driving to atos medical

hi, and thanks for a great site. i am just wandering about how to get to the medical,i can drive myself with partner (she does not drive) if i drove myself, would they say i was fit to work?.
i have several discs colapsed in my spine i had 2 opperations on my spine but on the second op the surgeon damaged my spinal chord, i am in excrutiating pain all day everyday, i suffer sciatic pain down the back and sides of my legs as well as my terrible back pain, i can't walk very far at all. i also suffer with IBS, i know this is not very nice but where i cannot move quickly i mess the bed and myself, when dressed as well as wetting myself, (self respect now gone) i also suffer from depression.
i spend most of my days led on either my bed or my living room floor as i cannot sit for long periods of time, this is why i am asking about driving to the medical. i got a white envelope through the door today. this is a list of meds
180mg MST (morphine for back pain)
800mg GABAPENTINE (back pain)
810mg MEBEVERINE ( IBS)
40mg ESOMEPRAZOLE ( IBS )
140mg LOFEPRAMINE (depression).
plus i suffer from memory loss and keep on falling asleep these are 2 side effects of my meds
sorry for the long message but i do not have anbody else to take me to the medical

Although the approved disability analyst will probably ask you how you arrived at the medical assessment as part of the scripted list of questions, driving yourself to the assessment centre will not in itself mean you are fit for work.

The ESA decision maker is obliged to take into account all the evidence including any provided by yourself, and also if appropriate, the healthcare professionals involved with your care before making a decision on your entitlement to benefit.

If you are worried about driving to the medical assessment, would it be possible for you arrange to go by taxi? If so, you would need to seek the permission of Atos medical services in advance of the assessment, if this is a feasible option for you?

I agree with crazy diamond but I would add that the doctor is not only likely to ask how you arrived. Even if you said by foot or taxi, there is a good chance he or she will ask if you drive

If you have difficulties and limitations with driving, for example, not every day, not alone, any extra conditions on your insurance/ DVLA restrictions etc I'df advise putting this in writing in your ESA form or extra pages. Dont rely on the doctor to write what you say in this respect

The process does focus on many everyday things and use them as evidence, for example, even little things like whether you wrote the form yourself, do you have a pet, all sorts of thing

the guides on this site is a good starting point to prepare yourself for the sort of questions that arise

Limitations of driving could be for example i can only drive short distances because of pain from my disabilities,if i drive one day i would not be able to drive the following day as i need time to recover,even when i drive short distances i have to keep pulling over and stop the car and rest because of pain/severe discomfort in my joints or whatever.

Hope this helps.

All the best Headinawheelchair.

For example, the doctor might decide that the inability to reliably engage in sequential tasks is disproved by driving. However, if you were unable to drive many days of the week because of poor concentration, it could be argued you cannot reliably perform sequential tasks etc etc etc

It is very important to be well prepared, please please please do not rely on the assessment appointment to either record faithfully what you say, or to explore sufficiently and conscientiously your individual difficulties

The 'have it all in writing' approach which I always recommend is a 'must' really. It has worked well for me and those I have advised in the past .

If you ever end up at appeal the tribunal will start sympathetically if they can see anything you wrote was ignored by the ATOS assessor. It also means there is a better chance of avoiding being called for the medical altogether if it appears to the ATOS 'scrutiny' HCP that you will pass. Quite a high number of people are NOT called for medicals, and I suspect that is as much down to the information they provide as it is to the perceived severity of their diagnosis

I think the following are general points that I would suggest to anyone

1. Be prepared, know the criteria, know the procedure and truthfully describe your problems in the context of the criteria.

2. Keep your doctor and other health professionals aware of your problems and if you can build up a good rapport they are more likely to support you

3. Don't go alone to the medical, always try and attend with a companion and if you feel comfortable, have the companion in with you during the interview

4. Do not 'hide' any discomfort, mentally or physically during the interview