They where not interested in my position today, just how i was back in April/may when i made the original claim - since then i have deteriorated quite a lot.
i found it totally humiliating and ended up in tears when i had to explain to a room of 5 men (not one woman present) that the medication causes me to have continence issues.
I have had one hell of a week and this was the final straw - i think i would rather be hungry than go through that again.
don't get me wrong the panel where really nice but i was so embarrassed by some of the answers i had to give.
All my life i have worked and to put me through this degrading procedure was inhumane.
i never thought i would say this but i am ashamed of my country - the way people are treated when the worse happens to them, the way you are forced to fight to get a little help when you become ill.
Yes! its my own fault that i have emphysema because i smoked, but do they treat drug addicts and alcoholics the same way? i would be interested to find out! ( just googled it and they are entitled to DLA if they have issues as a result of the use of drugs/alcohol)
i admit i am probably at my lowest point at the moment and maybe i was silly to attend the tribunal but never again!
I would be interested to know if there was some complaints panel you could approach. I know hospitals have one (PALS) The men may have been nice enough but you were expected to answer intimate questions. when you were feeling vulnerable. Simply not on.
Hi Krazy I know all too well the frustration you must have been feeling having to remember back to the time of the medical at the end of the day you have a chronic disease and they should realise that. And as for smoking you like 1000s of others have partook in using a perfectly legal substance which has been heavily taxed by successive governments since it was introduced into the country. So I for one won't beat myself about anyone trying to blame me for smoking. I wish you luck that the outcome will be a successful one for you, god knows you deserve a break.
That's right, and even if it wasn't taxed, what about all the people who are overweight through eating too much or unfit from never taking exercise, or not eating their 5 a day, or meet with accidents from participating in extreme sports? You could go on and on. Of course it's not your fault Krazy, try not to let these people make you feel that way dear
oh dear, but you are better than them, head up, you can be proud of what you.ve achieved in the past, illness is something nobody chooses, The panel must feel very proud of themselves when they go home tonight, the b******s. Wait till they're ill themselves, they'll get karma. xx
Sadly, they do take that point in time as your case before them is as you stated when you applied. All they are interested in is was that valid at the time you made a declaration, not if the condition has become worse or other events since.
I went to a DLA tribunal in 2009 and had to agree with them that when I submitted the claim I had been able to walk, albeit with difficulty, more than 50 metres. I had been incorrect in making an appeal based mainly on a downturn in my health around the time of the claim, but after I wrote my forms out.
It really put me off re-applying, which I had been advised to do, until quite recently when I realised I needed to do something as the DWP were hardly likely to contact me. No matter how I feel today, I have to look back to when I signed the form in June. A reasonable day where I had been tempted to take a multi-staged walk to the post box on our street. I didn't get there as I was still stressed from filling the thing in. The wife took it a couple of days later.
Complain - seriously. If you were made to feel bad then tell the DWP and your MP about being degraded in front of a panel of 5 men. That put you at a disadvantage before they even started.
You say you're worse now than you were when you applied - so re-apply, and bring the information up to date. Don't feel ashamed of things, it's a fact of life and if medication causes issues then say so, it's not your fault!
I put in my application that I have problems reaching round to clean myself after using the toilet, I get chest pains when I use my right arm and cannot reach with my left. It's not nice, but if I don't say something then they don't know.
Who says it is your fault that you have emphysema? It may not be all down to smoking, but other nasties in the air around you. I mentioned a couple of days ago that I'd been exposed to some horrible substances, not just the ciggies. My COPD was triggered by pneumonia, smoking may not have helped, but they cannot say for certain it was my fault. Who says it was yours?
Don't feel down, feel annoyed and get ready to get even by having another go! Get all the help you can to submit a new application ASAP, put in all the problems you face, why be upset about it?
I appreciate that you're not at your best just now, and it's got to you. You're not the kind of person who would normally admit defeat... xxx
thanks everyone -
to be honest Gordon i am on a real downer at the moment so maybe i took it a bit more personally than i would have normally- i know you are right - just gotta wait for the dreaded brown envelope now!!!!
Oh I'm so sorry you were made too feel that way,as previously stated,i would write down to-day exactly how you were made to feel as regards the males ,and when you are feeling stronger,write a letter,you aren't being silly,or extra sensitive,it is very personnel thing .I hope you get your entitlement.It makes me so made ,when people like us are made to look let scoungers,and the real culpits are living a life of luxury.So Chin up :),have a good nights rest ,and get ready too fight another day xxx
Thought they were there to help now I know different and when PIP comes in 2013 it will be even worse when they take it from 20% that had passed all the tests. It is hard to take now but it makes us stronger ready for the next challenge, when you have picked yourself up and dusted yourself down there will still be a tomorrow to get the most from.
Hi Krazy, sorry about your day. It may have been the stress of having to attend that made you feel more vulnerable. Gordon is right though. Wait for the envelope. If it is bad news then reapply. And have a word with your MP to ensure that you (and others) don't face the same again. It is disgraceful that they expected a lone woman to discuss her intimate details with 5 men. (((((HUGS)))))
Sending a BIG HUG and love your way - I'd send a bar of chocolate if I could too.
I too have emphysema and have worked all my life and my DLA reconsideration failed today - and find myself becoming more and more angry the more I hear of the way people who become ill are forced to fight for a little help.
But for now Krazylady give yourself some TLC and take comfort from friends around you you have had one hell of a week.
Understanding how you feel having to go through it all again with an integrity centre going through all my case checking that it is not fraud, do they not understand chronic or not getting fit again. It makes me angry doing it all again when all of the form is the same or worse in each section.
keep fighting for your rights
So sorry you had to go through this at this time Krazy, just wait for that envelope to arrive and then you can decide what to do next. You may get a nice surprise and be awarded DLA without any further to do.
5 heel clickers to interrogate a frail person, to endure intimate questioning under such circumstances and leaving them to feel violated is in itself quite wrong.
When proper medical records can easily sort out the con artistes more appropriately.
What I would propose...that whoever may be confronted with the S.S/Gestapo tactics should consider a demonstration of incontinence so that the gentlemen in the room may experience the s**te we have to put up with.
Give them something constructive to do with brown envelopes and questionnaires, share the humiliation of talking about it, actions speak louder than words, thank you madam next please
Can you bring a new seat in please ?
Good afternoon Mrs. Dodo, how were you in April and May when you filled out your form ?
Were you SOB in June? can you prove you are not a fraud to us?
Pharp, oops thought it was just wind, never mind, carry on, oh yes April and May, let me have a look in my little diarrhea, I mean, diary
You may get a nice surprise and be awarded DLA without any further do do to do.
Ah, take care hunny and know that you did your best. I agree that we shouldn't have to go through situations like this and I too sometimes feel let down by our country but we must soldier on. You are a real trooper, you know that and when you are feeling up to it you can complain if you choose.
Hope you take some comfort knowing that you have alot of friends here, wishing you well xx
Look after yourself, you have a lot to cope with and this meeting you had was awful. You are trying to get on with the life in a positive way and then have to admit to strangers what you are not capable of doing and made to feel to insignificant. There must be a better way. I hope you are feeling a little better today. Take good care. TAD xx
Hi Krazy, im so sorry to hear that sounds horrid, i know you are going through alot at the moment as well (not that those in suits) take any notice of that! as you know im still waiting for appeal date and the thought of it fills me with fear, the stress has def made me worse seem to get one thing after another since feb when i first applied! I just hope all this has been worth it and you get what you are entitled too hun fingers crossed for you, and remember when all seems lost the only way is up! hugs xx
Sending you hugs and xxxxx, I have what has been diagnosed as severe COPD and don`t think its even worth applying for a blue badge now even though I have to use oxygen when walking as was tod they are getting very strict about letting people have the badges. Waste of time even thinking about DLA. Hope you feel better soon.xx
Hi Krazy, I can relate to the problems you are having, I got the forms for DLA but I was so stressed out trying to fill them in that my breathing became badly affected so put then to one side to do later. My son was visiting the same day and suggested I call in Age Concern for help to fill in the forms, I did that and a lovely lady called to do this for me, so much easier, she even posted them for me and I got the allowance shortly after that. Thank you so much "Age Concern". Hope you get there Krazy, but dont give up what you are entitled to. Good luck. xxx
- Yes, I agree , I've never quite understood why the "Self Inflicted Brigade" have a bash at us with lung problems, (Yes , I know, we did like our puffs, which MAY have contributed to our condition , although, I do personally know five people who have NEVER smoked who have been diagnosed with C.O.P.D. , - and I'de still like a convincing answer to that mystery ! ) , BUT, Alchoholics, Drug addicts, even Gamblers who have got themselves into a pickle, very rarely get BLAMED for THEIR condition .......I can only assume that Smoking is not SOCIABLY acceptable, BUT Drug taking, Alchoholism, Betting and all OTHER excesses ARE !!!!! - Vittorio.
hi vit.spot on there with all the other vices,1 thing elz the above habits they either rob break into propertys or attack ppl for there habit.i worked till i retired for mine,more fool me,no habit nomore ceased cigs on told copd ,
Firstly apologies for the way you were treated at the tribunal, I feel partly responsible for offering you advice on the tribunal. I know you probably don’t feel like putting in a complaint at the moment but I would strongly advise you to, only when you feel up to it, I can go through the complaints procedure with you when your ready, if you need to talk or want to have a chat please do give us a call.
Warmest regards
Carol
Carol - after i had my outburst i kept looking at them and remembering what you said " your not going to bump into them in a cafe" -
The person before me was an elderly female, i hope the same didn't happen to her!
Its such a inhumane system, its not like its something that i had not written on the form, so you would have expected at least one female to be present even if it was just the clerk!!!
the men where very nice but i just feel that it is unnecessary humiliation
Hi Krazy - life is being a real bummer to you at the moment - but you are a strong feisty lady who will come back and fight another day (and win)! We are all here for you - chin up and have a great weekend - will be thinking of you. xx Sue xx
dear krazy, my heart goes out to you.your dignity took some battering. what can I say!!I do hope the outcome is in your favour, meanwhile a formal complaint would not go amiss with a little help from BLF. meanwhile krazy,take care of yourself and don't let the b***** get you down, I know easier said than done. sending love ...xx
don't give up its a cruel world.. someone cares. we care. so as they say march on with hope in your heart and you'l never walk alone, wonder what Val thought the last few hours. bless her.
i didn't think i would make it but my wife was there all the time or i would have been gone a long time ago, chin up.fight them, you will win in the end. regards brian
Oh Im so sorry that you were put through this Krazy. Its not right and its not fair. But unfortunately that is how it can be nowadays. Don't give in love and keep fighting. We are on your side and will support you and care for you always. You never know you might still be awarded it.
Fingers crossed (and toes and everything inbetween)
Don't let them get away with it krazylady, you are just a statistic to them. Write and complain, especially to your MP, even if it's just a copy of the message you've left here.
Haven`t contacted you before Krazylady but I`ve just been reading your story and all the replies. Now I see that you`ve won ! Brilliant ! Still doesn`t justify what you had to go through though. DoDo`s reply made me laugh out loud. Oh and that made me feel good. Living alone there`s often not a lot to laugh about but finding this site makes me feel I`ve found a host of good friends. mskpjn (Sheila)
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