'The System'

[mikedthorpe]

Does anybody find like their injury makes you feel like you've fell out of 'the system'?

I have some great people in my corner, people from occupational and counselling especially, but I feel like I could be in a better place than I am.

1 year into recovery, which I understand is still early, I'm finding myself isolated. I naturally moved onto SSP straight away after injury, and I'm now on ESA. I have an assessment to see if I'm actually entitled to ESA in a few weeks. I previously had a PIP assessment, I scored zero. I can't drive because I've got seizure/memory issues along with the crazy cognitive changes. I'm not ok to work. I have an appointment with neurology soon regarding the suspected seizures.

I know there are ways to try and put things right and get what I am legitimately entitled to, I have an appointment with welfare rights soon, but I find the frustration of having to go 'the long way round' is detrimental to my health.

This is all without the added stresses from legal services. Being in the public gallery seeing your past friend on the stand while you're 6 months in to a new life, and the whole circus that surrounds such circumstances, is crazy.

I feel like I am more intelligent now and feel like I see things differently. Being able enough to take care of myself and provide myself with things to account for my new flaws seems to be a negative thing over all. Does this, and the frustration, ever end?

[Fyll]

17 months in and I'm still trying to adjust to / accept the new me, I really try to take things one day at a time but often it feels like 2 steps forward and three back.....I have been very fortunate in having my wife by my side who has been fantastic at dealing with all of the "official stuff" I now find so difficult, hang in there and don't give up

[sospan]

Sometimes the frustration eases but never really goes away, people talk about acceptance which you can do to a degree but for me 5 years on it is still pangs a bit about what I have lost.

I have found some strange attitudes from the disability adviser in the Jobcentre whom essentially said "don't worry about going back to work - ever!" to the doctors whom said I am about as good as I am going to get - and have more or less lost interest.

Although very highly qualified, no employer seems interested in taking me on.

At times you do feel invisible