New attacks on I.B claimants

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

I was put on IB in 2006 after living with the fear of my breast cancer coming back for 9 years (I was diagnosed with DCIS in 1997 when I was 24) & them finding a lump in 2005.

I was working fulltime until the summer of 2005 when the lump was found & waiting for the results from the biopsy sent me into a depressive spiral from which I couldn't recover.

I was off work sick (with depression & anxiety) for the rest of 2005 & was forced to give my job up in Jan 2006.

Ironically in March 2006 I was diagnosed with Asperger's (a form of higher functioning Autism) & in the summer of 2006 it was confirmed that my breast cancer had come back.

I had a mastectomy in Oct 2006 which went wrong & had to have another 4 surgeries over the next 2 years all of which failed to reconstruct one of my breasts (ironically the one that didn't have cancer).

I am still on IB for depression & anxiety as ive been left disfigured by an over zealous surgeon that took my right healthy breast without permission leaving me with only 1 breast.

I don't want to feel like this, I want to get on with my life but due to clinical negligence (i'm suing the hospital) I feel like i'm in limbo as the NHS won't pay for me to have anymore surgery to reconstruct my right breast. This has left me with major depression, I can't go outside by myself, feel constantly anxious how am I supposed to go to work?

Fingers crossed at the end of September the hospital will agree to pay me off enabling me to pay to have further reconstruction privately. I will also need alot of therapy etc which I will also have to pay for privately in order for me to get over what happened to me & to enable me to be able to live the rest of my life.

If I don't win I don't know what I will do, ive already had numerous suicide attempts due to my depression & i'm terrifed of what I might do. I know that there is no way I will be able to ever return to work if I don't get the surgery etc I need as I can't even walk around Tesco's or pick my kids up from school unaccompanied.

It's an awful position to be in but these people falsely claiming do nothing but make it harder for us people in genuine need & make us all look like liars/cheaters so should be weeded out & punished.

parsonswife8

JenniO wrote: »

Now testing 30 000 a week? Either they are now using 3x the amount of ATOS staff and gee i wonder what that's costing the gov't or they have shortened the fit for work test to: Is claimant breathing? Tick. Fit for work.

Your post has made me smile JenniO, re is the claimant breathing, yes-fit for work. . The last ATOS medical I went to was when they were turning people away from their appointments and trying to say that they had tried to phone you to say it had been cancelled. There were threads on this forum about it.

At the time, I was not at my best and I refused to leave until I had been seen by someone.

Well, lo and behold, I WAS seen and was still declared unfit to work.

I have since been diagnosed with an incurable disease, but I do have to say, that the various medicals I have attended in the past, have caused me a lot of stress that I could have done without.


Edited to say, Breast Cancer Survivor, I would like to wish you all the luck in the world and hope that you will win your compensation and be able to have reconstruction as well as the therapy to get you through all this.

Prinzessilein

I would be more than happy to have medicals for IB and DLA. In fact I think that is what is needed.

The vast majority of claimants are genuine, but there are a few who are claiming fraudulently.

However, ATOS are not the people to do the medicals! Let GPs and Specialists carry out the work. My specialist knows how my condition affects me - and understands that I can't verbalise how I feel. He has worked with me so that I can actually speak a couple of words during a one hour session with him. He is the one who prescribed my meds, and knows what side-effects I have been having. He has actually witnessed my 'tics' and knows how utterly inadequate that word is as a description!

An ATOS medical would involve a stranger - to whom I would not speak a word. They might look at my meds and then check in their big book to see what the side-effects are - but how do they know which effects I actually have? How do they know that 'loosening of muscles' means my vision might go really blurry. I may lose the use of my legs or (oh what fun!) it may be my bowels that suddenly and unexpectantly loosen. When they read I am taking my meds to control 'tics', they have never seen or heard how severe (and debilitating) they can be.

Actually. that is if I have a 'reasonable' ATOS medical.....It is equally likely that the 'doctor' (who will not be a GP, or have any experience dealing with ASD) will push me to speak and not listen to my representative. The will ask me to stand on one leg and note that I successfully did this - but omit to report that it caused me to fall and burst into tears. They will smile compassionately and tell me not to worry, and then a few weeks later I will receive a letter awarding me 0 points......Some of you who have either not had the pleasure of an ATOS interview, or have had the good fortune of a compassionate, fair interview will accuse me of paranoia.....Others will nod in understanding and know exactly why people distrust ATOS.

I am genuinely in need of IB and DLA. I cannot work. I will happily go for a medical. Hey, if the government has the money, send me for a medical every year to make sure that a miracle hasn't happened and my ASD has disappeared! (Although trust me - if that happened I'd be off benefits the next day and looking for work - you honestly think I want to live like this?)...But I do NOT want to be judged by incompetent clerks at ATOS who get paid for the number of people they certify as fit for work.

vision2009

The latest on BBC text. Ian Duncan Smith is now denying the government have plans to treble the number of I.B medicals!!!!!
As i said never believe a word these parasites say. One of them is not telling the truth are they!!!!! They are devious to the core.
As for ATOS , the government prefered axemen hired to "move the goalposts" or them, their contract needs to be terminated NOW.

WhiteHorse

All those who criticise the infirm and the elderly should reflect on the fact that they will be in that position themselves someday.

Guaranteed.

WhiteHorse

vision2009 wrote:

They have stacks of money to suit themselves , endless sums for greedy bankers and illegal wars all over, invading other countries, not to mention their own trough they all have thier snouts in.

Exactly. Government cant about 'saving money' is hypocrisy on the grandest scale.

The lies and propaganda being fed to the public is actively promoting hatred in this country ...

Yes it is propaganda. They are whipping up ill feeling against people who they think are powerless to fight back.

Indie_Kid

Prinzessilein wrote: »

However, ATOS are not the people to do the medicals! Let GPs and Specialists carry out the work.

This would make more sense. My GP and consultant know exactly what's wrong with me and would have access to my medical records.

[Deleted User]

vision2009 wrote: »

This chap is a really nasty excuse for a human being:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1290165/Ill-tackle-sickness-benefit-cheats-says-Osborne.html
All this villification and persecution of the sick and disabled needs STOPPING. It is constant and relentless.
plans.

Whilst i dont defend it this is a right wing newspaper reporting what the most right wing and reactionary chancellor we have ever had is supposably thinking.When this new govt took over there were already plans in place to change the rules,sadly those with mental health problems are first in the firing line.
What will happen over the next 5 years is that the system will collapse in dissaray,as the number of esa tribunals mushroom and then number of dla tribunals do the same,all this at a time when dwp staff are either made redundant or are not replaced as they leave the service.

[Deleted User]

WhiteHorse wrote: »

Yes it is propaganda. They are whipping up ill feeling against people who they think are powerless to fight back.

this is a process started by the previous govt.,they used the media to castigate the sick/disables/jobless/dispossessed.
sadly its a process that too many people have fallen for,as an example far too many people think of the sick and disabled as worthless skiving scum(harsh words i know but thats what they have been conditioned to believe).
The new condem govt are doing the same,but it may yet backfire on them as some libdem mps may vote against some of the more draconian measures,some of these mps have already been in talks about how to stop the govt going to far.
Lets face it the poorest in society are being asked to give up BILLIONS over the course of this parliament whilst the bankers who caused the messed are being asked for £2billion over 5 years...disgusting

vision2009

Hopefully, with a bit of fighting amongst themselves the Condems will self destruct and there may be another election within a year or so.
Its a shame these people cant find anything constructive to do instead of these relentless attacks on sick and disabled. The propaganda and lies being used against us is absoluetly disgusting.
I'm totaly ashamed to be British. This country is going down a very dangerous path when such vile attacks are promoted freely. "All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing"