Like many of you I recently failed my 3rd medical with ATOL. 0 points as always.
So I lose 1 weeks money because it was 1 week after they stopped my money before they let me know. Even though they agreed I had done every thing possible they still wouldn't back date my money.
I then thought I'm going to appeal the ATOL decision, only to be told that if I did it could take 12 weeks and I wouldn't be able to claim any benefits ( this has changed last time I appealed they paid you still).
So 1 week down on money, also my money has dropped £10 per week , housing benefit already dropped £20 a week (landlord losing patience with me). Council tax is £15 a month.
Feeling persecuted , its always been an uphill battle people thinking Fibro is all in my head but the government are merely confirming this to others.
Its not like I don't want to work , but as you all know working full time while trying to manage your symptoms is very very difficult. I wanted to work part time till I found a suitable role for full time. low stress and light lifting.
Minimum wage would be fine , managed to survive 4 years on peanuts`.
How do we keep going when everyone is kicking us in the private's.
I can cope with pain, its the fatigue and anxiety which is hard to cope with.
How do I say this without receiving mass complaints over sexism.
Here goes , Men get the shitty end of the stick when it comes to Fibro.
I can cope with pain, its the fatigue and anxiety which is hard to cope with.
I could go on and on about the reasons why , but what's the point.
I cant stop the dark thoughts , thought about ending it so many time's.
Not even sure why I'm bothering typing this.........
My close cousin is dying of a brain tumour and this is why I'm hanging on in there.
Fibro cost me my company , home , marriage and my dignity.
Always look on the bright side of life ........................ who turned out the light's ? LOL
Written by
Fibroman
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Very sorry to hear, Fibroman. I totally relate to what you're saying about anxiety and the fatigue being the worse things. That is true for me, too. I'm very sorry to that you've had a rough time with Atos (and the irony is they've now pulled out because of the bad publicity) although I believe they will still be doing the priority assessments (those still in the system and those yet to be migrated). The DWP are looking for new contractors but I won't hold my breath that they'll be any better.
It's awful that they've changed the rules so that you now have to have a mandatory reconsideration before you can appeal. Do you have a CAB in your area? What about your MP? Even if they are Tory they are there to represent you and you should write to the,m as they have a lot of clout.
I can also recommend the site benefits&work. They do charge a small annual subscription for the manuals but I think if you speak to one of the admins here they take out a subscription with them so that you can get them for free. However, it's information on 'mandatory reconsideration' you really need and so it's best to ask admin if they have a manual for that.
I am so sorry to read that you have been placed in an untenable position relating to your benefits. I have pasted two links below to the Social Fund which helps with grants and / or loans for when you are struggling to make ends meet. Please bear with them as you read them, as on the NHS Choices page, scroll down and it does say if you meet the criteria grants can be made for every day essentials such as rent etc.
This government as ive said in previous correspondence are cowards , firstly treating everyone as if they are benefit cheats , then taking money off the poorest in society and the weakest , what really disgusts me is Labour is going to keep their policies going if they win the next general election , but remember we have a vote , and ive wrote to Nigel Farage asking him what he thinks .
Can understand the despair. You do not mention children? Have you got children and do you see them regularly? Always worth keeping going if you do. Have you tried to get any voluntary work? Could be a way to eventually get you back into paid work?? Everyone's situation is different God knows. What works for one may not work for another. Why is your housing benefit £20 down? Why is your benefits £10 down? This government is callous and has zero compassion. Every time I see Eric Pickles on TV (he was on last night and could barely speak due to his corpulence from 'good' living off my wages and yours) I feel so angry. I have this picture in my mind, that was in the media a couple of weeks ago, showing him exiting a bespoke London Tailors, where only the very wealthy dare enter! Pig, with his snout in the trough, like the rest of them. LibLabCon and UKIP, if they ever get 'power and wealth'. They only work for the rich. Sorry for the rant but I get so mad at the 'system'; its so unfair!
I sincerely hope that you are all as well as can be expected today? Can I please bring to your attention the FibroAction guidelines and remind everyone of the rules: I have pasted the guidelines from No.5 onwards.
Thank you for reading these and I hope that everybody understands that the guidelines are there for everyone to enjoy the forum.
Take care
Ken
Guidelines of FibroAction.HU
5. Be mindful not to post offensive material. Religion and Politics should not be discussed here as it is hard to not offend someone in discussing these.
5a. We make an exception for Fibro or disability specific subjects, such as disability welfare reform. However other aspects of politics should not be discussed: this includes immigration, party politics, political funding, general (i.e. not disability specific) etc welfare reform, etc. MP's should not be referred to by name in a negative manner as per the HealthUnlocked Community Guidelines as HU is not a form to create negative feedback about identifiable individuals.
5b. In all threads, regardless of whether they are on political subjects or not, care should be taken to avoid offense. Racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination are never allowed.
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5d. Swearing is not permitted in our community. and a comment containing even mild words are likely to be edited. However, we understand that sometimes members may need to express their frustrations so any swear words that have been disguised by the use of ‘Asterisks( * )' will not be edited by Admin.
5e. Criticism of other HU communities and their volunteers is NOT allowed and will be deleted.
6. Criticism of spelling, punctuation and/or wording of messages will not be tolerated. We have members from around the world, many of whom are affected by Fibro. If you don’t understand a message, just ask the sender to clarify it.
7. Spamming of other members through private messaging or on the open community will not be tolerated and may lead to you being removed from the community.
8. Do not solicit members to other websites or forums for your own purposes, either through posts or private messages.
9. Do not post questions, blog posts or private messages soliciting money for individuals, other organisations or other causes. If you are involved in fundraising for FibroAction through a secure online system (like Virgin Money Giving or JustGiving), then you can post a blog post concerning this. However, repetitive postings or spamming of other members through private messaging will not be tolerated.
10. Promotion of commercial products & services is not allowed. You may refer to a product or commercial service by name as a useful resource but you must NOT post a link. You can invite people to use the message system to obtain the information from you if needed. Repeated posts about the same product may be considered promotion and could lead to posts being deleted or your account being restricted. Posting about helpful, supportive or informative resources that are freely available IS allowed and links can be given.
11. Do not post details of online pharmacies offering medication without prescriptions
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14a. Posts or Questions with complex, distressing content are likely to be edited to be locked to this community to ensure it is kept private within our community if this option has been overlooked. A message will be sent to advise you if this course of action has been taken.
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16 Moderators reserve the right to restrict a member's account or have a member removed from the community without notice
The FibroAction Complaints Policy sets out how complaints are handled. This policy can be accessed on this page:
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Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
How long do flare ups usually go on for?
Trying to connect with outside world 
Gastritis/ulcers/gastro problems.
A positive mummy of 2 with Fibromyalgia who like everyone has bad days but has also found ways to stay positive and get the better of pain!
Duloxetine 
