HELP - Pre Clinic Questionnaire!!

Hello Julia :D

Don't panic!!! The questionnaire is to help them get a proper picture of you- nothing to worry about and NOT like a benefits-type thing! :?

Wish you were down the road then we could do it together with lots of cups of tea and lots of cake :tea: :cake: :cupcake:

...... How long have you got before your appointment? If you can, just do it gradually , a bit at a time..... Which part are you most worried about? I wonder if it's the same one I had.

If you tell me what's most worrying you I'll see if I can be helpful but [b:f6d5d6c824]please[/b:f6d5d6c824] don't worry about it; they're not out to trick you, just to see how they can help you most. :D

DON'T PANIC!!!!

love from me - honorary MBE xxx(see, your brain's working [b:f6d5d6c824]very[/b:f6d5d6c824] well!) :hug:

Hi Julia :D

Yes, try not to panic :yikes: ...... it's only a form after all. I know they all seem very daunting, but broken down into small sections they are not so bad .... :ok:

Anyway good old Daisy will give you a hand because it's bound to be similar to the one that she recently filled in :D

I had to fill in a form for a new driving licence recently and I think it took me about a month to actually complete it :roll: And for that I had to have one of those horrible photos taken in a booth :yuk: I came over all wonky after I had finally deciphered how to work the darn thing ...... so my driving licence now has a pic of me looking decidedly squiffy :cdouble: as if I have had a few drinks :lol:

Take care and just take things gently.

Katie xxx :D

Hi Daisy and Katie

Thanks for the advice its just that i feel so bad after the last two days (i even had to go to bed this afternoon and went to sleep until hubby phoned and woke me up :x i don't normally let myself go to bed during the day i usually rest on the sofa but i felt soo bad )

Daisy - I won't be given an appointment until after i have sent the questionnaire back and if its not back by 23rd January they will assume i no longer want the appointment :?

I just feel totally exhausted at the mo, and trying to [i:8e6a254321]read[/i:8e6a254321] the questions is bad enough without having to [i:8e6a254321]answer[/i:8e6a254321] them. My head is like 'the lights are on, but nobody's at home' feeling that we ALL know and love so well :roll: and the pressure of having to fill in the form as soon as possible doesn't help any either :?

You've still got plenty of time to do it Julia, so don't despair

When you are feeling like you do every single thing seems a monumental task and you wonder how the heck you are going to manage :yikes:

Rest up, get your strength back and then have a go at tackling little bits at a time when you feel you can

Everything is so hard for us folk .... My Ma has just given me a shopping list over the phone and the concentration has made me feel dizzy and wonky ..... how crazy is that :roll:

And there was me trying to compete with Daisy's amazing poetry :?

Maybe your hubby could help with the form Julia and even do the filling in whilst you are instructing him what to say. That would be a clear indication to whoever reads the form that you have cognitive problems as well as physical

Oh this is such a wretched illness, and is flipping well ruining our

lives :evil: But thank goodness we all have each other to turn to because no one else truly understands

Take care and hopefully after a couple of restful days you will feel the benefit

Katie xx :cuddle:

Hello again Julia, :D

I completely agree with everything Katie has said (except the bit about my \"amazing poetry\" :shock: )!!

This is the worst time to be thinking about the questionnaire - it's a shame it arrived today, really, and not on Monday, when I expect you'll be feeling a little more able to cope with it. :?

If it's the same as mine, once, you start, it really doesn't take long, no long answers - mainly circling things etc etc...So take it easy for the next day or so...and then just do it bit by bit.

:roll:

I think dictating the answers, and [b:416bffe4eb]telling[/b:416bffe4eb] them you had to do that, is a really good idea! :idea:

Anyway, Julia, we're here when you need us, so just shout (or whisper feebly :whistle: ) and we'll help all we can.

Just remember the clinic people are [b:416bffe4eb]on your side[/b:416bffe4eb], not against you! :D

Take care ,love from

Hi Julia

I haven't received my form yet so I don't know exactly what you are having to deal with like Katie and Daisy but I know that any forms look like a complete blur when you first look at them ....... sooooo many questions :roll: :roll:

Anyway, what I was going to say was that I find it helpful to go through forms first bit by bit and fill out the answers in pencil and then have another look the next day and even the day after that etc, etc until you are happy with your answers. I find that by doing it in pencil it takes away a bit of the panic of [i:944133ff5e]doing it right[/i:944133ff5e] and I know I can change anything without messing the whole thing up.

It's just an idea, I suppose it is a type of [i:944133ff5e]form pacing[/i:944133ff5e] :lol:

Good luck with it and I hope you feel better soon.

Kristal

xx

Thanks Kristal

I think i'll try that :ok:

I'm so annoyed :x I had just typed my reply to you with all the things that were worrying me about the form and :wah: it DISAPPEARED :evil:

I'm just too damned tired to start it all again

[b:9e035312e2]Katie[/b:9e035312e2] - My father in law rings me once a fortnight to dictate his shopping list which I then order online for him to be delivered to his house. Fortunately his order is usually 80% the same with a few variations so I book his slot and order all his basics the day before he rings, then just adjust it when I get his list. It seems to work ok but sometimes I really don't feel like it as he always wants a chat and catch up as well and he stutters a lot. It is quite exhausting.

[b:9e035312e2]Julia[/b:9e035312e2] - treat the form like a box of chocolates (no, I don't mean eat it). Take it a bite or two at a time, then put the lid on and come back later and have another bite until you have finished it.

I wish I had thought of getting my hubby to fill in my DLA form, it might have carried more weight. I am still waiting for them to reassess it, it said it could take up to [b:9e035312e2]16 weeks[/b:9e035312e2] :shock:

hello - i also recently filled in that form and had a big rant about it on this forum too, if i remember rightly! :oops:

i remember being pretty cynical about some of the questions asked e.g. how able are you to do heavy activitities such as weight lifting, boxing, or road building, or some such rubbish :wink:

don't panic though, it's really not that important - they're not trying to trip you up and they'll place much more weight on what happens in your consultation. maybe just do it bit by bit - you've got ages and if you approach it in bite size chunks hopefully it wont seem to mammoth :shock:

i think mine was full of threatening warnings too, like: [b:e12ab9317c]if you need to cancel this appt you will go to the bottom of the waiting list[/b:e12ab9317c],

and

[b:e12ab9317c]if you miss this appt we will assume you no longer need treatment[/b:e12ab9317c]

just what you want to say to someone with ME who doesn't know if they'll be able to get out of bed in the morning! :roll:

That's right, Trees, and do you remember something about [b:4b826195ea]GOLF[/b:4b826195ea] :yikes: :shock: :roll:

You mean the 'Does your health limit you in these activities?'

a. [u:fb24eacc79]Vigorous activities[/u:fb24eacc79], such as running, lifting heavy objects, participating in strenuous sports?

b. [u:fb24eacc79]Moderate activities[/u:fb24eacc79], such as moving a table, pushing a vacuum cleaner, bowling, or playing golf?

d. Climbing [u:fb24eacc79]several[/u:fb24eacc79] flights of stairs?

:shock: :roll:

I won't be given an appointment until the form has been sent back, AND if the form isn't back by the 23rd Jan 'they'll assume that i do not wish to be seen and will remove me from the waiting list' :shock:

Hubby's gonna send it recorded delivery just so's we know that it gets there cos we've had probs in the past with things getting lost in the post :evil:

yes julia that's exactly what i meant! :steam: :lol:

i mean - talk about 'know your audience!' :roll: if you could do ANY of that you probably wouldn't have been referred.

and my clinic were very strict too. made it very clear that non-attendance would mean no further help. meanies :x

anyway it doesn't take long, and its not a trick questionnaire - unlike certain benefit forms i could mention :evil:

Trees x

If it is anything like our regional ME Clinic it will be grossly over subscribed because there just isn't the money available to have enough of them. Dr Patel started with 7 patients, now he has over 400.

Therefore, from the answers on the questionnaires they decide who to prioritise and who to let wait.

Our general waiting list is 10 months but I got in in 2 weeks because the doctor was concerned about my hands not working.

yours could possible be working on the same criteria - prioritise the urgent and new cases and allow a wailting list for the others.

how are your hands alicia?

Stupid!!!!! :roll:

Tried to write this morning and it was impossible. Severe writer's cramp after one sentence. And using scissors is impossible too.

They are so much worse when it is cold. My fingertips were blue yesterday in spite of Thinsulate thermal gloves.

Apparently one of the conditions that the ME Dr is testing for causes Raynaud's Syndrome so maybe it is what he thinks after all. :?

thanks for asking