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HAS ANYONE BEEN SO HANDICAPPED BY THE RESULT OF RADIATION SCARRING AND SURGERY,THAT THEIR SPEECH HAS BEEN RENDERED UNINTELLIGIBLE,AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO WORK THEREBY REQUIRING THEM TO SEEK DISABILITY INSURANCE?
I do not see why you could not get disability payments if your loss of speech prevents you from doing your occupation. My suggestion is that if you are having insurance problems, including social security disability problems, that you call a disability attorney. They are well versed in the process and ensuring that your claim is approved.
Yes head and neck cancer does impair your speech badly. I can still talk on the phone and am reasonably intelligible even with minimal tongue mass. I have to give a 20 minute talk to a professional group in November and I will be using a speech synthesis program to speak the presentation. I will answer questions ad lib with my own voice.
THANKS FOR THE REPLY. ALOT OF MY WORK IS TELEPHONE---90 PERCENT. CELL PHONES ARE IMPOSSIBLE AND LOOKING INTO A MOTORCYCLE THROAT MIKE PLUG IN ADAPTER. BUT REGULAR PHONE CALLS, MY WIFE HAS TO TALK. THE HOARSENESS AND LIMITED TONGUE MOVEMENT WHICH IS NOT BEYOND MY TEETH, ALL FROM SCAR TISSUE DUE TO THE RADIATION, MAKES IT TOUGH.I WILL CHECK WITH THE ATTORNEYS AND HOW DO YOU CONVERSE WITH A CELL PHONE? dO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM?
Hello, After I had my surgey and radiation. I got to a point were I could not affectively communicate to my employees, but most of all our guest. I was the technical manager at Chuck E. Cheese. I to give constant direction and interaction with my employees, guest and telephone. The surgery involved nerve damage and radiation damage caused me to have to ask about going on dissability. My company was ask to provide my job duties and my handicap and if there was anyplace they could use me in the company while I recovered. So, it was a big part on my employers half of what they said. They were the reason I was approved immediately. Hope this Helps! Dave Tipton
Thanks for your reply. My big problem is I was self employed for the past 25 years. I recently got in with a major company and worked as an employee for them from 2005 to 2009. They have since gone Chapter 11.They went from 200+ employees to under 20.Probably will wither away since it is the Calif real estate industry.I have had a deteriorating condition for the past 15 years. I had my cancer in 1978.As time goes on with the excessive radiation, the cells and tissue that normally age go faster because of the trauma.I just had a camera run down my throat through the nose and the doctor says no surgery possible to correct.No medication possible, but they will try accelerating speech therapy. But with the tongue atrophy, the throat opening closing---they cannot even stretch or pull or tug to help.I was one of those rare cases of getting this disease as a non smoker, and to live 31 years beyond what they did for a cure in the "old days". Modern lasers and treatment is now so much focused. I had radiation from the spine to the tip of my tongue.
So I will try the speech therapy but will also have to contact disability lawyers.Going for a job interview is next to impossible,especially a phone interview. But other than that I am super healthy. Thanks again for your reply.
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