Arthritis and surgery

wordsmith
wordsmith Member Posts: 4
I have osteoarthritis in both hand/ fingers/ thumbs, both hips and both knees, recent diagnosis in neck9 consultant mentioned " operation and fusion. big decision but pain, well don't have to tell any one on form altho not as bad as RH type.
my pain tollerance is low tho~
if I did decide re operate on neck, would this stop spread of Osteo into other areas of my neck?
plus seel employer who is more understanding, any depts in Aberdeen where i can turn to for help plus mobility is limited and only awarded low rate of DLA andnot mobility , altho~ driving now becoming a problem and i have to work to pay bills, mortgage
any ideas, info help re see if I can be allowed/awarded Disability allowance as car will need changed soon and am dependant on this re area where I live no bus route and 12 miles from town and wor

thank you for kind reply

wordsmith :P

Comments

  • sharmaine
    sharmaine Member Posts: 1,638
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi
    Have you tried looking at direct gov website for help? It must be hell having OA in so many different places. I'm waiting for surgery on my knee the other one will be done later. I had to give up work last year because of OA - I couldn't manage the travelling; walking up 3 flights of stairs or my job which required me to be on my feet a lot. We've had to find ways of managing - changed mortgage provider; saved on my travelling/parking; looked at all life insurance policies; phones etc. I also applied for ESA and was successful.
    I also have OA in both hands and right shoulder.

    You could try other organisations for help - Occupational Therapist - contact via your local Social Services to see how your workplace could be adapted to suit your condition. It wouldn't hurt to visit your local Citizen's Advice Bureau for help.

    Good luck to you.
    Sharmaine
  • dorcas
    dorcas Member Posts: 3,516
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Wordsmith,
    Sorry you are having such a bad time of it! Bad enough facing ops & having continual pain without then having the worry of how to make ends meet...
    There a couple of resources you could use for more information and assessment of your needs & abilities that in the long run should help you with your DLA application/ review.
    Contact your local Jobcentre Plus office & ask for an Access to Work assessment; they will talk you through the application and tell you whether you meet the DDA criteria . They can help, honestly! They will arrange for an assessment to be done that identifies, with you, what the difficulties are and then make recommendations to your employer regarding adaptations to the workplace, working hours, support etc. these are termed 'reasonable adjustments' under the DDA.

    You should also ask your GP to refer you for a driving assessment to see what adaptations are needed to your car. There is a driving assessment centre based at Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh. I found them really helpful! and if you have had an access to work assessment some/ all of the costs of car adaptations may be shared between employer and the dwp.

    If you go through that route then it ultimately could support a fresh application for the mobility component of DLA.

    I was off work for seven months and used these resources to help with getting back to work, so can recommend them to you.

    If you have trouble accessing these resources let me know and I'll look out the web addresses for you. Good Luck! Dorcas x
  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,463
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello

    As Dorcas has answered so eloquently there isn't really anything we can add. Good luck with everything and thank you, Dorcas!

    Paul