... so I may start a book on how much sleep I don't get tonight! My brain is telling me I'm relaxed but my stomach has butterflies already and I can't eat tonight as feel sick with it.
And as it's not until 3pm I'm starting another book on how many times I need the bathroom tomorrow morning (sorry lol). Any relaxation tips to calm my stomach down much appreciated - no matter how calm I keep my head my body just refuses to listen!
Sorry, can't give any advice but good luck, hope it goes your way
Good luck with it. I'll be in the same boat next Sunday! Deep breaths. Try relaxation sites on you tube. May help a little. x
Good luck Midford, hope you get the right result. There's lots of meditations online for relaxation. X
One tip only answer the questions they ask you, don't volunteer extra information that is not necessary to the question.
When we get nervous we go overboard with information that can sometimes make things bad. Take someone with you, they can make notes and be there for support.
Good luck, let us know how it goes and what happens in the future.
Thanks. I was talking about this with the CAB yesterday - she told me to try and stay detached and unemotional and definitely don't bring up that the assessor lied but tell them I feel that the report doesn't truly reflect the complexities of my illnesses. She said similar as in stick to facts and try not to waste time going off at a tangent which leaves me without time to explain stuff that needs to be covered. I've noticed that they didn't even get the dates right on my mandatory reconsideration - she told me to make sure I briefly mention it to them but not go to town on how incompetent the dwp have been as the tribunal will reach that conclusion on their own, that kind of thing. I also need to be more aware of what I'm doing - people offer to get the door for me and I instantly say no I'm fine thank you and hold it with my crutches as I don't like being a nuisance - I need to not do that!
Thanks Mifford for your reply.
Sounds like CAB have been very helpful, good information, no moaning it doesn't go down well, they don't like that as all civil servants. Write down any short comments down so you are prepared and may at the end say, I have a couple of BRIEF questions/ points and keep to the point. Dress smartly sometimes this helps get you into a business mood, rather than super casual. Accept all help, they make notes about all sort of things that you would think about it and do a great performance.
Good luck
Relax with some aromatherapy oils, rubbed into your hands then breathe, good luck with the tribunial
Funnily enough I slept really well - didn't get to bed until fine midnight and was so tired from it all I just crashed out. Stomach is bad this morning but the rest of me feels calm. Started my day with my very big 10 month old lab puppy cracking his flipping rock solid head and his 36kg body into the top of my head and making me see stars ... I hope it's not a sign of how today's going to go!!
Thanks for the support everyone - tribunal not until 3 so CAB warned me I may not get an answer today as I'm likely to be last in but will try and update later when I get home.
Good luck, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about.
Wishing you Good Luck, I'm just doing the forms to send off for mine, I did contact my mp who is writing a letter for me to go with them. I hope you get a good result will be thinking of you.
If you haven't already I would suggest getting help from the CAB or welfare officer with the appeal forms. The CAB did mine as we don't seem to have a welfare officer here. They didn't really offer me anything I didn't already know (I work as a tax consultant so although I've never done one I'm used to how the tribunals work and dealing with paperwork etc) but they did help change my mindset and help me detach slightly. My responses were far too emotional and long and I think it worked against me to some degree. The CAB response was far more clinical and dealt with the facts only without all the emotion involved and it helped me put everything into context as well
The tribunal centre just rang to say the judge had indicated they will be able to see me earlier if I can get there by 2.30. Proved to be very helpful as they hadn't been told about the photosensitivity so will now make sure that reception are aware of the need to turn lights off for me etc. Plus I could clarify if there was anything else I needed to bring and ask how many copies they need for each of them and double check the shortest entry point to walk to the location etc. Plus I now have a direct name and number to reception so that when I'm standing with my back to the place unable to find it they can tell me to turn round when I ring them to say I'm lost (wouldn't be the first time!) lol
Good luck
Best of luck! You were a great support to me during my PIP battles. I'm sending lots of positive thoughts your way.
Have you still decided not to take your case any further? Funnily enough your situation helped with my determination to be heard - it's wrong that they bully you out of getting help and it made me so angry. I understand your decision as each of us have to assess our own strength to fight and I'm surprised at how stressful I've found this when I deal with the authorities like this every day with work so am better prepared for the process than most! I'm hoping I can at least come back with good reports to give us all some hope that not everyone sees us as parasites and frauds. Hope you are getting some relief from the stress of it all now xx
Good luck although it shouldn't be down to luck. Big deep breathes. And I agree with whats been said. Don't offer info. Just answer straight. Don't be a hero. Tell it like it is.
sorry a bit late in the day but for the future i use quiet life tablets . they calm me down and stop that nervous gut felling the are herbal i cant function without them when stressed , better to take than the doctors hard core stuff
hope it went well- been there -could right a book on all this crap that they make us go through
by the time i got to tribunal stage i was so fed up with it all i was not even slighly nervous unusual for me .but i was determined to win what i should have had all along .
answer all questions truefully and explain that i was in constant pain which was wrecking my life but i battled all the way for ever step of the benifits system and was treated like i was invisable and dumb shouldhave got dla 10 years before .its all design to make you give up so good for you hope it was a positive end . pgp
Sorry I missed this post, and you are probably there as I write. Hoping all the best for you
Tribunal for PIP
2nd PIP Tribunal on Wednesday 
