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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Please help..

mrsesg

Hi,

First of all thank you for letting me be part of your community. It seems like a really warm and friendly place.

I have Fibromyalgia, have had it for about 4/5 years now. I also suffer with anxiety.
I applied for PIP last October and I have my face to face assessment on Wednesday.

I am really anxious about it and was really hoping someone could give me some tips or advice please.

The sleepless nights have started and it’s driving me crazy.

Thanks in advance

xx

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thespiceman

Hello @mrsesg Pleased to meet you.

Thank you for joining and sharing.

I am one of the team of Community Champions. We advise, and support members.

I am myself have mental health issues. Anxiety have a lot of knowledge experience on many aspects of health.

Qualifications in diet and nutrition advise, support the members of our Community.

Please if you have sleep problems . Insomnia always speak to your GP.

I can give you the following information please read carefully.

SLEEP PROBLEMS. INSOMNIA

1, Causes can be anxiety, medication, stress, triggers include any thing personal.

As we age older sleep becomes shorter. Every on thinks has to be 8 hours the right amount can be shorter or what suits you.

2. Insomnia is a serious condition that effects the quality of your life. Changes to diet, nutrition can beneficial.

3. Always have a bedtime routine, includes the following. Takes a lot of practice. Use a sleep diary. Which days and what causes problems.

4. Aim for a time you feel sleepy. Turn off all electrical devices, computers, no mobile phones, no TV in bedrooms.

Make sure bedroom cool not hot or light or dark or noisy.

Adopt a routine used music Classic FM radio . Late night has relaxing soothing music.

Bath muscle soaks, scented candles.

No exercise late night intensive chats.

5. You will fall asleep if you consider looking at your diet stimulants include no Caffeine, Tea, Cola, Chocolate. Avoid all those and Alcohol.

6. Addictive can be harmful to health, when we are anxious we reach for Caffeine or Alcohol consumes more.

7. No smoking no eating heavy, spicy meals near to bed times.

8. Following in your diet includes having a healthy balanced meals.
Lean meat, Chicken or Turkey. Fruit and Vegetables, Pulses, Beans and Whole grains Pasta, Rice. Potatoes.

9. If you eat a Bean, Pasta Potato dish at lunch time feel tired.
Contains chemical enzyme tryptophan aids sleep.

Eat these near to bedtime.

10. Leafy greens spinach, Kale. Take Yoghurt with added Culture helps anxiety stomach and bowels. Add in honey aids sleep restful .

11. Milky drinks warmed through with honey contains same chemical tryptophan.

12. Old remedies Horlicks , malted milk add honey. Cereal Porridge with warm milk and sliced Bananas. Baked Beans on Baked Potatoes or Lettuce Sandwiches with Turkey or Chicken, or Chicken with pulses and beans.

Have this on the forum as I write a lot of recipes. Italian Chicken and Beans you need to scroll around.

Other foods Walnuts, contains Melatonin another chemical aids sleep.

Whole meal toast honey.

Please if you have any food intolerance or allergies please consult your GP or if I can advise.

Sleep Council organisation.

https://www.sleepcouncil.org.uk

For further information.

Please if I can add the following organisations to help with your mental health and other conditions.

https://www.richmondfellowship.org.uk.

https://www.mind.org.uk.

https://www.rethink.org.

Offer floating support welfare health advice and much more.

Including supporting you for benefits. Attendance assessments and other aspects of your life.

This how you learn about sleep, meds, diet, nutrition.

Might not be in all areas. You can self refer or apply website.

For Fibromyalgia

https://www.fmauk.org.

Helpline 0300 999 3333

Organisation for Fibromyalgia.

Understand if I can help with any thing else please ask me.

Please take care.

@thespiceman

Adrian_Scope

Hello @mrsesg and a very warm welcome to the community.

I think most of us can relate to how stressful the assessments are. Do you have any one to go with you on Wednesday?

The best bit of advice we could give is just to take your time answering, don't feel rushed. Answer honestly and give as much detail as possible. If you can't do something, explain why and what happens when you try. If you are saying you can do something be sure to also add if you need any help or adjustments to do it or if you feel it takes you longer etc.

Hopefully some of our members can share their experiences with you too.

Very best of luck with the assessment on Wednesday. Please let us know how you get on.

janer1967

Hi @mrsesg Welcome to the community I am a community champion. My advice would be to have a read through the form you sent in to remind you what you put on the form. Part of the assessment is to quantify what you wrote on the form. Just be yourself and tell the truth and try not to get too stressed about it, lots of claims are successful (including mine) but we rarely hear about these on a forum. Just be aware you will be observed from when you arrive to when you leave. Any further advice just ask. Good luck and let us know how you get on

Jane

Florine

Welcome to the forum! You were asking for tips:

- it's very helpful to take someone else with you if you can (I'm assuming this is at an assessment centre as you don't indicate otherwise), and even more so if they can take notes on the questions asked and your answers - you may find your memories and the assessor's memories about the assessment aren't the same.

- yes, they are entitled to make observations about you all the time you are at the centre (including while you're waiting to be seen), and as you arrive and depart. So read through your form again and make sure that you aren't doing anything that contradicts what you wrote on there.

- don't make any extra effort with your appearance, dress, etc. - they need to see you on a typical day, not a smartened-up version of yourself.

- it might be worth making a mental or written note of the conditions in the centre, for example (particularly if you're claiming for the mobility side of things) how far you have to walk to the interview room, whether steps are involved and so on, or the seating situation while you're waiting (e.g. whether there are supportive chairs, anywhere for you to lie down if necessary, whether you did in fact lie down ...) - assessors can sometimes be very inaccurate about such things.

- remember that if they ask you to do something during the examination which is liable to cause you pain, discomfort or distress, you're entitled to refuse (politely!) to do it.

Chloe_Alumni

Welcome to the community @mrsesg! It's great to have you here. I hope people have provided you with useful suggestions and I really hope Wednesday goes well.

Please do let us know how you get on.

mrsesg

Hi everyone,
I had my PIP f2f this morning at 9am. The woman doing it was late so it didn’t start until 9.15. She was very nice and put me at ease. Then the questions started. I had no idea there were going to be so many or that is going to be so intense. So I came out after an hour and 20 minutes, feeling battered and bruised, but, glad it was over. So..the woman told me that I now have to wait 8 weeks for a reply. So I guess I’ll just wait and see, I have absolutely no idea either way. But again, I’m just soooo glad it’s over xx

poppy123456

Glad it's all over. The timescale you were told is just a guide and nothing more. A decision can be anything between 2-8 weeks sometimes longer depending on backlog.

Wait a week after the assessment and you can ring DWP to request a copy of the assessment report to be sent to you. This will give you some idea what the decision is likely to be because they mostly go with the report. Good luck.

chiarieds

Hi @mrsesg - Thank you for you're update. I hope you can relax now that you've had your f2f....I bet you're glad it's over!

Take care of yourself, & do chat here any time. Please let us know when you get a copy of the assessor's PIP report.

mrsesg

@chiarieds how do I get that?, xx

chiarieds

Hi @mrsesg - as Poppy has advised above, you just ring the DWP in about a week's time, & ask for a copy of the assessment report to be posted to you. Tel: 0800 121 4433

mrsesg

Aw sorry, so she did, thank you @poppy123456 and @chiarieds.

I will let you know how it goes. I’ve kind of convinced myself that I won’t get an award. At least that way anything is a bonus.

If there was no award how long is it until you can apply again?, xx

chiarieds

Try not to worry about that now, just let us know what points the assessor has indicated in your report, as the DWP Decision Maker usually goes along with that. You still have to wait for a decision letter, but there are stages you can go through if you don't feel the award is accurate....rather than re-applying.

mrsesg

Ok thank you ?
xx

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