Blue badge assessment

mellman01

Hi all has anyone been to blue badge assessment in Oxfordshire recently if so what should one expect?, Ive got one on the 20th, I honestly think I will get told no but I think its a bit off not allowing people with OA in the hips or knees one especially if its advanced, my view is I was told to keep the amount of use down otherwise I'll rag my knees out is short order (2 years) but when it comes to going out I then have to park with normal able bodied folk and suffer for it, it does me head in there's things I'd love to visit but can't due to the excessive walking so I find I just stay at home while the wife and nipper enjoy themselves, I don't walk the dogs now and I don't go to Reading or Oxford now due to lack of mobility let alone to big outside events and I refuse to use a wheelchair.
Also will the same will apply when I've had both knees replaced, the joints wear out the more you use them (5 years was mentioned) so do they allow you to have a badge or are you back to square one once they've been done?. Sorry rant over. :madnoel:

Starburst

"I think its a bit off not allowing people with OA in the hips or knees one especially if its advanced."

I've never heard this before!

I didn't have mine in your area but not too far away in Hertfordshire earlier in the year. The main competent is the walking test really. She timed me walked about 32m. I had a OT do mine and we just got chatting about my RA and how I manage around the house, nothing to do with walking at all really! I had already passed or failed (?) the walking test by then, so she'd told me she would be recommending me for a badge.

Good luck! Just tell them as much detail as possible, it's never too much. The more the better.

barbara12

Starburst wrote:

"I think its a bit off not allowing people with OA in the hips or knees one especially if its advanced."

I've never heard this before!

I didn't have mine in your area but not too far away in Hertfordshire earlier in the year. The main competent is the walking test really. She timed me walked about 32m. I had a OT do mine and we just got chatting about my RA and how I manage around the house, nothing to do with walking at all really! I had already passed or failed (?) the walking test by then, so she'd told me she would be recommending me for a badge.

Good luck! Just tell them as much detail as possible, it's never too much. The more the better.

Hi starburst...neither had I till I rang our council for a badge...apparently its because you get better when you have had a new hip or knee
Mell every council is different..so hopefully someone from Oxford will be along to offer some advice
Good Luck

mellman01

Thanks for the replies ladies, I find that as soon as I'm up and out the clock is ticking so I get into the shop's fairly quickly and then I have to get out before the pain gets to much, once it gets going it makes me grind my teeth and taking pain med's doesn't do much other than space me out, not sure where it will go but I think because I walk with a slight limp and am mobile(I can walk for for around 5-10 minutes)before the pain gets really going I will fail. the mad thing is I am mobile so tend to rush rather than slow down as I know it won't be long before I have to get out of there so I tend not to go out at all now, what really gets me is I've seen people with badges turn up hop out and saunter off and I'm there having walked across the car park and I'm already grinding me teeth trying to figure out how long I have before I can't stand the pain or think straight. Flip rant mode kicked in again!. :xmas_cheesygrin:

mellman01

Where is everybody? :carolers: :candycane: :madnoel:

mig

Hi Mel,Didn't answer as I don't drive and have no need of a blue badge so know nothing about it but I have been around ,been stocking up the cafe and wine cellar for the forum party,Barbara has the key for the cellar hope its safe with her. Hope you can get something sorted . Mig

salamander

I don't know about Oxford but my mother kept her blue badge long after her knees were done because, although the ops reduced the pain, she had OA in other parts of her body.

mellman01

Well thanks for the replies all, I'm not holding out much hope to be honest but I do find it annoying that I'm retired but can't go out for the odd day as I can't handle the walking, I don't even walk the dogs round the village as the pain is unbearable after the first few hundred yards and thats on a good day. Now then Mig I have a bone to pick with you!, you never told me theres a forum party in the offing, Is the Cain and Able bar and bistro open again?, I've seen Shackleton the cat wandering around on here so someones still feeding him, can't the ghost of Christmas past AKA rehab44 AKA our Len or his dashing side kick Delboy, boy I miss those guys crimble isn't the same on here without them. :xmas_cry:

ruby2

Hi Mel
I got mine (not in your area) in Feb this year.
At the time walking wasn't particularly an issue, but my hands arms and general allover stiffness meant I needed to launch the door open fully with my elbows and needed the space to manoeuvre myself out.

I was prompted to apply when some idiot parked (without jest) 3inches away from my drivers door and I was unable to get into my car until they returned.

It made me lose confidence in going parking in public places and began to impact on my going out, thus losing some independence.
Please explain your feelings and inability to join in with the nipper and your wife, they do listen, it cant all be about how far we can walk :santa: there is a much bigger picture.
Good Luck let us know how you get on .

mig

Party details on chit chat. Mig

rosieposie

Good luck On your assessment , I got my blue badge last Thursday and have used it twice now ,it's great to be nearer to where I want to be.
Hope you get yours soon x :santa2: :santa2: :santa2: :candycane: :santa: :santa: :santa:

frogmorton

Hi Mell

Good to see your name on here :xmas_cheesygrin: .

Well-done for applying and I hope you are successful. In my area it's a form filling exercise and a percentage are called in for a walking assessment.

Not good to become isolated for any of us

Love

Toni xxx

mellman01

Cheers for all the useful replies its given me heart, I have OA in both knee caps and I have it in my neck which is really getting silly these days (as are me knees), I can't turn round easily for parking and I can't carry shopping with my right arm these days mind you I can't with me knees as any extra weight just makes things worse faster!. I'll let you all know how I get on Oxfordshire is a tough one so it seems, maybe if I cut one of me offending legs off I might get somewhere?? :madnoel:

frogmorton

mellman01 wrote:

Cheers for all the useful replies its given me heart, I , maybe if I cut one of me offending legs off I might get somewhere?? :madnoel:

:xmas_cheesygrin: behave you

Yes please let us know

love

Toni xxx

mellman01

Well I've had me bumps felt and I think I wont get one as I was told it will take up to 2 weeks to notify me, I think if Id been OK I'd have been told then but at least I asked for one and got seen this time round
:carolers:

dreamdaisy

Have you given them permission to contact your GP? They may need some feedback from him / her before they decide. When I first applied I sent in a form stating that I needed crutches to walk and said they could contact whoever they wanted regarding the validity of my claim. They didn't and I was awarded one within six weeks, it just turned up in the post. Good luck, I hope you are granted one because they are a boon - watch out for BB rage though, you suddenly become aware of how many lazy people use the spaces because they are 'just popping in' to the bank or wherever. :xmas_evil: DD

mellman01

Cheers DD, I think I'm not going to get one simply because I don't make to much fuss, its a problem with me I feel guilty as hell all the time its due to years of being kicked back by GP's and others, it took me 22 years just to get an x ray on my neck, it then took another 2 years to get a GP who didn't tell me my knee pain was either in my head or it was gout!, I was as honest as I could be but my story isn't easy to get ya head around there's a lot of complexity so I'm not a straight forward OA case I also feel like I'm lying when I mention me problems, I didn't go into the moods it gives me or anything like and I missed a lot of stuff out and under played some of it, typical of me so blue badge rage won't be a problem for me I fear, I do wonder how some people get them though, the other month I saw a sprightly chap loading his Range Rover Vouge with his shopping in a BB bay he was moving faster than I could and looked fine so feck knows how or why he's got one?. :xmas_redface:

barbara12

Mell if you don't get it ...then you appeal ...they medically discharged you from work because of those knees..we may be jumping the gun here ..I still have my fingers crossed you get it...good luck..

mellman01

Hi Barbara you'd think that would be a big help but here their a sight as gnats chuff, they have been known to refuse people who can hardly walk from far more serious illnesses than me, she did ask me if I get out of breath and I said I get a bit worn out as I can't keep up with normal abled bodied people, I also don't think my Gp will help DD he isn't helpful at all, once when i asked him as I was having trouble getting into town he said either shop on line or get someone else to do the shopping for you so I don't think he's much help, I didn't say much about contacting my GP but I did give them permission to ask him to corroborate and evidence I gave them, I noticed she took a few bits down from the neurologists letter as it corroborated some of what I'd been saying to her but I still don't live in hope, if I don't get it now like you say Barbara I can appeal so I'd do that but if that fails I'll give it a year or so and go for it again, by then I will be even more decked than ever!. :madnoel:

frogmorton

Hi Mell

I do hope you are wrong and you DO get your badge. I hope you didn't play anything down?? I expect you did because you have always done that My GP would be the same - knows very little as I rarely go when things are at their worst!!

fingers crossed anyway

love and ((()))

Toni xxx

mellman01

If it does go the way I fear I'll appeal if I can but I think they've already made their minds up before you walk through the door, its typical today my knees aren't good at all but yesterday they were really quiet for the first time since God knows when typical now I'm in agony and fearing a neruopathic attack you couldn't make it up. :areindeer: