hi, I’ve had fibromyalgia for many years, I try to hide it and do as much as I can.
But now I have to face the facts, I have to ask for help more and can do less and less.
Has anyone applied for PIP and a blue badge. I have to admit to myself now I need some support
Thank you
☺️
Hi Off7...I've just had my telephone assessment for PIP, lasted 90mins....I'm exhausted! Will have outcome in up to 8 weeks...🤦♀️
Update....money in bank today before I have letter. I can't work out the award so will have to wait for letter....🤔
Yes that us why I’m toying is exhausting just living without anything else x
Good luck with the outcome, my fingers are crossed for you
Got a text today saying I'd been awarded PIP, should receive a letter with amounts very soon, yay! Result 🤞
That’s great news
Have my blue badge without having claimed PIP. Filled in the form, was asked to attend the local town hall, had a chat with the occupational health advisor about how I cope in general and with shopping etc. She then walked me back through reception and watched me walk across to the car. Badge arrived in the post about a week later.
I am so happy that this was straight forward for you. Suffering daily. Mentally and physically makes every day a chore. Having to deal with additional time consuming tasks like this one on top of the daily stresses is another challenge in itself. Well done you for dealing with this and having a succesful outcome. All my love from one sufferer to another x
Hi Off7
It’s hard isn’t it. I’ve done the same as you for years and struggled on but last year I just had this sudden realisation of who am I kidding and sat down and applied for my Blue Badge…which is a godsend.
I already got PIP and have just had my 2nd review where they reduced the amount I was getting and I just didn’t have the energy to fight it. Quite ridiculous really when you think I used to be a CAB benefit caseworker and represent people at disability tribunals but it’s a bit different when it’s yourself plus I was aware that I could lose it all if I appealed.
When you fill your PIP form in dont under play any symptoms. Base it on your worst day. Do a diary if you can for at least 7 days and note every symptom and every little thing that you need to do to help your symptoms…e.g I have a gel pad for my burning feet when I’m in bed at night. It’s not the help you get, it’s the help you need. So you could say ‘ I need someone to massage my shoulders every night to alleviate the pain and stiffness I feel’. You don’t have to have anyone doing it but it would help if you did.
Also don’t forget to mention any side effects you get from medication as this all counts towards your illness and award of PIP. For instance, you could be on pain medication and this makes you sleepy so you would find it difficult to do certain things.
There’s one question on the form that always stumps people and it asks how far can you walk. What it means is how far can you walk without pain. Realistically on a bad day you’re in pain before you walk so it’s worth putting something along those lines. I put on a bad day I wouldn’t even walk.
I hope this helps.
Sending hugs.X
it’s very difficult
But thanks for the clarification on the walking question, I hurt soon as I get out of bed.
It’s awful is t it xx
I have autoimmune conditions plus fibro and I have PIP and a blue badge. It is easier to get the blue badge if you already have PIP apparently. I found the PIP process good and the telephone assessment fair and with empathy. If you don’t ask you don’t get
Morning you have to keep in mind it's not the conditions it is now they impact on your day to day life i.e do you need assistance with washing, cooking etcI would suggest you speak with an agency who can assist with applying and completing the forms
If you don't get PIP or Adult Disability Payment they are renaming it you can go to GP and If they agree your mobility is poor they can submit a letter (you may get a charge for this) and submit to your LA
hi off7 my ex wife has this condition suffers very badly she was awarded pip and did get a blue badge so fingers crossed for your application
Hi, I applied for a blue badge and was granted one within 10 days. I didn’t need an appointment as apparently it gets checked with the doctor that you do have fibromyalgia. Once the doctor confirms this the badge is authorised.
you are indeed fortunate your local authority is pro active - most insist on face to face on the first application along with documentation and some want to see PIP enhanced rate for mobility before awarding a blue badge. My late husband wasn’t granted one even though he had 2 heart attacks and terminal cancer and other medical conditions, yet I have one for arthritis fibro and diabetes. All down to the person overseeing the application I’m beginning to think.
Hi it is easier to get a blue badge (without council) if you already get pip. I have both. Don't hold back with pip explain day to day how every detail affects you. Can you walk if using an aid, how poorly you sleep, the pain, the fog, every symptoms you have which maybe Fibro or may lead to an extra diagnosis put it all down. Don't feel embarrassed put everything down, falls, dizziness, any meds even cbd if you use it. I buy it because my pip affords me to. List everything day to day that affects you such as numbness, loss of grip etc as when you fill out firms it's so easy to send off then think oh no I've forgotten to put that! The Blue Badge is a godsend for me only finally giving in to it late last year! I don't care if I have to pay for parking, it's the disabled space that's nearer to where I want to go that counts. I brought a cordless hoover with my award which helps me manage some hoovering! Tell them everything, every detail, so far I can only comment positively on the pip people, never had an issue 🤞with them.
Good Luck, be yourself X
Hi I had a blue badge then moved county just before the renewal . New county will not renew , appealed and then rang to ask why and the answer was “can you prove the hospital gave you the crutches and you didn’t buy them yourself”
yes I did and was awarded full pip and got blue badge
Hey beautiful being, I hope today is a low pain day, I have had fibr since 2005, been on pip since 2013, getting progressively worse year on year, my council will not give me a blue badge because I am young (45) I also have long COVID and possible COPD, can't walk with out a crutch for long periods as I broke my ankle last year and snapped my Achilles tendon, which misfires all the time, I was on crutches and puffing on my turbo inhaler and I had my daughter for support, I broke down as it was too much and still North Tyneside (yes I will name and shame as I know a lot of younger people with mobility issues, who's life would be made easier with a blue badge, and the council refuses to give them one) I hope your council is not as bad as mine xx PIP process on the other hand was amazing for fibromyalgia, on each of the 5 renewals, I have had a nurse who knew about fibro, my daughter had a health care professional for her ADHD and ASD on the day she had taken her meds as she had an exam, she looked at my daughter and said she needed no help, ignoring the files, drs notes etc. Good luck xx
I have just had mine with new conditions. There is a rubber stamp option which you can get if you have 10 points in the mobility part. It is always worth attempting, i got mine previously with fibro because the person in charge of them knew someone with fibro. My local authority takes a minimum of six weeks to do the application, so as soon as you get the evidence scan it and send it in to thm
Yes to the blue badge and it arrived without a problem. I'm just in the waiting period te my pip now.
hi sorry things have got bad for you yes I applied for blue badge and I got it and I also get pip I’m not on the high rate but some help is better than none I have been on it many years but only just applied for badge I hope this helps
Take care xxx
hi i got pip and blue badge and a bus pass aswell. I was the same for yrs but in 2015 i had to do something it taken me 4yr to get the pip but glad getin it al now taken stress from geting nothing
Yes to both blue badge and PIP .... I have been receiving PIP for the last 6 years or so and am currently awaiting a review (it was re-applied for in July 2023 and still I haven't received confirmation of renewal or otherwise). I'd urge you to not waste anytime and apply for PIP asap. It is taking so long for the applications to be processed. If you have any letters from you GP or Consultant to back up your claim for PIP then send them and when you complete the forms be totally honest (it's brutal however you need to explain how the condition, plus any others that you may have, affect your day to day living. It's important to also write about how your symptoms make you feel.)
I don't think you need to wait for PIP to apply for a blue badge. Again your local authority just request a form to be filled in (paper or online) and a fee to be paid when you apply - I paid £10.00. The fee is refunded if your application is refused. Again, back up your application with any paperwork from your GP or Consultant.
When I first applied for PIP, years ago, I asked my GP to write a letter explaining my condition and how it affects me ... I had to pay for this letter too.
Good luck and don't be shy about asking for help ... it's the best thing I've ever done to help myself. 🥰
There is lots of great advice here. I would add that a month before I applied, I started a diary and wrote down EVERY tiny little problem that I hit. . .... That ranged from needing help lifting my shopping bag into the car to not being able to lift my arms up to deal with hanging the washing ..... To not been able to use the tin opened through to how I struggle getting out of bed. EVERYTHING!! You may forget all the little things .....
I have both PiP and a Blue Badge
Hi
I have a blue badge which I got for arthritis before I got Pip, which I now hsve Fibro too. I don't get enhanced rate but am now crippled and do my best to still work as a nail technician, which doesn't help me at all but I have to work to pay my bills. I cry in pain..I get 8 injections every 6 months and and am permanently on pain killers all day, and pain patches. I sleep with an electric blanket every night for my back - even in summer! And have an electric throw to ease my muscles when sat in my rise and recline chair. At wrk I have a heated back pad whilst working. I do everything possible to ease my pain. Iv not reported iv now got fibro too which I suppose I should, but can I not just tell them at review as I can't afford fir anything to stop? My situation is worse than it ever was, but I got my blue badge straight away, and my Dr wrote me a supporting letter explaining I couldn't walk anymore than 50m without a walking aid. I now struggle walking 20m, and have a bay outside my house too. I also have keinbocks disease in my right wrist so cannot carry anything with my right hand, if i give up wrk i need a steel rod in my right wrist which stops any flexion at all which is why i will wrk till my wrist gives u best i can as then im totally utterly buggered!..if it wasn't for use of an electric file I couldn't even wrk anymore. You feel you have to beg sometimes, but if u need it, then apply as they won't give u anything if u don't ask. Folk get them fir much less and if you are young are ignorant to invisible disabilities too. Good luck and I hope you get it. X
Hi, I've been suffering for about 5 years, but I also have arthritis but after a load of tests etc was confirmed & diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue syndrome & IBS 2 years ago. Im already claiming PIP & have a blue badge, but I had an assessment recently & at the end of the conversation they said ' what you have told us matches with your GP records' so I believe they get medical records before assessment. Good luck xx
Hi Off7,
Yes I have DLA it’s the equivalent to PIP where you are due to fibromyalgia and I’ve also got a blue badge too, it’s lots of paper filling but get either crossroads care or someone with a good position even citizen advice bureau to help go through it and help fill it out, I know a lot of people who have done have got PIP rather than just filling it out themselves. Hope this helps ☺️
Hi
I have been considering applying for pip , it seems to me that you have to be very careful how you answer the questions on the form . There are many organisations that will help you to fill in the form CAB are probably the best people to get in touch with. As a lot of other companies charge money for their services. The only advice that has been clear is you should answer all the questions as though it is your worst day. I know none of us like to make a fuss. But that won’t get you the help that you need.
Hi Off7, Welcome to our Fibro family,
Please stop trying to hide your Fibro, Quite Frankly I found it harder to pretend I was well, It does no one any good,
Next time you go to docs try to pick up some leaflets if they have any, You can then leave them at vital points where your family and friends will see it or you can just give them when they, or you are leaving, It's not a lazy syndrome, It's a life sucking syndrome, You have accepted that you need help,So your on the ladder,
As for PIP you don't have to be receiving to get a blue badge, If you feel you can claim PIP do so, It can be a pain in the royal butt, I personally think It depends on how your acessors day has been deflects on how their day is going,which in turn depends on what they write down, Try to have someone with you,
There are a lot of people who have claimed and got PIP, It can be a stressful process and I would book some time at your nearest CAB, If you need more time to fill out the forms and get advice, Ask for it, I would only spend 30 mins before I would just have complete brain fog, So I got help from my carers center,
PIP is not means tested and can open a few doors for you, I thought when I could no longer work,If I claimed any benefits I'd be turned down,I paid my taxes and National insurance, whilst working so I felt I had to ask for help, I'm glad I did,
You have to ask because you'll not be told, I digress,
I also get free tax on my van, which turned out to be a godsend that's if you get enhanced and 50% if you don't get enhanced,.
I hope you get the help you need and try not to get the better of you,
Take care
Debs🙂
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