More Changes

Well, well, well. Well. In two years' time, I, along with everybody on drugs, sorry, incapacity benefit will be assessed again, with stricter criteria to get the benefit.

I've asked my CPN, my GP, my Practice Nurse, my Diabetic Liaison Nurses and a friend of mine who is a (first rate) Occupational Nurse (I should know - I worked for her). The common thread to what they said is, roughly, "they're not looking at you, it's the cheats and people who are really capable of working".

Since ill-health retirement, I've effectively losts a better pension and more money to save/invest. The one thing I ask myself is whether I could work, at all, at all.

Here's my list of things:

1. I am an insulin dependent diabetic (type 1)
2. I have painful neuropathy in my lower legs/feet.
3. I have intermittent claudication in both feet. There is also poor circulation and so I become dizzy very easily, on changing direction or moving quickly. I've never been observed to be a quick mover.
4. I have Advanced Proliferative Macular Retinopathy.
5. Due to number 4, I have visual disturbance, pull on the retina of my left eye which distorts my vision. There are also several scars from laser surgery which appear in my vision as flashing lights. Also, I have some loss of spacial awareness. There are numerous blind spots all over my central/peripheral vision.
6. Finally, and probably the more shameful thing. I suffer from Clinical Depression. Not much to say on this - it's a daily battle with myself. I don't win very often.

Judge for yourselves. I dunno. I guess I could get on my hands and knees and be a bench for people to sit on in town.