I had been living on my unemployment benefits from the dental practice, which just about covered my expenses. Of course I lost those when I took the job with the local dentist. I lost my appeal for benefits from her, so now I was well and truly screwed. I had no job, no income, chronic daily migraines, and no treatment that worked. I basically broke down and settled into a deep depression for a time. I  eventually came around and became proactive. I was basically homebound at this point, except for doctor appointments and trips to grocery and pharmacy. I had spent all of my savings on medical insurance payments, co-pays, prescriptions, utilities, rent, car insurance, and everyday necessities. I moved in with my mother, sold my car, since she had one, and filed for Disability Insurance Benefits. I filed without assistance and, after 6 months, was denied. I hired an attorney and re-filed. We lost. I am currently waiting for an appeal hearing date to go before a judge. In Virginia, there is a 12-18 month wait time for this hearing. We filed in September of 2014 and are still waiting. I was advised by many websites and chat rooms to write a “Dire Need” letter explaining my financial situation and the urgency of my request. I also got my pain management doctor to write a letter stating that my symptoms were so bad, he didn’t know if I would ever be able to work again. Which, at this point, as hard as it is to admit to myself, I  have to agree. These documents were filed to SSI on November 8, 2014. Still no response. I applied for Medicaid, thinking that I could get that until SSI was approved. Ridiculously enough, I am not eligible for benefits until SSI is approved. So, what am I supposed to live on?! How am I supposed to pay bills?! What the hell happened to my life?!