Atos medical

Thank you for reply. Am just not good in face to face situations and the thought of trying to explain how I feel on a daily basis is very stressful for me. I couldnt even handle counselling at this time as was too upsetting for me. Feel like I will be intimidated and not be able to explain. Trying not to worry but so hard to explain what goes on in my head especially to a stranger face to face. 

Thank you again taking time to reply.

I'm not very good around people either I think I would end up telling jokes to put myself as ease which is not really the point of the interview I've had counselling when I lost my father and brother did nothing for me at all was just words can't change how ones feel inside it's easy for me to say don't worry everybody would say the same I get stressful just going to the gp's i stuffer from chronic pain I maybe bipolar too but I'm too scared to admit it I take amitriptyline for sleeping it's the only drug that's works for me 

Sorry to hear about yr dad and brother. I take fluoxatine. Been put on heart tablets, blood pressure pills and blood thinners after stroke.  Feel like I rattle when I walk lol. Well guess things can only get better as they say!.....well then I got atos appointment through post lol 

Yes they do say that lol I watched my father suffer heart attack that killed him and my brother took his own life it's been really hard to live with everything since then I don't cope very well at all use to love Christmas but it's never the same now.

I totally get whete your coming from Hunny im the same I don't really thinki got it all off my chest as they can tell by your body language there not daft xxx

Hi les how's you Hunny good I hope had my medical today at asos got myself all worked up and it was y half as bad as I expected the distance I had to walk once in the centre was quiet far there was no ones round to ask for a wheel chair so was in very bad pain but once I was in there I was in more pain they couldn't trad the form that cab filled in for me she asked me few questions but not as many as I thout they would I wrote notes and wanted her to read them but she didn't so not really sure how it's gone fingers crossed xxx

Hiya Jackie,

Me, well I could be better but at the moment I have pleurisy, spent last tuesday in hospital, then on Wednesday Abdominal Ultrasound scan - when I asked the radiologist she said it looks like a few stones but nothing worth worrying about. She said phone your Doctor in 7 days time, I thought fine everything seems okay. But on Thursday evening my Doctor phoned me, and asked what they had said in the Ultrasound Department, so I told her. Then she said to be honest, I think we need to get you back to see your Urology Consultant - I thought oh no, what I wasn't, or more to the point didn't want to hear. The reason for that scan was because I may have Prostate Cancer, only myself and my wife knows, and it's not the right time to tell anyone else in the family.

I told you not too worry to much, I know it's easy for me to say - but getting through that part alone is a step in the right direction, regardless of the outcome. If you get it awarded then it's all good, if you fail then it's still good from your side of the equation. You'll have the 28 day appeal notice, which you can get extended to 6 weeks for getting your notes together, basically putting your case together. I guess they will be marking you on your Mobility Descriptor points, which will either go to the Award or not. Even if it doesn't, don't worry - many people panic, thinking they failed - it is not the case at all, as you said you needed a wheelchair but did not have one available, you could use this in your appeal amongst other things.

Anyway, lets hope you won it, if not you can still try - my motto, never give up!

Have a nice Xmas Jackie,

Regards,

Les,

Hi les love chatting to you well it's just a waiting game now but like you said I'll either get it or I won't like you say I'll never give up , the lady didn't really ask me much I was shocked and she couldn't read the form as the writing was so bad CAB filled it in for me as my hands are to sore to write so she couldn't understand it so I thout she would of asked more questions I was in a lot of pain as I had to walk to get to the medical down 2 long corridors so I was in really bad pain I couldn't sit still she could tell I wasn't comfortable so she said she would finish as soon as she could she got me a wheel chair to go back, I had wrote down lots of notes what my typical day was like and how my life has changed but she didn't read it I wanted her to as I can express my self better on paper my daughter wrote what I asked her but she wasn't intrested I was very shocked so have wait and see if I have to appeal you will have guide me Hunny I would be very grateful xxx merry Christmas to you and your family x

Hi Jackie,

If you need help with an appeal, I will gladly help you. From what you mentioned you maybe bordering on the Mobility side, you'll soon find out in the New Year! Could be a new start for you at the same time.

Well, you had the "face-to-face" interview - the chances of getting through that and winning the Award is actually 7% higher this month than last month, so your chances are better than normal. With the current situation with DWP and ATOS, whom the Gov't wants to pay-off, so ATOS is out of the equation, then again MAXIMUS will be taking over but not before the current backlog of 11 months of appeals is cleared. Yes, that's how bad it is, between the DWP and ATOS they created a right mess, and that was to get more people off disability benefits or ESA. Okay, I have seen some of the programmes on TV showing numerous people caught on camera saying they were disabled. I remember seeing one guy getting up at 8 o'clock in the morning driving a lorry, picking up scaffolding poles and loading his lorry, then on Sundays playing Golf, yet he was claiming DLA stating he could hardly move because of his back problems!!!  Needless to say he was caught on camera which was used as evidence in court. These people are a disgrace to the UK, and should be dealt with accordingly.

A bit about me... typical of me really!

Even with a rail attached to the bed and having my wife helping it takes me 45-60 minutes just to get out of bed and dressed, and the pain is unbearable and so annoying. Getting in to bed is just as bad, and wait for the painkillers to kick in, hoping it will make me drowsey enough to fall asleep, even though I am in pain. Then of course there's trips to the toilet in the night, I have no choice but to wake my wife up, same problems all over again  - what I try and do is stop drinking after a certain time, to try and avoid getting up in the early hours. I did one time try by myself, and what a mess that turned out to be!!! I can look back now and laugh, but not at the time it happened. I needed the toilet so I tried as hard as I could to pull myself up on the bed rail, got that far after about 10-15 minutes, but then I went to stand up however mis-judged it and kicked the radiator, gawd did that hurt - then I fell off the bed, saved myself by grabbing the bedrail, but lost my balance and went down again, by this time I had made that much noise I had woke my wife up, she ran around the bed to get to me and stubbed her toes on the bed leg. The following day I looked at my foot, 3 black bruised toes, and my wife had 2 - and all that happened because I was trying to be independant. I know there's a lot things I cannot do now, that I wish I could. Every morning is the same, my back locks up, my legs are swollen so moving just causes moire pain, if I bend one the wrong way, well then I get cramp and spasms. ..And all this is the same everyday, I try to avoid taking too many painkillers, because they only make me sleep during the day, and I lose track of time.

I used to wear jeans, that was okay until my feet, ankles and legs started swelling up, now it's jogging bottoms. Basically, I have had to re-adapt the way I used to live - it's a nightmare in itself. And like you, I cannot write anymore - if sign something, then again straight after you would think it was 2 different signatures from 2 different people. I cannot use normal cups to drink from, I just spill the drink down myself - so my wife bought some disabled cups that are anti-spill and keep the drink hot. Both my arms spasm so holding anything is very difficult. Even Nurses and Doctors have said good luck if you need to take blood from Les, he's a constant moving target - well, they're not wrong - 3 weeks in hospital and both my arms and hands were black from burst veins where drips had failed.

Anyway, enough about some of the problems I have, lol. I still have a laugh and joke with people and doctors.

Don't worry about what your daughter wrote and they didn't want to know about (keep them in a safe place, in case you need them), that may come in handy if there is a need to appeal. They refused to look at it the first time, at an appeal they will have no choice but to read it, and more if you add to it. The more indepth you go the better, because even if 2 people have the same health issue, it does not mean they are both feeling the same pain, or even lengths of pain. Walking distances is measured and they also have to take in to account at any point where a person is in severe pain or becomes out of breath. There is a distance threshold, basically if you fail to reach it then you gain points on this as well. The Gov't did try to alter this distance so many more people would fail the mobility side of DLA, PIP or ESA. There is many rules the current gov't is trying to get passed by parliament, but are failing because many disability organizations are against them.

The things people that go through their heads at these interviews is worry, being the main culprit. What you should be thinking is you know your own body more than anyone, so someone who is just a standard general practitioner is not going to know exactly every health problem, in and out - and what medications are used, or can be used. The only people that would know any of that would be a specialiist or Consultant, or in some cases a Professor that has studied numerous variations of a condition. Now the DWP cannot afford people of this stature, so they employ health companies like ATOS, which as you know has caused more problems than anything. A 11 month backlog of Appeals is appalling for any business, which is why they have to clear them swiftly.

So, if you have to appeal then go for it - many disabilty associations are also informing failed interviewers to Appeal, basically causing the DWP more work and adding to the already long list. Anyway, I wish you all the best for Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Best regards,

Les.

Haha I know it's not funny but the toe stubbing episode made me giggle! I love reading your posts. You and Mrs Les sound lovely 💖

Well, we have our moments! Being disabled is difficult, but I had to adapt my life around it. It's difficult to do, but we still have fun - our relationship is very close, and so is our family - we all have one thing in common and that is we are all down to earth!  Like all families we have our ups and downs, we have all lost loved ones over the years, and the youngest was only 14 months!! That was our nephew and it hit us hard, that did take a lot of time to get over.

Funny you should mention toes though! Our daughter has her leg in plaster at the moment after falling down some stairs at school, she has a phobia about toes, she hates having to look at them, don't know why, it's strange.

Toes and our families do not get on! My eldest boy was staying at his nans one year, and he heard the ice cream van outside so he ran out, course his nan went to run after him, but on the way she kicked a housebrick which was around a downpipe! lol She actually broke 2 toes in that accident. Our son whos 25 now, still remembers it, and still jokes about it.

Another time my wife and I, this was before I was disabled like I am now... lol  We were putting together our solid pine bed, anyway she asked me to lift it so she could get a screw to go in, something got up my nose and I sneezed and dropped the full weight of the bed on her big toe!! In the end she had to have the in grown toe nail removed. She has never let me live that one down!

I don't think a day goes by when something doesn't go wrong! We are just one of those families I guess. They say laughter is the best medicine! That certainly applies in our case.

Regards,

Les.

Hi les and thanks for getting back to me I'm very new to this so not sure how it works the message was benefits and allowances ATOS medical I couldnt send you a message the other way as it said you have disabled reply message , sorry to hear your not to well and hope you feel better soon . 

i spoke to CAB yesterday and they are baffled too they are checking around other areas to see if this a new game they are playing 

Oops , they don't think I should start new claim yet just in case , have you heard anything like this going on as I am confused about what to do ,thank you and sorry to disturb your rest period and  Thankyou for your time Sam lally

Hi Les

I'm on PIP just received a letter asking me to go see Atos on the 25th next Monday. My PIP was supposed to run out in April next year. Am under Mental Health and also Hospital for Rhuematoid Arthritis and other health problems. Am worried sick they are going to take me off. I do not socialise well with people. Hate going outside unless I really have to. Have self harmed several times before. The medication I'm taking currently is not working. Today I have a appointment to see my doctor. Am at my wits end as to what to say or do. Husband just says tell the doctor how your feeling etc. But that will not stop me from going to see Atos. Please help