Hi everyone, I'd like to start by saying I'm new to the forum so please forgive any mistakes I may make!
I have been a Type 1 for 26 years now and was originally prescribed Mixtard, but I was switched to basal bolus around 13 years ago. Since the switch I have had an extremely difficult time trying to regulate my sugars and I experience several hypos a week, sometimes only 3 or so, but usually around 6-7 a week, and occasionally as many as 9-10! I follow my prescribed routine and have had my dosages changed many times. My GP nurse had me keep a diary of my daily activities, food intake, any exercise, insulin dosages, etc. for around 5 months and when I presented her with the diary she could not explain why I have so many hypos. As a result of this I have completely lost any hypo awareness which just serves to aggravate the situation. I have been in receipt of ESA in the support group for over 8 years and lost my driving licence about 12 years ago.
Now I've given you a bit of the background, I'd like to ask a question to the community. I have a job advisor at a company called PeoplePlus who is supposed to help me find an employer who is prepared to take me on knowing about my condition and circumstances, and in November last year she told me to apply for P.I.P. as she had other customers whose conditions were not as severe as mine and they received it. I told her that I did not feel I qualified to receive this benefit, but she urged me on, and so I applied. In January of this year I had a medical assessment by ATOS and was kept waiting over 50 minutes after my appointment time and as a result I had a hypo in the waiting area. The assessor called for paramedics, and after a Glucogon injection I was brough back to a GCS of 15 and told by the assessor that the medical could not be performed as I was in 'no fit state' to be assessed. A couple of days later I received a new appointment in the post and returned for my assessment exactly 14 days after the original appointment, this time eating a few flapjacks and drinking a Lucozade to ensure I could get through the assessment. Now, when I filled out the claim form I answered all the questions with 'sometimes', stating that I was only affected before, during, or after a hypo. I made no outrageous claims, nor did I lie about how I was affected. About a month later I received a letter saying I had not qualified for PIP, and my job advisor asked what the report had said. I told her I didn't know, to which she informed me that I could ask for a copy, which I did. When I received the report I was quite shocked as the assessor had said that her findings differed from those reported, basically calling me a liar, which put my back right up. So I asked for a mandatory reconsideration, stating that a 28 minute assessment could not see what I experienced on a daily/weekly basis, and as I was not having a hypo during the assessment how could she judge the validity of my answers, also stating about the assessment 2 weeks prior.
Again I was refused, and purely on the basis of being called a liar I have taken this to a tribunal appeal, and have just received my copy of the DWPs submission to the court, who have asked the court to throw out my appeal without consideration.
Now, what I'm wondering is, what should I do now? All I really want is my chance to stand up in court and state that I am not a liar.
I have been a Type 1 for 26 years now and was originally prescribed Mixtard, but I was switched to basal bolus around 13 years ago. Since the switch I have had an extremely difficult time trying to regulate my sugars and I experience several hypos a week, sometimes only 3 or so, but usually around 6-7 a week, and occasionally as many as 9-10! I follow my prescribed routine and have had my dosages changed many times. My GP nurse had me keep a diary of my daily activities, food intake, any exercise, insulin dosages, etc. for around 5 months and when I presented her with the diary she could not explain why I have so many hypos. As a result of this I have completely lost any hypo awareness which just serves to aggravate the situation. I have been in receipt of ESA in the support group for over 8 years and lost my driving licence about 12 years ago.
Now I've given you a bit of the background, I'd like to ask a question to the community. I have a job advisor at a company called PeoplePlus who is supposed to help me find an employer who is prepared to take me on knowing about my condition and circumstances, and in November last year she told me to apply for P.I.P. as she had other customers whose conditions were not as severe as mine and they received it. I told her that I did not feel I qualified to receive this benefit, but she urged me on, and so I applied. In January of this year I had a medical assessment by ATOS and was kept waiting over 50 minutes after my appointment time and as a result I had a hypo in the waiting area. The assessor called for paramedics, and after a Glucogon injection I was brough back to a GCS of 15 and told by the assessor that the medical could not be performed as I was in 'no fit state' to be assessed. A couple of days later I received a new appointment in the post and returned for my assessment exactly 14 days after the original appointment, this time eating a few flapjacks and drinking a Lucozade to ensure I could get through the assessment. Now, when I filled out the claim form I answered all the questions with 'sometimes', stating that I was only affected before, during, or after a hypo. I made no outrageous claims, nor did I lie about how I was affected. About a month later I received a letter saying I had not qualified for PIP, and my job advisor asked what the report had said. I told her I didn't know, to which she informed me that I could ask for a copy, which I did. When I received the report I was quite shocked as the assessor had said that her findings differed from those reported, basically calling me a liar, which put my back right up. So I asked for a mandatory reconsideration, stating that a 28 minute assessment could not see what I experienced on a daily/weekly basis, and as I was not having a hypo during the assessment how could she judge the validity of my answers, also stating about the assessment 2 weeks prior.
Again I was refused, and purely on the basis of being called a liar I have taken this to a tribunal appeal, and have just received my copy of the DWPs submission to the court, who have asked the court to throw out my appeal without consideration.
Now, what I'm wondering is, what should I do now? All I really want is my chance to stand up in court and state that I am not a liar.
