Hemodialysis is a renal replacement therapy designed to help people with impaired kidney function sustain life. This ongoing treatment allows patients with chronic kidney disease to be able to properly filter waste and balance the body’s electrolytes. Patients who must undergo hemodialysis often qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits due to the physical stress the treatment puts on their bodies.
Disabling Effects of Hemodialysis
Patients who are on hemodialysis must have treatments regularly to survive. During hemodialysis therapy, the patient’s blood is extracted from the body and pushed through an artificial kidney machine known as a dialyzer. The dialyzer slowly filters the blood, removing harmful waste, eliminating excess fluids, and helping the blood achieve a healthy balance of components. The filtered blood is then pumped back into the patient’s body. Depending on the individual’s needs, hemodialysis may be performed in a medical center, at home daily, or at home nightly.
The hemodialysis treatment is highly restrictive since the daily treatments require a lot of the patient’s time. Also, the process of cycling blood can be very taxing on the body and patients are prone to different complications that can affect their ability to carry on daily activities of living and work functions. Disabling effects of hemodialysis include:
- Weakness/fatigue
- Anemia
- Bone pain
- Intra-cranial bleeding
- Hemorrhaging
- Hospitalization
- Nausea/vomiting
- Blood clots
- Muscle cramps
- Frequent infection
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Cardiovascular disease
- Stroke
Hiring an Attorney to Prove Hemodialysis Disability
Hemodialysis disability is one of the more challenging conditions to explain to the Social Security Administration during the SSD application process. Every individual is unique in the way hemodialysis affects their lives, so it is important to provide as much documentation as possible that shows exactly how the condition causes serious and permanent limitations.
If you decide to hire a disability attorney, your lawyer can work to make sure you have several medically acceptable tests that prove disability due to hemodialysis, including X-rays, MRI testing, CAT scans, bone scans, and other diagnostic measures. Thorough documentation of platelet counts, transfusion records, laboratory testing and results, and other aspects of the disorder’s effects are necessary to win the benefits you need.
If you’d like to discuss your medical issues with a skilled attorney and find out if you qualify to receive SSD benefits, please use our online SSD lawyer directory to find a legal guide in your town.
Please explore our website and if you have questions or need further assistance, please e-mail the SSD Law Resource Center by completing the form to the right. We are here to help.