I will give my brief thoughts because I'm really tired......
...if you have never been able to have a job, which is what I would guess based on your post, you would apply for federal SSI. Google "how to apply for ssi." If you are a U.S. citizen. Gotta be a citizen, i think. It's for those who have been disabled before they were old enough to work. If you have worked, you'd apply for SSDI (I believe), which is similar but they decide what to pay you monthly, based on your past wages you earned. With SSI, it is a flat rate, you end up getting like $800 a month, it keeps going up with inflation every year. And once you are awarded SSI, it is never taken away your entire life, unless you start working. Then you notify them and they stop the payments. But then if you get sick again and stop working, you notify them again, and they restart the payments. I *think* that is the case, so don't take my full word. Then the only other way it will go away is if you marry someone with an income. That is the situation I"m in. But if I get divorced, they would start paying me again and I don't have to reapply to be considered "disabled" because I proved it once. I believe with SSI, you only gotta prove it once. The basis of SSI is that you show you have a disease that is not expected to improve. Very few people end up even able to apply for SSI, because very few people qualify for it, since most people have worked a job before something disables them to the point that they can't work. So it is kind of the government's safety net for people born too ill or disabled to work, or those disabled in childhood.
Anyways, apply now, they will probably deny you the first time, then just reapply, just keep sending them more and more info, keep jumping through all the hoops they ask you to jump through. Every time you get denied, appeal it. You don't need a lawyer to do it, if you keep sending them tons of info from a doctor who truly believes you are disabled, each time they ask. My mom did all that for me. She just sent them tons of info, everytime they asked....at the risk of sending way too much. She sent any bloodwork that was abnormal, any info she had on X disease or Y disease. And if those in charge send you to one of their doctors for analysis, and that doctor decides you are not disabled, just keep apealing and apealing the decision. Send something stating that that doctor is not well-versed in your condition (chronic fatigue syndrome) in your appeal, and include a letter from another doctor saying that that is your diagnosis and that it causes X, Y, and Z symptoms that make it unable for you to perform any useful occupation, even while sitting at home in a chair.
THEN, when you have SSI (and it will probably take over a year or more to get.....but if you get it, they will also pay you a lump sum based on the money you would have gotten if you got paid every month from the day you applied, in addition to then paying you monthly)....anyways, once you have SSI, it is easier to then get things like food stamps or Medicaid (state healthcare for the under 65 yrs old and disabled), both of which you get from the state, not the federal government. But my experience was that when I applied for those things at the local offices, they saw I had SSI, and thus was disabled, so in some states, that helps the state not pick you apart too much when deciding if you qualify for food stamps.
In other words, get everything that you deserve, from the government. I applied based on some other conditions.....i won't say what....but my guess is you can list your condition as things like dysautonomia, or other fancy diagnosises that us CFS people generally have, that can be proven (dysautonomia with tilt table test). Just list ALL conditions you have. Like if there is a fancy name for B12 deficiency and you can prove it, etc. Do some research online....if you read that they deny chronic fatigue syndrome a lot, use other diseases you fall into as what you list as the reason. Like find out if you have certain autoimmune diseases, like I think I saw Bechet's listed. I am not sure on that, like if they deny CFS a lot, so I'd ask someone, like ask on this site. Maybe you could list cfs too though, or maybe it's not an issue. I am remembering that my mom listed like 6 diseases for me, because pretty much any abnormal blood result you get can correspond to a disease's name (Within reason). You'd be surprised how many things you technically have. Include psych diagnosises too like idiopathic hypersomnia, which means sleeping to much, etc etc. Normally sleep specialist or psychiatrist could diagnose that? You get the idea.
Aside from that.......if you can get your whole family to move, warm climate does help me. Especially the sunshine. However, you may want to look into states that do not have long lines for gov assistance for things like food stamps. In general, I hear Indiana is good. Just google it. Things probably change yearly. I think California is one of the worst though, because their budget is so awful. I think even the disabled cannot get into the healthcare program there, there's a long waiting list. I would avoid states not doing well financially, like California, and Illinois, possibly Ohio.
Also, a state where it is cheap to live. Cost of living! Maybe Texas would be better for you. Cost of living is so low. If you are on gov assistance, you could maybe swing TX and actually afford to live, esp if you have family. Maybe AZ? Maybe parts of FL but I don't know what their budget is like. Gotta be better than CA and IL. Maybe a cheap state in the southeast, but I dunno who's best for assistance. Maybe GA.
Just listening to your story, it sounds like there could be something fungal going on, yeast, or otherwise. Trigered by the antibiotics. I actually think that that could have been the cause for my sudden onset too. I didn't get triggered by antibiotics, but I was eating a lot of sugar, and there are indications that I am very fungal, yeast or something very similar, and I hear that can cause sensitivities like what you describe, food, chemical, etc. though I"m sure there is a genetic component as well that would play into it too, but you can't change your genes. So you could try Diflucan one day, but be prepared for MAJOR die off, headaches like you've never had. Will have to go slow. Or try natural anti yeasts like olive leaf extract. Nystatin is a drug, you'd have to start wayyy slow, but it doesn't go into bloodstream, so that's an option that could help and might be better based on what drugs you tolerate. Diflucan seems to help me..... I actually have too much die off on Nystatin. Even though nystatin should be easier on the body, theoretically.
I am also getting help from Perque brand hydroxy B12 sublingual tablets, TMG by Now brand. Acai capsules, 2 at a time, from Now brand are also good. Those all help my energy. Coffee does too, but have to use in moderation.
Anyways, best of luck! Try to get some kind of assistance with finances. It is not easy, but worth it. Then, try not to spend alllllll your money chasing down cures that are not proven. Trust yourself more than anyone trying to scare you into something theoretical. Make very choosy choices with treatment, while we are talking about finances. Tens of thousands of dollars later, and I'm still sick, and I do best choosing my own treatments with vitamins from iherb.com, or just taking breaks from it all. Avoid anythign expensive unless its proven. Try anything your health insurance will cover.
For the OCD, try something like Zoloft. Trust me, I get it. Sometimes SSRI's can help the gut too. You'll have to google that. There is some kind of theory called depression of the gut.....i'll look for the study. Basically the SSRI actually helps the gut function.
I also like high doeses of Carlson's The Very Finest Fish Oil (not their concentrate), has to be "very finest" in name, for my anxiety, maybe it'll help your OCD. I get it on iherb.com. It's pricey though, so wait till you have a little money to try stuff. No shame in trying psych drugs, they can really help. Lamictal is good if you have moodiness and you don't react well to SSRI's...i saw improvement of OCD symptoms with it, and I only needed 100 mg which is low dose. Sometimes they will use Lamictal off label, meaning for things other than what it's intended for. OCD is rough rough rough so get help if you can. I find mine comes and goes in phases, depending how my overall health is. I actually think the illness is causing my OCD, though of course I must have the genes for it too.
