Hi, my name is wobblyshell! I feel lost completely

wobblyshell

I have been having problems since March 2021...

Latest diagnosis is FND and to be honest I feel lost completely. I have vertigo..balance issues...walk like am drunk...severe head neck and back pain...joint and muscle pain....I stutter quite a bit and forget things and names of things....I have moved to an adapted bungalow because I can't manage stairs...same with bath and shower...I fall over...I can't sleep and am exhausted all the time...I  haven't driven since this happened as the car makes me feel sick...I have to do a driving assessment with the dvla and am convinced they will take my driving license off me....there's other stuff but I just feel like I am drowning in symptoms...I  have now been off work for 16 months and they are referring me for ill health retirement but because I am only 52 HR reckons my pension provider (NILGOS) might refuse, I don't get company sick anymore so I get Contribution based ESA and am now having to apply for Universal Credit...help please anyone had similar experience 

Thank you so much 

Shell

chiarieds

Hi @woobblyshell - & welcome to the community. We have other members that have FND, but I'm not sure if they're active. You will however find a lot of understanding here, & in trying to cope, as with many other disorders.I'm sure you'll find this a very supportive community.

I wonder if you've looked at a couple of other charities that are about FND. Please see: https://www.fndaction.org.uk/

https://www.fndhope.org.uk/about-fnd-hope/fnd-hope-uk/

wobblyshell

Thank you so much 

janer1967

Hi and welcome to the community 

It may be difficult to get ill health retirement as basically they are saying you are no longer fit to work in any capacity 

Also bear in mind taking a pension early isn't always the best option as it will affect your benefits and you may not be any better off with a pension opposed to benefits 

It will depend on the income a pension would give you 

You need to get some expert advice before doing anything 

wobblyshell

Thank you so much 

Ross_Alumni

Hello @wobblyshell and welcome to the community  

 

This is a very supportive and welcoming site to be a part of so I’m hopeful that you’ll find it to be a positive outlet. Feel free to have a look around and get involved wherever you’d like 😊 I have included below a few of the pages I’d recommend having a look through to get used to things:

• The virtual coffee lounge which is one of our categories, in which we play games and talk about general subjects such as hobbies and interests
• The recent discussions page, which shows an overview of everything happening across the community
• The categories page, which shows a full list of discussion groups on the community

If you have any questions at all then don’t hesitate to ask.

Sorry to hear of everything you are going through at the moment, it sounds really difficult and I hope the replies so far on here have helped you feel a bit better and less alone  

ethom

I wouldn't bother with Esa even if you have enough contributions.You don't gain anything as they will take it off Universal Credit

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @wobblyshell  

Do you mind me asking whether you live alone, or whether there's someone around to help you with things like having a bath or shower? Have you ever had a needs assessment from your local authority?