;).
~eureka
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1765684 tn?1333819168
WOOOHOOO!  I drink a pot before I leave for work and a large from the drive through on the way home.  People often comment that they can hear me humming at 20 paces.  ;)
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163305 tn?1333668571
You know since you've never done treatment, you might want to look into some of the oral trials. They'd cover all expenses for your medical care.

The other thing I can add, is drink lots of coffee.
There's research showing that drinking 5 cups of more daily can inhibit hep C replication.

Best of luck,
OH
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1765684 tn?1333819168
Your post was clear.  Don't let someone else's bad day become yours.  :D

Best to you and your wife, whatever you decide.

Sue
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Avatar universal
Also, I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure HIPPA prevents future employers from forcing me to disclose my HepC+ statuts.
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Avatar universal
One and one more thing directed to Mr. My-Diability-Is-Bigger than yours, **** off. "As someone who is truly disabled and suffers daily due to life-threatening consequences of this disease I find your attitude repellent....If you need help with buying food then you should try to get assistance with food. "

If you'd bother to read my post, I said exactly that as my last sentence: "Does anyone know about this? I'm not talking about SSDI or anything, just the state stuff to help with food. "

I'm not interested in defrauding the system and claiming disability--my hope is that with 6 months of triple therapy I'll be cured and be perfectly healthy-- there are plenty of people who got that part covered, I'm just asking if being on interferon would be taken into consideration when trying to get food aid like SNAP, WIC, TANF. I thought I was pretty clear in my post, that's why I went into such detail of my situation.

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