Just been for my Atos "medical" in Lincoln, 1 hour 40 min bus trip and 20 min walk to the assessment centre, was in terrible pain with newly diagnosed blood pressure, arthritis in knees and hips, on top of Fibro, eye disease and random other, had a crap night sleep (no surprise there folks) and couldn't take strong painkillers or i would never have got there.
A nurse (thought it should have been a doctor!!!) was doing all the usual stuff although was very concerned i was in so much pain, said she could see it in my face, when it came to do blood pressure it was so dangerously high she stopped the medical, said she would not inflict more pain on me by doing the physical exam and ordered a taxi to take me straight home. Have got the blood pressure readings to take to my doctors today.
Off i limp, am really worried now and just hope it's down to stress and pain.
thoughts to all, take care
Jan H xxxx
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oh dear jan, i hope you are resting now? but in one sad way you might have done yourself a favour with ATOS being in such a state has shown them how ill you are ... I know its a terrible way to have to end up just to get to the medical and i feel for you as i know how damned hard it is to get through them, i was so ill during my medical and although its no guarentee, and after such a long battle i won appeal. So i do wish you all the luck and although you shouldn't put yourself through such a journey, i hope it does pay off.
hi poppy, many thanks, have been resting but was not very well last night, was all a bit of a shock i must say. Went to the docs had more pressure taken and as i've just started meds got to monitor own pressure for 10 days with a monitor. Seems to be going down slowly which is encouraging.
Will be very interested to see what nurse said!! So your fibro is just general aches and pains then???!!!!! Errr rather more than that love. As i began to tell her how it affected me i wondered what exactly she heard as she tapped away on the pc!!! She also asked me several questions relevant to the last medical and the form i filled in from that...did make me slightly suspicious if she'd actually got the recently filled in one. I also said since i filled the form in in May i've got a diagnosis of high blood pressure and arthritis in my knees and hips, and thickening of the ligaments. Never got round to anymore on that subject as she went to get pressure monitor.
Reading was 199/121 with resting heart at 115, must say she was very concerned and immediately said i could not travel back on the bus and ordered me a taxi which Atos paid for....well strike one to me then lol.
Appreciate what you say that it might have done some good..will update as and when.
The nurse said she would do her report but the final decision was done by a different body...soooo just got to await letter. Be very interesting i can tell you. Only part of medical done and sent home as i was so ill, wonder what they;ll make of that.
No one should have to go through the indignity of some of these medicals.
it did me a great favour thank you, just put a post on here, Update, win win win.
so no appeal to go through,
thanks for you support, hope i can do the same for others
Jan xxx
I was told for these medicals i could have them come to me, as some people manage it. I am not that lucky and like you have a bs journey and a walk to get to mine. By the time i get there i am in agonies.
Luckily i was so bad she recognised this and at least i got my benefits ok.
Hi Kialaya, many thanks for your post, it is encouraging to see others have problems,(in the nicest possible way :-0xx) I know it's not just me but it seemed so at the time. Am sure it was sitting on the bus and being jolted about for hour and half that started made it far far worse. felt really hot, sick and lightheaded when i got there. i had a terrible night sleep was in pain anyway so just adding fuel to the fire really.
It does make me so cross that people are subject to this treatment, why not make the centres where the medicals are nearer, this was a good 20 min walk away!!!I know some have home medicals but am sure they must be virtually bedridden...get to the centres at any cost or you know the penalty.
got a blood pressure monitor and it seems to be going down slowly, so a bit more rest and hope that's it. Really am sure it was massive stress due to terrible pain.
Hi i am new to this forum,but thought i would tell you my story.I have all the aches and pains that comes with fibro,also irritable bowel which comes with the fibro.Very bad nights sleeping wake everytime i turn over also the muscle twitches.I also have an under active thyroid diabetes/sacro ilia disfunction/problems with the lower discs in the spine.I had the Atos doctor visit my home he was very clued up on fibro and said he new how painful it was,he also seemed very sympathetic.Today i found out i am not entitled to DLA.So frustrated but i will appeal.
Hi Carol, Firstly let me say hello and welcome to this forum, you're certainly among friends here,we can have a chuckle, a moan or get info and advice. , and EVERYONE knows how you feel.
Re Atos, stabbed in the back every time with these medicals they don't give A......Tos, no excuse for the pun. :-} . The nurse who did mine was very nice but i really will be interested in the result. Can see an appeal coming on. more hassle and stress.
Make sure you ask for all the information from them, you're entitled to see what they put as far as i believe, someone here will help if you need to know anything.
I had a medical in June 2010, refused as per normal, and went to Citizens Advice to get help with appeal. Appeal date was in July 2011...no rush then!!!!, won the appeal, got backpay sorted and thought phew that's that, no more stress. then blow me got a letter in April to say i had to attend a medical....air was blue to say the least!!!,
It is very very frustrating so good luck and keep us posted on progress.
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me.From reading comments here i am among friends and it's nice to talk to people that suffer the same problems as me.Why if you won your appeal in July do they want you to have another medical now !And yes lynnh he was sympathetic to my face but would be interested in what he wrote in his report.I am certainly going to appeal against this.I will keep you informed with what happens.
Hi boxter, you're welcome. Hmmmmmmm, now you've made me think, will be asking a few questions on that matter, didn't really think about it like that i was so cross.
Be in touch with updates as and when. might sent site into meltdown though!!!!
I rang the DLA today to say i didn't agree to their decision they are going to send me the report from the doctor that carried out my home medical.The lady said to go over it and if there were things i disagreed with to get in touch let them know and a different decision maker would look at it again.Then you can appeal if you don't agree again.It's all time consuming but i can wait.
Hi Carol, just more wretched aggravation though for us and hundreds on here, been there done that but am well prepared to have another go. Am really wondering what will be said given the circumstances. Patience and time are in abundance if justice is to be done.
Given that the dhss/dwp or whatever they are called now!!, are supposed to recognise this as a very disabilitating condition that will not improve..what on earth are they asking people repeatedly to go to medicals for?? This is not a one size fits all system as they would like it to be.
I await with dreaded anticipation the brown envelope.
Good luck with reading your "work of fiction"..oh sorry ..report.:-}, i'm sure it will be very interesting, and also to see why the decision maker came to the decision they did.
Last time, about 18 months ago i think i went to Cit Adv, the lady there who only did appeals (says something) said they changed the benefit name (that's all it was really) from income support to esa i think caused such havoc and they didn't have the staff to cope, typical ill thought out plan then!!, everyone was being turned down to give them breathing space. hmmm makes you wonder what all this costs and what the appeals cost.
ooops made a word up there, but it sounds like it should be a word lol, disabilitating...should be debilitating or disabling...slight brain malfunction..brain cells evacuating the premisis at speed as i prefer to say lol.
I love the word disabilitating ! cos that's how i feel lol.Yes we will press on.Like you say we have the patience and time.Waiting for that brown envelope is awful i say someone said if it's thick it's good news if it's thin it bad news.I will let you know how i get on with my work of fiction HA HA.Anything interesting will be posted on here !
hi Carole, haha have my moments. Will keep an eye out for an envelope that looks as if it's been on a diet. Just got to wait and see is all we can do. hahaha they really are a work of fiction, just wonder hgow they can transpose things soooooo much, talk about lost in translation lol
I thought you and others on this forum would be interested to know that in today's Daily Mirror there is an article on page 8 where the boss of Atos a french firm was given a bumper payout of £1.9 million pounds.It comes as David Cameron draws up draconion new welfare cuts.Atos was brought in to reassess 2.5 million people on incapacity benefit.It says the Atos chief's latest payment comes on top of wages and perks totalling £1.83 million in 2010.The appeal system costs taxpayers tens of millions of pounds to administer.Labour MP Tom Greatrex says Mr Bretons bonus will sicken those put through the reassessment ordeal.Try and get hold of a copy of the paper or read online it makes for interesting reading.After reading this report i am off to Vomit.
Hi Carol, WELL!!! why does this scullduggery not surprise me, I've read somewhere that A...tos are paid over £100million a year to administer this stupid medical farce, and are paid £80 for each person they deem "fit for work", so you can see where their allegiance lies. spitting and feathers here. Surely the money wasted on paying this money grabbing company (French i think) could be better spent actually helping the people that so desperatley need it. Will try and read online...whilst sitting down with smelling salts, can see i'll be incandescent and blood preressure will go toxic again lol.
Have you made this a blog in it's own right, a lot will want to read it.
I have made this blog in it's own right lets see if i have put the Cat among the Pidgeons it was put under £1m Bonus for axing Benefits.Lets see what happens.
That sounds so typical Carol, so sympathetic to your face then put a pack of lies on your report. It will be very interesting to hear how you get on Jan, you had such an ordeal but hope it works in your favour. Keep us informed x
Hi lynnh, yes they seem to lull you into a false sense of security then whoosh, they stab you right in the back.
i was told by the nurse that she would send in her report and a different body would make the decision. Wish i'd have asked who that would be, didn't think at the time was soooo stressed.
Am not getting my hopes up at all after reading posts on here and previous experience 2 years ago.
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