Macroglobulinemia – Condition and Symptoms
Macroglobulinemia is a blood disorder characterized by overproduction of macroglubins, which are heavy (on a molecular level) masses of simple plasma proteins. Macroglubins are normal in blood, but when too many are present, it causes the viscosity of the blood to be too high (the blood becomes too thick). This produces a number of symptoms, the most noticeable of which are:
- Fatigue
- Bleeding problems
- Disturbance of vision
- Weakness
Several body organs and functions can be adversely affected by Macroglobulinemia. The most common organs affected are the liver, lymph nodes, and spleen, but virtually every body function and organ is affected by blood viscosity on one level or another, so any part of the body can be affected by the condition.
The majority of victims of Macroglobulinemia are in their 60s or 70s, though younger (or older) people can also be affected. At least one type of Macroglobulinemia, Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, is known to be cancerous.
The most common symptom of all types of Macroglobulinemia is anemia. Anemia occurs when the bone marrow is not able to produce enough blood cells, resulting in fatigue, weakness, and a general feeling of malaise. There are several types of treatment for the resulting anemia, ranging from medications to blood transfusions. In some cases, bone marrow or stem cell transplantation may be used to treat chronic anemia.
Filing for Disability with a Macroglubinemia Diagnosis
The specific information regarding what is needed to qualify for Social Security disability benefits with a diagnosis of Macroglubinemia are listed in Section 13.00 of the Blue Book, which deals with malignant neoplastic diseases. Additional criteria used for judging disability claims involving Macroglobulinemia can be found in Section2 7.02, 7.06, and 7.08 which evaluate the various blood disorders which commonly occur in people who suffer from macroglobulinemia.
In many disability cases involving blood disorders, the actual judgments are also made based on the criteria used to evaluate disability for the various body organs and functions which are affected by the disorder. Because of this, it may be necessary to look up the requirements for qualifying for disability based on the parts of your body which are being affected by your macroglobulinemia. In many cased, it is necessary to spell out all disabling conditions on all body parts. This is beneficial to claimants because they will often qualify for disability benefits based on the sum of all their disabilities even if none of their disabling conditions would qualify them for disability benefits in and of itself.
When filing a Social Security disability claim for macroglobulinemia, you must make sure to include the results of all pertinent blood tests which led to your diagnosis. You must especially make sure that the protein electrophoresis and/or immmunoelectrophoresis test results are included, as these deal directly with the macroglubin counts.
Most Macroglubinemia cases which are approved for disability have to do with the resulting anemia. To qualify for benefits because of anemia, you must require blood transfusions at least every two months or you must suffer infections at least three times in the five month period before your benefits are awarded to you.
The more medical documentation you have confirming your condition, the better. It is especially important that your medical documentation describes the symptoms you are experiencing, including their duration and severity. Ideally, these descriptions should be in terms of the kinds of activities your condition hinders you from participating in, as this can build a stronger case for your functional capacity being low enough to qualify for disability benefits.
Your Macroglobulinemia Disability Case
Filing for Social Security disability benefits is never easy. The process takes a minimum of three to six months, assuming that the SSA doesn’t require any additional testing or information. In the end, most claims are denied. Only 30% of claims are accepted on their first time through the SSA system.
When you’re dealing with a medical issue like macroglobulinemia, which can affect multiple body organs and systems, it’s even more difficult to get a claim approved. This is often because no single medical disability equals a Blue Book listing, even though your disabilities together are severe enough to prevent you from engaging in gainful employment.
Your best chances of being approved for Social Security disability benefits are realized when you have a tough Social Security disability attorney who knows how to deal with the red tape in the Social Security Administration’s disability system.
Claims which are represented by disability attorneys have an impressive 90% chance of approval. This takes into account claims which are approved during various stages of the appeals process, which can range from a simple request for a redetermination to a Federal court review.
Regardless of whether you are just beginning to consider filing for disability benefits or are locked in the appeals process, finding the right Social Security disability lawyer and putting him on your claim can help your claim go from a denial to an approval. Best of all, it’s free to have a Social Security disability lawyer evaluate your claim. Simply fill out the request form included on this site.
