Lyme disease

I have been recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease having suffered various symptons from it over the last 25 years. In the last two years the disease has gone into overdrive and I have problems with mobility,fatigue and a myriad of different symptoms. Has anyone successfully claimed DLA due to this disease? Any tips to share?

Thanks
Su

susan2 wrote:

I have been recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease having suffered various symptons from it over the last 25 years. In the last two years the disease has gone into overdrive and I have problems with mobility,fatigue and a myriad of different symptoms. Has anyone successfully claimed DLA due to this disease? Any tips to share?

Thanks
Su

Hi Su,

I'm sure that if we have any members that suffer with the same condition, they will offer support.

However, please be aware that it is not the condition itself that qualifies a claimant for an award of DLA, it is the limitations and needs as a result of any condition that are the important factor.

Have you looked at our extensive guides on DLA?, they are most enlightening.

You can access them from the link below. :

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants

If after reading the guides, you have any general questions, please come back to the forum.

bro58

susan


may i ask how u got diagnosed after 25yrs. i suggested 2 my gp that i may have Lyme & he nearly laughed me out the door. He said if i had Lyme for a period of time untreated that i would b very very ill & possibly die. The way he described it was as if i had malaria or something.

martin

I have Lyme and get DLA, low-rate care only, on the basis of the cooking test - more to do with cognitive problems than fatigue.

I could give more detail another time if you wish.

yes please elaine, that would b most helpfull.

thanks you very much

martin

Lyme has such a wide range of symptoms, and each person has their individual pick’n’mix of them (well, I didn’t exactly pick mine but you know what I mean), so what I put may not be at all relevant to anyone else. It is the effects not the diagnosis that counts.

I reckoned I was only entitled to lower rate care component, so I tailored my form to that, and that’s what I got eventually (I was refused, appealed, had a medical and was then awarded it for three years without having to go to tribunal).

I put in an extra sheet giving medical background and how I am affected in daily living, this made it clear that I am restricted in the amount I do by fatigue.

The only question where I ticked yes was the one about cooking and I went into some detail, fitting what I said to the parts of the question: cognitive problems mean I have difficulty working out and sticking to a sequence of tasks; fatigue and depression mean I lack energy and motivation to cook; problems with concentration mean I create dangerous situations. I gave examples of these.

Basically I followed the excellent guide on this site!

I rarely walk far because of fatigue, not because of any functional problem, and I didn’t think I’d get the mobility component for that. But I’m now wondering if this is arguable – mainly because I’m thinking about my transfer from IB to ESA, and realise I’ll probably need to argue that my ‘mobilising’ is restricted.

Hope this helps.