Is an Ostomy Considered a Disability in England?

Can anyone tell me if having an 'ostomy' is classed as Disabled.  My circumstances have changed recently and someone has advised me to claim Disability Allowance (I live in England).  A magazine I read says yes, but another said no - can anyone on here clarify?  I have mild angina but nothing else and my urostomy op was 3.5 years ago and no trouble at all.   Thank you.

Hi Leggy!  I'm writing from America so what's done here will not provide you the best answer, but I think you posed a good question.  Here, an ostomy alone will not necessarily qualify you for disability benefits.  If you have an ostomy that causes chronic and severe problems or another chronic disease process, then that's a different situation. However, an ostomate is protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act which protects us against discrimination on the job and does mandate that the employer make certain allowances if called on.  I mention this because a lot of ostomates are not aware that they fall under this protection.

Hi Leggy, After my Urostomy , I returned to work for 7 months,then my company closed down & my position was redundant. This company were very good , took me back after op & made allowances for me. I went to sign on as unemployed & when I explaind to them my position, I was told nobody would want a 63 yr old Urostomate, so told me to claim Incapacity Benefit.



I duely did this & was accepted--I no longer even have to send them Doctors Certs. I will now get my £390 per month untill my official retirement date next year at age 65.



I realise you cannot live off this amount, but my lady partner & myself are in a comfortable position anyway, with family inheritences, pensions , Savings , Shares ETC. Also at 65 my state pension & other works pensions kick in.



I'm not sure about Disability Benefit , I think that is slightly different & you need quite a lot wrong with you, but I feel sure you should qualify for Incapacity Benefit!!



Oh I live in England!!!

Hey Leggy..... I have had my colostomy on and off (have had a few reversals) for the last 10 yrs..and in april this yr i got a permanent 1... i went to welfare rights after the op and was told i was intitled to disability living allowance even though i still work..so i am going thro the process of claiming it just now...I live in Scotland, not sure if the same applies in England but will worth finding out...Eily

Hi Leggy, to reply to your question about DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE I live in Liverpool and I get DLA I think it depends on the individual at what level you are as you know everyone is different. I read that we people with ostomies are LEGALLY DISABLED remember you are technically incontinent thats why you wear a pouch so you MAY be entitled to the care component for example if you have an accident through the night you may have to get and have your husband help you clean your bed linen put fresh bed linen on also getting showers because the accident remember you to look at it the worse case senario. Hope this helps . Pippa

My Ostomy Journey: LeeAnne | Hollister

I got DLA lower rate not for my ostomy but for the depression! I was suffering due to another circumstance... bloomin crazy.

However I know of others who have had DLA higher rate for having an ostomy, think it depends where you live all councils are different.

Personally, I was rendered disabled, though thankfully they still let me work part time.  I've worked very hard all my life and it does hurt my pride to not have the work load I once had, even though I'm feeling good these days, my doctors advised me to stay on disability.  Unfortunately, the last time I had a problem with Crohns (after a 18 year remission)  I was in-between jobs without insurance!....and poof, my savings was gone in the blink of an eye.  Everything I worked so hard for evaporated before my eyes with medical bills and junk.    I've had five surgerys since the age of ten.  Crohns ...bleh.    So, living alone is very hard, financially and otherwise...I just barely survive.  I am contemplating renting a room in this old house of mine to help me get by.   Good luck to everyone!!  

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I know i am fighting here in montana for ssdi also cause they say i am not blind 65 i have two arms and two legs u can fins a substancual income that states anything is better then nothing so like wounded doe i also got stuck with out insurance and nobody will hire cause of the liability and all the blowouts a person can have so good luck with ur fight

Well now, that all sounds familiar! I had my spine fused in two places and was fired from my 8 year job the week I went back to work! I approached the insurance company paying me the long term disability while I was recuperating. I presented them with a presentation on what it would take, financially, for me to get trained, pay bills while training etc... They settled with me for a fair amount over $100k. BUT, the week I went back to work at a new job, my colon issues struck me like a brick wall. After two weeks of losing blood and 25 to 30 trips to the bathroom a day, I was getting quite ill and had no idea of why so I had to resign. I then spent a month in the hospital and emerged colon-less

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This was the beginning of 13 surgeries for this, due to abscesses, failed reversals and two MRSA staph infections!

After much prodding from many people, I tried to get disability while I was going through all of this. So, even though my career was as a mechanic and I had a fused spine and an ostomy and such, I was turned down for the disability a day before one of my surgeries!! So between medical bills, living expenses and of course 40% taxes, that settlement just melted away quickly.....

What a system. It is just maddening that someone who had been through so much and paid so much into the system gets flatly refused, but turn on the news and just watch the scammers getting disabilty checks while jogging, working, etc.....

Oh, and by the way, I am still a mechanic. I took my experiences as a challenge and spend a lot of time in the gym working out to maintain an active healthy life.

"What a system. It is just maddening that someone who had been through so much and paid so much into the system gets flatly refused, but turn on the news and just watch the scammers getting disabilty checks while jogging, working, etc..... "





Yes, I know what you mean.  Aside from my Crohns probs I have severe fibromyalgia and back problems that have warrented surgery for years (though I'm too afraid of the back surgerys to have them, they want to fuse me also) ... I was turned down for disability initially but then I had Binder & Binder Law Offices step in and they were successful in getting me the assistance I needed.    It was a struggle to get the assistance......and yet, I see people, "scammers", who have few or trivial problems with their health and have disability when they don't need it.   Grrr!

Doe, my spinal fusion is the best thing I've done. It has given me my life back (no pun intended). I go to the gym regularly and can lift a lot of weight for someone who's never had back surgery, let alone a fusion. I can also run again, not that I want to, but I can

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Thanks for telling me this, it gives me hope.  If I would ever decide to have that surgery though I would be needing some help for awhile??  How long did it take for you to recover?  I'm here alone and not sure how that would go ... am a bit scared ...but maybe the surgery would be worth it.

It does take a bit to get mobile again. However, you can't leave the hospital until you can walk with a walker by yourself. I had to climb a flight of stairs too. It would certainly help if you had a nurse to come in and help you a bit each day. The funny (not ha ha!) thing is that if I had my ileostomy before the back surgery, life would've been MUCH easier as the worst part of recovering was using the toilet.

Oh gosh...who would take care of all my critters lol and everything else around here.  I think I am sunk (I'm also making excuses to cover the FEAR LOL)

Yea It seems to me that our USA Cousins have a harder time of it than we do over here in UK--The USA  seem to be Medical Insurance driven. Luckily over here we a National Health service!---We complain about it a lot , but in he Long Run & its free & thing do eventually get done.

I, For one have benefited from 2 free OPs, Free home Nurse visits, Free supplies ETC.



I have to go back in again , for a few days, next wednesday for some remedial/ Cosmetic surgery. Tummy tuck, Repair Post Op Incisional Hernia & Tidy up Scar line--All free .



As I stated before I do not get Disability Benefit, but I do get Incapacity Benefit.



If you are an Ostomate the UK is one of the better places to live....Well My Opinion!!

Hi to all, I have to agree with everything you all have talked about I have worked all my life and when I applied for DLA I was refused and I had to appeal. It seems so unfair . I think you need to have someone help you fill the revelent forms and of course your DR will be contacted as well so you need to let him know the situation.



I have been put into this situation through no fault of my own I had a Hysterectomy last July ( its coming up to a year ) after the op was sent home 2 days later , 7 days later my husband rushed me to hospital I had blood tests , xrays, cctc scans, they rushed me down to theatre cut me open drained a litre of abcesses gave me  a colostomy, was in Post Operative Care Unit for 7 days then in intensive care for 9 weeks in that 9 weeks they took me back down to theatre re-opened me gave me another wash-out ( because I was'nt getting better ) back to intensive care, I had a Tracotomy, my lung drained . At the beginning I was given 24 hours it could have gone either way and lots of other complications . Oh and I lost all my hair through stress and trauma and I had to learn to walk again. I was in hospital for 3 months in total and I am still getting Physio and also waiting to see a councillor. I also have the reversal in the future to deal with . Julie

That is most interesting, thank you for sharing.  It all does sound like a good thing.  I cannot help but wonder how much Obama will change things for us...we shall see!  

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Doe, be careful what you wish for. Without getting into the political aspect of national healthcare, you should realize that people come to the US from all over the world for treatment. We may have an "insurance driven" system, but our doctors excel to the point of luring patients from all over the world because they can't get the needed treatment in their homelands.....

Doe, be careful what you wish for. Without getting into the political aspect of national healthcare, you should realize that people come to the US from all over the world for treatment. We may have an "insurance driven" system, but our doctors excel to the point of luring patients from all over the world because they can't get the needed treatment in their homelands.....      


That is true hun.  Very true.

+1

I have an illiostomy and I am on disability however I also work part time. Up until last year I couldn't work because everythine I would go back to work my crohn's would start up or I would get some illness. Now I work 3 days a week and disability supliments my earnings.

Hi, I too am in England and do claim DLA middle rate for care and the mobility as I really cannot walk far and am in a great deal of pain due to my large parastomal hernia which I have now had for 5 years. It is all about filling in the form correctly - make sure you describe your WORST CASE SCENARIO!!!!! ie what happens when your bags don't stick or fall off in bed etc etc....... If at first you don't succeed, throw it back at them until you do, it gets seen by another assessor and it may get through. If you want any help with the form filling, get in touch through the site. Happy to help, Rachel x

Hi there. I read in the Colostomy Magazine , that with a colostomy, you are regarded as Disabled & can apply for either Attendance Allowance if you are below Retirement age or Disability Benefit if over it. I claimed it 2 months ago & got it first try. I think if you get refused, you should not give up as you are entitled to it. I get the middle rate of benifit & its a great help to me. Good luck!!

Thank you everyone for being interested and letting me know your thoughts.  I echo the sentiments that being in England with our NHS has its benefits!!!  Even though its critisized a lot it has its blessings.  My op was almost 9 hours in the theatre - all evening and overnight  in the recovery room with one to one attention and cost me nothing. I have a check up and a CT  scan every year.  Our 'goodies' are free and mine also comes with creams and wet and dry wipes if I want them.  So no complaints from me!!!  However at the moment still no wiser about being able to claim benefits. Seems to differ as to what's available and where you live.  Planning a visit to Age Concern for a discussion. I'm told they are very helpful.  I'll let you know if I am successful!!!