[nagdu] Disabilities and alert dogs

[Lora]

Mardi
Did you train your service dogs yourself or with the helpp of a trainer?
Lora

On 3/4/11, Mardi Hadfield <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi every one, Disability is not always cut and dried. After I was a
> passenger in a car hit by a drunk driver,I began experiencing seizures and
> double vision.When I complained to my doctor,I was given an EEG to check for
> seizures. Nothing showed up. I had a CAT scan when I was in the hospital
> recovering from a blood clot in my brain after the accident, and that showed
> up. Every time I would have a seizure,I was told that I was doing this for
> attention.I was faking.I was told that my double vision would clear up with
> new glasses. It did not. I was labeled a "NUT CASE"and no doctor did any
> thing to find the real cause of my problems.They actually made me feel like
> a nut case because of their attitudes.Because I was not given anti-seizure
> medicine to control the seizures,they just got worse.I ended up having a
> seizure while riding a motor cycle and further damaged my brain and
> fractured my spine in 2 places and also had other severe injuries. It took
> the doctors 5 years to catch the seizure on the EEG.Finally I got the proper
> diagnosis and the proper meds which controlled the seizures. I was not
> considered disabled before this or after the proper diagnosis as the meds
> controlled the seizures.Still no one did any thing about the double
> vision.When My seizures again started up and the meds no longer controlled
> them,that's when I was considered to have a disability.By this time I
> finally was able to get SSDI which made living a lot easier. My back became
> worse and I had to use a wheelchair to get around,and my vision got worse.I
> did not go and get my vision checked as I knew no one would do any thing
> about it, so I just lived with it.Disability is not always easy to prove and
> some doctors are real jerks!  I had trained a dog as a service dog for my
> self and when my vision got even worse,I finally went to get it checked. I
> was sent to a Retina specialist and was given the diagnosis of Cortical
> Vision Impairment and Macular degeneration with macular leisons
> (spelling?).I was legally blind!That is when I got my service dog also
> trained as a guide dog.I have had 2 dogs that washed out as guide dogs since
> then, that I discovered could predict and warn me of my seizures. They both
> barked and jumped on me as their method of warning me. I trained them to
> touch me with their nose or paws instead of the original method. I do not
> take these dogs out in public with me as one dog is not good in public due
> to him being abused before I got him,and the other because I can only handle
> 1 dog at a time. I need the guide dog more.I do consider these dogs as
> service dogs but they only work in the home.My seizures have been better
> controlled now and I have better doctors now who listen to me.Disability is
> even harder  to prove to the government these days.I consider myself very
> lucky now as I am old enough to get social security by age and they can not
> take it away by saying that I am no longer disabled.I am not the only person
> to go through all this crap as I have met quite a few others.I no longer
> feel like a nut case and life is much better these days.Sorry for the long
> post but we were talking disability and I wanted to share that getting
> diagnosed with a disability can some times be a long drawn out process. I
> can not change my past experiences. I can only go on from here. This List
> sure does help me when I get to deep in my own self pity as I remember that
> there are many others who are out there with problems,some worse than mine,
> and we are all trying to help each other.I am so glad I found this List.
> Have a great day Mardi and Shaman and Nala,retired.
>
> --
> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
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-- 
Lora