Success: Contribution based ESA + PIP for POTS and moderate ME/CFS

I worried for years about claiming with invisible illnesses but thanks to the guides on this website I managed to claim:
- blue badge (claimed before PIP)
- support group in Contribution based ESA
- standard daily living and enhanced mobility on PIP

Everything was accepted first time, paper based for blue badge and ESA and a telephone assessment for PIP. So thank you to the team here who have made a stressful process much easier for me with your guides.

The part I agonised over was the walking. I love walking and it's encouraged as part of my POTS rehab so how could I get any points when I can walk 3 miles on my best days?

Well when I really looked at myself I am housebound 5 days a week and that's because I don't feel able to walk further than the rooms in my house. In the mornings when my symptoms are worst I get palpitations just walking 10m to the bathroom and my Visible app is alerting me that my HR is elevated too high. I immediately have to get back into bed and rest. Until 11am I literally only walk to the bathroom and back and my husband has to fetch everything for me. This means I cannot reliably, repeatedly or safely walk 20m. This is my reality every single day of my life, even on my absolute best days where I might go for a walk later. It was a big mind shift to not worry about my maximum capacity but focus on my lowest abilities within each day and week.

I just wanted to share that it is possible to get these benefits for POTS and ME/CFS even if you're not bed bound or wheelchair bound.