Should I correct them?

Duvarayi

Hi
May you please help me? In August last year I went to bed on sunday night and could no ge out of bed following morning and since then my health has gone downhill and I am now house bound.

I went for Atos medical on 22/01 and got brown envelope same week saying I am now on ESA. I called to ask for the medical report and got it yesterday. My problem is the report says I can walk 100 meters slowly but could not do this repeatedly and I can alternate sitting and standing for up to 30 minutes but not longer.

It also says cannot either mobilise more than 100 meters and cannot for the majority of time remain at work station for more than an hour.The condition is Polymalgia Rheumatica on the medical report.

Here is my problem.I cannot mobilise even for a meter without discomfort. He also noted that I kept geting up every 5 minutes and he found this consistent during a 20 minutes examination so how would I manage an hour? My day to day newlife is from bed to toilet and bath the latter with the help of a carer.

I only go out with my daughter only for appointments which have to be on fridays when she has no college. I cannot go out alone as I would not even be able to wheel myself due to stiff,swelling,painful hands I use crutches to just shuffle indoors. I have rheumatoid arthritis and just started hydroxy tablets which I am not coping well with and I showed the examiner that I will be starting them. He says his advice is that a return to work could be considered within 6 months. The examiner is a registered nurse knowing that. This desease is still not under control and steroids leave me totally wiped out. The tablets I am taking are not doing any thing and I'm in pain 24/7. Adult services through GP referral did assessment and pay for my personal care and house cleaning and had OT who got me bath lift and grab rails,changed toilet door to open outwards. She also wrote to housing for them to move us.I have 3 kids and my daughter now does everything else.

Should I write to them and correct this or just leave it as I know even getting ESA is not easy? Will this not affect the DLA application?

Thank you in advance for taking time to read my ramblings and for your advice.

krisskross

Rheumatoid arthritis is a wicked disease. i have seen my husband completely immobile and wheelchair bound, not able to wash himself or cut his food up. However there are lots of treatments.He now has anti TNf infusions plus methotrexate injections weekly and he is like a new man.

Don't give up, i am sure the right treatment for you will be found.

rogerblack

Duvarayi wrote: »

My problem is the report says I can walk 100 meters slowly
<snip>
Will this not affect the DLA application?

Yes, it may.
If you can walk 100 meters slowly without pain or severe discomfort, you are not entitled to DLA high-rate mobility.
(unless it's unreasonably slowly).

Write, with a note to add to the medical report all your concerns about its inaccuracies.

If you make a claim for DLA, you should probably explicitly raise this, and ideally have a comment from a 'health care professional' involved in your care that walking 100m, without pain is ridiculous.

Plus - the test for ESA is _NOT_ can you walk 100m, or any other distance.
It's 'cannot walk (distance) without stopping to avoid significant discomfort or exhaustion'.

So, if you start out the walk in pain - you can at any time stop to avoid significant discomfort.

I'll also mention http://www.nacc.org.uk/downloads/disability/AdultGuide.pdf - which may be of use.

Duvarayi

Thank you very much for your responses. The thing is he never saw me walking as I was on a wheelchair which I borrow from DABD so I don't know where he got that from and I told him the pain I'm in and how stiff I always am. Sitting is painful and standing as well. The pain is in all joints and is so so crippling. I stop after about every 5 or 6 painful steps as even toes and ankles are so painful. He saw my swollen hands and knees and I even asked if he wanted to see my ankles and he said no.

I will write to them and send the letter my GP had written to fax to Atos which they ignored regarding authorisation for me to take cab to the medical.

eskimo26

Duvarayi wrote: »

Thank you very much for your responses. The thing is he never saw me walking as I was on a wheelchair which I borrow from DABD so I don't know where he got that from and I told him the pain I'm in and how stiff I always am. Sitting is painful and standing as well. The pain is in all joints and is so so crippling. I stop after about every 5 or 6 painful steps as even toes and ankles are so painful. He saw my swollen hands and knees and I even asked if he wanted to see my ankles and he said no.

I will write to them and send the letter my GP had written to fax to Atos which they ignored regarding authorisation for me to take cab to the medical.

Make sure you appeal ASAP, you will recieve the appeal rate. Try to attend the tribunal as it ups your success rate significantly the back log currently means you could be waiting up to a year.

I would normally recommend you covertly record the medical but it sounds like in your case the facts are so far off it'll only take one look at you to establish the medical is inaccurate.

Complain to ATOS specifically outlining inconsistencies in the medical, preferably backed up by medical evidence. They will most likely recommend to the DWP the medical is not fit for purpose. However if you go to Tribunal DO NOT do this, they are not their for complaining about an inaccurate medical that's ATOS' job. At Tribunal you must concentrate on the ESA descriptors instead.

Also please please report this nurse to his Governing Body so other sick individuals do not have to put with this nonsense! Again oultline the inaccuracies backed up by medical evidence.

Good luck and all the best.

sunnyone

eskimo26 wrote: »

Make sure you appeal ASAP, you will recieve the appeal rate. Try to attend the tribunal as it ups your success rate significantly the back log currently means you could be waiting up to a year.

I would normally recommend you covertly record the medical but it sounds like in your case the facts are so far off it'll only take one look at you to establish the medical is inaccurate.

Complain to ATOS specifically outlining inconsistencies in the medical, preferably backed up by medical evidence. They will most likely recommend to the DWP the medical is not fit for purpose. However if you go to Tribunal DO NOT do this, they are not their for complaining about an inaccurate medical that's ATOS' job. At Tribunal you must concentrate on the ESA descriptors instead.

Also please please report this nurse to his Governing Body so other sick individuals do not have to put with this nonsense! Again oultline the inaccuracies backed up by medical evidence.

Good luck and all the best.

He is on ESA.

He didnt fail the assessment so why would he go on on the appeal rate?

Your hatred of ATOS must be hampering your reading ability like so many other posters on this forum, Im no fan but I dont let it blind me to peoples situations and make me reply to every post in the same way no matter what the post was actually about.

rogerblack

sunnyone wrote: »

He is on ESA.

He didnt fail the assessment so why would he go on on the appeal rate?

Your hatred of ATOS must be hampering your reading ability like so many other posters on this forum, Im no fan but I dont let it blind me to peoples situations and make me reply to every post in the same way no matter what the post was actually about.

The poster was incorrect about the appeal rate.
However, on the facts presented, the original poster was likely entitled to the support group.

If they cannot walk, or wheel a manual wheelchair 50 yards without severe pain, then they are entitled to the support group.

Duvarayi

I did not fail the medical. I had no high hopes when I went for the medical and just told myself whatever will be wil be. Passing the medical was great news.

As I said my problem is the walking part written in the medical report because it is not true.

I have written the letter and will be posted recorded with the medical report from consultant regarding rheumatoid arthritis and the treatment I have just started box copy as it's not in my repeat prescription. The letter from GP that was faxed to Atos. I hope this will help prove this.

krisskross

Duvarayi wrote: »

Thank you very much for your responses. The thing is he never saw me walking as I was on a wheelchair which I borrow from DABD so I don't know where he got that from and I told him the pain I'm in and how stiff I always am. Sitting is painful and standing as well. The pain is in all joints and is so so crippling. I stop after about every 5 or 6 painful steps as even toes and ankles are so painful. He saw my swollen hands and knees and I even asked if he wanted to see my ankles and he said no.

I will write to them and send the letter my GP had written to fax to Atos which they ignored regarding authorisation for me to take cab to the medical.

My husband has always been told that ankles do not count for the Disease Activity Score. His consultant told us that they were having difficulty getting the expensive treatment authorised for one of their patients because most of his problems were with his ankles.

Duvarayi

This is it.
No DLA awarded for mobility only low rate form care. The Atos examiner's medical report results as they say they used his information about my illness and disabilities. If they had used the claim form it clearly states that I cannot walk 50 meters. The symptoms I wonder as the even the examiner said my hands and knees were swollen. Medicatiom, I take 30mg prednisolone among them. Test results say raised ESR and L4/5 degeneration.

For mobility she says I can walk over 50 meters and are not restricted in the speed and manner of my walking that i am virtually unable to walk.

Please please may somebody help me understand this. If only she could come and swap bodies with me and see if she would sit and write this. I only walk freely in my dreams and mind.

I've been suffering long before I was told about this dreadful rheumatoid and still am.

eskimo26

rogerblack wrote: »

The poster was incorrect about the appeal rate.
However, on the facts presented, the original poster was likely entitled to the support group.

If they cannot walk, or wheel a manual wheelchair 50 yards without severe pain, then they are entitled to the support group.

Indeed that was my motivation, thankyou. Unfortunately i wrote this at four in the morning through a haze of symptoms and was in auto-pilot.

As for Sunnyone i find your Jekyll and Hyde attitude very disturbing, one second you are offering legitimate and accurate advice and the next you are cutting people off at the knees.

Your recent vitriol against the mothers of children with ADHD was particularly sickening. Having held off putting you on my ignore list previously because of your intermittent but quality contributions I think at this point i have come to the conclusion you are an extremely poisonous individual with a bad attitude if not extremely unstable.

To the OP i stand by what i said, initiate complaints with ATOS with evidence, share your concerns with your MP that this inaccurate report may be used to your detriment in the future and report this individual to their Governing Body!