Dla?

wheezymummy

Hi im just after some advice i am asthmatic have been for 27 years and the last 3 years my asthma has got very bad im am under a hospital specialist to try and bring my asthma under control but no luck as yet, im on a lot of medication steroids nebuliser 4 inhalers singulair and im still no better im at the doctors every week being put on a high dose of steroids even then whilst taking them i am unable to walk up the stairs with out struggling, every day is affected by my asthma i rarely go out as i cant breathe and need to be near my nebuliser i spend a lot of my time in bad as i am to short of breath to get out of bed and move about.
Am just wondering if i would be worth me applying for dla or not and has any one with severe asthma been awarded dla as i have looked at the forms and they seem a lot of hassle and stress?

sheeps68

Yes definately apply. Are you under a tertiary centre? If not I'd consider asking for a referral. I would advise you ask specalist nurse and welfare rights worker to assist in your application as its difficult to explain fully on DLA forms how severe asthma fits the boxes and if you are like me you've found so many work arounds to the situation you dont realise some of the issues.

krisskross

wheezymummy wrote: »

Hi im just after some advice i am asthmatic have been for 27 years and the last 3 years my asthma has got very bad im am under a hospital specialist to try and bring my asthma under control but no luck as yet, im on a lot of medication steroids nebuliser 4 inhalers singulair and im still no better im at the doctors every week being put on a high dose of steroids even then whilst taking them i am unable to walk up the stairs with out struggling, every day is affected by my asthma i rarely go out as i cant breathe and need to be near my nebuliser i spend a lot of my time in bad as i am to short of breath to get out of bed and move about.
Am just wondering if i would be worth me applying for dla or not and has any one with severe asthma been awarded dla as i have looked at the forms and they seem a lot of hassle and stress?

I would sincerely hope that such severe brittle asthma would make you eligible for DLA. Phone and ask for the forms. i don't believe in asking outside agencies to complete the forms but if you feel you can't do them justice then it will be your choice to seek assistance.

Do you receive ESA or IB?

Good luck and I hope your health improves.

sheeps68

tartane wrote: »

I didn't know that you could claim DLA for Asthma.

My 4 year old grandson has it bad. He has two types of pumps, which must be carried around when he is out and about.

He is under the clinic and has been since shortly after birth.

I thought that it was put down as just one of those things and that he will likely grow out of it.

If you are right, there must be 10,000 sufferers that don't make a claim.

OP was talking of the most severe form of asthma which is totally disabling and at that level creates huge care and mobility needs. A nebuliser is 50 times stronger at least than a regular puffer.

I used welfare rights worker at specialist hospital for support and making sure I put what was needed and not missing areas I had simply grown so used to working with I never even thought about.

Mojo_Fones

tartane wrote: »

I didn't know that you could claim DLA for Asthma.

My 4 year old grandson has it bad. He has two types of pumps, which must be carried around when he is out and about.

He is under the clinic and has been since shortly after birth.

I thought that it was put down as just one of those things and that he will likely grow out of it.

If you are right, there must be 10,000 sufferers that don't make a claim.

Technically you can't claim DLA for asthma. You can claim DLA for any care and mobility needs that arise from having asthma, provided those needs are severe enough.

MrsManda

It may be worth applying but you need to focus on what your care/mobility needs are, rather than your diagnosis. As Mojo said, you don't claim because of asthma but you can claim because of the care/mobility needs you have which are as a result of the asthma.

One thing to do before applying is to speak to your GP and specialists to see what their prognosis for you is and also whether they'll support your application.

To receive DLA your care/mobility needs have to have lasted at least 3 months and be expected to continue for at least a further 6 months. The form which the DWP send to your GP/specialists to get more information includes a question on prognosis so it's worth knowing what your doctors are likely to write because if they say that they're likely to get your symptoms under control within the next couple of months then you may find yourself ineligible.

I hope the doctors find a way to fully control your symptoms soon

wheezymummy

Hi thanks for you replies i will give the form a go and see what they say the worse they can say is no!!
Sheeps68 what is a tertiary centre? have never heard of one?

My asthma affects me every day i even just sitting down i am wheezy i struggle getting out and about i have lots of triggers and im just not responding to treatment i have just spent the last 6 weeks on continuous antibiotics to see if there was some infection that needed a long course to kill off but no luck and am currently taking 20 mg steroids day flixotide and ventolin nebs 4 times day singulair 20 mg anti allergy tablets seretide inhaler and spiriva inhaler just to get me through the day and so far this is not working im tired all the time feel spaced out still wheezy and coughing and short of breathe what ever i do walking and staris are a big problem so i spend most of my time in my bedroom to avoid these getting dressed bathing leaves me exhausted and gasping for my inhaler there is nothing i can do that i dont get asthma symptoms from even sleeping i wake up in the night unable to breath then have to set the nebuliser up to help me, am living in a vicious circle and hope thatone day i can lead a normal life.

jetta_wales

I thought Athena was one of the specified conditions they say you can't claim DLA for? Pyromania was one too. Can't remember where I read it but it was in the depths of their criteria and wording specifics somewhere.

sheeps68

You can get DLA for the most severe asthma if it leads to care and mobility needs. I do.

Tertiary centre is the specialist centres that local hospitals refer onto when they need more specialist expertise. EG Royal Brompton - London. Birmingham Heartlands etc These centre can take things beyond what a local hospital can offer for example some of the more specialist therapies are only undertaken by these centres.

sunnyone

My sister got DLA for severe brittle asthma, it killed her at 34 and thats about how bad you have to be to get DLA for asthma, it needs to be life threatening.

NHS regs for kids now say that nebs are only useful if they are given via oyxgen, my son was at the hospital a few weeks ago and they have changed his action plan so he needs home oxygen for nebs and if we dont have it he needs immediate hospitalization and while my son has allergic airways disease he isnt really to bad!

edited to add, someone dies from asthma every 7 minutes, its a dangerous life threatening disease that causes many early deaths every year and it need to be taken seriously (not for the OP or sheeps but for people who dont have a clue about asthma and how serious it can be)

MrsManda

Not to do with DLA but just some information I thought may be of use - the British Lung Foundation has issued a warning to people with respiratory conditions to keep their meds close due to volcanic ash cloud.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13505543