Hi & welcome, Daryl!  Recently you wrote in a message to ALL:

DS>  I'd like a bit of feedback here...and hope this is on
DS>  topic.


         Yup.  Any kind of adversity is on topic....  :-)



DS>  I apologize for the length of the message...but here's
DS>  some background on the events that led me to file for
DS>  disability almost 2 years ago now.


         Not a problem.  The background is helpful, and enables the rest of
us to identify which aspects we may have some experience with....  :-)



DS>  It doesn't bother me being disabled, as I'm a realist...
DS>  my body won't let me really work anymore.


         I hear you.  You learn to live with your limitations....  :-)



DS>  I've also had trouble with anesthesia, with plummetting
DS>  blood pressure...even when I sleep. That may be one reason
DS>  I can't get a good nights sleep anymore...the other is
DS>  sleep apnea, which I was recently diagnosed with.


         Ah.  There's an echo called APNEA where the moderator posts some
very good information at regular intervals.  Also, if a CPAP or BiPAP
machine would help in your case I'd heartily recommend getting one as soon
as possible.  The cost may be a problem, in view of your present financial
situation... but when left untreated, sleep apnea often causes strain on
the heart which can lead to further problems.  And it's hard on your wife,
if she is lying awake wondering whether she should poke you in the ribs
when you've stopped breathing.  I know about such things because both my
husband & my daughter have sleep apnea.  :-/



DS>  For many years, you could not take a flash picture of me,
DS>  as I'd have "flashbacks" (no pun intended), and begin
DS>  screaming in terror.


         Understood.  We've had folks in here with PTSD too.



DS>  To make a long story short, as noted at the top of this
DS>  message, the daily headaches, leg cramps, short term memory
DS>  loss, extreme fatigue from pain medicines (causing me to fall
DS>  asleep), and constant bathroom runs (which still continue
DS>  today), led to my resignation of the silkscreen printshop job
DS>  I had held for over 18 years nearly 2 years ago.


         Sounds as though you've had a tough time of it, all right... (sigh).



DS>  When I was denied twice previously, it seemed to take less
DS>  than 2 months...but it has been over 3 months now, and neither
DS>  we nor our attorney have heard anything. The question is "is
DS>  there any way that I can know what way they might be leaning?".
DS>  Finances have become a bit tight, and we need that "favorable
DS>  ruling" to help with the bills that have piled up (medications,
DS>  car expenses, etc.).

DS>  Any feedback would be appreciated.


         Well... in my experience, the wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly. 
The fact that you haven't heard anything negative might be a good sign. 
It's tough when you don't know what's going on & nobody seems willing
or able to tell you. But meanwhile there's probably not much you can do to
speed things along... the six months aren't up yet.  And if the judge takes
a long time to make up his or her mind, I think that may be because s/he is
really trying to be fair....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+