Earlier this year, I started to have pain in my spine again, in 2019 I have the same pain and it ended up in to spinal surgeries, and so I decided to go back to the doctors to see whether or not, I had re-injured my spine. They took an x-ray and found that my disc is degenerating, and that it is likely causing me some pain, that my hips are out of alignment, and my vertebrae is out of alignment.

However, because of these things, I am not a candidate for a third surgery, so they recommended physical therapy and pain management. They also recommended that this was going to be this way for a very long time and gave me work restrictions that basically mean that I cannot work any longer. Because of my mental health issues, working telehealth type stuff does not work either. And so through my therapists recommendation and the doctors blessing I applied for disability.

Well I got a call from Social services because we use the childcare assistance to pay for childcare, and they said that I need a letter from the doctor stating that I was in fact, unable to care for my children all day and that was why I need a childcare assistance. I did not think anything of this because if a doctor is going to sit there and tell me how you can’t work anymore you’re in a lot of physical pain and it’s going to be this way forever because you can’t have surgery, you would think that writing a piece of paper that just says “this person is in a lot of physical pain and it’s probably not safe for them to watch their kids all day long“ would not be hard to get. However, my original ortho doctor said no that they would not write the letter.

So I saw a different Ortho today, and he just went on and on about how he is a surgical specialist, and he didn’t know why he was there or why he was seeing me and that no he would not write the letter, and he’s never had to write a letter like that in the past 20 years he’s worked as a surgical specialist. I asked my PCP they also said no. I’ve reached out to my therapist, but what good is it gonna do me to get a letter that says hey this person is mentally incapable of watching their children, because that’s just gonna get my kids taken away and I’m not mentally incapable of watching my kids. I’m physically incapable of watching my kids. I also reached out to my pain center and they said they would send a message along to the doctor to see if he says yes or no but I don’t know what he’s going to say.

I’m at a loss and emotionally so distressed I feel like I’m going to throw up. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t understand how a doctor can tell you that you can’t do these things anymore but then won’t help you in any regard moving forward. They wouldn’t help me get a wheelchair now they’re not gonna help me not lose Childcare and they can’t help me with surgery and they can’t help me with pain management so I really just don’t know what to do anymore…

TLDR; my ortho refused to write a letter that says I’m disabled even though they told me I am now disabled