worried about first pip renewal

pip-man · 19 July 2018 at 10:16AM

i wonder if you can help
I am a disabled chap - who gets PIP, higher mobility and normal living rate
I do deserve this - and i would say i was entitled to it.

Recieving this payment changed my life entirely, and i have been recieving it - for a tiny bit over 2 years.

It has allowed me to return to work, and live a happier life, due to having a car - through this, without the car i would really really struggle.

I am however in a ok paid job - but without my car,yes i could technically get another car, but i would really find life hard.

I have a few other conditions, but the main part is a triple ankle fusion, yes i can walk, and i can walk far - but it hurts like hell

I was originally handed the benefit, due to the amount of pain i was in, and the pain management making me ill

If i dont take my painkillers i cant move much, and if i do i cant work much - the car etc helped so so so much it was unreal - means i dont have to walk for the bus in the morning, which starts me with a day of pain etc.

I have my first review for renewal today and im scared about it

i know that if i told the truth, it would be 66% that the award stays the same, on a typical day.(my original assessment took place on a day i was VERY high on tramadol)

However......... every 6 months i have a large cocktail of drugs pumped into my foot, which stabilises it for about 3 and a half months

I had this 2 days ago, so im currently pain free. Which in essense i assume will mean i will breeze through the assessment, and have PIP removed.

i dont want to lie, but if i have PIP removed, my life goes back to just bed and pain killers.

any advise on how to deal with this.

pmlindyloo · 19 July 2018 at 10:50AM

pip-man wrote: »

i wonder if you can help
I am a disabled chap - who gets PIP, higher mobility and normal living rate
I do deserve this - and i would say i was entitled to it.

Recieving this payment changed my life entirely, and i have been recieving it - for a tiny bit over 2 years.

It has allowed me to return to work, and live a happier life, due to having a car - through this, without the car i would really really struggle.

I am however in a ok paid job - but without my car,yes i could technically get another car, but i would really find life hard.

I have a few other conditions, but the main part is a triple ankle fusion, yes i can walk, and i can walk far - but it hurts like hell

I was originally handed the benefit, due to the amount of pain i was in, and the pain management making me ill

If i dont take my painkillers i cant move much, and if i do i cant work much - the car etc helped so so so much it was unreal - means i dont have to walk for the bus in the morning, which starts me with a day of pain etc.

I have my first review for renewal today and im scared about it

i know that if i told the truth, it would be 66% that the award stays the same, on a typical day.(my original assessment took place on a day i was VERY high on tramadol)

However......... every 6 months i have a large cocktail of drugs pumped into my foot, which stabilises it for about 3 and a half months

I had this 2 days ago, so im currently pain free. Which in essense i assume will mean i will breeze through the assessment, and have PIP removed.

i dont want to lie, but if i have PIP removed, my life goes back to just bed and pain killers.

any advise on how to deal with this.

I am wondering what kind of medical evidence you have as regards the cocktail of drugs that you have 'pumped into your ankle' every 6 months. Does it indicate for how long the effect lasts? Were you receiving this when you had your first PIP assessment?

And do you actually receive it every 6 months exactly and does it make you totally pain free for exactly 3 and a half months?

I am supposed to have injections every 3 months and the appointments are often changed and it becomes every 4 months. Does this happen to you?

This is important because the assessment should account for your disabilities over a 12 month period with the disability/condition affecting you for at least 50% of the time. You may need to point out that although you receive this treatment when the drugs wear off you are then back to managing the pain for the rest of the time.

Is there any reason why the cocktail of drugs cannot be given more frequently so that you are always pain free? If there isn't then you need to explain why this can't be done.

Is the assessment today or are you completing the review form?

pip-man · 19 July 2018 at 10:57AM

sorry, on mf my other conditions is dyspraxia - so i waffle on im afraid

My appointments are more or less strictly 6 months (as im in a position where the alternative is amputation), and the HNS referred me to private healthcare - to maintain that i keep it!

i do have doctors notes for this, including what they are (its a combination of 3 items, a steroid, a painkiller - and a third item to stop decay- the 4th i can recall)

3 and a half months is the point where pain is back, and at its maximum again - pain slowly returns after a month,

The procedure is every 6 months because the steroid, although helps - it is also having a huge effect on scar tissue (ive had 14 surgical prodecures in little over 8 years)

the review form was done, and i have someone attending home later..... yet i know im "in peak condition" for me, today

thanks - and sorry for the odd replyied.

pmlindyloo · 19 July 2018 at 11:02AM

pip-man wrote: »

sorry, on mf my other conditions is dyspraxia - so i waffle on im afraid

My appointments are more or less strictly 6 months (as im in a position where the alternative is amputation), and the HNS referred me to private healthcare - to maintain that i keep it!

i do have doctors notes for this, including what they are (its a combination of 3 items, a steroid, a painkiller - and a third item to stop decay- the 4th i can recall)

3 and a half months is the point where pain is back, and at its maximum again - pain slowly returns after a month,

The procedure is every 6 months because the steroid, although helps - it is also having a huge effect on scar tissue (ive had 14 surgical prodecures in little over 8 years)

the review form was done, and i have someone attending home later..... yet i know im "in peak condition" for me, today

thanks - and sorry for the odd replyied.

If I have understood you then you are not pain free for 3 and a half months - the drugs work well for a month and then the pain increases - so not pain free.

I would say it just as you have explained here.

Good luck!

TELLIT01 · 19 July 2018 at 11:04AM

You need to describe you condition as it normally affects you, not its improved situation for a short period following the injection. Let the assessor know about the injection but emphasise that the benefits are short lived.

Ames · 19 July 2018 at 11:06AM

This is the reply I made on your other thread - it's probably best to keep everything together in one place.

Ames wrote: »

Explain to them. PIP is pretty good when it comes to variable/fluctuating conditions. It's how you are more than 50% of the time, so you're not quite at that level.

If you've only just got the form then your meds might have worn off by the time you have the face to face assessment anyway. If you take a month to get the form back (longer if you ask for the 14 day extension) and according to a recorded message on the helpline there's currently a wait of 8 weeks for the f2f then you're looking at two to three months.

Are you truly pain free and able to do everything with no problems? Or are you just a lot better than you usually are?

Can you get an appointment with CAB or another advice agency to help you fill in the forms?

Alice_Holt · 19 July 2018 at 1:18PM

I would tend to do a brief diary / written notes to explain the variability as clearly as possible. Particularly if your dyspraxia might make communication difficult at the assessment.

So, for 5 months a year the pain you experience means you can't cover 20m reliably without stopping or without intense pain.
For 2 months of the year the injections enable you to walk reasonably pain free.
For 5 months of the year the pain returns (and has an increasing effect on your ability to walk 20m).

pmlinyloo and Ames have been very clear on how PIP is measured over the majority of the time.

Are there any other reliability issues other than the pain?
According to DWP guidance:
!!!8216;When assessing whether the activity can be carried out reliably, consideration should be given to
the manner in which they do so. This includes but is not limited to, their gait, their speed, the risk of
falls and symptoms or side effects that could affect their ability to complete the activity, such as
pain, breathlessness and fatigue.'
Also if it takes you a long time to cover 20m (due to pain) this should be considered.

If your notes / diary shows that for more than 182 days in the year you can't reliably (and repeatedly) cover 20m without the intense pain, Then I would think the same decision should be made and your PIP continued as is.
It would help to get medical evidence around your condition, pain management making you ill, the likely intensity of the pain, etc.
Get someone (or a few people) to proof read your notes. You could then take a copy of this to the assessment, so you can more accurately explain to the HCP. Then maybe give them your notes so the HCP can be very clear on variability, and is not just reliant on your verbal explanation.

Good luck.

worried about first pip renewal

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free