ESA 50 CONTINENCE DISCRIPTOR ADVICE

Hi!
Quick question about ESA50 and continence discriptors. I take medication because of urgency and the need to urinate. I have had ultrasound and seen a specialist and my bladder never fully empties when passing water. I can hold it for a period of time but never get rid of the sensation of the need to urinate and be able to get to the loo and the discomfort is enough to make me sweat . I have only wet myself once in the last year but it takes all my self control to hold on.
Should i put this in the continence siscriptor section as the questions are put so that you have to have soiled or wet yourself and changed clothes on a regular basis.
Any thoughts welcome Thanks.

matchseller wrote:

Hi!
Quick question about ESA50 and continence discriptors. I take medication because of urgency and the need to urinate. I have had ultrasound and seen a specialist and my bladder never fully empties when passing water. I can hold it for a period of time but never get rid of the sensation of the need to urinate and be able to get to the loo and the discomfort is enough to make me sweat . I have only wet myself once in the last year but it takes all my self control to hold on.
Should i put this in the continence siscriptor section as the questions are put so that you have to have soiled or wet yourself and changed clothes on a regular basis.
Any thoughts welcome Thanks.

I think they wrote it in such a way to exclude what you have wrote about and also to exclude short periods when people have bugs that can cause such problems too

I was initially refused points on incontinence but when I appealed I pointed out that there is a difference in voiding and frequency between these two descriptors:
'(b) Has no voluntary control over the voiding of bladder
(d) At least once a week loses control of
bladder so that the claimant cannot control the full voiding of the bladder;'

In b) it does not state the frequency that this occurs unlike in d) so as the descriptor has a stipulated frequency of occurrence in d) then b) must, in absence of a time frequency apply.
And in b)does not describe full voiding unlike in d), so I argued that I do not have full voiding and so therefore b} is the relevant descriptor.

I know this boils down to semantics but they are using words to deny us the ability to properly describe the problem.

I went through every descriptor, it took ages, and used their words against them. I did get the decision overturned.

I hope this is of use.

I would agree with Clicker on this one, but also make sure that you describe the problems you have with the pain in detail -as it could also be argued that is it "reasonable" to expect someone to endure such pain to avoid loss of control of the bladder.

Provide as much information as possible and you are liekly to get the 15 points which would also place you in the support group!

Good luck with it all

Thank you Gordon for correcting me, it just goes to show the difference a year makes! It was not my intention to mislead, I had not realised they had changed the descriptors. They change the goal posts just so they can reduce the numbers irrespective of how they affect many people. Today I received the renewal for ESA and I need to revisit my descriptors all over again.