All in all, this week was a good one. Mostly because I got a check from my long-term disability insurer and that has put me in a much better frame of mind.

It’s not as cozy as an actual paycheck, but it’s genuine money. And while our boat could still sink someday, we have more time to row closer to shore. I might even be able to afford co-pays for a moderate PT/OT program. And I think I will be able to use YouCaring contributions to pay down some medical bills again instead of using them on groceries.

I also heard from the SSDI people in Springfield, and it’ll still be a couple of weeks before I have an official determination—BUT!—the adjudicator for my case made it sound like my ruling would be favorable.

For those of you who might be curious, here’s how the disability stuff works:

• Long-term disability private insurer will pay 60% of my former income for a period of 12 months.
• If SSDI kicks in, the long-term disability benefit decreases by however much my SSDI turns out to be (I don’t get to double-dip, dammit). They will supplement with a payment that keeps me at 60%.
• After 12 months, the long-term disability is over.
• SSDI continues until there’s some kind of change, like me being healthy enough to work again.

Huge, heartfelt thank you from Dan and me to everyone who has helped us out since my diagnosis. You are the reason we’ve made it to this point and can finally take a deep breath.