Just like everyone else I get down sometimes. It's normal I guess, especially under the circumstances and I do feel guilty going on and on about it in this blog and on facebook etc. But sometimes I feel life is a tad unfair to me especially at the moment.
I am thankful that since leaving work at the end of January I have since found a job with a great company in Newcastle. They are very supportive and a nice bunch of people to work with. Unlike so many people at the moment who are struggling to find work, my luck held up, only on this matter though.
The access to work thing is still rumbling on. Now they are saying I have to pay £170.00 to go to work. The reason being is I have a mobility car. Now I cant get into the car as it is an 8 seater i800 by Hyundi which has a step up into it. This means that at the moment without my legs I cant transfer into it. However I would still like to work. So have applied to access to work for help as I cant get myself on and off paths, buses and metro either and have no one to take me .
I cant get a wheelchair accessible vehicle as to get one of those you have to have been awarded 5 years mobility payments and since having my carers reviewed they took away my life award for mobility and give it to me for 12 month instead. This is due to the government changing the rules for DLA in 2013.
So because I have a mobility car that at the moment until my rehab is over I cant use through no fault of my own and I still want to work I get charged 25p per mile to work and back.
Now I am not complaining about paying a contribution...not at all ! But what I am complaining about is the fact if I had my own car or no car and just got the payments I would get full funding. How is that fair? I cold get a bus pass for £80 a month and use it for anything not just work.
On top of this other benefits have been cut as well. So the more I earn the less I have. It works out that I am approximately £200 -£300 worse off by having a better job ! And the government wonder why people don't want to go back to work. I understand what there trying to do, just not the way there doing it. It is such a shame that a minority of people have screwed things up for the majority.
Still no further forward with the legs either. They are still at the hospital and the appointment for my refit is not until April. Good job really as I took a tumble out of my wheelchair last Thursday trying to get out of the house to go to work. This is another bone of contention. We have been given no adaptions as OT deemed that it wasn't cost effective! So since the amputation Me and David have tried to manage on our own. This includes trying to get in and out the house. There is a step up then the plastic door frame, so they have had to take me in and out like you would a pram. leaning back to get over the step inside and over the door frame then having to tilt me forward to get the back wheels over. Unfortunatly my eldest had to take me out for the taxi as David had to get the kids to school on time after the "prove you have an amputation" thing. He tilted me too far forward and I started to fall out of the chair, he tried to pull the chair back and it ended up having the effect of flipping me out. I landed very hard on my stump ends then fell onto my knees. Automatic reaction I suppose, I tried to put my foot down to stop myself from falling. Not a great idea. The stump board also fell onto the back of my stump. So there is me stuck on the floor, threatening to hit the taxi driver if he tried to help me up again. so off to hospital I went. Luckily nothing is broken but have sustained major soft tissue damage, so currently off work from my new job after just 2 days in major agony.
So with just 5 months to pay for the holiday, and things not looking great and 5 months to learn to walk for the holiday, I sometimes think if I didn't have bad luck I would have no sodden luck at all!!
I am thankful that since leaving work at the end of January I have since found a job with a great company in Newcastle. They are very supportive and a nice bunch of people to work with. Unlike so many people at the moment who are struggling to find work, my luck held up, only on this matter though.
The access to work thing is still rumbling on. Now they are saying I have to pay £170.00 to go to work. The reason being is I have a mobility car. Now I cant get into the car as it is an 8 seater i800 by Hyundi which has a step up into it. This means that at the moment without my legs I cant transfer into it. However I would still like to work. So have applied to access to work for help as I cant get myself on and off paths, buses and metro either and have no one to take me .
I cant get a wheelchair accessible vehicle as to get one of those you have to have been awarded 5 years mobility payments and since having my carers reviewed they took away my life award for mobility and give it to me for 12 month instead. This is due to the government changing the rules for DLA in 2013.
So because I have a mobility car that at the moment until my rehab is over I cant use through no fault of my own and I still want to work I get charged 25p per mile to work and back.
Now I am not complaining about paying a contribution...not at all ! But what I am complaining about is the fact if I had my own car or no car and just got the payments I would get full funding. How is that fair? I cold get a bus pass for £80 a month and use it for anything not just work.
On top of this other benefits have been cut as well. So the more I earn the less I have. It works out that I am approximately £200 -£300 worse off by having a better job ! And the government wonder why people don't want to go back to work. I understand what there trying to do, just not the way there doing it. It is such a shame that a minority of people have screwed things up for the majority.
Still no further forward with the legs either. They are still at the hospital and the appointment for my refit is not until April. Good job really as I took a tumble out of my wheelchair last Thursday trying to get out of the house to go to work. This is another bone of contention. We have been given no adaptions as OT deemed that it wasn't cost effective! So since the amputation Me and David have tried to manage on our own. This includes trying to get in and out the house. There is a step up then the plastic door frame, so they have had to take me in and out like you would a pram. leaning back to get over the step inside and over the door frame then having to tilt me forward to get the back wheels over. Unfortunatly my eldest had to take me out for the taxi as David had to get the kids to school on time after the "prove you have an amputation" thing. He tilted me too far forward and I started to fall out of the chair, he tried to pull the chair back and it ended up having the effect of flipping me out. I landed very hard on my stump ends then fell onto my knees. Automatic reaction I suppose, I tried to put my foot down to stop myself from falling. Not a great idea. The stump board also fell onto the back of my stump. So there is me stuck on the floor, threatening to hit the taxi driver if he tried to help me up again. so off to hospital I went. Luckily nothing is broken but have sustained major soft tissue damage, so currently off work from my new job after just 2 days in major agony.
So with just 5 months to pay for the holiday, and things not looking great and 5 months to learn to walk for the holiday, I sometimes think if I didn't have bad luck I would have no sodden luck at all!!
