MEDICAL TODAY

julie47

Hi louise

Just read all about your interview. Oh I am so sorry the doc made you feel like that. It will still be going round in your mind , but you haven't let your self down, it is just that we are not prepared for such a grilling. I would have broke down in tears and its arthurs fault, cause e seems to take all your ammunition away.
I forget who said it :oops: but yes write all this interview down while its still fresh in your mind so that if you have to appeal you have something to look back on.

sending you hugs((((())))) and more cake
Thinkig of you
JuliePF x

dreamdaisy

Oh bl**dy hell, really? OK hun, I will a) read back, b) go and make a coffee, c) lurk on the patio with a lovely French friend then d) come back and make a complete hash of trying to help. See yous in a while. DD

dreamdaisy

Right, caffeined and nicotined up, ready to begin!

There is a fundamental flaw in the ESA process regarding disabled people: the system is administrated by healthy nincompoops. The interviewers are not medically trained, they have no awareness fo how ongoing health issues affect one on a daily basis, they have no sentiment (which I suppose is a good thing) and they are in no way able to sort the wheat from the chaff. What was the point of her manipulating your joints? What would that tell her? Your DAS score? I think not.

I am not surprised she hadn't heard of PA. Most people have heard of arthritis but they do not understand the broad range of conditions that umbrella term covers, they do not know that PA and RA are triggered differently to OA, they have no idea of the impact of the meds. Healthy people think 'OK, I am ill, I will go to the doc, he will give me some meds and I will get better.' That works for some things but for what we have it is a nonsense. They, however, look at us and think well, you are taking drugs to cure you, ergo you are able to work. The first thing they should be made aware of is that there is no cure. That might start them thinking - unlikely tho, these people rarely posess the power of independant thought. The system proscribes that.

Until one is living with something so debilitating on a daily basis, one has NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what it is like. No matter how much - or indeed how little - you explained to her, it would not sink in. How could it? It is way beyond the ken of people that know you, never mind a total stranger.

I have long held the view that the benefits system for the disabled should be run by the disabled. It makes sense to me: if I want a tooth extracted, I go to a dentist. If I have a leaky radiator I call in a plumber. I don't go to a mechanic for the tooth, I don't call in a surgeon for the radiator. I like those who know about, and understand, the problem to be in the driving seat for sorting the problem, not complete ignoramuses. Obviously there is fatal flaw in my thinking - how could we guarantee we would all turn up?!

At the very least those in charge of dealing with a disabled ESA applicant should be given some relevant - and I stress the word RELEVANT - training. They should have some background knowledge of arthritis treatments and their impacts, some background knowledge of deafness in the workplace and aids to help, some background knowledge of blindness, indeed background knowledge of the most common 'problems' that may preclude one from full-time employment. Perhaps they do receive some training - if they do it doesn't show.

PA is rare. I remember reading somewhere, a few years ago now, that 1:7000 of the population has psoriasis. Of those only 1:700 go on to develop the arthritis. We are rare birds indeed. To undergo such a trial is stressful: no wonder you ended up feeling 'embarrassed, debilitated and demoralized.' That should never be: you are dealing with enough, you don't need that on top of it all. The system is flawed, the system is weak, the system is everything it should not be, but that is what usually happens with such a sprawling, ungainly thing. You are not at fault, you are not to blame, you are not liable in any way for their crass attitudes and behaviour.

I hope this has helped. DD

psyart

dreamdaisy wrote:

Right, caffeined and nicotined up, ready to begin!

There is a fundamental flaw in the ESA process regarding disabled people: the system is administrated by healthy nincompoops. The interviewers are not medically trained, they have no awareness fo how ongoing health issues affect one on a daily basis, they have no sentiment (which I suppose is a good thing) and they are in no way able to sort the wheat from the chaff. What was the point of her manipulating your joints? What would that tell her? Your DAS score? I think not.

I am not surprised she hadn't heard of PA. Most people have heard of arthritis but they do not understand the broad range of conditions that umbrella term covers, they do not know that PA and RA are triggered differently to OA, they have no idea of the impact of the meds. Healthy people think 'OK, I am ill, I will go to the doc, he will give me some meds and I will get better.' That works for some things but for what we have it is a nonsense. They, however, look at us and think well, you are taking drugs to cure you, ergo you are able to work. The first thing they should be made aware of is that there is no cure. That might start them thinking - unlikely tho, these people rarely posess the power of independant thought. The system proscribes that.

Until one is living with something so debilitating on a daily basis, one has NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what it is like. No matter how much - or indeed how little - you explained to her, it would not sink in. How could it? It is way beyond the ken of people that know you, never mind a total stranger.

I have long held the view that the benefits system for the disabled should be run by the disabled. It makes sense to me: if I want a tooth extracted, I go to a dentist. If I have a leaky radiator I call in a plumber. I don't go to a mechanic for the tooth, I don't call in a surgeon for the radiator. I like those who know about, and understand, the problem to be in the driving seat for sorting the problem, not complete ignoramuses. Obviously there is fatal flaw in my thinking - how could we guarantee we would all turn up?!

At the very least those in charge of dealing with a disabled ESA applicant should be given some relevant - and I stress the word RELEVANT - training. They should have some background knowledge of arthritis treatments and their impacts, some background knowledge of deafness in the workplace and aids to help, some background knowledge of blindness, indeed background knowledge of the most common 'problems' that may preclude one from full-time employment. Perhaps they do receive some training - if they do it doesn't show.

PA is rare. I remember reading somewhere, a few years ago now, that 1:7000 of the population has psoriasis. Of those only 1:700 go on to develop the arthritis. We are rare birds indeed. To undergo such a trial is stressful: no wonder you ended up feeling 'embarrassed, debilitated and demoralized.' That should never be: you are dealing with enough, you don't need that on top of it all. The system is flawed, the system is weak, the system is everything it should not be, but that is what usually happens with such a sprawling, ungainly thing. You are not at fault, you are not to blame, you are not liable in any way for their crass attitudes and behaviour.

I hope this has helped. DD

bubbles

Louise, sorry to hear that you had a bad time, but don't feel a fraud. I was in the exact same state when the DWP Dr came to my house, to see if I was actually ill. The whole process is designed to make you fee like a fraud, to catch you out with loaded questions, like how do you manage your shopping, the assumption being that if you can go to the supermarket, you can walk 800 yards :shock:
They often keep repeating the same question, but with a slight difference, to see if the responses are the same.
I was shaking by the time the Dr arrived at my door and unable to speak. He actually read the mountain of Drs reports and said "oh you have been ill a long time, 15 years". Don't I know it.

I was in the same state this year, when battling with the DLA, but, with persistence and fury from my GP and Consultant, the decision was overruled and I won my case, but, it was a super stressful time.

Anyway, I truly hope you are feeling a bit better, I know it is difficult, but let them do what they are going to do, then appeal if necessary, with letters from Drs, Consultants etc. Keep copies of everything. It is very costly to go through with an appeal and the waiting time is long and protracted, with supporting evidence, the next decision maker will likely agree with you ESA and stop the appeal process.

Those of us who are ill and disabled with either one or multiple health problems, sadly are put through the mill, which is so so wrong. We know that they have rules and regulations to follow, but, medical evidence needs to give more weight to the claims, if they would only sit and read it, instead of scoring points on a computer programme.

Love XXXX Bubbles