Beating Health Problems: 3 Key Factors You Can Control

When we’re well, we’re in control, but when we’re sick, we think about the best ways for beating the hardships caused by our health problems.

Today we’re looking at the economic pressures of illness, the physical limitations imposed and finding the answers that we need, no matter if your health problems are caused by Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or something else. If this sounds like something you’re worried about and you want to know more, let’s take a couple minutes to look at the parts of your life that are affected and see what’s available to help you.

• Economic: This can be a big area. Depending on your economic and job status when you get sick and who is still around to help you live through this challenge…
  
  
  

  (Audio podcast- 14 min 10 seconds. Listen here or download.)
  
  The results can vary. There are issues to think about like applying for disability, keeping your health insurance and trying to trim your monthly budget, so that if you can’t work because of your health status, you and your family won’t go down financially just trying to stay afloat.

  To keep you financially solvent,

  • a) trim all of your unnecessary monthly bills to their lowest rate.
  • b) Curb extra spending.
  • c) Consider moving in with a relative short term until your health problems resolve.
  • d) File for disability benefits through your employer or if you have a private disability policy. (Just don’t stop paying the premiums or the benefits will cease– unless you have an addendum on your policy called Waiver of Premium.)
  • e) Ask for family medical leave, if you have those benefits. (A block of time away from your job may help your health to improve.)
  • f) If a doctor suggests that you may be ill for a year or longer, get his or her help if possible to file for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income Disability benefits with the Social Security Administration. Don’t wait. Your physician won’t fill out all the forms for you, but their responses to certain ones play a significant role in the approval process. The whole thing, from application to approval, can be very lengthy, effectively 2 years or longer before receiving benefits. And that’s if you jump through every hoop in a timely fashion (e.g. initial application, reconsideration and hearing), stay on top of every correspondence and request and meet their stringent qualification for disability. See the following: source 1 and source 2 for more specific information.) If you do get approved, you will automatically qualify for Medicare benefits.

• Physical location: This can be important if you need to get easy access to a job you can still work part-time, get to doctor’s appointments and/or if you’re in a walker or wheelchair, to simply get around your home in a safe manner. If you can’t physically get to an employer, you can’t work for him. If a doctor isn’t close enough, you may not be able to make your appointments there either. If you can’t maneuver safely, your health is at more risk.

• Finding health answers that make sense:
  (1) The first place you probably turn to for answers about a nagging symptom or a full-blown illness is an allopathic doctor. You depend on him or her to help you get well and you depend on insurance to foot the majority of the bill, that is… if you have insurance. With unemployment at such a high rate and insurance running at such exorbitant costs, you may not have health insurance to fall back on.
  (2) The second place most people seek out is people in the alternative or complementary health field who know about herbs, homeopathics and other types of medical regimens. Some of these helpful information sources and services are not covered by health insurance policies. However, the costs are often more reasonable because the work doesn’t involve lots of costly exams, endless prescripion medications, shots or high-priced surgeries.

As you look around for different alternatives to help you get well, begin by asking yourself these questions:

Before you click off a snappy comeback, check out the page at Get Well Health website marked, “Learn How to Heal: Membership Levels.” Yes, you need good answers about what is wrong with you, but don’t be misled in thinking that you don’t play a crucial role in your illness and your wellness, whether we’re talking about Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or most any type of health problem.

You may not clearly see the part you’re playing, but know that what is inside of you (mind, body and spirit) are the determining factors of whether you’re well or sick for the long term. Your most urgent job is to uncover the information that will enable you to fix the problems with your health.

Okay, let’s wrap up this subject today. Be sure that you have the economic factors of your illness covered, if possible. Get yourself in a “physical” position where you can get to your appointments and see the people you need to see who can help you get well. But, whatever you do, do not discount the fact that God endowed your body with the capacity to heal itself. Your body was born with that ability. Your job is to find out what happened to short circuit your ability to heal and fix it now, sooner rather than later!

Put this one goal at the top of your list. If you discover how to heal, the other problem areas in your life (caused by the illness) will take care of themselves and you will get your life back. I can make that statement because that’s what happened in my life.

I wish you a great and healthy day,
Cinda Crawford, your host of the Health Matters Show

Tagged as: chronic illness, disability, healing, health problems, illness, insurance, Learn How to Heal, social security