I've gone through the first level appeal for PIP at Tribunal (twice - the first tribunal was disallowed for legal reasons). On receiving the latest tribunal's refusal, I got home and immediately reapplied for PIP. I'm honestly beginning to have doubts as to whether it's worth it - I feel my one piece of supportive evidence has been turned against me.

My long-term condition involves chronic heart failure and type-2 diabetes. I would maintain that my condition has not improved and in some areas has certainly got worse. The tribunal said that my condition was insufficient to qualify for either the daily-living or the mobility components of PIP.

In the course of the tribunal, I admitted telling my doctor (of nearly 30 years) that I was unable to walk for long, before stopping to catch my breath. The interpretation of this was that I had put words into my doctor's mouth. I can't see how I can have led my doctor in the course of an everyday examination. When you see your doctor, it's reasonable and expected that you would tell him what's wrong, and he would then do what he could to heal you.

My PIP medical was a year ago. Getting to this point has meant enduring a lot of stress and a large drop in income. My heart-rate has never slowed, meaning I have been even more exhausted than usual. I'm bowled over by the negative outcome.

Did you ever get help with filling in the forms and the appeals?

Hi Nystagmite,

Yes, I went to my tribunal with a new welfare rights officer. They've been helping me in filling in the documentation.

I would suggest going through the descriptors for PIP and making as objective an assessment as you can of how many points you think you should get. If they amount to more than 8 for either component, then it has to be worth another try.

Whilst waiting for the forms to arrive, could you perhaps start accruing more evidence e.g. request a referral to a consultant if you haven't seen one for some time. Without knowing exactly what your difficulties are, would a report from a physio be of help or perhaps adult social services could assess what aids you might need - even if it's none, their report will say why their aids weren't able to help your restrictions.