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4B Daily News – Saturday, July 13, 2013 FEATURES Woman's heart sings after chance encounter Torn meniscus may having missed an opportuniDear Annie: I'm a ty. But also, if you weren't senior citizen. My companinterested enough to pay ion of 16 years passed away more attention to this gentlea few years ago. I've had a man the first time, it is posfew dating lunches since sible that you are overthen, but nothing serious. romanticizing the encounter Several weeks ago, in hindsight. So, recognizing while looking over the hot that you may be disappointdishes at a local health store, I heard a voice Annie's ed, we recommend you spend a little more time at behind me saying, ''I can't the health store, since you eat some of the choices because they are a little too by Kathy Mitchell know he frequents the place. spicy.'' I turned around and and Marcy Sugar If you should see him (or someone you believe to be said, ''I didn't know there were other people with those him), you will have to take the initiative and say hello. He may have issues.'' He grasped my hand, shook it assumed your brush-off was intenand we chatted a bit. When I saw tional. Good luck. Dear Annie: I work as a breakhim again at the cash register, he said, ''Maybe we'll see each other fast attendant in a hotel that has a at lunch sometime.'' I said, ''I hope free breakfast buffet. I was hoping you could help people with buffet so. It's been a pleasure.'' I wish I had taken more notice of etiquette. I have seen many people, his features. Thereafter, I looked for children as well as adults, reach into him at the store, but then my sister the cases and touch each donut or was hospitalized, and I was always squeeze each bagel, etc., looking for running around, too busy to spend the ''freshest'' one. They are all too much time there. I'm fairly cer- equally ''the freshest.'' Also, they tain he tried to get my attention a will pick up several apples and then couple of times — at least I think it take one. Please tell people to use the was the same man — but I was too flustered and preoccupied to pay tongs if they are available or at least take the items they touch. — South attention. I am so sad now, because his Dakota Hotel Worker Dear Hotel Worker: Consider it handshake was that of a gentleman, and it stole my heart. I hope he done. We hope your buffet has visireads your column and tries again. ble signs posted telling people to use the tongs. Also, please be sure a — Annie Fan in Vermont Dear Vermont: While we are hotel staffer pays attention to the not running a matchmaking service, tongs and other serving pieces. we can see that you are distraught at They often go missing. Mailbox Dear Annie: I read the letter from ''Soon-To-Be Ex-Husband,'' whose breadwinner wife doesn't appreciate him because he is a stayat-home dad. I suspect his wife has her own side of this story. I earn more than my husband. He has a job, yet contributes negligible amounts to our finances. I pay for nearly everything, and he has been the recipient of a great lifestyle. I paid all childcare expenses. When I approached him about a financial plan for my maternity leave, he said, ''That's your problem. You're the one who wanted kids.'' He did not take any time off when our kids were born. When I get home from work, there are dishes in the sink and laundry to do. He is in front of the TV, and the kids are in front of their video screens. But because he takes the garbage out when I ask and prepares meals twice a week, he believes I don't appreciate him. Now that we are getting divorced, he taunts me that he is entitled to half of everything, including my pension. I pray every day for courage and the capacity to forgive. — Canada Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Apply for disability from home By Jennifer Cooper Social Security Manager in Redding Have you been thinking about applying for Social Security disability benefits, but you are unable to visit a Social Security office to complete the interview? Or perhaps your disabling condition makes it difficult to visit a Social Security office. We have good news: you can complete your application for Social Security disability benefits from the convenience of your home. Get started at www.socialsecurity.gov/dis ability. The application process involves determining 1) whether you have sufficient work to be eligible for Social Security; 2) the severity of your medical condition; and 3) your ability to work. Because we carefully review so many cases — more than three million each year — it can take us three to five months to determine whether you are eligible to receive benefits. The amount of time it takes to make a decision on your application can vary depending on a number of factors, such as: • the nature of your disability; • how quickly we obtain medical evidence from you, your doctors, hospitals, or other medical sources; and • whether we need to send you for a medical examination to obtain evidence to support your claim. We have several important initiatives to speed up the process. For example, our Compassionate Allowances initiative allows us to fast-track certain cases of individuals with very severe disabilities. Two hundred different types of disabilities qualify for this expedited decision, and the list continues to expand. Since Compassionate Allowances began in 2008, the agency has fast-tracked more than 250,000 disability applications, getting benefits to people in a matter of days instead of months. Learn more about Compassionate Allowances at www.socialsecurity.gov/co mpassionateallowances. Another way we speed up decisions is with our Quick Disability Determinations initiative, which uses technology to identify applicants who have the most severe disabilities and allows us to expedite our decisions on those cases. Read more about Quick Disability Determinations at www.socialsecurity.gov/dis abilityresearch/qdd.htm. There are things you can do to help speed up the decision process too. The more information you provide up front, the less time it will take us to obtain the evi- dence we need — and the faster we can make a decision on your application. The types of information we need include: • medical records or documentation you have; we can make copies of your records and return your originals; • the names, addresses, and phone numbers for any doctors, hospitals, medical facilities, treatment centers, or providers that may have information related to your disabling condition; • the names, addresses, and phone numbers for recent employers and the dates you worked for each employer; and • your federal tax return for the past year. If you're not able to work due to a disability and getting to an office is troublesome, don't worry. You can apply online at www.socialsecurity.gov/dis ability. not need treatment times they say the DEAR DOCknee will just give TOR K: I'm 72 out on them. years old. I've had Sometimes it's left knee pain on even more subtle: and off for several They just have the months. My docimpression that tor sent me for an something is MRI of both wrong in the knee, knees. It showed "mild to moderate Dr. K that it's not operating properly. osteoarthritis" in by Anthony L. If a meniscus both knees and a Komaroff, M.D. gets badly torn, it torn meniscus in my right knee, which feels provides less protection to fine. Do I need to do any- the ends of the bones. This thing about the torn can lead to osteoarthritis, meniscus in my "good" as was diagnosed on your magnetic resonance imagknee? scan (MRI). DEAR READER: You ing ask an interesting ques- Osteoarthritis is the most tion. Let's start with some common form of arthritis. Should you have treatbackground information. The meniscus is a cres- ment on your "good" Surprisingly, cent-shaped disk of knee? fibrous tissue and carti- meniscal tears are nearly lage. Each knee has two as common in people who menisci located between have no knee pain as in the thighbone (femur) and those with pain. MRIs are the lower leg bone (tibia). so sensitive that they often The menisci act as detect abnormalities that shock absorbers. They are not causing any probprotect the other cartilage lems to the patient. Doctors should always tissue that covers the end portions of the femur and treat patients, not X-rays tibia. The kind of injury or MRIs. Since your right most likely to tear a knee feels fine, there is no meniscus is a twisting need to treat the meniscal injury of the knee. Often tear. If you had pain — or if this occurs during sports. In older people, howev- you develop pain — the er, the meniscus becomes decision would be more more prone to injury; it difficult. It would be hard can tear for no apparent to know if your pain was reason. Meniscal tears are caused by the arthritis, the more common with tear or both. If your symptoms were mild, it would increasing age. When a meniscus tears, probably be best to treat you sometimes know it: the arthritis first. If your There's a "pop" or a symptoms got worse, you twinge of discomfort in could consider meniscus the knee. But sometimes surgery, which can help there are no symptoms relieve the pain. That's the long answer when a meniscus gets to your question. Here's torn. After a meniscus tears, the short version: If it ain't you can have different broke, but it ain't hurting, symptoms. Some of my don't fix it. patients with a torn menisDr. Komaroff is a cus suddenly have trouble kneeling or squatting: It physician and professor Harvard Medical hurts when they do it, and at To send it really hurts when they School. questions, go to try to stand up. or Other patients report AskDoctorK.com, that the knee sometimes write: Ask Doctor K, 10 "locks" or "catches" just Shattuck St., Second during walking. Some- Floor, Boston, MA 02115. 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