IBS And The DWP/WRAG.

I suffer from IBS and it isn't a lot of fun. Even with a tight diet it still flares up.

Anyway I went into rage face as soon as I saw the word ATOS. ****ing no good cowboys who think they can diagnose health issues with a few questions. The Government should hand their heads in shame and have more than a few MPs sacked for that **** up.

Mind you if the Government can give toilet access to IBS succeeded and sends them to Tescos for the love of all things how can they be expeed to do a fair benefit review?
 
I wish people would stop confusing assessment of ability to work with diagnosing health issues when they rant about ATOS.

The system is far from perfect, but can we at least argue what they do, rather than what you think they do?
 
ATOS.

Dolph said:
I wish people would stop confusing assessment of ability to work with diagnosing health issues when they rant about ATOS.

The system is far from perfect, but can we at least argue what they do, rather than what you think they do?
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I have heard all the negative stories about ATOS and was well prepared for the bad treatment, however I was treated decently and had no complaints about my medical.

One or Two comments were incorrect which I will be raising at my appeal of WRAG.

However it is the attitude of the DWP Job Center Plus and not providing public or disabled toilets for their so-called customers to use.

It's not like they can't spend our taxes on a couple of toilets for their customers to use.

Robert....
 
Out of interest (and you don't have to tell me if you don't wish to discuss it on an open forum) - what are you appealing over, the fact that you were put into the WRAG, or that you were *not* put into the WRAG and thus able to continue to receive ESA? And what sub-group of WRAG customers were you placed into - 3, 6 or 12 month?
 
kirkcaldy said:
I have heard all the negative stories about ATOS and was well prepared for the bad treatment, however I was treated decently and had no complaints about my medical.

One or Two comments were incorrect which I will be raising at my appeal of WRAG.

However it is the attitude of the DWP Job Center Plus and not providing public or disabled toilets for their so-called customers to use.

It's not like they can't spend our taxes on a couple of toilets for their customers to use.

Robert....
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On the toilets issue, I agree with you, especially where an ongoing condition makes it a necessity. No employer would be allowed to get away with it, therefore neither should the DWP.
 
Will said:
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...
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You make a valid point and I understand that all customers to the DWP can have malicious intent on their mind, however I am sure that DWP can put certain procedures in operation or even vandal proof toilets.

I could say just have toilets for people with disabilities and certain conditions,
however that would discriminate against able bodied people who need the toilet too.
 
Toilets And the DWP.

Will said:
Out of interest (and you don't have to tell me if you don't wish to discuss it on an open forum) - what are you appealing over, the fact that you were put into the WRAG, or that you were *not* put into the WRAG and thus able to continue to receive ESA? And what sub-group of WRAG customers were you placed into - 3, 6 or 12 month?
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No it's quite o.k, I am appealing being put on WRAG 12 month however that is in hand and I am confident that I will win my appeal at the First stage so that is why it wasn't the topic for me I was just providing as much information regarding the event.

It was just the awful experience at being told I couldn't use the toilet,
I was in some state and nearly had an accident had I not run to TESCO.

My WFI was defered as I was in no state to continue the interview and Mr Mike Woods the customer adviser was not rude about it and I believe was following some DWP policy, however when I got home I did phone him up on his personal number and explained my condition and asked for a WFI home visit that's when I was given the promise of the staff toilet.
 
ATOS.

LordSplodge said:
I suffer from IBS and it isn't a lot of fun. Even with a tight diet it still flares up.

Anyway I went into rage face as soon as I saw the word ATOS. ****ing no good cowboys who think they can diagnose health issues with a few questions. The Government should hand their heads in shame and have more than a few MPs sacked for that **** up.

Mind you if the Government can give toilet access to IBS succeeded and sends them to Tescos for the love of all things how can they be expeed to do a fair benefit review?
Click to expand...

I really don't care who does my medical all I ask is that they do it properly and are professional in their duty.
 
Work and IBS.

Windle said:
I know a couple of people who have bad IBS and can work, surely there aren't lots of people not working due to IBS?
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I am sure that there are people with IBS who can work with no problem as there are different types and not everyone's condition is the same.

Depending on how bad they are some work could be done at home depending on what type of work they are qualified to do and the good will of an employer.

And can you see an employer hiring someone with IBS who could end up going to the toilet 10 times within 5 hours and for up to 20 minutes at a time at the drop of a hat.

Not many if any..
 
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I work for G4S (no hate mail please ;) ) which as you may know holds the contract for most if not all of the JCP buildings, and around the area I'm stationed, quite a few of the offices have public conveniences. Not all offices have though, and on numerous occasions I have had to escort customers to and from the staff loos.

I see it as a part of the job, if someone has a medical complaint, such as the op, then we have no issues with letting them use the facilities.
 
knip said:
Do you not have the "Can't wait" toilet cards where they have to let you in to staff toilets etc?

http://www.new-you.tv/portal/web/new-you/got_to_go_card

http://www.theibsnetwork.org/cantwait.asp

http://www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org/resources/toilet-card.asp

Had to get them for a family I work with who have IBS :)
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I actually had one believe it or not and tried to use it when I had to go shopping in Edinburgh one day with my sister I tried using it in HMV St James Centre and was told no because of insurance and health and safety, however they did direct me to a nearby disabled toilet I was able to use with my RADAR key.

You know One thing about having this condition it certainly gives you so tight buttock muscles I could crack walnuts.LOL
 
Davinnicus said:
I work for G4S (no hate mail please ;) ) which as you may know holds the contract for most if not all of the JCP buildings, and around the area I'm stationed, quite a few of the offices have public conveniences. Not all offices have though, and on numerous occasions I have had to escort customers to and from the staff loos.

I see it as a part of the job, if someone has a medical complaint, such as the op, then we have no issues with letting them use the facilities.
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I have never had any problem with G4S so I have no negative comments towards your employer at present.

A toilet is a toilet when the need is great, however the amount of times I need to go to the toilet people would talk every time I went to the toilet with a G4S employee.LOL
 
IBS

.Kencs said:
IBS sufferers, what medication have you found that works? or is there no 'cure' tablet for it?
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At the moment Buscopan and Meberverine help to a point however I am finding that my body is building a resistance and will have to have them reviewed.

And as far as I am aware there is no cure at the moment as the conditions differ with different sufferers.
 
.Kencs said:
IBS sufferers, what medication have you found that works? or is there no 'cure' tablet for it?
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Loperamide is the only thing to ever work for me (and I have literally tried all IBS treatments), but even on my bad days it will do nothing. Most people can take the full dose without noticing resistance to it for 10+ years, so that isn't something to worry about. Luckily, I have not needed to take these for many years due to diet and lifestyle changes.

In addition to diet changes, probiotics are also a massive help. The best of these (and again I have tried most on the market), have been the Activia yoghurts.

Of course with IBS, you have to find what works for you.

This website has been very helpful for me and I have also participated in a number of trials and studies with them.

There are better medications in development, and at least now most doctors have a better idea of how to diagnose and attempt to treat IBS. It took 6 years and 5 doctors to diagnose and to start treating mine - eventually I did my own research and started to get on top of it.
 
I'm starting to keep a note of what I eat from day to day and then when I think I have found something which triggers a bad day, I remove it next, and then start over again, eliminating things I can and can't eat. The food which gives me the worst days is Cheese. If I eat cheese thats me in trouble after a few hours lol...I'm just taking normal tablets for upset stomach etc.
 
.Kencs said:
IBS sufferers, what medication have you found that works? or is there no 'cure' tablet for it?
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There's no cure because there's no agreed cause for it. The use of 'syndrome' in its name denotes that it is a collection of symptoms as oppose to a traditional disease with an established cause. It tends to be a bit of a dustbin diagnosis for idiopathic GI problems. For a long time it was considered to be psychosomatic and to some extent it is as it can be triggered by stress and anxiety, but there's a bunch of other possible causes too.

It's an incredibly common condition. I've had it since a kid, and my girlfriend also has it too. After a few years you just get used to it really. The worst bit about it is having to take a dump in minging toilets in a club or whatever. You end up with a bunch of funny stories of how you either crapped your pants or went to extreme lengths to narrowly avoid it. It's a bit of a running joke amongst people that know me that at some point on a night out I'll disappear for an hour to find a toilet.

The onset tends to be quite rapid, and there can be weeks between flare ups so it makes it difficult to treat. Loperamide is effective because it essentially turns off your bowel for a while, antispasmodics can be effective too.
 
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