Wednesday last week I got four missed calls on my mobile, OK I thought as I went through the people who may have called during the day as it was a 'No Number'. Any way I eventually answered it and it was a DR who wanted to come and do an assessment on me for the DLA. I thought brilliant something is happening; I've only waited three years.
Well he came round on Thursday evening. I had my carer with me, I had my meds near me, I had a file with all my medical letters in near me.
He came at 6.30, asked me a couple of questions, meds and consultants names. He then asked me to describe a normal day. I started to tell him how I have trouble getting out of bed and by the time I'd told him getting the bathroom and my incontinence... He then changed the subject and asked me to stand up and lift my arms and squeeze his hands, he did not carry on with my day.
He asked my disabilities - Fibromyalgia, polyarthralgia, polymyalgia, chronic fatigue, fibrous dysplasia, Achilles tendonitis (right leg), grade 3 chondromalacia of the patella of femoral joint (left leg) and reason I walk with crutches all the time, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic endometriosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and double incontinence. I was watching as he wrote down the first three then he crossed some out and didn't replace them with what I was saying. He then asked how far can I walk without pain, I said as soon as I stand up I am in pain, he asked again so I said it hurts in my shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, back, hips, knees ankles and feet, he asked again how far I could walk without pain again I said I am in pain as soon as.. He talked over me saying, two, three minutes? He then sat down got his bag put the papers in his bag and left.
The whole ordeal lasted 20 mins... Now its a waiting game again I know he will be the one who writes a report saying everything is fine and they will again say I am not eligible or don’t fit the criteria for mobility DLA.
I am praying to every God/Prophet I can think of as the mobility is deteriorating every day and I lose the battle to another illness or disability.
What do we have to do to get a little bit of help!!!!! Again another day in pain and wanting to give up but fighting a loosing battle.
Written by
Tibby3a
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Im angry and dismayed on your behalf but am I surprised at your treatment sadly no!!! Unfortunetly this type of assessment is the norm for people with disabilities. Since the governments drive to reduce its spending they have targeted the most vunerable sections if our society - the disabled, elderly, low income families etc and it has become a battle to apply for and receive benefits; which I might add most of us have contributed to at some point throughout our working lives.
The onus is now on the individual to prove their illnesses and the impact that their conditions have on their daily routine. Those of us with a hidden invisible condition are immediately on the backfoot with this objective because if you cant see, measure or quantify it then it doesnt excist!
Unfortunetly gp's medical officals, and Atos nobodies have been provided with a check list of sympons causes and effects and like your experience proves are only concerned with completing this checklist and do not deviate from the script. They refuse to use their eyes ears or own sense of judgement to examine and analyse the individual.
Unfortunetly your a satistic your medical history or life story is discounted by a busy overworked gp with limited knowledge of your condition lifestyle and personality who has to make a snap judgement based on a 20-60 min visit. I can see why your disheatened but plz dont give up hope take heart from others on here who have fought back and won their case there is a process of appeal open to you should the decision go against you and you will find very useful benefits info and advice which can be Accessed via the admin and which have helped others on here win their entitlement to additional monies and support which has made their lives a little easier. Hopefully you will be successful in your application and wont have to engage the Powers that be in battle but if so remember this site and your fibro family have your back
First thing I thought was 'I hope your carer was taking notes' and then thought 'I hope your carer is willing to stand up for you id necessary'. These Drs see it all as 'here comes another paycheck'. I am sorry I am so negative but Ireally do hope it goes well for you xxxxxx
If the decision goes against you, appeal it, and appeal again, these so-called doctors who do the examinations are a bunch of drones with no feeling or compassion of any kind. Their one and only objective is to dismiss as many people as they can to get the number of claimants down for the government, no more no less. So Appeal, Appeal, Appeal. and don't let them get to you. Take it to European court if you have to.
I had 4 appeals going before just to get my benefits and am prepared to go through the same again now with all these changes. I worked for years, paid my taxes and do not intend to let some little jobs-worth nobody tell me I can do anything I know I can't. I wish I could go back to work, in 2000 I was earning 25k + benefits so I would earn a hell of a lot more than that now and be much better off than I am struggling on the pittance they give me.
We all need to bug our MP's daily if necessary to get them to do something about this as the worry & stress of dealing with the drone's incompetence is causing us physical pain because of the worry & stress it's putting us under. I say we all get together & sue the government
Good luck with your results but if they aren't favourable, don't give up & don't stress, just appeal, go to the CAB the local MP and anyone else who will listen, the press if need be, get as many organisations on your side as you can & go kick some government butt
Hi all and thank you for your kind words. I am on my fourth appeal and it is soul destroying and is making me more ill than I was.
Since becoming ill I’ve read so much and DLA Entitlement conditions from the direct gov uk say DLA and AA provide a non-contributory, non-means tested, tax-free contribution towards the extra costs of severely disabled people. Payment is not affected by income or whether a person is in employment.
Yes I am in work because NO WORK = NO PAY so on days when I feel so exhausted and pain wrecked I am forced to go into work, yet if I got this meagre payment it would help more than I can think. Then I see people with the latest car, put their blue badge in the car and walk off leaving their car with no visible disabling conditions. Yes I fully understand invisible disabilities as I’ve got them, but I do have to wonder. I walk with two crutches, I walk slowly and with no skip or vigour in my step, yet this is what I’ve observed in so many people with blue badges.
As far as appealing, I get tired and suffer more stress every day as I hope to find ANY brown envelope in my post, but nothing since July 2012 but out of the blue this so called professional Dr appeared and did what I can only say was a joke yet he did it with the payment in his mind.
The DLA would go to heating my flat as my landlord won’t install central heating, so when we have a very cold snap like this one we are going through I have to go and sit in the library because as long as the library is open then I am warm.
I’ve had the CAB, GP and Consultant involved and yet am on my fourth appeal!!!!!!!!
I am fed up and very tired and nothing grants me solace or peace of mind.
IM IN THE SAME POSITION AS YOU. IM STILL WAITING FOR AN APPEAL FROM DEC 2011,AND HAVE JUST BEEN REFUSED DLA AGAIN. MY GPS REPORT HAS DONE MORE HARM THAN GOOD I THINK AS SHE IS UNWILLING TO ACCEPT THAT I CAN HARDLY WALK OR CARE FOR MYSELF PROPERLY.IM IN A TERRIBLE STATE AWAITING THIS APPEAL AND THE THOUGHT OF GOING TO THE " INTERROGATION" IS GIVING ME PANIC ATTACKS. I DONT THINK I COULD COPE WITH ALL THAT JUST TO BE REFUSED AGAIN
I HOPE YOU ARE AWARDED YOUR BENEFIT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
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yippeeee asked dla to look at my claim again and ive won
PIP decision 
Ive had my DLA medical today..thank goodness thats over!
another visit to Dr about my gallstones
THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL WITH DLA!
