NDIS info needed

@JasJac I'm seeing the new gp tomorrow morning at 11am. I am going to get her to get the records for me. I don't think they will be so difficult with another gp. I am going to prepare by writing down as much of my med history as I can remember and take with me the last bloodworks, ultrasounds, etc, that I did. My greatest fear is the old gp contacting her and telling her not to take me seriously, that I am high functioning...I am, but it's all show and I am high functioning for others, not for myself...for myself, I am a mess. Anyway, I will get back on here tomorrow afternoon and let you guys know how it went.

Hope your appointment goes well @Lemonjuice You sound well prepared. Be sure to tell them that your function fluctuates, for NDIS (unfortunately) you kind of have to present your worst days and it does make it hard to focus on being well.

@eth @JasJac Back from the new gp. It was so hard to get the words DID out, but eventually I told her. She's going to request my paperwork from my old gp and we are going to locate a shrink to get the diagnosis and paperwork necessary for the NDIS. The most relief I got was when I said to her that because I am high functioning, my gp thinks that I am not disabled...that it's possible to be high functioning for everyone else but disabled for yourself. She nodded her head and agreed. Thank goodness. It's exhausting cause people can't see the scars like a physical trauma, so they think you are strong when you're ready to collapse. Anyway, fingers crossed, so far so good.

@Lemonjuice what a great find in your GP - she sure sounds like she understands!

well done on your bravery on getting DID out and everything else!!

That's good news @Lemonjuice Good on you for being brave with the new GP. She sounds like she's a good one. At one stage I'd been seing the same Dr for 10 years and 5 years on a med that didn't work well enough. She left suddenly and I was thrown in the deep end with a new GP. They immediately referred me to both psychologist and psychiatrist , the latter changed my meds immediately and things improved enough for me to be relieved that the change had happened and more hopeful about my future.

Hoping things go well for you too. Keep being brave! The more you tell them the better they can help you.

Hi @Lemonjuice How are things going for you now?

@eth thanks for asking. I hope you've had a great Christmas- New Year holiday. Everyone is away on holidays so not much is happening, just have to wait. Problem is, I can't recall what it is I am suppose to do. I recall going to the gp but not what she told me to do. I think I am suppose to get a shrinks letter but I don't know anyone dealing in this area DID. The other issue is that parts don't know, or haven't fully realized that my therapist has gone, that we won't be seeing him again, unless we go through ndis. For some, he's just on holidays and we will see him soon, some see us as going to the first clinic, some see us going to the second clinic. So, the urgency isn't there...like living in a daydream stupor. Then there's some who want a new therapist, some don't want any therapist and me just kind of exhausted and numb. Then there's other things happening, the roof got damaged with the hail, so I am trying to deal with the insurance company and my car is giving up the ghost, so I am trying to figure that out too. Lol, ask me again in two weeks.

Btw, had a friend with a similar condition, she was knocked back twice by ndis...perhaps things have changed since she asked.

Sounds like you're going through a rough patch @Lemonjuice Hopefully the roof damage and car issues can be resolved easily and soon. Hope the festive season was good for you. Mine was crazy busy and I needed lots of time out between events.

If you do decide to apply for NDIS @Lemonjuice you ring them and they send you access request forms which you take to your Dr. It's really good to have clinical psychologist do it with you if at all possible, but my first one was done with a gp. The most important thing is to list the worst ways that your function is affected in all the 5 areas on the form, and for the Dr to say your condition is 'lifelong and significant'. NDIS looks for all these things, not just the name of your diagnosis.

I won't bombard you with more than this for now, but my NDIS story is on the 'Anyone Started with the NDIS?' thread if you want to know more about how I eventually got it.

@eth please feel free to bombard me with this cause it helps me remember and to stay present. Thanks for being here for me.

Hi @Lemonjuice I think it's one step at a time with this at the start of applying for NDIS access. What I've already told you is quite a process already. If you get accepted from your first application then the rest of what I have to suggest might not be needed.

Once you get accepted there will be a 'planning meeting' at which you present your goals, answer a whole lot of questions about the functional effects of your diagnosis (in the same 5 categories as on the initial access request form) and present any futher evidence you've been able to gather.

If you don't get accepted on first applying they will ask for 'further supporting evidence'. For either of these situations it's really good to have clinical psychologist and psychiatrist do reports for you. There's also such a thing as a mental health occupational therapist and assessment by one of these is extremely useful.

It can cost a bit to do all this, but if you get a good package from NDIS as a result then it's money well spent.

Basically all your reports have to stress your condition is permanent and emphasise what the functional effects are on your worse days.

https://saneforums.org/t5/Our-stories/Anyone-started-with-the-NDIS/td-p/157210/page/56

This is where you will find the list of questions you need to be able to answer at your planning meeting. It's almost exactly what I was asked. There or p57 is also a link to a booklet you can complete that helps you prepare for the planning meeting. @CheerBear @Bunniekins @JasJac tagging you here in case you have anything to add.

I'd like to stress that NDIS might try to do this meeting over the phone but most people say it's much better to request a 'face to face' meeting. It's great to have a support person if at all possible and they can go to the meeting with you. You might also try to get a disability advocate. They are free and a fantastic help. They're in every state, you can google them for where you are.

That's enough for now. If you can, please read the thread I linked to above ("Anyone started with the NDIS") as it will save me having to repeat a lot of what is journalled there.

Best wishes, Eth