Gracie E

Update on my PIP claim,

The mandatory reconsideration request has now come back and been denied and the main reason given is that I'm a single mum so I must be able to cope! It's absolutely soul destroying that I have had to go into the ins and outs of why I'm am struggling and why I need extra help to be told I'm not struggling enough.

The last time I hit full burnout and I didn't ask for help and things became so bad that my 2 eldest children's dad started a 6 year family court case I was told time and time again you must talk, you must ask for help.

So here I am asking for help to be told it's not that bad and I don't need it.

I attended the citizens advice to ask for help and they are going to get me an appointment with welfare rights to fight for an appeal. But I applied in February and we are now in September and I'm no further forward.

I need prescription sunglasses because I can't see without and I have massive sensitivity to light and become totally overwhelmed (light and sound) these are years old and recently broke. Specsavers couldn't help as they are no longer stocked and even though I get free prescription glasses I'm only entitled to 1 pair every 2 years and those are my normal every day glasses.

So to buy a pair of prescription sunglasses they wanted between 70 and 100 😭😭.

There are several other things that I require that are additional cost due to my disabilities but because I'm single mum the PIP people said I can obviously cope.

Honestly I'm exhausted and feel like giving up.