OS ways and Poor Health

pollyanna_26

It's lovely to hear from you Tink . Happy New Year to you and your family and all our other friends here .


You've done really well to keep the thread going recently as we start struggling with the cold , damp days .



I'm sorry to hear of the panic attacks . It does seem if you can manage to find a way to stay at home it will help you cope better and not be pushing yourself to work with the impact it has on your health .


You've done really well with managing the budget, batch cooking and cutting back where you can .


When I found myself bringing my 4 up on my own and later needing to take early retirement to look after dd3 I was worried I wouldn't manage financially but keeping a tight rein on spending and not trying to live up to others lifestyles made it possible .


You've mentioned before you have friends who have more money and sometimes just one child . I think you've already discovered you don't need to compare or feel guilty if they buy top end childrens clothes and toys or have lots of holidays abroad .


I have said here in the past that working seems to put an added strain on your health . If you and your husband can find a way to manage I would certainly give it a try .


I know the PIP is used towards paying for health needs . I assume your car is funded from the mobility part . The extra treatment is also coming out of that pot .


I'm wondering if any of the things you currently pay for can be sourced via the NHS . Obviously not the car but depending on provision in your area there are a number of different services available under the NHS now alongside the existing ones .


The health and wellbeing one dd has spent the last year with has made a massive difference . Everything from a pain psych , physio tailored to her needs and a structured daily plan she follows at home .
She can also access OT if needed but she already has things to help so we didn't take that up .


I would see if it's possible to give up the job . There are ways you can cut back a little . Expanding the food growing comes to mind . Growing veg , salad stuff , fruit and loads of herbs saved me a fortune over the years for example .


Anyway it's worth thinking seriously about Tink .


Hope out other friends are plodding on . It's actually sunny here today after some cold and dank days .We spent yesterday afternoon at the hospital as they were assessing dd for possible surgery . It was very quiet there and we were seen 5 mins after sitting in the waiting room . All staff were lovely . There's a new man in charge now and the difference already is amazing . It looks as though there's been a clear out of all the obnoxious staff . Everywhere is spotlessly clean and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly .


Since coming back under our local hospital earlier this year all has been good so our GP was right to recommend it . He is involved there a lot so had seen and been involved in the changes .


DD is back there in 4 weeks . They did bloods yesterday among other things and apart from deciding she needed to see Dermatology rather than Gynae which is a relief as it means she can stay on Methotrexate as no surgery . They flagged up Diabetes . She was on Metformin for years but the PCOS triggers false readings . Two of her newer meds do cause some weight gain so I think they'll find she is not diabetic . Very regular full bloods tests would have flagged it long ago .


Well I seem to have written a mini book! Wishing everyone a year of perfect weather , loads of spoons and less stress ( well a girl can dream )


Take care

polly x

pollyanna_26

Oh it's so cold today heavy frost until lunchtime and the temperature is dropping rapidly again now .



I've just been catching up with the posts I missed since dropping off the radar at the end of November . I noticed both candy and pauline kept posting along with Tink long after we gradually started the annual winter decline. I hope you both are feeling less anxious and are more settled at the moment .


Also hope all went well with Wolfie and Mr Wolfs December appts . Well done on MR Ws bed fence it must make things easier and hopefully makes for less disturbed nights .


Well I imagine a lot of people are having the flares . My hands are next to useless right now and energy is in short supply . The cough, cold ,sinus infections have been lingering on in various forms and combined with the flares have meant rubbish sleep if any .


I've remembered Jack Monroes' Hot Nurse soup which I've never tried making . I don't know why it's taken until now to think of giving it a try after months of struggling . I've run out of Turmeric so will need to pick some up when we head to town for the meds after the docs on Friday. I've lots of fresh ginger so am thinking if it doesn't clear the sinuses etc it should benefit the joints!


Haven't seen anything of Fuds on OS but may have missed her when I wasn't posting . Last heard of planning to go to the Knitting and Sewing show so I hope she managed it and has escaped her health declining as it did last winter .




Just remembered Wolfie I know quite a few people who voted with their feet with Boots opticians and have been very happy with Asda . Might be too big for you in terms of people and noise but worth considering . From what I've heard it's a very professional service whereas going by my dd2 and others experience with Boots it's all about the selling over suitability . Ours has gone downhill over the last couple of years and hardly anyone seems to be in there when we're at the pharmacy .


Right time to make a brew . I'm going to have to put the lights on as it's getting dark already . Yesterday was cold but sunny but today is a low grey cloud day .


Pollyx

Tink_04

Thanks Polly!

I'm not sure still yet but we will have a good talk when the kids go back to school.
I only get the lower rate of PIP so the car is not covered by that (as I'm too mobile apparently)

I know we will always manage but it's a HUGE step as I have a good job and good hours which I'll never get again ..

We are all Ill today - kids and me are full of cold. We have had loads of pj and movie days which is great for us to have a chill out. It's hard work when everyone is poorly but at least we are not doing school runs.

Would love to see how everyone is doing as it seems ages since we have seen some people around! I hope everyone is well and starting the year off well.

Tink

pollyanna_26

Tink I'm sorry to hear you're all full of cold. It's been quite a time for flu, bugs and viruses recently and it seems many posters on the threads have been struggling over the last few months .


Thia thread does get much quieter for a while as a result of flares , viruses and the challenges of coping in winter . I noticed Wolfy has been struggling with a flare but she'll probably be back when she's feeling better . I do wonder myself how everyone is coping .


You've got a lot to think about . I can understand it's difficult to decide what to do . A good job with good hours isn't so common nowadays so I can understand your dilemma .



My dd was 16 when our GP recommended claiming DLA . She never needed a face to face assessment and everything was decided on Consultants and Doctors medical evidence . She had her 34th birthday in December and from the age of 16 it had just been filling in a form every now and then to update on her condition



The transition a couple of years ago from DLA to PIP was her 1st face to face assessment . Thankfully she was given enhanced for both criteria but she's now being reassessed and the stress as to the outcome is back .


The PIP 1043 I mentioned recently is an odd form . There are things they don't want such as a supporting letter from the GP . We were both still trying to recover from the aftermath of flu and already coming down with another virus so I phoned for an extension as the form needed to be back by 22nd Dec -a Saturday when they'd be closed ! Even guaranteed next day signed for wouldn't work according to the post office due to the Christmas post problems .


We got the extension so next week we'll be filling it in . Having time to think things through has helped . They will accept a Drs report rather than supporting letter so that's what Superdoc has written .



Do you just get the lower mobility or do you get the daily living allowance too? How much you'd need to cut back on will depend on loss of earnings . I can't remember when your last assessment was . DDs award was to late 2019 but this form has been sent out a year before that end date . This now seems to be the way . Whichever way this assessment goes the previous award is no longer valid and any award depends on the present decision .


Get over the present cold and the children back to school and then you and your husband can start thinking things through .


Take care

pollyx

Tink_04

Thanks Polly - I get the £51 a week one? Not sure what that is but it's definitely PIP. I had never claimed anything before this so it's a bit new. We are still learning the system really. It's really complicated and I don't really understand it but I don't thank any of it is easy now.

I have no idea what the form is you have but send as much supporting info off as you can as with mine they didn't even bother to contact the nurses/specialists etc they asked us to write down.

I hope LW is feeling better soon! Xmas and NY are hard times anyway before you factor in anything else.

Still loaded and feeling rotten & il tired and irritable today too! Kids are winding each other up and DH is not helping! Justwant 10 minuets peace!

It's freezing outside and we are all tired and grumpy today so going to attempt to watch a movie and have an easy night.

Take Care

Tink

candygirl

Evening all :j
I've been reading along, but haven't got much to report really.Am 2.5 months into the new anti depressants, n having good n bad days.Feel a lot calmer though now .
Sending healing hugs to you all :A xx

Tink_04

Hi CandyGirl - I found when I changed mine over in Feb it wasn't helping as much as I thought. I upped the doesage slightly with the Dr and it made a huge difference!

Hope you settle soon. I moved from certalipram to cirtraline as after a few years the ones I had just wernt working any more. I'm a bit hit and miss still but don't want to increase any more.

Sending hugs

Tink

pollyanna_26

Tink have you any vicks,olbas oil or similar ? Inhaling them in hot water with care can help or rubbing some on your chest helps clear the stuffiness . I often put a few drops of Olbas on a tissue and inhale .


I never got round to trying the "Hot nurse" soup recipe . By the time we'd been to the Drs yesterday and went into town to the pharmacy and picked up available meds plus 3 owing slips for the ones not there my head was mashed . I had a list but forgot 3 things including Turmeric . Will try again on Tuesday when I need to go back for the missing meds . They were getting them in for today but town 2 days on the run especially on a Saturday was too much to face.


According to the Gov website PIP rates are Enhanced daily living £85.60 . Standard DL £57.30 .


Enhanced mobility £59.75 . Reduced £22.65 .


I've noticed they are reviewing claims PIP claims again due to errors made during 2017 . It seems some people lost out due to the mental health aspect of mobility not being assessed and that has had to be factored in and reviewed . This doesn't affect my daughter as her award was made in the previous year under the correct criteria .


They've recently had to review ESA too as there were errors there .


I understand they need to assess claimants but everything seems over complicated now compared to the past .It doesn't help with peace of mind at all .


Sorry the children are bored and winding each other up I don't miss those days! I used to make mine go and tidy their bedrooms when they were pushing their luck too far . My son used to drive me nuts as he'd find excuses to stomp up and down the stairs shouting It's not fair over and over again . The first few times I told him to go and play football with his friends for a while . When I realised he was getting exactly what he wanted I changed from tidy your room to that's you not going out next time someone calls for you . Worked like magic .


Candy you do sound much calmer than when you needed to see the doc . This time of year with miserable weather and shorter days affects most peoples mood even those who don't struggle mentally or physically. Everything seems more effort . We were battling against a very cold wind in town on Friday coming straight off the sea . It made the memory of sitting on a bench during the hot spell a few months ago trying to finish our 99s before they melted seem a long time ago now .


I miss spending time in the garden even if I'm just sitting for a while .I've been thinking lately I'll have to go back to using a tumble dryer . I used one in the bad weather when the family were growing up due to all the bedding , uniforms , towels and jeans .


I managed fine once it was just dd and I but it's becoming a nightmare hanging out the cotton and flannelette bedding , the bath sheets , curtains and other large and heavy items even in sunny weather . I still have my last dryer which is years old .It's one of the Hotpoint models which were identified as a fire risk and was unplugged when the problem became known .



They offered a voucher towards a new model but the trust had gone as they had similar problems with some fridges . I'd had my moneys worth out of it and decided to do without . Now I'm thinking I need to get one I'll probably go for a Bosch or something similar . My washer is Bosch and has been trouble free so I'll look around and see .


I feel a bit of a wimp really as I try to be as green as possible but I need to recognise I'm not as fit as I once was .


Hope Pauline , Wolfy , OBL , Wonky Teapot , Prinzess , AOT and our other friends are ok .


polly x

pollyanna_26

Just read Tinks last post . You're heading towards 3 months on the new med Candy . It may be worth seeing if you can have the dose increased now . It may make a difference . Our doc does it if something seems ok but needs tweaking. As Tink says it can help .


polly x

candygirl

pollyanna_26 wrote: »

Just read Tinks last post . You're heading towards 3 months on the new med Candy . It may be worth seeing if you can have the dose increased now . It may make a difference . Our doc does it if something seems ok but needs tweaking. As Tink says it can help .


polly x

It's been increased already! The Doc is great, but family issues are taking over