These pictures are of the PIP assessment of a friend who also suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. Many CFers and others are having their benefits taken off them because apparently we are more than capable of living day to day with no struggles. Who are these people who get to decide and define what an illness/disability can do to a person. Who created these forms. And generalised every illness/disability under the same title. Every illness/disability is different. Every single condition should be provided its own set of forms, which a DOCTOR who has personally known the patient and their condiiton, should fill out and request. This should not be in the hands of able bodied people. They do not know the struggles every condition goes through. Just because you can Google something and morealess get a grasp on what a condition can do does not make you an expert or give you the right to judge how a person can live. I have personally been living off £22 per week off the DLA for the past 22 years. That just about covers the cost of my prescription weekly and some food when I am not able to work or I am in hospital. As an illness Cystic Fibrosis causes you to lose weight due to you using any calories to morealess just breathe. This means a CF person must consume over twice the calorie intake of a normal person to maintain a healthy weight, this also helps when a CF person becomes ill with a cold or just a general chest exacerbation. Personally I suffer from dairy and egg allergies, so this means I'm struggling as it is to already get my calorie intake a day. I am having to use medical supplements such as polycal and calogen to even reach 1000 calories a day, I am barely making my calorie quota for the day as it is. For the past year I have suffered from kidney stones, and several other body issues. I have give up two jobs because I cannot cope with working and trying to keep up with my bodies disfunctioning. In both of these jobs I have never received a day of sick pay. I am not a person who likes to lie around all day and do nothing. I like working, but in this condition I just physically can't. My body differs from day to day. Yet these forms are trying to define that every day is the same? My partner. God bless him, helps me the majority of the time, and I do not know where I would be today if I hadn't of had his support for the past 4 years. This illness is not easy. I can honestly say that. And I know I am not at my worst point yet. Even though I am not at my worst point, when I am severely ill, my worst lung function has been 31% and this was only last August, my partner has to help me. He will help me with getting changed, he will help me shower, he helps me by forcing me to take my supplements and dragging me outside for exercise, whether this be bike riding or just a 15 minute walk. Although at times this is degrading it is also for my benefit. This condition demands so much time from us, and we just don't have it. I am expected to do 15 minutes of physical exercise a day, to maintain lung health. In the past two years I have tried jogging, cycling and swimming. But none of these have stuck because I just can't deal with being so out of breath and tired from it. Cystic Fibrosis demands my full attention. It demands physically and mentally. It is not something I can ignore. It is not something that will eventually go away or get magically fixed. It is for life. It will get worse. And right now I don't feel like I have the strength to keep fighting myself. I am sick of people ignoring invisible diseases. I am sick of employers taking us as a joke. I am sick of the government shitting on us. And the new PIP system is just another way to kill off innocent people like myself and anyone who is born different. This is not us "claiming a bit of extra cash for a holiday somewhere nice" benefits, when given to the right people are benefits, this helps us by paying for our food and healthcare. Because God forbid anything comes for free anymore.
