I, like many other disabled people, am fortunate in knowing what caused my disability, I might not have known that I would end up disabled when my accident happened, but the cause and effect were easy to trace. Many disabilities are not obvious, even to the medical profession, some disabled people have a much harder time, they are disbelieved, mocked and ignored.
Bendy Girl at Benefit Scrounging Scum is one of those people. I've already been through her story reading her blog from start to finish. Today she has recounted a part of her struggle in her post, Bendy Bloggers, go have a read, understand the struggle that some people have when it comes to getting their illnesses recognised, instead of them being dismissed, then have a think about a benefits system that doesn't help.
My girlfriend has been trying to get help, she has been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, she applied for DLA in July 2008. The month before she had a medical for Income Support, even though she had been going for a barrage of tests the DWP doctor ignored everything other than her wrist injury and said she was fit for work.
The people at DLA took the medical as fact and denied her claim.
What they didn't know, even though she tried to tell them, is that medical report was seriously incorrect, it was dated incorrectly, it gave the wrong location for the medical, and because of the doctors intransigence, it didn't cover any of her symptoms even though he was informed of them. The doctor said they didn't matter.
A Rheumatologist diagnosed the Fibromyalgia, that diagnosis was sent to the DLA people, but because the DWP doctor ignored the symptoms the diagnosis was ignored. Finally she went to appeal, a doctor is coming to assess her on Tuesday. She realises that she must have won her appeal, but she still thinks that she will get nothing, now she is worrying so much about this assessment because her trust in the benefits system has been ruined, ruined by a doctor paid by for by the DWP.
How can we get away from this mindset, a mindset in which we see doctors as the enemy in many cases? I have been there as well with DWP doctors, I've been told that things don't matter during a medical, and then had my level of disability reduced because that small fact wasn't in the doctors final report. I like many others see the DWP doctors as people who are trying to catch us out, rather than make an honest assessment of our abilities.
How do we change that while we are being assessed by doctors who work for the system? How do we ensure that correct dianoses are made, not just for benefit purposes, but for the mental health of people being damaged by constant assertions that there is nothing wrong with them?
We need people like Bendy Girl, being a blogger she can let the world know that you have to keep fighting for that correct diagnosis, she can be there for all the other people who haven't yet been diagnosed with EDS, but are searching for that answer.
- The government has been defeated by peers again on its welfare reform
bill, this time over a proposal that was set to punish disabled people in
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l am 64 and a (forced to retire) postman, l had a fall which left me incapacitated, unable to walk more than a block due to severe back-pain.
ReplyDeleteThat was 18 months ago and still no diagnosis although l have finaly made it to a neurologist who is sending me for tests,
My life has been totaly ruined by this injury, l was a keen hillwalker and fisherman, a 20 mile hike was normal for me and this injury has left me fustrated and angry, angry mainly with the treatment,or in my case, lack of it. l applied for "injury at work benefit" and saw a benefit employed doctor, all he asked me was to walk as far as the door which l could manage, and surprise surprise l received a letter saying that my injury wasn't serious enough and the application denied, later on l applied for DLA, this time they contacted my Dr and was sucessful. l would like to re-apply for IAW but without a diagnoses l am unlikely to succeed. l, sympathize with your girlfriend because thats exactly what l have felt, that l'm "hamming" it and only after benefits.
In fact nothing could be further from the truth, l have lost a £26,000 pa job which l loved as my colleagues who l miss terribly, l was told by my employer that they had no objection to me working on after 65 as l was a valued worker and fitter than others 20 years younger than me and l was going to put off my state pension and collect it when i finaly decided to stop work and collect the lump sum. l get so angry when its sugested that benefits is my reason for being ill, the anger is rapidly turning to depression as this incapacity becomes permanent and my hope that the NHS would get a handle on it and a cure perhaps, disappears while l spend my time watching TV, reading books/internet feeling more and more sorry for myself.
Yep. diagnosed with fibromyalgia but told to play up the mental-health issues at my physical cos the Gov docs don't all 'believe' in it.
ReplyDeleteHaven't worked for 2 years - pain, anxiety, depression, social isolation, argh! Can't listen to the news anymore.