I was assessed by a doctor in 1995 and granted Disability living Allowance for life due to my bilateral leg lymphoedema following major cancer surgery . . This helped me to be able to plan the rest of my life as I had to give up my career in 2000 due to the pain and the additional problems I had picking up every childhood ailment with my reduced immune system . I managed to get a different type of job where I could work part time and I could sit down but still have flexibility to move around - these are quite hard to find !! Since then I have developed arthritis in both hands , both knees and both hips . They wont operate as the Lymohoedema would make it very difficult for the wounds to heal and I have historic wound healing problems following the cancer surgery .
This year as I'm 64 years and seven months I've had to be reassessed and moved onto the new Personal Independence Payment . (People over 65 do not have to be reassessed ) .
I've undertaken the assessment , carried out in my own home and only been granted 10 points in the mobility section so cannot stay on the mobility scheme and my vehicle will have to go back . My care section has actually been raised much higher as my problems looking after myself have got much worse.
In the mobility section there are now two parts . One dealing with the problems of how you can manage to walk and the other dealing with how you can plan and follow a route . They have not contested my walking difficulties and accepted that I use a wheelchair for any distance walking . On the planning and following a route I was asked to remember three words , to count backwards from 100 and to spell the word world backwards . This proved to them apparently that I had cognitive ability and the fact that I could drive a mobility vehicle meant that I had cognitive function . Therefore they judged that I could plan and follow ANY route UNAIDED ( don't know who they think will push my chair) and therefore I've got 0 points in this section . As you need 12 points to be able to get the higher rate mobility pip payment and I only had 10 points my mobility vehicle would have to go back !! As a widow with no other transport and I can't use public transport on my own I will be therefore totally reliant on other people to help to ge me to hopsital appointments . Lymohoedema treatmenrs , shopping etc . I could understand this if this was based on a judgement that my mobility wasn't sufficient but to lose this facility because of my MENTAL ability seems absurd. I can appeal and intend to do so but my vehichle still has to go back . No one can tell you how long the appeal will take . They tell me I can purchase my car which will take all my life's savings but if the appeal is successful I will then have to sell it on and loose money or I would end up with two cars . I have even offered to personally pay the lease until the appeal is heard but this is not allowed . After losing my husband , my main carer , last year and struggling to try to rebuild my life this feels like a kick in the teeth . There appears to be no way round it if you have a little bit of intelligence . Pip is supposed to help disabled people access life's activities but it's doung just the opposite . If anyone is waiting for their Pip assessment then just be aware of this problem .
Lymphoedema Fashion
First Meeting with the lymphoedema and cellulitis nurse/Advisor .
Lymphoedema and rheumatoid arthritis 
Food for thought
