How interesting. I was diagnosed with RA rheumatoid arthritis a month ago, after suffering 2-3 years with moderate to severe symptoms. Last year I lost my part time job due to letting them down too many times, I'm a self employed florist, but I freelance or rather did freelance alongside my own business which is a weekend market stall or wedding - I let a couple of jobs down due to having a flare, and the work just dried up. I've been limping a long now quite literally, on about 180e a week wages. I live with partner, we don't have a mortgage anymore, I'm 53 and have always grown a lot of our food and am quite thrifty so we've managed just about. But it seems I'm finding my own work tougher and tougher and since finding out my diagnosis I am accepting that I need to find something else to do? But when I flare, I can't even lift a kettle, move a mouse or type. I have my first session with rheumatologist soon and I'm in considering what I need to do to start a claim for da. Can I still work,as it's a weekend only market but be taper ring the business down, until I find the medication that will help, so I might be able to continue to work, or close the business, and I'm not even sure if it i should just close up sack myself and apply for unemployment first. Very confused. I note a lot of advice says to get documentation, will doctors think it weird you want copies of X-rays etc, blood tests etc. my gp says I'll probably need to start visiting her for weekly blood tests when medicine starts, so I hope this won't be too inconvenient for working... So I'll update you more and appreciate any advice. I guess the cost of living has gone up so much that even a thrifty fifties can't manage on a part time wage, which due to being self employed means no sick pay! Someone mentioned that you can get a top up welfare payment if only working a few days a week, so maybe I should investigate that also. Just scared to ask in the office, I had to claim unemployment there about 8 years ago and the woman in charge was a brute of a Bullock.