Spartacus Stories

Here is a collection of Stories written by many different disabled people about the impact that DLA has on their lives. It also includes stories of fear about the proposed changes to personal independence payment.

Admin: benefitscroungingscum, Lucia and Lucy
to add your story email us at spartacusstories @ g mail . com (without the spaces) (your posts are there, just being scheduled throughout the day) (can you add how you want your 'name' to appear ta)

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Carol's Story #spartacusreport #spartacusstories


I am a Mam, Gran-ma, Sister, Friend, Mischief maker, Auntie and a whole host of things ( even a tw@t at times) I am 55 years old, though to be honest Ive never really grown up, and thats the way that I like it. Right, thats the meet and greets done, OH , hang on , I forgot to say this also, I am disabled and I am most certainly Spartacus.

I was born disabled , with club foot in both feet ( the posh name being Bi-lateral Talipes ) and with one leg shorter than the other ( allthough now , the dispute now , is which leg is the shorter as Ive lost at least an inch in height ( sorry I still do old English measurements, except strangley for drill bits where metric does just as well).

I wnt to school throughout the 60s and early 70s bumbling along as you do and getting by. I got married and had two gorgeous kids, best thing I ever did. I stayed at home to look after them , and went back into education, to get study for a degree, to improve my employability ( I graduated in 2000 ) Throughout that time I recieved no state support of any kind, then I applied for the relatively new benefit called DLA ( introduced by the Conservatives) I was granted HRM because of my mobility issues , but not granted and personal care, and was even turned down at two other applications, so I left well alone, and generally bumbled along in life, trying to find work, and either being told that I was far too qualified, or didnt have any experience. Ho, hum.

Anyhow, I joined a cardmaking forum, oh maybe 5 years ago ( bear with me people the good bit is coming honestly) and made plans to visit a friend in Hull for a few days. So off I went to meet my friend. Everything went well, I was due to come home on the Tuesday ( 7th April) , so we went as my friend put it " Strolling along Hessle Road ". . . . . .

BANG - Down I went. My foot had caught the footplate of an oncoming chair being pushed by the incumbents carer. I had steped sideways to let them pass. My walking stick went heaven knows where, and Im lying outside a pharmacy in Hessle Rd, experiencing the most excruciating pain ( apart from the day I had my children, sorry kids).

The ambulance was called. I was xrayed, examined and admitted to Hull Royal Imfirmary (btw, I live 192 miles away from Hull in Cumbria) . Doped up to the eyeballs, to try and stop the pain, a Doctor came to the bed and explained that I had fractured my left neck a femur ( or as my friends say snapped her hip) and it would need at the very least 2 large Thomson screws to keep the bones together . ( oh and my friend ? The one I visited - She worked in the damn hospital !!)

My mobilty ? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! My personal care ? Has gone to rat-crap. I now cannot walk down the stairs as I used to. I have to walk one step at a time. It takes me twice as long to get dressed. I cannot take my own boots off, by meself , I need help. Im cannot safely carry my Grand-baby ( and that hurts a lot). I use crutches, sticks and have an NHS tank, that has probably blown my left shoulder. I cannot do any of the things I used to do outside , and I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. My medication ? The side effects are amongst other things incontinence and unexplained diarohhea, and it can and takes you be surprise. You cannot stop it. ( The afforementioned tasks etc is just a miniscule amount of what I can no longer do)

I now get HRM and HRC . Maria Miller and the powers that be, want to take that away from me. They brand me a criminal, they tell lies about my compatriates and friends, what did we do , except survive ? And what for ? To be vilified, and harrased and deemed scum . Now, before oh gentle reader, you say " No, not in this day and age" I am sorry to say that the answer is " YES SADLY " and the main protagonists are the very people we would hope that would make the rules to keep us safe.

Thanks for reading, I do witter on, however remeber this I AM SPARTACUS ONE OF MANY.

Much Love Robomam aka Mewsli aka Carole

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