PIP for biweekly medication supervision

sueg5
sueg5 Online Community Member Posts: 15 Connected
in PIP, DLA, ADP & AA
Hi, I get the lower rate of PIP for arthritis and Crohn’s disease. I have started a new medication regime which is an injection every other week. My partner has to prepare and administer the injection and then he has to stay and supervise me for the whole day because of the side effects ( overwhelming fatigue, nausea, migraine type headache) and the possibility of a reaction to the drug (Adalimumab) as I am prone to allergies. I wonder if I should inform the DWP of this and ask them to reassess me as obviously I now need supervision to manage a therapy or treatment but i am wondering about it being only every week. As I said, he has to supervise me for the whole day todo the injection and after - this amounts to staying with me into the next day, so probably about 15 hours every other week. Does anyone have any experience of this or can advise please? I am wondering if it is 15 hours every other week would DWP look at it as 7.5 hours weekly? Thanks 😊 

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,456 Championing
    This will come under medication and not therapy, therefore only 1 point maybe possible here.

    Medication is pharmaceutical treatment i.e. treatment which involves the use of medicinal drugs. Drugs are substances which have a physiological effect when ingested or introduced into or onto the body. Examples of medication include tablets, injections, inhaled medications or creams.

    Therapy is a non-pharmaceutical treatment i.e. treatments which do not involve the use of medicinal drugs. Examples of therapy include physiotherapy, home dialysis and special diets where both attention to the nature and timing of food is integral in the management of the diet and where failing to adhere to the diet would result in an immediate deterioration in the claimant’s condition (e.g. a hyperglycaemic event for a diabetic).



  • sueg5
    sueg5 Online Community Member Posts: 15 Connected
    Ah, I see thank you. I have had a look. What about the level of supervision required after I have had the injection due to side effects. Would I explain that under some of the other self care descriptors I am much worse and unable to do things that I can do on usual days or is it not happening often enough? 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,456 Championing
    Unfortunately, it's still only 1 point because monitor a health condition comes under activity 3B. The rest of the descriptors for that activity come under manage therapy only and not montior a health condition.


    I can't advise about other activities because i don't know enough about how your health conditions affect you. I'd advise you to get some expert advice before reporting any changes because a worsening of condition doesn't automatically entitle you to more points for a higher award.

    I will add though that PIP is about how you're affected at least 50% of the time over a 12 month period, so if it's just 1 day a week then that won't be taken into consideration.

  • Hannah_Alumni
    Hannah_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,866 Championing
    Hello @sueg5

    I see Poppy has been able to help with your query :) 

    I was just commenting as a fellow IBD'er.  I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis 9 years ago. How are you getting on with the Biologics? you mentioned allergies, have you got a good relationship with your IBD team? 
  • sueg5
    sueg5 Online Community Member Posts: 15 Connected
    Hi Hannah, thanks for your interest. To be honest I don’t have much to do with the IBD team, just yearly checkups. I’ve had the Crohn’s for 35 years and had three resections. My gut tends to behave itself unless I have a partial obstruction which happens a couple of times a year. The biologics are ok- painful to inject and then I feel like I’ve got a hangover- no symptom improvement yet though. How about you? How are you coping? 
  • Hannah_Alumni
    Hannah_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,866 Championing
    I was on Humira, can remember injection day well! I found having them by epi-pen hurt less but going in for infusions it was dependent on the nurse you got! 

    Fingers crossed your symptoms will improve soon! I actually went the surgical route in the end as my medication plan caused too many side effects to have a good quality of life. I now have Stitch, my stoma :) 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,000 Championing
    Even if the injection was otherwise relevant being bi-weekly that clearly isn't the majority of days so wouldn't change anything. 

    What may make a difference is if the new medication has side effects that negatively impact your ability to carry out the PIP activities. Even then you would have to have experienced the impact for three months with an expectation that that impact would continue for another 9 months before it would have any bearing on a PIP assessment.

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