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Suggestions please: what to show/tell my GP

I see my GP tomorrow and will ask her to write something for my PIP claim. I don't know how well-versed she is in the whole DWP thing, so I may have to talk her through the approach that's needed.
I wanted to make bullet points based on the questions and descriptors, which if I do it well, she can just put her name to and save time composing a letter (or base a letter on if she prefers). I haven't been able to gather my thoughts to produce a nice clear list in time for this appointment. I'll have the list with me but for now it's some scribbled pages - I was making a note against every question, the next step is extracting the main points into bullet points, but I've only done the first few questions so far.
She's popular with patients and I had to book 5 weeks ahead for this appointment, which was before I knew I was going for PIP, so she isn't expecting to give this any time and I wasn't able to make it a double appointment. I want to be as concise and coherent as possible! So I need to make bullet points for *myself*, just to put it across clearly without spending an hour getting to the point. (I used to be so logical and efficient but it takes a lot of preparation now.) I'm aware that she probably doesn't really know what information will help and what they won't count.
Last time, they completely ignored what my diabetic nurse put in her letter. It was the only extra I sent for the mandatory reconsideration, and I didn't get a single extra point. That's why I want to prepare my health professionals this time, rather than just asking them to "write something".
So far I'm going to take:
- a summary of how often I forget my tablets, forget my insulin, miscalculate my insulin, and am not strong enough to deal with the insulin pump when needed.
(I did a 10-day diary and I was shocked when I counted up how often it is! I'm not making it up after all!!)
- a 24-hour Typical Day from this week, which I hope she'll have time to do more than scan-read.
(It reads very "disabled"! I had no idea. Usually I enjoy the feeling during my "good hours" and simply don't look at the clock during rest and so on, and I never focus on pain until it floors me so I go about thinking I'm pretty well most of the time. My "pretty well" really isn't. Yet I'm far better than three years ago when they turned me down for PIP.)
Anything else, you think? I must not lose months to renewing PIP every other year, I really need to get an award for as long as possible so I want this claim to be as strong as I can make it. (I was on indefinite DLA.) And I think going to appeal will put me in hospital so I probably won't do that (without advocacy, which there isn't in this area). I need to move house urgently - which I'm barely up to but the house is going to need big repairs soon. Each time I engage with the DWP, it puts moving back by months if not years. I already backed out of a huge trading standards case where the other guy hadn't got a leg to stand on, because I didn't have the capacity to undertake it and there's a couple of similar "admin projects" that I can't begin until finished doing PIP... I have to do this right!
Sorry this is long. I put it in my sig - I really struggle to condense things! Thanks for reading.
I wanted to make bullet points based on the questions and descriptors, which if I do it well, she can just put her name to and save time composing a letter (or base a letter on if she prefers). I haven't been able to gather my thoughts to produce a nice clear list in time for this appointment. I'll have the list with me but for now it's some scribbled pages - I was making a note against every question, the next step is extracting the main points into bullet points, but I've only done the first few questions so far.
She's popular with patients and I had to book 5 weeks ahead for this appointment, which was before I knew I was going for PIP, so she isn't expecting to give this any time and I wasn't able to make it a double appointment. I want to be as concise and coherent as possible! So I need to make bullet points for *myself*, just to put it across clearly without spending an hour getting to the point. (I used to be so logical and efficient but it takes a lot of preparation now.) I'm aware that she probably doesn't really know what information will help and what they won't count.
Last time, they completely ignored what my diabetic nurse put in her letter. It was the only extra I sent for the mandatory reconsideration, and I didn't get a single extra point. That's why I want to prepare my health professionals this time, rather than just asking them to "write something".
So far I'm going to take:
- a summary of how often I forget my tablets, forget my insulin, miscalculate my insulin, and am not strong enough to deal with the insulin pump when needed.
(I did a 10-day diary and I was shocked when I counted up how often it is! I'm not making it up after all!!)
- a 24-hour Typical Day from this week, which I hope she'll have time to do more than scan-read.
(It reads very "disabled"! I had no idea. Usually I enjoy the feeling during my "good hours" and simply don't look at the clock during rest and so on, and I never focus on pain until it floors me so I go about thinking I'm pretty well most of the time. My "pretty well" really isn't. Yet I'm far better than three years ago when they turned me down for PIP.)
Anything else, you think? I must not lose months to renewing PIP every other year, I really need to get an award for as long as possible so I want this claim to be as strong as I can make it. (I was on indefinite DLA.) And I think going to appeal will put me in hospital so I probably won't do that (without advocacy, which there isn't in this area). I need to move house urgently - which I'm barely up to but the house is going to need big repairs soon. Each time I engage with the DWP, it puts moving back by months if not years. I already backed out of a huge trading standards case where the other guy hadn't got a leg to stand on, because I didn't have the capacity to undertake it and there's a couple of similar "admin projects" that I can't begin until finished doing PIP... I have to do this right!
Sorry this is long. I put it in my sig - I really struggle to condense things! Thanks for reading.
"I'm sorry that this was such a long letter, but I didn't have time to write you a short one." - Blaise Pascal
Replies
Could you not add this to your application yourself, rather than asking your GP to do it?
If you search through the forum you'll see that there are posts about the value, or not, of GP's letters.
My opinion, which others will disagree with, is that if you ask your GP to send a summary of what you have just told him/her then it doesn't add much - you may as well tell them yourself so that it's straight from the horse's mouth...
Good luck...
I did just talk it through last time, wth my diabetes nurse, and she wrote a decent letter for me but they completely ignored it.
I still need to explain to my GP, because i need her to write a letter to show the solicitors saying I'm not well enough to go to tribunal. But perhaps I can see her again for that - no point until I've put the initial claim in.
Thanks @poppy123456. It's good that I asked and saw this before mentioning it to my GP!
> Could you not add this to your application yourself, rather than asking your GP to do it?
This is my opinion and others may disagree but going to your GP with a list of everything that affects you and asking them to write a letter based on all of that will very likely be seen as a patient lead letter.
That's a valuable thought that wouldn't have occurred to me, thank you.
Starting another claim and using the same evidence constantly, will most likely see you being refused each time you re-apply.
The last time was a few years ago - I gave up completely, but now I'm forced to try again. Against my will.
I hope this helps, good luck.
Thank you
It's really difficult to calculate what % of the time things affect me and it's almost worthless to say what happened last time. For example, it feels like I'm fine to go to a social meeting that happens late morning. It feels like I'm fine to go every week. But after two months, my health is noticeably worse. Therefore I don't sign up for anything that happens weekly (things I'd love to, like a local art group). I have no idea how to explain that in simple terms except to say "am unable to". If I described what happened the last time I tried - for example, I made an effort to attend the AGM of something even though I can't take part regularly, and I was fine because it was a one-off. I was even better than average, because the "excitement" pepped me up. I myself can't tell whether it left me more exhausted the next few days - it wouldn't necessarily be the next day. By the time I've done something else, like cooking properly (less than once a week) or showering or taking an unexpected long phone call, who knows whether it was Monday's outing that gave me a flare-up on Thursday?
I also don't tend to fall over or burn things by forgetting I left the hob on, and so on, because I triple-check what I do all the time and I'm super careful on the stairs. When I'm likely to stumble, I avoid being at the top of the stairs or else I slow down far more than I think I need to. So the track record looks fairly ok. I can't measure how much attention I give to staying ok.
But I have a good idea of how to word things... Just keeping the diary made me realise more. I don't think of the reacher-grabber or the long-handled stool as an "aid or appliance", but I remembered it's worth mentioning them. During the day, if I didn't use them, I'd be in a heck of a lot more pain and I'd get tired out and have to give up for the day an hour or so earlier. Some of it is just about looking at it that way.
This is one reason I hate having to do it. I've been happily not seeing myself as ill, and now suddenly I can't avoid seeing how limited I am.
I hope your appointment goes well today!
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My GP said something that rocked me back on my heels - as I was about to leave, she asked me to see her more often. I rarely go in (like most chronic patients). I said this - I don't even tend to get colds - but she just likes to know her patients.
I've never known a doctor who wanted *more* people queuing in the waiting room! And over the years I must say I get my money's worth out of the NHS so I'm not used to them wanting to spend more on me!!
We did talk about PIP a bit, I told her how often I forgot/miscalculated my insulin etc, how much of a "typical day" I spend resting and so on - didn't take anything on paper. When she gets contacted she always calls the patient to ask if they want to go in to go through it, so that's good. Also she hasn't been contacted for ages, which fits with what I hear about the DWP contacting doctors less (I think it was poppy123456 said that).
Mainly I was there for the blood results though.
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I am expecting DWP on Thursday for my f2f assessment.
They have made and cancelled 2 previous appointments, which got me so wound up it was soul destroying. If they cancel again I am going to go crazy!
Best wishes xx