PIP was 2nd claim with new conditions but from 15 April 2025 new 3rd claim as advised.

HillStreetBlues

tifo said:

"No where in that statement does it say always - what stops you from driving gout or arthritis".

It doesn't say always but driving is an explanation for 0 points. Gout flare ups normally stop me from driving and i've been diagnosed with osteoarthritis since last 7 months and there's been no severe yet. It's painful and it's stiff and it stops me from doing things normally and isn't severe but compared to someone without it i'm affected.

"little or no medication, no specialist care, no ongoing treatment or surgical plan will provide them with the ammunition to write a stronger no point descriptor".

I have ongoing medication (allopurinol) for gout, daily tablets since about 3 years now. And naproxen for when it flares up (came off diclofenac many years ago as Dr said it's not safe). The Dr said use the same for osteoarthritis, i suppose because gout is a form of arthritis.

"Interestingly there is no mention of the length of time of these flare ups".

The assessor asked and my reply was about 12 times a year and 3 days for severe, 4 days for moderate and it goes down to mild and goes away in 2 weeks. But i don't always get severe or moderate and many times it's mild which affects me for several days and this is how it's been over the year. So it wasn't 12 times a year severe but 12 episodes on average with a mixture of severe, moderate and mild. If that makes sense. 

I haven't kept up with your thread, but thought I would see how you got on.
I can't give an opinion if you are or aren't entitled to PIP, and that why I've kept away, simple because with your long running threads, I should know.
One thing I will say, you will never get PIP talking about "flare ups" simple because a flare up is worse than normal, and PIP is based on what's normal (majority of days). Terminology matters a great deal.

peteuk

tifo sai

Now i know I didn't  ..... but i did try and respond to the assessment questions accurately.

I'll go through my form and check questions and answers compared to what the assessment report says, but i do know that i said 'No' to Q6 'Washing and Bathing' but i am affected in response to the questions asked at the assessment so should have ticked 'Yes' and wrote what i said. When i was completing it i just didn't equate the problems i sometimes have with washing my lower limbs with the question, though i did answer it as such in the assessment and the decision has referred to the problems i mentioned. The form refers to 'getting in and out of the bath or shower' and 'using the bath or shower' so in my mind I said no issues with those.

I think i get brain fog when completing long forms under pressure to get them right. I get anxious and nervous and worked up. I seem to be getting confused easily. This is not to throw in more issues into this thread, these are all to do with the anxiety and depression i suffer from including OCD which also gets me worked up at home and outside and i've been like this for many years. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it, who did tests like say numbers backwards or repeat addresses etc and said "you're fine". An example i gave him was that a young man i've known all my life (family friends) came to drop something off and for the life of me i couldn't remember his name! When asked by family who it was i could not remember his name at all. It came to me some days later. Even yesterday i saw a friend around 1pm and he we spoke about a few things. I later messaged him saying "haven't seen you for some days how are you" and he replied "you've no slept, you saw me earlier today and we spoke about [the things]. I couldn't remember for some minutes then it came to me. For this one i can post a screenshot of my messages with him?

For genreal knowledge for others - If you answer No to a question the assesor still has to compete the activity.  A question will be asked along the lines of "youve noted no difficulties in (activity) is this still the case?"  At which point you can answer with the restrictions you experience. 

born_again

Activity 4 - Washing and bathing

a. Can wash and bathe unaided. - Score 0

b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to wash or bathe. - Score 2

c. Needs supervision, reminding, encouraging, or reassuring to be able to wash or bathe. - Score 2

d. Needs physical help to be able to wash either their hair or body below the waist. - Score 2

e. Needs physical help to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower. - Score 3

f. Needs physical help to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist. - Score 4

g. Cannot wash and bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body. - Score 8

So how would you word your reply to this section?

From the form the Mrs gets, there is no Yes/No answer?

peteuk

born_again said:

Activity 4 - Washing and bathing

a. Can wash and bathe unaided. - Score 0

b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to wash or bathe. - Score 2

c. Needs supervision, reminding, encouraging, or reassuring to be able to wash or bathe. - Score 2

d. Needs physical help to be able to wash either their hair or body below the waist. - Score 2

e. Needs physical help to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower. - Score 3

f. Needs physical help to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist. - Score 4

g. Cannot wash and bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body. - Score 8

So how would you word your reply to this section?

From the form the Mrs gets, there is no Yes/No answer?

That’s not the question, the questions are do you need prompting and do you need help from others.  You can then free text in the box - no issues. As Ive noted at this point the assessor has to ask you a question about the activity.  This is usually along the lines of, youve noted no difficulties in washing/bathing is that still the case.  If the answer is yes then they move on, if no then it’s explored. 

sheramber

tifo said:

teaselMay said:

If you completed the forms accurately you will have already documented any effect of any of condition on your ability to do things.

Now i know I didn't  ..... but i did try and respond to the assessment questions accurately.

I'll go through my form and check questions and answers compared to what the assessment report says, but i do know that i said 'No' to Q6 'Washing and Bathing' but i am affected in response to the questions asked at the assessment so should have ticked 'Yes' and wrote what i said. When i was completing it i just didn't equate the problems i sometimes have with washing my lower limbs with the question, though i did answer it as such in the assessment and the decision has referred to the problems i mentioned. The form refers to 'getting in and out of the bath or shower' and 'using the bath or shower' so in my mind I said no issues with those.

I think i get brain fog when completing long forms under pressure to get them right. I get anxious and nervous and worked up. I seem to be getting confused easily. This is not to throw in more issues into this thread, these are all to do with the anxiety and depression i suffer from including OCD which also gets me worked up at home and outside and i've been like this for many years. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it, who did tests like say numbers backwards or repeat addresses etc and said "you're fine". An example i gave him was that a young man i've known all my life (family friends) came to drop something off and for the life of me i couldn't remember his name! When asked by family who it was i could not remember his name at all. It came to me some days later. Even yesterday i saw a friend around 1pm and he we spoke about a few things. I later messaged him saying "haven't seen you for some days how are you" and he replied "you've no slept, you saw me earlier today and we spoke about [the things]. I couldn't remember for some minutes then it came to me. For this one i can post a screenshot of my messages with him?

. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it

You don’t seem to have any problem recalling what was said at your assessment. 

tifo

sheramber said:

tifo said:

. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it

You don’t seem to have any problem recalling what was said at your assessment. 

That was 2 weeks ago .... what can i say, it happens when it does, i don't control it.

tifo

WabbitWabbit said:

You are starting to bring in different things as l can’t see any mention of anxiety or depression until today.

Have you had a diagnosis?

Your OA, have you had a referral?

Yes, depression is in my notes from 2019.

No referral yet for OA as the GP said use the same medication as for gout, as i'm on daily allopurinol and naproxen as and when needed.

Gout is on my notes from 2012 but i actually first got it in 2008 and went into hospital as my right foot swelled up a lot with severe pain. 

sheramber

tifo said:

sheramber said:

tifo said:

. I have memory recall issues too and have been to my GP about it

You don’t seem to have any problem recalling what was said at your assessment. 

That was 2 weeks ago .... what can i say, it happens when it does, i don't control it.

Does that mean you didn’t have it  two weeks ago and it is new?

But does it happen  the magma mortify of the time.?

I regularly cannot remember things like a name, a surname. 

I knew at 10 am I had an appointment 12 noon. 

I forget about the appointment and missed it. 

I go upstairs for something and come back down without it. 

I go shopping for an item and come home with other things but not what I went for. 

 I never used to use a diary. I just remembered everything. Unfortunately, no longer,  but I do not consider myself disabled  by it. 

It is life. 

tifo

These are my problems and significant past notes from my GP record, some of the dates are wrong and i don't know why. Posted so it can be seen what my record says.

acquired blindness (left) should be from childhood so at least 1975.

gout should be from 2008. All my fitnotes (feb 2019 to the first WCA assessment decision in december 2021) said 'chronic gout'.

cataract from 2022 is in the right eye, the other issues are in the left (blind) eye.

the osteoarthritis is later in in 'values and investigations' with notes from the x-ray in october 2024. Says 'pain to medial joint line ... with reduced RoM due to pain ... OA ... other joint pathology ... medial tibiofemoral joint space narrowing ... insertional entheosopathy on the anterosuperior aspect of the patella'. I read this out to the assessor.

tifo

born_again said:

Activity 4 - Washing and bathing

a. Can wash and bathe unaided. - Score 0

b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to wash or bathe. - Score 2

c. Needs supervision, reminding, encouraging, or reassuring to be able to wash or bathe. - Score 2

d. Needs physical help to be able to wash either their hair or body below the waist. - Score 2

e. Needs physical help to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower. - Score 3

f. Needs physical help to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist. - Score 4

g. Cannot wash and bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body. - Score 8

So how would you word your reply to this section?

From the form the Mrs gets, there is no Yes/No answer?

I said that when my OA is painful i cannot bend the knee to wash lower legs and when i have gout or OA i cannot lift my feet to wash them. She asked if i can bend down or lift them up to wash my feet.

Looking at the descriptors i'd score (a) 0 points because i can wash and bathe unaided but it can take me double the time of someone without my issues and it at times it will not be complete wash.