Hello thanks in advance

Hi Albus

thanks for your kind words. To be honest I’m not getting anywhere with the Doctors. The chronic pain clinic have said they know I am disabled and I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. There are x-rays and MRI results which show the issues. It’s taken three years to get the Doctor to agree to an x-ray after previously stating he would be laughed out of the hospital if he requested this. The results came back saying I have bone spurs on my hips and osteoarthritis. I do wonder if he had agreed to do the x-ray when I originally asked for whether my hips wouldn’t have been so bad. Going back to my original concerns, I have worked all my life and hate having to ask for a hand out (as some people call it). It is not done lightly and I feel dreadful asking for the help.

Hey Albus

i know what you’re saying but I get so anxious and panic about having an assessment. We were made aware the other day that a chap we know was invited to attend a call to see what help he can get. Only once on the call is was a call to see how they could get him back into work either if it was part time of volunteering. The poor bloke was diagnosed with Parkinson’s over 12 years ago! Going back to me I had a letter from orthopaedics saying they agreed with the diagnosis of bone spurs and impingement but in the first instance they would suggest physio. I’ve been having physio off and on for at least three years. I have been in daily constant pain for over 4 years. I now feel they don’t believe the pain I am in and I am back to square one. I feel like they think I’m imagining all this. My hands and wrists are so extremely painful now. My jaw keeps locking and it feels sometimes that it’s come out of its socket. I have enlarged facet joints which are trapping nerves. I have a prolapsed disc in my neck. A bulging disc in my lumbar region and apparently I have stenosis. I also struggle with stress and anxiety as well and if some goes wrong I blow up and just lose it as I literally cannot cope. Oh and I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I have widespread pain. I also have diabetes and I have a plantar fibroma on the bottom of my right foot. I don’t know how to ask this without sounding stupid but I struggle daily with pain but still feel guilty about not working. Before I finished working I had horrific stress and anxiety issues that two ohs Doctors both said I was unfit for work. However my employer insisted I do my full role and returned to full time hours. I was making dreadful mistakes constantly and the harder I tried to do things correctly, the more I did wrong. I have 45 years of full national insurance but I cannot claim state pension for another 4 years. I am constantly worried and anxious 😥

hi Holly

thank you so much for your lovely response. Unfortunately there’s only me and my husband. My husband has Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies. He was diagnosed over 4 years ago. So I have no option but to try to do what I can. We don’t get any help so I get groceries delivered now and sometimes I have to have frozen meals because of being either exhausted or in too much pain. I’ve had various counselling and at the moment the chronic pain clinic are providing me with one to one support. I’ve been given various coping strategies but I just seem to forget what’s been recommended. I did get someone in to do a deep clean for a couple of days but at £20.00 per hour I can’t do this on a regular basis. Anything else we need I have to buy online or pay for the help. I found the letter from orthopaedics has upset me because I’ve had the pain for so long and yet they appear to be treating me like this is a new thing. I’m on quite a lot of medication and due potential serotonin syndrome (prevention) I am now having one of my tablets reduced. I constantly feel a huge sense of guilt for having to give up work. I also feel a failure. I have never had so claim anything previously and when I see comments from people that are still working, saying there are too many people on disabilities and they need to get off their backside. I automatically think this is directed at me. Then with what the government are trying to do regarding disability, again I am terrified they’ll think I am one If the people who making everything up. I know I shouldn’t moan as my husband has so much more to deal with. It such a shame seeing the one you love gradually disappear.

hi Holly

Thank you for your concern. Unfortunately my husband is very stubborn and will not agree to me contacting social services, this is even though I have explained I need some help. Having said that the link you sent is extremely helpful - thank you. Also thank you for taking the time to read my posts and to respond. It’s good to know there are people in the big wide world that do care