When you appeal your Social Security disability claim through the hearing stage, you will be asked to describe your symptoms, in other words, how you feel. You are the best authority on this subject, so be prepared to talk about when you hurt and when, when you feel dizzy or short of breath or weak. It’s up to you to describe what your symptoms are and why they prevent you from working. It’s not just because you “have arthritis” or “have a lung condition” that you can’t work, it’s because of how that condition makes you feel or limits your abilities. So the answer to “Why can’t you work” is not “Because I have arthritis.” There are many people who also have arthritis who are still able to work, so that information is not very useful to the judge. It is better to focus on the severity of your condition and how much pain it causes.
Be as specific as possible about your symptoms. Try to describe what you feel like the same way you have described it to your family. Talk about the location, duration, intensity, and nature of your pain, and whether it travels around your body or stays in one place. Does it differ from day to day? Are there certain triggers that make it start, certain things that make it worse or makes it better? Describe all these to the judge as thoroughly as you can. Don’t exaggerate, but don’t understate your condition either. Be truthful and specific.
If you exaggerate about constant, debilitating pain and medical records don’t back up what you say, the judge will probably be skeptical of you. The judge will wonder how you got to the hearing if your condition is so crippling, so be wary of words like “extreme” or “excruciating,” or “always” or “constantly” to describe your pain. However, be careful not to minimize your pain either—if you describe it as not so bad, the judge will think you aren’t that limited in what you can perform and not find you disabled. Don’t put on a show for the judge.