No 4 point PIP descriptors results
| Submission ID: 1163399 |
| Date: 2025-04-09 13:19:29 |
| Nickname: Justanotherscrounger. |
| Age: 50 |
| Main health condition: Both physical and mental health |
| Main conditions that affect daily living: Arthritis, neurological disorders due to spinal cord damage and bladder and bowel problems caused by Cauda equina syndrome. |
| Rate of PIP daily living component: Enhanced |
| 4 point descriptor score: No |
| Possibility to score at least one 4-point daily living descriptor at the next review: Who knows with this lot. |
| Tasks you struggle with on a day-to-day basis: I have chronic pain. I have had ten major joint operations in the last few years, including three in the last 18 months, and I am facing another major shoulder operation shortly. Washing, dressing, cooking, and all normal everyday tasks that people take for granted are difficult. I am constantly tired as I do not sleep very well due to chronic joint pain. Living with chronic pain is also draining, and I often feel exhausted. Medication also causes its own problems, and on some days, it also makes me dizzy or drowsy. I also have bowel and bladder problems after suffering from CES and this also causes its own challenges especially when leaving the house. |
| Expected income you will lose if the Green Paper cuts are imposed: I really don't know. My wife already works full time, and we can barely make ends meet as it is. Even a small reduction in income would have a significant impact. I already refrain from turning on the heating when I am home alone, despite the discomfort it causes my joints. Instead, I will put on extra clothes and cover myself with a blanket. I started working in my father's business at nights and weekends when I was 12 years old, and then transitioned to full-time work at the age of 15. I have worked hard throughout my life, and my wife continues to do so. We do not expect handouts for luxuries, but we should at least be able to afford food and to heat our home. |
| Expected problems if you tried moving into work, with support from a work coach: I have spent the last few years recovering from one operation after another. In the last 18 months, I have had open elbow surgery, total right hip revision surgery, and major multiple level lumbar back surgery. In the next 3 months, I will be having rotator cuff and decompression surgery. I have been told that in the next couple of years, I will probably need a multi-level spinal fusion. How can I work when I would be off sick more than I would be at work? Who would employ me, and what would happen on the days I have severe flare-ups and can hardly move? How would this work? Would I get paid sick leave on the days I couldn't work? I also have no idea how I will feel from one day to the next. What happens when I've only had 6 hours of sleep in 3 days and I'm exhausted or when my medication makes me unwell or drowsy? I also need frequent joint injections just to be able to function but these can also make you worse before you notice a bit of improvement. Disability is difficult and for me disability is painful. |
| Anything else to tell us: I would love to turn back time to my old life - I was very athletic, enjoyed my job, and had money in my pocket. Unfortunately, this was not life's plan for me, and now I make the best of what I have. Those who make these decisions have no understanding. Disability is not simply black and white. In many cases, there is a choice, but disabled individuals do not choose to be disabled and are often overlooked. They should focus on fixing the broken NHS before targeting us. I have chronic cervical pain after ACDF surgery which I was told would be best managed with injections. I waited two years for these, as the saying goes, "walk a mile in my shoes." I have had three knee surgeries, three shoulder surgeries, two hip replacement surgeries, two lumbar back surgeries, one cervical surgery, and one elbow surgery. I am currently waiting for another shoulder surgery but apparently I'm not really disabled. |
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