Walking how much pain?

forgotmyname

How much pain do i have to be in when walking to be able to claim mobility?

I have a back condtition, Disc prolapse & sciatica i was told this can suddenly cure itself and was not worth the risk of an operation. It could take time though

Well its 3 years now and the pain is getting worse not better. I still cannot goto the toilet properly.

Wife says i should get stronger tablets but i worry about not being able to function. I try to walk as much as possible as after i had to give up work my weight started to climb. The thought of her friend falling asleep whilst at some traffic lights scares me, She was on morphine i think?

Without my car i would be hopeless, I love the sunday markets, They stop me becoming housebound, That REALLY worries me.
I can walk to the shop but cant buy much as the pain from carrying items is terrible.
Even something simple like a loaf of bread has that effect.

I was out one day & missed my afternoon tablets, It wasnt until a few hours later i tried to getup off the chair and the pain was worse than ever. It was only then we realised i had missed them.

I dread to think how bad i would be if i stopped taking them, Sitting here now typing this i get constant twinges in my back. Sleeping is all over the place. I get twitches in my sleep which wakes my wife up. Increasing the tablets helps. But i will only be able to do that so many times.
600mg of gabapentin 3x daily and 30/500 solphadol

Made an appointment for the docs so i can try elsewhere and get a 2nd opinion. Much too young for all this.

I had to stop for an emergency toilet break & just left the car on double yellow lines, Left the wife in the car, Traffic warden came & she tried to tell him i was in the toilet & even showed him what i have to use to go. She said he looked at his watch & paced up and down a bit then wrote the ticket out.
I was annoyed & didnt go through the proper channels but i didnt pay it.

Not something i want to be doing again though.

Sorry i think im boring you, But how bad to i have to be?

Its the badge i need to prevent tickets like that in the future, Although the money would be welcomed.
It grudges me a bit when i see some people exit their vehicles with blue badges & hop skip jump off down the street, Sometimes with a stick but thats not for support i think they are auditioning to be ginger rogers.

oops sorry again.

Thank you for reading.

debbiedeboo

the cut off point for DLA mobility and blue badge is 50 yards. You need to say you can't walk more than 30 yards for example without it causing you considerable discomfort. If you can walk 50 yards or more without considerable discomfort you won't get it. This site is very useful for accurate advice.
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/

dmg24

Here is a brief summary of the requirements for DLA Mobility element. If you can walk to the shop, I doubt you would meet the requirements.

http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/social_work/community_care/community_advice_service/dla/dla_mobility.aspx

Please do not ignore your parking ticket thinking that it will go away. Once costs start getting added, the amount can really start to snowball.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

When you mention you have trouble going to the toilet those solpadol cause terrible constipation.
Can't you get your doctor to give you something else.

kingfisherblue

Can I suggest that you ask your doctor to refer you to a pain management clinic? This could help you to deal with the pain and prevent it from restricting your daily life too much.

Also, to get a blue badge, you do not always have to be in receipt of high rate mobility. In my area, if you don't get HRM, you will be sent for a medical, which is held at a local health centre. Ask your council for details.

wssla00

Can I suggest seeing the doctor again? I have nerve damage and no painkiller would touch it, they were getting stronger and stronger and I was getting dopier and dopier but the pain was still there. They changed it to an off licence antidepressant used for nerve pain and it helped. I still have the pain but in comparison to just laying on the floor crying, it has helped and it's less likely to space me out.
If you are looking at a blue badge, speak to your local council and they can give you a form, you don't need DLA to get it and it can help until your DLA application is decided.

pipkin71

Do go back to your GP, forgotmyname.

You mention problems with toileting and that is a common symptom of severe nerve damage [was also when I realised just how bad my problems had become, so can sympathise ]

You can ask for a review of medication, and being referred to a pain clinic will hopefully be a good move - I didn't get much help at the first, but changed clinics and the second one has been great.

My gabapentin has just been increased. They say that they don't want to go above 1800mg a day, but mine have just gone to 2400mg, so they can increase until you find a level that suits and eases your discomfort.

You have nothing to lose by filling in a DLA application. Some people would advise that you fill it in on your worst day, but I believe you should fill it in accurately - describe both good and bad days.

Finally, as dmg said, don't ignore the parking ticket. The costs will spiral, and although I can appreciate you needed to use the toilet, if you ignore it and don't appeal, giving mitigating circumstances, then you will end up with a much higher fee to pay. It won't go away.

debbiedeboo

Hi Pipkin

My friend works for an advice centre and fills in DLA forms for a living and he is adamant that you fill it in as if it is your worst day. That is also the advice given on the worksandbenefits site.

pipkin71

debbiedeboo wrote: »

Hi Pipkin

My friend works for an advice centre and fills in DLA forms for a living and he is adamant that you fill it in as if it is your worst day. That is also the advice given on the worksandbenefits site.

This is taken from their site:

If your condition varies from day to day
Decide on average how many difficulty free days a week you have. If it’s only 1 or 2 then you need help 5 or 6 days a week. (If you need help for fewer than 4 or 5 days a week it is less likely you will be awarded DLA).

Filling in the form, giving only your worst days, when you have both good and bad days, is, in my opinion, fraud.

I, personally, believe that you should give an accurate description of how you manage and centres / charities / people who suggest a person only fills in their worst days, are wrong, imo.

TOBRUK

Hi forgotmyname, there is nothing to say or stopping you applying for DLA, however, look at their website to see eligibility criteria and then make a decision whether or not to apply. Based on what you say about your condition I would apply for DLA, fill in the form and see what they decide.

As far as driving is concerned if I have understood you properly - you are worried that if your medication is increased you are worried you may not be able to drive, is this correct?

You are currently on 600mg of gabapentin 3x daily and 30/500 solphadol. I am on 600mg Pregabalin (similar to gabepetin but stronger and more effective - gabapentin is cheaper) a day, plus I also take:

120mg Dihydrocodeine twice a day - these are slow release painkillers and gives a continuous flow of pain relief,

baclofen 10mg 3 times a day - a nerve painkiller and stops twitching/jerking,

and 10mg Armitriptyline every night.

I also take paracetemol 500mg - two 4 times a day, (I used to take co-codamol 30/500mg but unable to do so now as I'm taking the Dihydrocodeine)

plus other medication. I am allowed to drive despite taking all this medication.

I think you should apply for DLA as you have difficulty walking, getting up from a chair, constant pain etc. I would let your GP know that you are applying and it helps if your GP knows exactly your difficulties and needs are on a daily basis as DLA may very well contact your GP for a report as they did in my case.

Good luck.

debbiedeboo

The problem is Pipkin is that you don't know when you are going to have bad days or how often. One week you may need help seven days but another week you may feel moderately well. It is not fraud, it's making sure you fill in the form in the right way to get the help you need. They have their tick boxes and if you've had a couple of good weeks and put down you only need help a couple of days then you will not get the dla. They do not read and assess the forms on an individual basis, they have criteria and if you do not fit that strict criteria you will not get the dla. This is why some people who really do deserve dla do not get it, there is a way to fill in the forms.

This is taken from the 'about us' part of benefitsandwork site

At a time when most politicians seem proud to treat sick and disabled claimants with harshness and suspicion, independent and accurate information about how to claim and keep your benefits is vitally important.
Benefits and Work, was launched in 2002 (and became a limited company in October 2006) by advice worker turned barrister Holiday Whitehead and benefits writer and trainer Steve Donnison, to provide just such information.
It is unique amongst benefits information providers in that it asks for no funding or support from the government, local authorities, grant making trusts or large companies. Every penny of Benefits and Work's revenue comes from its subscribing members.
This complete independence means that Benefits and Work is free to publish information that makes it deeply unpopular with the Department for Work and Pensions, multinationals with an interest in benefits - such as Atos Healthcare, Unum Provident and Capita - and even other advice providers whose dependence on state and corporate funding may have made them reluctant to tell the whole truth.
All the guides on the site are written by Steve and Holiday . Many of them draw on information obtained - sometimes only after a long fight - from the Department for Work and Pensions using the Freedom of Information Act.
So, if you're looking for practical, detailed and accurate information about disability and incapacity benefits written solely with the interests of claimants and their advisers in mind, then you're in the right place.


It is not a case of fraud or being dishonest but a case of playing them at their own game. They do not want to give you the benefits you deserve so they have trick questions that they do not give you any clue how to answer. That is why so many deserving people fail in their claims.