Re- Occurring frustration

[Dennydjhaz]

Today is the 15 year anniversary of my Brain injury. 15 years ago while crossing the road I was hit by a car, my survival chance was 1/100 due to the extent of my injuries. Fractured Skull ( which lead to the damaged brain), Punctured Lung, Fractured 3 vertebra, De-Gloving, Fractured Fibula & Tibia in right leg & M.R.S.A. Spent 8 months in hospital, 6 months of which were in the NRU Walton Liverpool. The reason behind my coming to the forum today is I started a new job 6 weeks ago and because of the complexity of this role my brain has not understood the job so I've handed my notice in.

After the accident I went back to work in the job I had prior to the this and carried on working there for another 10 years. I was then made redundant as the company had a big shake up, making a lot of redundancies. This was in 2011 & since then I have done a lot of temp work and tried a wide variety of non office based jobs.

This last job was working in the industry I was made redundant from so I was really looking forward to getting back to what I knew. I struggled to put down on paper what I was thinking and as the job was dealing with Compliance, what I thought I'd said wasn't always what was in writing and my work always had to be checked by my manager before it could be passed to clients.

When I was made redundant in 2011 I also had my disabled status revoked as DWP had concluded I was no longer considered Disabled; however because of this problem with my brain I do actually feel I have a disability. I can cope with all my scarring and am actually quite physically fit but I think my brain injury does class as a disability, especially if I've had to quit my job cos of it. Should I go see my GP about this and see if I can get help. BTW I've had every manner of therapy you could think of so I don't need that kind of help.

Thanks

Denise

[Mickdondan]

Yes definitely go see your GP. Learning new skills is one of many issues with ABI. So this is going to hinder you finding work. You can still carry on claiming PIP even if your working. If you got PIP then you could do part-time maybe? Also ring Headway helpline for advice they are the ones with all the knowledge.

[Dennydjhaz in reply to Mickdondan]

I’m not claiming PPI, l had any form of help taken from me in 2011. Thanks l’ll give Headways a call tomorrow & see if l can get in the Dr’s.

[cat3]

Denny, the DWP are clueless in understanding brain injury and the fact that it DOESN'T just get better ………….it's for life, and the lasting after-effects need care and management indefinitely.

Do phone Headway and ask for support in reinstating your benefit which you're absolutely entitled to. Best wishes, Cat...…

[Dennydjhaz in reply to cat3]

Thanks Cat, my husband has told me when l’ve had neurologists assessments in the past they always told him l don’t admit to how much my BI has affected me & believe l’m not in need of assistance. But now because of the problem l had trying to do this job l think l finally see how much it has affected me. I’m going to call Headway’s today, thanks for your help 👍🏼

[SillyPhil]

Jesus, I'm full of admiration for you battling on in the world of work. My accident was 20+ years ago and I've hardly worked since. Anxiety too high, cognitive problems (I can't adapt to change or organise, sort, prioritise, instigate action AND I get too irritated to be an effective employee. And I get far too much fatigue.) You really need to see Headway or CAB to make a case for PIP and any other benefits that you are entitled to. That'll give you breathing space to take stock and plan the rest of your life. I've taken DWP to Tribunal 3 times so far and won. It can be done but it's a job in itself. I wish you well.

[Dennydjhaz in reply to SillyPhil]

Thanks so much for your help & encouragement. See I can work but not take on the DWP, l appealed once & got knocked back as l’m too stupid to ask for help, l think l can take on anything without assistance. I take it as a compliment that people don’t see the BI side & got to admit l am proud of myself that people wouldn’t know unless l tell them & it usually comes as a shock to them when l explain the extent of what happened. I need to start acknowledging my BI & stop acting so strong, people with far less problems get a lot more help 🙄

[SillyPhil in reply to Dennydjhaz]

Yeah, all the time I get people saying 'But you seem OK.' Yes I can chat to people but my problems only show when I try to remember who it is I'm talking to, or what we discussed last time, or if I then go and try to achieve something. There seem to be all kinds of invisible barriers in my way. I write stuff to do on bits of paper but then I can't get around to actually getting it done...