PIP extension? And help with form please

Hi, I've not been here before so pls excuse a newbie if all info is elsewhere.
I've recently breve over my call up papers, transition from DLA to PIP., and my return-by date is 27 DEC. Which means 2 days off for public hold, Christmas post, and I'm finding the professionals I want to contact are off sick, away on hol or simply not responding. Rosy mail says last date for 2nd class to arrive by Xmas is 18th DEC. Tuesday. I think that in practice it'd need to arrive by Friday 21st,, as if still in the system on Monday 24th there'd be no sorting done, everything shuts up shop for 2 days. OK, I'm getting paranoid. Oh, and it's a big envelope, not your Post Office Preferred.
On top of that, as I'm bed ridden, so need to get someone to post it for me. It all takes time arranging, as friends and family normally available are themselves I'll / recovering from operations or now live 40 miles away.
Even more, with COPD and terrific fatigue I can manage very little time, even on good days, and my eyes weep very slightly but enough to blur everything after a short time.
So my question is - which of these are grounds for requesting an extension of time and is there any optimum time to do so, or does it not matter?
Gosh, I'm sweating and my breathing running riot just writing this to you, only thinking of the dreaded PIP.

Next up, on the mobility side, I cannot stand or walk, and never will, so should score a straight 12 points and retain my Higher level!. BUT I'm bed ridden, haven't been out of my room for a year except for a 3 day spell in hospital for pneumonia in June. So could they say I never go out and therefore do not need mobility awarded?

Now to the Care side. Up to now I've always washed myself if only my face plus if I can, my "bits". This has deteriorated over time and I'm finding it harder and harder to do. I detest the idea of being washed but will sooner or later have to give in, I haven't the breath or the energy very often to do it myself. Once, in the last week. The last time I had a bath was 3 or 4 years ago when in a respite hospital, then 12 months ago a nurse washed my chest, back and legs at another Hosp. But I'm confused by the form. I wash until I'm too breathless to continue, often that means just my face these days. Other areas, chest, back legs, hair don't get done. I do have your excellent guide but it doesn't quite cover my position!

Lastly, I think, re food and cooking, I cannot eat a whole meal, have a couple of mouths full at a time as I get indigestion, wind that pressurises a v large hernia which in turn presses on my colon, closing it and also reduces lung capacity, and there ain't much of that to play with.
As to cooking, health and safety for my carers means my microwave and air fryer are the other side if the room, out of my reach. By design!
I do prepare veg for cooking, but by the time I've peeled a carrot or two and an onion, chopped them and maybe a pepper or courgette, couple of mushrooms. I'm exhausted. For a few hours.
I enjoy it, enjoy doing something. Cooking this as ratatouille would hardly be beyond me, but it's denied me.
So again, where do I stand?

Any help much appreciated. Apologies for being awkward, some say I was born that way while others say I'll do anything just to be different. Sad but true.... But I'm not just different - I'm unique! Which means I'm exactly the same as everyone else!

Best regards, Peter

Many thanks for all your reply, Gordon - I think I'm getting a better understanding of the procedure when you mention not combining food cooking and eating. I had not recognised Taking Nutrition as an appropriate category for me.
Re Unable to walk. Due to a prolonged period of inactivity my hamstrings shortened, I cannot now straighten my legs, both at best are at 90 degrees at knee. Permanently. There is no elasticity in hamstring, any attempt to lengthen they will snap. I assume this would be pretty conclusive?

Re shower - I have always found water vapour suffocating, regardless of COPD or respiratory disease. I always preferred to shower but would frequently dash out of shower when panic hit. I could not do that now. Lowering water temp reduces steam, but I am now VERY sensitive to temperature change, can go from hot flushes to cold shivers in seconds. With a shower, as soon as skin is not heated by hot water, I am shivering, need immediate swathing in thick warm towels. If I do get cold, it can be hours before I get warm through again. As I have experienced.
I do not have a shower, or over-bath shower in my flat, so the above seemed irrelevant.. However, again I'm learning. The fact that I do not have a facility is irrelevant, I should still address the matter as though I had that facility. In theory, not practice. So I need to address the possibility of using a shower, ignoring the absence of the facility. Is that right?
Similarly, regarding cooking, I do have a microwave oven in my room, but this, along with kettle, fridge, freezer and washing bowl are on other side of room, I am not allowed them near me due to health and safety restrictions for oxygen and care agency regulations, and the need to keep access to my bed. Anything I need from fridge, or washing bowl, I have to ask carers for, and they use kettle and microwave oven for me.
Re washing before food preparation, peeling and chopping veg which I aim to do a couple of times a week, I use wet wipes.
Re personal care, I am finding it more and more difficult to wash myself, even just my face, as part way through washing my energy runs out, my breathing is bad and I have to rest, then can do no other areas. It is not unlike being winded, I'm suddenly severely out of breath and all the fight is knocked out of me, physically and mentally, and the expectations of a minute ago become impossibilities. As always, I only find out that an activity is more than I can manage AFTER attempting it. I have about 20-30 seconds in reserve, then I find out whether I have overdone it or not. This is of course using oxygen at the appropriate rate.

I am finding numerous items that, as you say, do not fit the descriptors. And often they apply to nearly every area, and can be quite complicated. Do I need to include these fully in each area?

For example, technically my eyesight is fine, I wear glasses for near and distance, but, my ability to see is not good. Since cataract surgery several years ago I have a lot of "floaters", both dark and clear. The latter have a prismatic effect on my vision, causing problems mostly when reading, as a part of a letter or digit can be obscured or distorted. Misread letters forming words are rarely noticed, but with numbers have to be very careful that what I see is what is written. It only takes a slight distortion to change a 5 into a 6 or a 3, or a 4 into a 7 etc. I generally use a magnifying glass to be sure. Additionally, for some years I have had double vision, with one image vertically above the other. This is only evident in high contrast situations, for example with subtitles on television, where the first line is repeated as a slightly weaker image over the second line, or outdoors when the number of telephone wires against the sky are seen as doubled. In lower contrast situations the double image is not evident, but it is there and does degrade the image I see. This increases with tiredness, by evening looking at a full face on TV I see two sets of eyes, two mouths etc. Typing on a PC, tablet or phone is very slow because if the double image of text typed and the keys are not where I see them.
Thirdly, my vision blurs after a short time, the physical movement back and forth of my eyeball causes very slight weeping. Not enough to require wiping, or for wiping to help, but it does create a film across the kens, and this makes my vision blurred after ten minutes. Higher contrast helps, and backlit screens such as on a phone or tablet are best. Trying to read ink on paper is very dificult, I read one word at a time and I have not been able to read a book for years. All of these get worse as the day goes on, or my tiredness increases. None, of course, are improved by my prescription glasses.

Another item is that my hands tremble and shake. Light trembling, due to medication I'm on and more violent shivers and twitching when fatigued and stressed. I would not be able to read a paper held up in my hand, it shakes too much, and I am becoming fumbly and inaccurate in using my fingers which shake and twitch. My handwriting is illegible, even to me, so I use only capitals, and these are becoming so shaky and difficult to make out at times. And with double vision I often find it impossible to put pen to paper in line with previous words, so words in a sentence are stepped.

One thing I omitted previously is sleep / fatigue. Again, this affects pretty much every area, certainly every aspect of my life. As does anxiety, depression, pain and bowel function. I assume I need to reiterate this in each category? It is tempting to assume that having mentioned it once, it would automatically carry over into other categories. I guess not? Likewise oxygen - I am so used to using oxygen 24/7 that I quite forget about it. I assume it is classed as an aid in doing anything?

Lately, I crash out after eating in evening, get about 2 hours sleep that takes the edge off my need, I'm then wide awake a few hours, then doze and hopefully get back to sleep for another couple of hours until about 7am, though often I can do little more than doze, say 5 mins sleep in 30 or 40 mins. I'm tired all day, can manage a couple of hours max attending to emails, phone calls, PIP etc before fatigue kicks in and I need to rest. If I do overdo it, I'm into extreme anxiety, panic attacks, my breathing and energy are so poor I cannot move and I find it impossible to get to sleep for a very long time, and then frequently wake up immediately. It's an awful lot to add to replies in every category. Plus when tired my memory is poor, I can omit the most obvious points etc etc..

Re taking nutrition. Due to increased hernia /bowel problems I cannot now eat more than a few mouths full at a time. My aim is to eat every 2 to 3 hours, but I do forget and could do with reminding. Likewise drinking - I'm frequently finding I'm becoming dehydrated, and then my energy, breathlessly and SATs all deteriorate. But are these sufficient to be classed as a need?

Additionally, I have a considerable problem with wind. This puts pressure on the LH inguinal hernia which in turn presses on the colon, and can close the bowel causing constipation which can be serious. Also, wind presses on lungs, reducing lung volume and making any physical movenent impossible. I cannot even lie down as lung capacity is reduced when lying, so i sit and wait, maybe 3 hours, for it to ease.

Another thing I had missed - I do have hearing aids, prescribed and supplied by the local hospital Audiology unit, as in both ears I don't hear the higher frequencies. They improve clarity very much in talking to people, i can understand parts that would otherwise be a mumble,so I need to ask for something to be repeated on far fewer occasions. And I can distinguish individual words when someone has a strong accent (eg American) otherwise it can sound like a stream of words all joined together. Plus I do not mis-hear things, or make so many mistakes. I don't wear them all the time because a) I have very few visitors and b) with the oxygen cannula over my ears they are at risk of being detached and lost. But - do I NEED them? I'm not without hearing, they improve communication, make it more effective and reliable.

Thanks for your assurance re requesting an extension, I have 2 weeks granted and the promise of more if needed - a very pleasant man at DWP dealt with my request and we had an interesting chat on the problems of cataract surgery - a long way from the ordeal I half anticipated.

I do apologise if this is repetitive and long winded - I am having so much trouble reading and typing, it takes me so long.

Finally, a very happy Christmas to all
Kind regards, Peter