Chronic pain and work

[Bel04]

Good afternoon. Unfortunately I have been suffering from chronic pain for many months now and am not sure what to do :/. After seeking treatment on NHS I eventually had to explore private healthcare and on the first meeting things are looking much more positive. However, it is obviously very expensive.

Has anyone had experience with claiming benefits or knows which benefits you are entitled to when in constant pain/discomfort which has resulted in you being unable to work.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated as am worried about money rn xx

Do you have a diagnosis, is it classed as a disability. Do you have an occupational health department. Have you discussed this with work to see if they could make adjustments for you to help. Has your doctor declared you unfit for work due to xxxxxxxxx Are you working at the moment, sorry to ask, not being nosy but it helps to know the situation a bit more.

If you are unable to work, you need to be signed off by a doctor. You will be entitled to SSP and any sick pay stipulated in your work contract.

If you leave/are fired from work, and your SSP runs out, you will be transferred into the 'pre-assessment' phase of ESA. You will receive this benefit until you have an assessment by a HCP (at a Job Centre). If you qualify for ESA, you will be placed in the WRAG group or the Support group and receive different amounts/support. Your benefits will either be income/contributions based depending on your situation. You will then be reassessed in the future.

You can apply for PIP at any time (and alongside ESA) as this is a non means tested benefit. You will have to fill in a form and then attend an assessment.

You can look at the eligibility criteria for all benefits on the Citizens Advice website to see the descriptors. You will need a lot of supporting evidence from your health care team which clearly states how your disability stops you meeting the descriptors.

You can also look at the EntitledTo website to check other benefits. I would strongly recommend going to see CA and getting them to talk you through and support you throughout the process - they will fill out forms and prepare you for your assessments.

Good luck

I was in education prior to illness and had to stop before finishing because of illness. Diagnosed with bladder pain syndrome. It is very debilitating. Citizens advice basically said I don't score anything on the 'care section' but I do on the 'mobility' section. I despise the idea of a points system. How can anyone's pain be measured in such simple terms. And the idea of 'scoring points' as it was said to me. Like I wouldn't love to not be trapped in my house by constant pain. I can't even sleep through it and they think I could work like this.

If o was you I would be looking up Professor James Malone Lee , who will tell you PBS is an umbrella term for we haven’t got a clue but you have this set of symptoms so we call it thiis , and you will have an embedded bio film infection of the bladder wall that CANT be picked up by testing , he has just released a paper on this.

It sounds as though it is worth putting a claim in for PIP if CAB think you will score on mobility criteria.

There is a different set of criteria for ESA than for PIP - here's a link: www.sense.org.uk/get-support/information-and-advice/welfare-benefits/esa/esa-descriptors/.

These are linked more closely to work activities than PIP with its daily living/mobility criteria so may be more useful to you.

This system is fucked. They say you 'score points' if you have to stop x amount of meters to avoid pain or exhaustion. I have constant pain so no amount of stopping and starting is beneficial to myself. I just have to push through it and get on with it. I can't avoid pain whatever I do. But I know I can't work the way I am. I'd have an easier job getting esa if I only had pain on walking rather than 24/7 yet 24/7 pain is obviously far more debilitating. Ugh

May as well starve to death in the house. Atleast pain will be over

I agree with you; I am just trying to help you. Seek advice from the experts as how to navigate the system. Good luck.

@Synecdoche I am so sorry if I came across as rude earlier. Was just venting I think 😣 it's v difficult when you have constant pain and disrupted sleep. I get v irritable, try to control it as much as I can.

I have a gp appointment in a week so hopefully they'll be helpful rather than rush me out the door.

Thanks for your replies

Don't worry - I live with chronic pain and illness and have been through the system many times. Save your strength for yourself, not to rage at them. They don't care but you will need every ounce of strength ⚘

@Synecdoche I am so sorry to hear that, you must be increasingly strong. Thank you for all your advice xx