Mitze v. Colvin, No. 14-2599 (7th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseThe plaintiff applied for social security disability benefits in 2009, at the age of 43, claiming to be disabled by a cyst (a liquid-filled sphere) in her pineal gland, a small endocrine gland in the brain that produces melatonin, which regulates sleep. The cyst caused her to experience vertigo, blurred vision, and headaches. She has a high-school education, is married and has children, but has never held a full-time job. In 2010 she underwent brain surgery to remove the cyst. Although an MRI following the operation showed that the cyst had been removed and the site of the operation in the brain was healing normally, and her vertigo and vision problems had been resolved, within weeks she was complaining about pain and numbness in her head. She had declined suggested treatments and had continued her hobby of long-distance running. After a hearing before an administrative law judge in 2011, her application was rejected. The rejection upheld by the district court and the Seventh Circuit. The administrative law judge was entitled to find that the plaintiff, although she may well suffer from chronic pain, is capable of full-time employment and therefore not totally disabled.
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