I’m probably leaving this a bit late and I’m new here (hi) but I have one of these dreaded medical assessments on Monday. Now my MS nurse and my doc have both said answer everything and act like it’s your worst day. This is all well and good but I feel it’s kinda like lying. On good days you’d be hard pushed to notice anything ‘wrong’ with me, however on a bad day I stuggle to even get out of bed.
If they decide to take away my DLA (or whatever the hell they call it now) I’ll be in big trouble. I have two children (6 and 10) and without my mobility car I would have to walk them to school (I have no one else I can ask to do it). Now for someone without health issues this isn’t a big deal to walk this far but for me it would be virtually impossible.
This whole thing is really stressing me out and as I’m sure you all know stress is the last thing an MS sufferer needs.
Does anyone have any experience with these medicl assessments? Am I worried for no good reason?
Hi Welcome, you’ve found the right place for support! You are not lying, repeat that to yourself…if you didn’t have a Motorbility car I’m sure your life would be so hard that the bad days would be more frequent than the good days. I’ve not had my assessment yet as I’ve been getting DLS for a long time, like you I’m dreading the day I get called to account for why I should continue to get it but I recall when I first applied I did give them my worst days, at that time I was probably like you are now. Stress doesn’t help anyone and especially not us ms peeps. Worrying about it will not change anything other than making your ms worse. Take some deep breaths, relax. I hope all goes well on Monday Sara x
You will be assessed on how you are on the day of the assessment. The doctor can only note what he finds so make sure you are actually displaying the worst day symptoms even if it isn’t your worst day!
Thank you both.
Phoenixcrystals my name is also Sara 
and stenovski thanks that’s what I’ll do.
Hi there, I don’t have MS myself (my mum does) but I work for a national charity that supports people with a sensory disability. We provide advocacy and welfare rights support to people in the same circumstance as you are, re medical assessment. What I would advise is as you have been told, ensure your responses relate to your very worst days.
Should the outcome from the assessment not be what you hope, please then seek support from an organisation (Citizens Advice or another local/national voluntary sector advocacy organisation) who can support you to appeal against the decision. You may well find this technical advice will help to overturn a poor outcome.
Good luck.
Watch out for sneeky things like the chair being far away from the desk dont sit on it then pull it in, ask him or whoevers with you to move it.
Dont go on your own have someone with you.
he may ask you to repeat your self by leaning in to you dont fall into the trap and move closer tell him to come to you if he cant hear you.
dont say you watch tv when asked what do you do with your time this is another thing they use against you.
answer his questions but dont offer any more information
Most of all dont worry tell him the truth how your ms affects every part of you and your familys lifes, how fatigue and if you get depressed dont forget to say so.
Write out a list before you go of all symptoms and a seperate statment of how you feel and how it impacts on your daily life, ask him to put this staitment in your records it may help.
Most of all be yourself good luck. Barbara.xx
[quote=northumberlass]
Hi there, I don’t have MS myself (my mum does) but I work for a national charity that supports people with a sensory disability. We provide advocacy and welfare rights support to people in the same circumstance as you are, re medical assessment. What I would advise is as you have been told, ensure your responses relate to your very worst days.
Should the outcome from the assessment not be what you hope, please then seek support from an organisation (Citizens Advice or another local/national voluntary sector advocacy organisation) who can support you to appeal against the decision. You may well find this technical advice will help to overturn a poor outcome.
Good luck.
The assessors are bound by law to record/evaluate what they actually see at the time of the assessment. The notion that an assessor will take into account something he/she can’t see is plain wrong.
Thanks so much for these answers, this really helps.
As it happens a lady from ATOS called me this morning just as I was about to leave for the assessment and cancelled it! Now I have to wait for a letter for a new appointment and the whole waiting and stressing over it starts again.
I am going to see my doc and ask him to update my hospital letters as they are over a year old now and I can’t do the stuff I could then. He is very understanding so he might even write up something that I can take with me when I go.
crochunter, I doubt I’ll be able to take someone with me as everyone I know will be at work but I’ll try and thanks
Thanks so much for these answers, this really helps.
As it happens a lady from ATOS called me this morning just as I was about to leave for the assessment and cancelled it! Now I have to wait for a letter for a new appointment and the whole waiting and stressing over it starts again.
I am going to see my doc and ask him to update my hospital letters as they are over a year old now and I can’t do the stuff I could then. He is very understanding so he might even write up something that I can take with me when I go.
crochunter, I doubt I’ll be able to take someone with me as everyone I know will be at work but I’ll try and thanks