Telephone PIP assessment tomorrow

[misspicky82]

Hey Fibro family 👋🏼

Hope everyone is doing as well as can be 😊 and for those who are having a bad day, I'm sending lots of hugs to you all 🤗🤗🤗🤗

So I have my telephone PIP assessment tomorrow afternoon and I'm filled with so much anxiety about it! I'm not good at talking to people about my health, especially people I don't know. I get upset everytime I talk about my difficulties 😢

And this has made me even more nervous - I've been doing some research on what kind of questions are asked on telephone assessments and I came across an article that said telephone assessments are mainly used for those with mental health issues as they don't need to see how your physical health affects you.

Now after reading that, it's making me think they are only going off my mental health and are not so much bothered about the details I put in my form about how my pain affects my physical abilities.

So my questions for you lovely people on here who have gone thru the PIP process for Fibromyalgia are:

**has anyone else had just a telephone assessment and did they ask you about your physical abilities still?

**And how did you find the assessment? Is it quite daunting or are they good with you?

**And any other tips for the PIP assessment would be much appreciated 🙏🏼

My claim is for differing conditions that affect my daily life, T1 Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, lumbar spondylitis and anxiety and depression. Unfortunately I couldn't get any professional help with my form so I filled it in myself, and looking back over what I sent, I don't know if I've been very clear and used the correct terminology to show how often I struggle with the asked activities so I need to make sure I tell them everything in this phone call, paint the full picture as they say.

I'm so nervous today, God knows what I'll be like tomorrow 😫 I also have another assessment to get onto an insulin pump tomorrow too, I've been waiting 2 years for this so I hope I don't mess that up! 41 years of multiple injections everyday has taken its toll on my body and to have an insulin pump fitted instead would be a much welcomed break from multiple daily injections 🤞🏼🤞🏼

I thankyou all in advance for your replies ☺️

Angela 😇 xxx

[Purple_Badgers]

Hi, I had a telephone assessment and was awarded PIP.

They asked about everything, same as the forms do, including physical, mental and social difficulties, how they affect everyday tasks and how much help you need etc

I was horribly nervous beforehand too, but so much better when it was over. It didn’t last too long either, maybe 45 mins, but I realise every assessment will be different.

I made sure to have a copy of my forms with me, plus pen & paper. For comfort I suggest a glass of water and a box of tissues too.

My assessor was female, calm, soothing, sympathetic and patient. When I got upset or lost my train of thought, she just said it was ok, take my time, take a deep breath.

She was more than willing to repeat things or explain further if I didn’t quite understand. She was also helpful when the questions were about estimating distances that I was able to walk - I am awful at that sort of thing - so she explained it in terms of bus-lengths and other things that were easy to visualise!

So, try not to be embarrassed if you get upset or confused. It must happen all the time, as they’re dealing with very personal and emotional issues, not to mention the stress we all feel when money problems are involved as well. (If anything, I think it reinforces the fact that you’re not coping as well as you might and need support…)

Let them take the lead, but also be prepared to speak up, request a pause and clarification if you’re unsure of anything. It’s their job to ensure that they get a full picture from you, so they must ask the right questions, in a way that you understand, to give you the best chance of a fair outcome.

Remember that even if you think it went badly, like a big exam or something, it probably wasn’t as bad as you think. And if it turns out not to be the outcome that you think it should be, there is a process for appealing the decision that seems to be well worth putting yourself through. (Perhaps someone else on here can add their positive experience of this process?)

Good luck with all of it xxx

[misspicky82 in reply to Purple_Badgers]

Thank you so much for your reply Purple_Badgers 😊

Your comment has replaced me a lot. I know I'm going to get upset, I cry my eyes out at every health appointment when that dreaded question comes "so how are you" it sets me off big time! Mind you, that was pre-diagnosis as I didn't know why the hell I was feeling so unwell all the time but getting nowhere with the doctors!

I'm a little better talking about it now that I understand what I've got, I actually got 3 new diagnoses after changing GPs and got an answer about issues with my back and hand which I had been struggling with for 15 years! Yet no previous GP bothered to send me for an xray. I'm so glad I changed GPs.

I have 3 appointments tomorrow, the PIP one being the last one so I'm a little worried I won't have time to go over everything just before my assessment as the appointment before it is only 2 hours prior and I've got to travel in that time. I'm trying to get everything together today but I'm also preparing for my insulin pump assessment too so busy day today. I suppose it doesn't give me time to stress about it tomorrow so that could be a good thing and I can guarantee I'll be tired during the PIP assessment.

Do you know roughly how long they take to make a decision after your assessment? I've had some medication changes since I sent my form in so I'm guessing I'll need to send another repeat script into them.

Thankyou again for your reply, it's really helped with my nerves 🙂

Angela

[Purple_Badgers in reply to misspicky82]

Crikey! I’m exhausted just thinking about 3 things happening in the same day. I would have been tempted to postpone at least one of them…

But so often you have to take what you can get, as the stress of re-arranging an appointment and then having to wait longer is probably worse than just getting it all over and done with on one day.

I think they came back in just a couple of weeks for me, so I hope they can turn it round just as quickly for you.

I am so glad to be of some help to someone xxx

[misspicky82 in reply to Purple_Badgers]

I really hope so, I'm absolutely desperate for some money, my car needs MOT and work needs doing on it to pass, my girls gymnastics fees are well overdue and they've been mitering me about it a lot this week. If I don't pay them soon, she'll lose her place 😢 it's that bad at the moment. Just been told yesterday that my rent is going up again from September and I'm already claiming housing but the LHA is nowhere near enough for my private rent charges, however, the rent he charges me is alot less than other 3 bed semis in this area, so I have to appreciate he's still keeping it low in comparison of what he could be charging. There's just days where I feel like I'm never going to get out of this finacial mess I'm in. Since being out of work, I've gone thru all the money I had set aside in my savings so now I've no safety net at all. I really wish I could go back to work but I'm in no fit state to, especially when I'm trialling new medications, but I do really miss my job, I worked so hard to get into that profession and I'm grieving the loss of it now. I've found that the hardest part to accept. I pushed thru for a year before I had to stop bcoz I just couldn't do it any longer and I wasn't practicing in a safe manner.

I just wish my dad was still here, he would have supported me, he'd never have seen me struggling 😢 mum...... well that's another story, no chance of any help from her, yet she expects the earth from me. I know she resents me for getting diabetes at such a young age, 16 months old. She also likes to often remind me of the fact that she had difficulties bcoz of the birth of me.

So yes, PIP is my only hope left. I honestly don't know what the future will hold for me if I don't get it...I think that's why I'm so nervous about it.

And yes, I wish I could have rescheduled my appointments but I already had a consultation booked in for tomorrow morning with my psychologist, then came the PIP date, then I gets a phone call inviting me for the insulin pump assessment and I've been waiting 2 years for that so there was no way I was going to not accept that, not after all that time of waiting. So it is what it is and I'll just have to push thru as best as I can. I could maybe reschedule my appointment with my psychologist in the morning as at the start of her call, she always asks how I'm feeling and am I feeling up to the session, so I could reschedule that, I just don't like doing it as we have appointments booked in for every 2 weeks so it will mess up the dates unless I just miss this week and wait another 2 weeks. I did want to talk to her though about some things I've been struggling with, but is it worth losing that preparation time for 2 assessments that are both really important for my future? 🤔

Thank you kindly again for your advice, it really has helped to calm me ❤️🤗

[Purple_Badgers]

You’re so welcome x

I used to joke about winning the lotto or having a rich husband and not having to work. But being unable to work sucks. I’ve got a hard working partner who keeps the bills paid, but we’ve just been pounded with several huge bills at once and don’t quite know how we’re going to deal with them. Just when we thought we were getting somewhere and paying down debts etc, we get dragged down again.

The guilt of being unwell and fearing that you’re a burden is terrible…I have to remind myself that I didn’t choose to be unwell, and that if roles were reversed I wouldn’t want my partner to beat himself up about being unable to work. It could happen to anyone, anytime…

Anyway, let’s keep plodding on! And yes, I think rescheduling the psychologist is probably a good idea. Slightly less time pressure on you, bit of breathing space x

[misspicky82 in reply to Purple_Badgers]

I agree, that feeling of being a burden is such a horrible feeling isn't it 😢 but like you say, if roles were reversed you would do the same ❤️ I've decided I'm going to tell my psychologist to just cancel our morning appointment, feel a bit bad letting her down at short notice but I do need that time. I've been doing a refresher course today about counting carbohydrates, which I know how to do but if I can at least show that I've done a refresher as some things have actually changed, then that should show I'm willing to keep up to date. Then in the morning I'll make sure I've got a good amount of information on my blood sensor app to show I'm doing what's needed to prove I'm injecting the correct amounts then there should be no reason why I'm not put onto the training for the insulin pump. There's so much training still to do, I hope I will be able to get thru it given the issue of brain fog 😬 but it still be so good to not have to do multiple injections every day, it'll be a big burden off me!! And then PIP prep, I have to get that right tomorrow, I'm desperate and I just hope I get someone understanding and relaxed. And not someone who tries to trip me up at every opportunity they get!

I'm so tired now, just a bit more to go and I'm off to sleep, the Amitriptyline has kicked in and my eyes are closing 😴 xx