The Mental Debt Struggle...

Cherryfudge

She's a lovely animal - such poise! But eating wires etc is a bit worrying.

That's a shocking amount you would have had to pay for the holiday/your sister's birthday. Much better to spend a fraction of it celebrating nearer home, and give her an extended birthday. You will save energy, not having to travel, too, though I'm sorry you miss your days in the sun.

Keedie

Sorry @Cherryfudge, I saw your message and then completely forgot to respond as I got sidetracked by my PIP renewal form 😬. My award was up to October 2026, but the renewal form came last week and I've been in panic mode ever since. I can't find a chunk of my medical documents (due to the clutter issue 🤦🏾‍♀️) and I can't get through to the benefits advice service for someone to help me with my form.

So I've been in freak out mode. Although my health has deteriorated since my last award in 2021, I have been so anxious that I won't meet whatever the new criteria is, and that I will be denied. My son thinks I'm being paranoid, as according to him, it's obvious that I'm disabled. But I am incredibly anxious. I know it's probably not rational.

I currently get the minimum of the daily living and mobility components, and although the money is a good chunk of my monthly budget, it's actually the assistance that comes with PIP that I am scared of losing. As PIP is used to pay for my carer, and it makes day to day life easier as the mobility element allows me to have the blue badge and the freedom pass. So fingers crossed my entitlement still continues.

As for Silver and her strange eating habits, she vomited the other day as she ate through the plastic bin bag that I had hanging behind my door in my room. I've been slowly decluttering and putting things in the bag and she ripped it to shreds and ate a piece. I honestly don't get it.

But yeah, not dealing with the holiday expense was good as I used the money to top up my sinking funds, but I am sad to miss the holiday itself. My mum is taking me to Birmingham for a short city break this weekend. I know she'll want to go shopping, so I'm trying to figure out walking aids and luggage as we're going on the train. My son said to use my rollator and a rucksack and the rollator bag for my clothes. Or I can use my crutches and a tiny suitcase like I did when we went to Cambridge, and my mum helped me to wheel the case when I couldn't manage. But I don't like to bother her or rely on her, even though I know she doesn't mind. I've set some money aside to take her dinner on Saturday evening, so that will be nice.

daisy_1571

I think cats sometimes eat plastic as there can be fish oils so it smells/tastes nice to them. There's maybe something lacking in her diet or something natural you can get for her to take that will stop her

Dxxx

Cherryfudge

I had no idea about the fish oils in plastic bags @daisy_1571 ! I expect the texture, crinkliness, odd shapes inside are intriguing, too. Perhaps a paper carrier bag might be less interesting. No wonder cats have nine lives.

It seems a long lead-up time to the PIP renewal, but that gives you some time to make a start and for the documents to surface. They will be somewhere. If you've not needed them for a while, they are probably packed deeper into wherever you put them. I loath finding the right documents for things: there are the ones I can lay my hands on, and the ones I… can't. Who knows what I classified it as last time I used it?

Yours will reappear, but in the meantime, you could start gathering your evidence - even what you've mentioned above about navigating with a rollator would be useful: on worse days you possibly couldn't do any of that, which is evidence. Also the fact you are going to have to have the back-up of your Mum to get round.

I hope you and your Mum have a lovely city break and you both enjoy the meal. What a nice idea, treating her to that - a Mum and daughter memory. And can you put your things in a left luggage locker during the day so as not to have to carry them around?

beanielou

Enjoy your weekend. Hope the documents surface.

liselle

I once knew a cat who had swallowed anti-freeze……my own cat used to shred paper and eat it, but then stopped doing it.I said she must’ve grown out of it, but who knows what goes on in a cat’s mind……!

Keedie

I hadn't realised @daisy_1571 that plastic bags contain fish oils, but that would make sense. She seems to be obsessed with them. And shredding cardboard, trying to eat paper and biting into anything plastic or bedding. I think she's teething, but she has very limited interest in the chew toys that I got her. But I'll have a think to see if there is anything missing from her diet. She eats wet and dry food, but has gone off the kitten milk and just drinks water.

Was the cat that drank the anti-freeze okay @liselle? That sounds very scary. But I am reassured that your cat has outgrown eating all the random things.

I've managed to locate the majority of the documents @beanielou, so that is a relief. Anything else, can always be sent onto them once the form has been submitted. I just feel very on edge at the moment, and it's the writing of the form that is the most important. And that is taking a lot of time to get my thoughts together as I don't think the benefit service will be able to help me as they have not contacted me and I can't get through to them. But I looked at the Citizens Advice Bureau's website and there is some good information on there, but it is a lot of information that made my head hurt.

I hadn't thought of the planning of walking aids that goes into travel journeys @Cherryfudge. I'm so used to just doing it, and figuring out step free access on the tube or local bus stops etc, that I forget that needing to do that is not the norm. So I will write things like that on the form, as I had not considered it, so thank you. The deadline for the form is 10 March 2026, as once the renewal form is sent to you, there's a very short turnaround time. My existing award ends in October 2026, but at anytime within the last year of the award they can send you the renewal form. I was hoping it would be in a few months time when I am more on top of things, but the stress of locating documents is down to my poor organisation so I can't get upset with the DWP. A lot of the pressure I am feeling is self inflicted 🥴.

liselle

Yes, the cat survived but did have fits.I heard that, apparently, anti-freeze is very sweet.Who knew!!
Very best wishes for the renewal.

Cherryfudge

I'm glad the documents are coming out of hiding! Perhaps you need to add anxiety to your form if you haven't already? It's a lot to battle.

InDebtEnby

My cat likes to lick new plastic bags, he's never eaten one though.

Your blue badge is separate from PIP, so you don't need to worry about losing that. If you need walking aids then you should be able to renew the badge when it is needed.

The suggestion of using your rolator and putting your clothes in a bag on it sounds like a good idea. My mum uses hers with a wheely case but goes on bus trips so the case stays on the bus until the hotel where she puts it on the rolator seat to get to the room.