Blue Badge

fulton
fulton Member Posts: 88
edited 26. Jun 2012, 17:53 in Living with Arthritis archive
Is it worth me appling for a Blue Badge I can walk and walk and walk as i do daily with my dogs! But this does not mean it is not painful as i feel different degees of pain everytime i put my foot down and someday are better than others! Some days it hurts just trying to put a shoe on!
Should I apply? I really dont know!

Comments

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Fulton

    if there are days when you really can't get near enough to access places shops dentists etc then the answer is yes. If you are on a good day you don't have to use it :smile:

    Love

    toni xx
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    BBs are not only given out for those with walking problems: the majority of younger people I see using them appear to leap from their vehicles and stride into shops with absolute ease. I must admit that makes me cross as I often end up parking in a 'normal' space and then end up struggling with little room to maneouvre me and my two crutches. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • jillyb1
    jillyb1 Member Posts: 1,725
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Afraid I have a fairly blinkered view to blue badges ; if you walk ok ~ why would you need one ? Only you know how you feel however and some people are able to mask their pain and discomfort appearing more mobile than they truly are , maybe you should apply as if it's your worst day , and as already suggested , only use it when needed . As DD said , it's infuriating to watch a badge holder almost cartwheel into the shops when if there are no spaces to allow me to manoeuvre my wheelchair ; I end up going back home unable to shop at all . ( sorry , moan over ! ) Jillyb
  • Airwave!
    Airwave! Member Posts: 2,458
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    About 2.5m BBs have been issued, everyday occurrences of misuse are visible, so rules do need to be tightened up. I note our local supermarket now asks that they be displayed as well as used by holders. Our council has just reduced the number of spaces.

    You're the one that knows whether you need it or not and suffers without it, no one else. If you need a BB, please apply, no faffing allowed!
  • tiggernut
    tiggernut Member Posts: 339
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    If you have pain when walking the you should apply.
    The idea being you can park closer (hopefully) to where you need to be.
    The other advantage is the bigger space, as some of the car park spaces are so tight and if like me you need to swing the door fully open it is a problem.
    Alternatively borrow a todder as they seem to have spaces in supermarkets closer than the dissabled.
    When my son's were young we never had all these mother and toddler spaces and personally I'm not sure why they need them!!
    When our local tesco was being upgraded they had fewer mother and toddler spaces at the beggining. (not so now)
    I complained one day as there were 7 cars in the dissabled bays with no badges and I said lots of mothers and children were parking there and she said. "Oh well the other day when it was raining they had to park all the way over the other side and they got wet" I was fuming I said "yes but at least they can make a run for it unlike the dissabled". she just shrugged her shoulders, I could have slapped her.
    Sorry for the rant.it just makes me sooooooooo mad.
    Anita x
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    If you have bad days you should apply.......definatley. Any form to be filled in you fill in as if it was your worse day....not how you are feeling that day.
    Dont use it if you dont need it but at least you have it in your glove box to use if necessary. I think thats the best way to treat it.
    I have 2 crutches at the minute {because of a fractured pelvis}I wouldnt get a BB for that because its temporary but because i have it for my arthritis I use it more often than normal to get a bigger place so that I dont have to struggle out of the car, tripping over my crutches as I go LOL
    Good Luck
    Hileena
  • cebeem
    cebeem Bots Posts: 472
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I can walk okish most days (not all) the 50 yards from a parked car in the middle of the supermarket car park...............BUT..... my hands arms and shoulders are the problem.
    I need to throw the door wide having to use my elbows ( potentially knocking the car next to me).
    I can't easily push myself out of the car (its more of a lunge) and need far more space to do this considerately.
    I can't open the door getting back in I have to use my elbows to open the doors wider........the pain is terrific. It all makes me very anxious and therefore hesitate to go shopping alone.
    Don't have a blue badge cos didn't think I'd get one.

    Perhaps the questions they ask should be reviewed maybe?

    C
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,336
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Cebeem?? Have l seen you lately?? I feel like l haven't. Good to see you and l agree about the badges.

    You woudl benefit from the wider spaces wouldn't you?

    Love

    Toni xx
  • fulton
    fulton Member Posts: 88
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have finaly got a blue badge and it is a God's send!
  • JuliaHod12
    JuliaHod12 Member Posts: 456
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I've applied for a BB.........I have an asessment on 11th July.
    I believe its a bit similar to the ATOS assessment.

    Apply, you have nothing to lose and an enormously helpful BB to gain! :-)
  • fulton
    fulton Member Posts: 88
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have the badge!