Pip

suzy_sugar2005 said:

Poppy why do you always point out the negative things. You arent very helpful. How can you say most stay the same when everyone knows that there is a good chance at MR. Usually this is by seeking help to help with your claim to make sure your affects of your illness are justifiable via the relevant evidence. 

@suzy_sugar2005 - forgive me but it's difficult to give the facts a positive spin - only 18% change at MR, 82% remain the same so the overwhelming majority don't get the result that they were hoping for.

Your post that "everyone knows that there is a good chance at MR" sounds very positive but it is completely wrong.

Similarly 'any medical history showing how it is affecting you can be very helpful'  - this is very true - but the fact is that most medical notes, consultant's letter's, repeat prescriptions etc do not fall into this category. 

This is because most medical professionals diagnose and treat illnesses - and any reports they make are to record what they think is wrong with you, why, and what they propose to do about it. This 'evidence' will most likely have no mention of the impact that your condition has on daily living.

I have a file stuffed full of GP's and consultants reports - dozens of pages - but only three pages are of any use as regards PIP. This is a report from an OH consultant who examined me to decide whether or not I was capable of remaining in my job. He diagnosed nothing - but reported the difficulties I had getting up/down, concluded that I couldn't use a keyboard, how long I could work due to tiredness etc. 

In my opinion Poppy is correct in what she says in her post (and others) - few cases change at MR & there is little point in sending lots of medical notes that say nothing about how your condition affects you. 

You obviously disagree with her, and me, but, as with any advice, it's a matter of deciding whether it's accurate or not and then deciding whether  to follow it.

That's a matter for you...

Good luck to you, in any event.....

@buzzer Amen to that. 

@cristobal unfortunately for me it's the only way to prove my illness. Being constantly fobbed off with wrong treatments is not my fault so my behaviours and how it affects me daily unfortunately for me rely on hospital admissions and police reports. How else can I expect them to believe I act in that way. Me explain to them and they believe me??

Given my illness you might want to think about 

Ok so what about fluctuating conditions that are kept at bay with medication and secluding myself away from my triggers. 

How do I show that and how do I show what I'm like off meds. They need justification. 

I have difficulty concentrating. I cannot do most descriptors in a timely manner. For example with me 

If I was suffering from an out of body experience due to overwhelming psychological distress I cannot function properly. 

This is the risk I face every day 

My triggers are my emotions and they can cause me to act inappropriately and impulsively. 

But I have medical evidence of years of seeking help for it and admissions and trying different meds 

@suzy_sugar2005 - I think a diary could really help.

Rather than say 'I cannot do most descriptors' then you will, at some stage, have to be more specific. Maybe start with the ones that you think you have most problems with and add some more later on as you think about them?

I found it was useful to ask my partner - there were some times when i thought that I was fine, and yet she said i was really down!

@suzy_sugar2005 well done!

Do you have anyone that can add things that maybe they see but you don't?

@suzy_sugar2005 - sorry to hear that.

Might not be appropriate but are you able to seek face to face advice if it was local?

Good luck anyway...come back if you need anything else....

@suzy_sugar2005..you're right...your health is the most important thing..