IBS And The DWP/WRAG.
- Thread starter kirkcaldy
- Start date
I'm weary of sounding like i'm offering medical advice, so certainly don't take it as such.
But you absolutely should look into why your GP has prescribed you Codeine Phosphate for lower abdominal pain (forget about the limited anti-diarrheal effects, there are classes of drugs far better suited to that purpose) and read the research yourself, you owe it to yourself.
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As someone with ibs and from fife I know all too well the uncaring attitude of the job center staff when I had my dealings with them. Was in a 2 hour group session and had to leave as they said they did not have a toilet to use.
Never did have to go back after my complaints
Never did have to go back after my complaints
the codeine isn't for the pain I take spasmonal for that, codeine is the only thing that when combined with the loperamide stopped me going to the loo 6-10 times a day, the regular intake of codeine reduced it from 6-10 to 1-4 times a day, I know how codeine effects the system and was informed of this by a specialist in hospital after a full colonoscopy and trialing quite a list of different drugs and not simply by my GP
In my eyes living a life where I don't have to check whether there is a toilet on the way to wherever I am going and always be worrying whether I can leave the house without sitting in the bathroom for upwards of an hour is worth it
head over to your local citizens advice bureau or law centre, if they're legal aid funded they can help with an appeal and sign you up under a caseworker.
the ESA medical process is a joke now, its basically a list of 'descriptors' which attempt to find out if you can do certain tasks such as 'sitting at a desk' and 'using a keyboard and mouse'...if you cant do the descriptor in question then you score points for that particular test.
except they dont actually test you, they ask you a series of questions, along with the esa50 questionaire you fill in and then extrapolate answers for these descriptors with the multiple answer type questions you answer.
the descriptors can be found on page 69 of the following pdf
http://ssac.independent.gov.uk/pdf/esa-amendment-regulations-2011.pdf
if you score 15 points with descriptors from parts 1 and 2 then you can go into the wrags group, work related activity group basically means they think you can do some type of work.
the descriptors on page 76 are for the support group, if you fit the further criteria for this group you dont have to look for any work whatsoever as you are deemed to ill to work, only something like 4% of all claimants get into this however.
as i say, go to your local citizens advice or law centre, they will be able to assist you with an appeal but the majority of the work any advice agency does is down to the medical evidence they receive back. they can write to your doctors/specialists and use that evidence to argue that the dwp's assessment doesnt cover factors known by your doctors who have been seeing you for x years. letters saying 'mr. x suffers from y illness and takes z medication' arent usually worth the paper they are written on. what we do is create a document listing the descriptors relevant to the appellant and ask the doctor to comment on their understand of their patient's ability to perform these tasks given their illnesses. then ask for a reconsideration with the written evidence so you're not waiting 9 months for a first tier tribunal date.
also if you get any disability living allowance think about requesting a copy of the decision maker's report which might have evidence in you can use for your ESA appeal.
good look with the appeal
the ESA medical process is a joke now, its basically a list of 'descriptors' which attempt to find out if you can do certain tasks such as 'sitting at a desk' and 'using a keyboard and mouse'...if you cant do the descriptor in question then you score points for that particular test.
except they dont actually test you, they ask you a series of questions, along with the esa50 questionaire you fill in and then extrapolate answers for these descriptors with the multiple answer type questions you answer.
the descriptors can be found on page 69 of the following pdf
http://ssac.independent.gov.uk/pdf/esa-amendment-regulations-2011.pdf
if you score 15 points with descriptors from parts 1 and 2 then you can go into the wrags group, work related activity group basically means they think you can do some type of work.
the descriptors on page 76 are for the support group, if you fit the further criteria for this group you dont have to look for any work whatsoever as you are deemed to ill to work, only something like 4% of all claimants get into this however.
as i say, go to your local citizens advice or law centre, they will be able to assist you with an appeal but the majority of the work any advice agency does is down to the medical evidence they receive back. they can write to your doctors/specialists and use that evidence to argue that the dwp's assessment doesnt cover factors known by your doctors who have been seeing you for x years. letters saying 'mr. x suffers from y illness and takes z medication' arent usually worth the paper they are written on. what we do is create a document listing the descriptors relevant to the appellant and ask the doctor to comment on their understand of their patient's ability to perform these tasks given their illnesses. then ask for a reconsideration with the written evidence so you're not waiting 9 months for a first tier tribunal date.
also if you get any disability living allowance think about requesting a copy of the decision maker's report which might have evidence in you can use for your ESA appeal.
good look with the appeal
I work full time and have bad IBS diagnosed by a specialist, I have always worked, every job I have had I just let my manager that I may need more toilet breaks but will not take the mick and they have all been fine with it
To be fair though there is bad ibs then extreme IBS. Such as constant leakage and inability to go for more than 20mins without a toilet break of 10mins.
I manage work etc as well with bad ibs but some folks have it really bad.
I manage work etc as well with bad ibs but some folks have it really bad.
I too suffer from IBS. Only for the past year or so it has become noticiable.
Get a very bad pain in my side with it too. Cannot seem to eat the right things, so any suggestions would be good
I just get up and go to the toilet, if they require a doc note il quite happily provide 1
Get a very bad pain in my side with it too. Cannot seem to eat the right things, so any suggestions would be good
I just get up and go to the toilet, if they require a doc note il quite happily provide 1
I too suffer from IBS. Only for the past year or so it has become noticiable.
Get a very bad pain in my side with it too. Cannot seem to eat the right things, so any suggestions would be good
I just get up and go to the toilet, if they require a doc note il quite happily provide 1
When it First developed IBS relatives thought I had Aids or Cancer and just didn't know how to bring the topic up until my Mother asked and it all came out so to say.
I tried the various amounts of food advice from forums
but could never find the right mixture of food or fluids.
It's a bit hit and miss to be quite honest you have to go through the long process of guessing what to avoid.
I know I will overcome this and work around it as I can't just vegetate,
I find the Second biggest problem is talking to strangers face to face about my condition.
Talking online is different even though it is personal I am faceless and don't feel people pointing or making snide comment and being under scrutiny.
All I can say is just try and experiment with food and fluid,
though saying that I never eat and only sip water for 48 hours prior to going to an appointment if I have the will power just to be safe.
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That sounds like a really good employer that I would love to work for,
you are lucky in your employment status and with the understanding employer.
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Deit has massively helped my IBS - lived in America for a year and ate a lot of fast food, was in a very bad way when I got back to the UK.
I still get horrific days when there is some kind of stress or unknown situation involved, but it is much better than it was thankfully.
Tried various medications, but none worked as well as controlling my diet and finding out which foods are right for me.
Nearly destroyer my life though, especially during the worst period where I wouldn't want to go out of the house.
I still get horrific days when there is some kind of stress or unknown situation involved, but it is much better than it was thankfully.
Tried various medications, but none worked as well as controlling my diet and finding out which foods are right for me.
Nearly destroyer my life though, especially during the worst period where I wouldn't want to go out of the house.
Thank you for your help it is really appreciated and I hope it helps others too.
You know I wouldn't appeal the WRAG group if I really felt well enough to get back into work and that's the truth I do have other problems that I really don't want to go into here.
However leaving that out, my gripe is my treatment at the DWP office, which in this day and age is disgraceful how the hell am I mean't to put all my energy into trying to concentrate about what I need to help me back into work when I am thinking that I am going to **** myself because I can't use the toilet or that I am being or problem for daring to ask.
However I will use the contact advice you have given should I need it,
as I have learn't to stick up for myself and not be put down or talked over when I have something to say without being bolshy.
Your experience is also mine I live in the same type of inconvenience
and if I could put that amount of planning in other aspects of my life I would be happy.
" In my eyes living a life where I don't have to check whether there is a toilet on the way to wherever I am going and always be worrying whether I can leave the house without sitting in the bathroom for upwards of an hour is worth it "
I suffer from IBS, I just go to work, most of the jobs I've had the past few years have involved driving a fair distance every day, the doctor just says to take loperimide to try and control it.
Some days ill take 12mg first thing I'm the morning and just live with the consequences later, other days I am fine.
It doesn't get worse if I'm stressed, it doesn't matter what I eat.
It does matter if my hay fever is bad at the time though, nobody should have to suffer that much snot.
Some days ill take 12mg first thing I'm the morning and just live with the consequences later, other days I am fine.
It doesn't get worse if I'm stressed, it doesn't matter what I eat.
It does matter if my hay fever is bad at the time though, nobody should have to suffer that much snot.
As someone who works for the job centre as a Disability Employment Advisor, I will say that access to toilets is something that should be available for those people with health conditions upon request, although access to non-customer facing areas such as toilets is usually controlled via the security staff (at my office employed by G4S on behalf of Trillium). Such staff are not always as friendly or helpful when dealing with this sort of request as they should be...I have had to 'remind' a few guards of the facility for those customers who have health conditions on occasion
Now as for toilets not being provided for anyone who visits - I can see the argument in favour (a call of nature is a call of nature after all) but the potential for costly and expensive vandalism and deliberate mess making is a factor in why they aren't available to all. The average visitor to the job centre would have no issue but the behaviour of some people who attend beggars belief.
In my 2 and a bit years in the job I've been threatened (both numerous times at work, and once outside of work), seen graffiti, deliberate vandalism to furniture and office equipment, windows get smashed (more than once), people get arrested after violent incidents, a drunk guy once being sick on my desk, people dealing drugs, people stealing from other customers and staff, fighting and arguing amongst each other, weapon and drugs being left behind (a knife concealed behind a notice board in a stairwell).
Giving everybody access to facilities that should obviously be private (such as toilets) gives greater opportunity for people to commit vandalism and generally bad behaviour towards other people. Whilst toilets should be available to all, the fact is I imagine a very small minority of the people we deal with would absolutely relish the opportunity of somewhere 'private' for them to make a mess that the DWP is responsible for picking up the tab for...
Now as for toilets not being provided for anyone who visits - I can see the argument in favour (a call of nature is a call of nature after all
) but the potential for costly and expensive vandalism and deliberate mess making is a factor in why they aren't available to all. The average visitor to the job centre would have no issue but the behaviour of some people who attend beggars belief. In my 2 and a bit years in the job I've been threatened (both numerous times at work, and once outside of work), seen graffiti, deliberate vandalism to furniture and office equipment, windows get smashed (more than once), people get arrested after violent incidents, a drunk guy once being sick on my desk, people dealing drugs, people stealing from other customers and staff, fighting and arguing amongst each other, weapon and drugs being left behind (a knife concealed behind a notice board in a stairwell).
Giving everybody access to facilities that should obviously be private (such as toilets) gives greater opportunity for people to commit vandalism and generally bad behaviour towards other people. Whilst toilets should be available to all, the fact is I imagine a very small minority of the people we deal with would absolutely relish the opportunity of somewhere 'private' for them to make a mess that the DWP is responsible for picking up the tab for...