And so the judgment is handed down…………..

So today a very important judgment was handed down regarding the Work Capability Assessment and those with Mental Health Conditions and no doubt has been a joyous day for many of us including me, so let me explain how this judgment directly affects me.

As many of you will know and this blog is testament too I suffered an SAH Stroke 23 years ago and yes while I have made leaps and bounds in my recovery I will never be the same as I was and thus have various disabling conditions both physically and mentally and in many ways the mental health I suffer affects me the most because it is not there to see and thus people do not understand indeed how could they as it is something very hard to understand if you have not suffered it and yes even to those ministers who put the legislation in place for us mortal citizens to abide too however they have been told enough times so they should at least listen to those that are in the know because it makes a very sad Government indeed if they do not.

My SAH Stroke was on the 7th April 1990 a date pinned to the forefront of my mind and one I will never forget it was a very tragic event and one that I am reminded of so many many times during my recovery and beyond.

My SAH Stroke was long before coiling was devised as a method to stop the bleed and did not arrive here until 1992 some 2 years after my SAH Stroke so the only option open to me was a deep invasive craniotomy and my consultants told me I would be left with various forms of disability both physically and mentally due to the nature of the operation and where the bleed is located but I had to have it done because the only other option was die plus I was only just married and deeply in love with my wife who I could not leave behind.

So the time was set for my operation that took over 8 hours plus 2 months of induced coma following to limit brain activity and reduced the swelling because I did look like a beat up football I am told.

I was left with damage to my frontal and temporal lobes due to blood starvation and thus lack of oxygen which caused a stroke down my right side which was my natural side and thus made the recovery that much harder after 6 months in hospital and much physiotherapy I was sent home with very little support because post stroke care was not like it is today so was left with a few sheets of paper telling me what I must do.

Those sheets of paper meant nothing to me and may of just been blank as I could not relate to them and even my wife found it hard with no back up you see frontal and temporal lobe damage causes various forms of executive dysfunctioning and really should of had the mental health tests to see and diagnose at what levels this part of the brain is affected but I did not and was left in the later years to self diagnose myself via the internet which is no good when you are up against the DWP and/or ATOS and so have very much been stuck between a rock and a hard place.

What are executive functions?

Executive functioning is an umbrella term for many abilities including:

• Planning and organisation
• Flexible thinking
• Monitoring performance
• Multi-tasking
• Solving unusual problems
• Self-awareness
• Learning rules
• Social behaviour
• Making decisions
• Motivation
• Initiating appropriate behaviour
• Inhibiting inappropriate behaviour
• Controlling emotions
• Concentrating and taking in information

https://www.headway.org.uk/executive-dysfunction-after-brain-injury.aspx

So as you can see from the above I have been discriminated against and the DWP have failed in their duty under the equalities act 2010 because I struggle with what many take for granted as easy everyday tasks like motivation which many have accused me of laziness, if only that was true as it would be so much easier to put right but the fact is I struggle to understand the importance of things so being left to compile my own evidence to send to the DWP is where I really needed help and the 30 day time limit to return forms is quiet simply no good to me.

Some will say well why did you not get you wife to help you? well the reason their is because she is also tired and knackered because not only does she work part time she also cares for her bedridden mother who is also very poorly and has been for a good few years.

The fact remains that the lazy ones here are the DWP.

My emotions are up and down and quiet often I feel like just throwing in the towel and giving up but no I will not because that is what Cameron et all has done to us and left us to fend for ourselves so I will fight on in getting fair judgment and as for Mr Cameron and his Government well at the end of the local elections I hear him say he has a lot of work to do to win back the electorate, indeed he does starting right here.