Physical health, mental health and social care uncertainty (TW) and 117 review

Former Member

Hi,
Things are extremely difficult. My physical health have declined significantly, I now can only do 10/15 hrs a week of activity and I can do less in those hours. One consultant really hasn't listened, getting access arrangements for the GP is still a fight, the pain, the fatigue, oh my. I have far more medical stuff than I would normally have, 
Social care is getting there slowly but its been a huge fight and will be to come.
My mental health, So basically I have underlying stuff that get exasiabtes when my other stuff is unstable which leads to crisis point.  So I self harm but I can't cut at the moment because of the medical stuff. I have attempted suicide more times than I care to count. I have weird issues with food, its a thing. I have little people in my head, Im dissociated soooooooo much. I have dealt with quite a bit of Trauma in my life which majorly effects me still.
I am currently in an exasiabtion due to the factors above and many more. This looks like exhaustion from fighting each day, this looks like going hyper, this looks like the silent scream as a knife is twisted deep in my chest from the mental agony. This looks like a far higher risk level, struggling to talk to people, losing motivation, generally hurting.
I struggle to actually communicate so sorry in advance if there are any miss communications.
I am having a 117 review early-mid February and no one will tell me what to expect or how to prepare does anyone know anything? (other than online info) 
I hope this makes some sense, sorry if it doesn't please feel free to ask questions however I may not be able to explain or feel comfortable enough to be able to give you the answers you seek. hope thats okay.
thank you
Ge

independent_

Hey Ge,

I’m so sorry to hear things are so hard for you right now. I think when your physical health isn’t good it has a huge impact on your mental health too. It’s really awful that, in 2021, people are still having to fight for the support they need. I’m glad your social care is getting there though. 

Sounds like you’ve had it pretty tough with your mental health too, it must get pretty lonely sometimes. I don’t know anything about the 117 reviews unfortunately, but I think with any sort of review like that the most important thing is to be as honest as you can. It’s slightly different but when I made a claim for personal independence payment (PIP) I was advised to think about my worst days when I was filling out the forms and speaking to the official people. Basically don’t downplay anything and tell them how you are when you’re at your worst. 

It makes total sense, don’t worry about that. I think you’ve explained it very well. I wish I could help you more. 

Sending you massive hugs, always here if you need someone to listen  

Former Member

independent_ said:

Hey Ge,

I’m so sorry to hear things are so hard for you right now. I think when your physical health isn’t good it has a huge impact on your mental health too. It’s really awful that, in 2021, people are still having to fight for the support they need. I’m glad your social care is getting there though. 

Sounds like you’ve had it pretty tough with your mental health too, it must get pretty lonely sometimes. I don’t know anything about the 117 reviews unfortunately, but I think with any sort of review like that the most important thing is to be as honest as you can. It’s slightly different but when I made a claim for personal independence payment (PIP) I was advised to think about my worst days when I was filling out the forms and speaking to the official people. Basically don’t downplay anything and tell them how you are when you’re at your worst. 

It makes total sense, don’t worry about that. I think you’ve explained it very well. I wish I could help you more. 

Sending you massive hugs, always here if you need someone to listen  

Hi independent,
thank you for reply to me. Physical health most definitely has a huge impact on my mental health and is a huge exacerbating factor. To get any support was definitely a huge fight and I'm lucky because I have my parents and professionals or are willing and able to fight on my behalf, a lot of people don't have that.
Yeah mental health stuff sucks tbh. 
Okay thank you! how did you find PIP? I found it really stressful. It's so hard to talk about all the stuff you can't do. 
Just last night I wrote a tone of stuff down and sent it to my behavior specialist (They are amazing) and they will help me organize everything to send to my parents, clinical psychologist/care-coordinator and the other 6 people who will be at my review. It was really difficult to write but I hope it will help. However I now have to speak to the clinical psychologist which is freaking me out as I don't normally speak to them and the little people don't like them. so yeah.   
Thank you
Ge

independent_

Hiya,

No worries!! Always here if you need to chat.

PIP was definitely stressful, it is draining when you have to be so negative when you’re filling out the forms. I think it’s maybe more natural for some people to focus on what they can do and play things down. But with PIP you can’t or you don’t get the support.

It’s good that you’ve written things down, I know I find it helpful because then you’re not trying to remember everything (which can be hard when you’re nervous). Speaking to professionals is tough, but you could maybe just write a few notes to have on hand when you’re speaking to the psychologist. 

I hope it all goes well  

Former Member

independent_ said:

Hiya,

No worries!! Always here if you need to chat.

PIP was definitely stressful, it is draining when you have to be so negative when you’re filling out the forms. I think it’s maybe more natural for some people to focus on what they can do and play things down. But with PIP you can’t or you don’t get the support.

It’s good that you’ve written things down, I know I find it helpful because then you’re not trying to remember everything (which can be hard when you’re nervous). Speaking to professionals is tough, but you could maybe just write a few notes to have on hand when you’re speaking to the psychologist. 

I hope it all goes well  

Hi,
I always struggle with forms, but especially those forms. one of my parents is my appointee for the DWP so I don't have to deal with them. I'm currently going through a similar process for a care act assessment for adult social care. In the PIP meeting one of my parents talked to the assessor and the other looked after me and try to help me survive it.
yeah I find it really hard to write never mind verbalize stuff so writing down is a what I do to prepare for most meetings. I am planning to make sure the writing is sent to the psychologist before I speak to them as that will make it easier (they can ask questions about what I have written rather than me trying to explain everything on the spot.
Thank you
How are you?
Ge