PIP Hearing

Hello fellow sufferers! I’m in the UK with pretty severe UC, 25yo, female and after bleeding horrifically for 18 months and dropping to 45kg, I finally have things under control with Mesalazine and occasional steroids and am putting on weight again. I still use a wheelchair when I’m symptomatic but on a good day I’ve got things handled. Things are forever different but we adapt and get on.

After my first set of steroids, I had a miracle-like recovery and everything started to feel more ‘normal’. I could finally get out of bed again, see properly, speak without slurring, etc. and so I went out and got my dream job - with a dream employer who allows me to work from home and offers paid time off when I’m unwell. I couldn’t have gotten any luckier when it comes to this job!

With that in mind, I have my PIP appeal hearing close to the end of the month and I have to attend alone - and honestly I’m petrified. My colon is 100% going to act up so I need to get back on a liquid diet now before it’s too late - but how else should I be preparing for this hearing? It feels like it’s going to be this small panel of professionals VS me - and they inevitably aren’t going to want to grant me PIP as they’ll have to backdate almost two years worth of payments. There’s also the fact that I feel ‘well’ compared to when I made and disputed the application initially; but UC is incurable and I get symptoms way too often to say I feel cured.

I almost want to cancel the hearing in case the nerves do trigger a flare and then I can’t work and may not even be granted PIP! The mental gymnastics I’m doing to prevent internal bleeding is insane!

Has anyone been through this process? Any tips? Are you able to share your experience? 😢