Should I really get that excited?

Oscar_The_Grouch

Hi All

I'm newly disabled following a car accident last year. I'm in the middle of ESA, DLA, mucking up your meds, seeing several different people about the same thing for different government departments and "please lie still whilst we poke you". It's been an experience.....

My first Blue Badge arrived today. I got so excited that I even read the booklet that came with it!! It was strange to get a pressie this soon after Christmas!!!

I'm surprised at how, with everything thats been going wrong for me (walking is a bit of a problem) and my family (I'm a big lad and my wife has to push my chair), something as simple as a blue badge can make your day.

Has anyone else found this?

I could be at the rose tinted glasses stage still, but I don't think so.

OOHHHH!!!! Rose tinted glassess!!!!! Got a free eyetest too!!!! Doesn't make up for the missing salary, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick (cos that tends to ruin your eyesight rather than help it)!!

If anyone else has found these little things actually help to brighten your day, I'd be pleased to know. As I said; I'm at the start of this journey and I know it's going to be hard. I'd still rather keep upbeat about it....

jazabelle

I was beyond thrilled to get my Blue Badge. It has made such a difference to my life. It is nice to get something that can help and certainly put a smile on my face!

Trialia

Sounds kinda like how I felt the day I got a diagnosis relating to the myriad things wrong with me that the doctors couldn't figure out. Great to have answers, and equally great to have something that will help you lead a better abled life, right?

Rochelle

I can def relate to that feeling, getting my blue badge mean that i have a little bit of independence and for once i can go out and not worry so much will i be able manage to get in and out a normal parking space, especially when idiots park so bad and i can barely open my car door and also not worrying will i be able to walk from the parking space to my destination.
As ur new to this, did u know if ur on high rate mobility 'Dla u can get free yearly car tax, that def would put a smile on anyone's face:)

sunnyone

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Hi All

I'm newly disabled following a car accident last year. I'm in the middle of ESA, DLA, mucking up your meds, seeing several different people about the same thing for different government departments and "please lie still whilst we poke you". It's been an experience.....

My first Blue Badge arrived today. I got so excited that I even read the booklet that came with it!! It was strange to get a pressie this soon after Christmas!!!

I'm surprised at how, with everything thats been going wrong for me (walking is a bit of a problem) and my family (I'm a big lad and my wife has to push my chair), something as simple as a blue badge can make your day.

Has anyone else found this?

I could be at the rose tinted glasses stage still, but I don't think so.

OOHHHH!!!! Rose tinted glassess!!!!! Got a free eyetest too!!!! Doesn't make up for the missing salary, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick (cos that tends to ruin your eyesight rather than help it)!!

If anyone else has found these little things actually help to brighten your day, I'd be pleased to know. As I said; I'm at the start of this journey and I know it's going to be hard. I'd still rather keep upbeat about it....

Your glasses will soon break when you realise that you still cant park because blue badges are only for on road parking and council car parks and not private land like supermarkets where disabled bays are full of healthy people who dont want there nice cars dinged in ordinary bays so you still cant park and get out of the car into your wheelchair!

Its good that you are learning to take any good thing as a blessing, your life totally changes after a serious RTA, mine was in 1992.

kingfisherblue

I'm mum to a disabled child and I was excited when he first qualified for a blue badge - it can make life so much easier. My son has learning difficulties as well as physical problems and I think the time I got most excited was when he finally managed to master basic reading. He was ten years old and it seemed to happen all at once. I'm still fascinated to hear him read almost two years later.

Paparika

It's great, it's like being given your freedom back, well you know what i mean, it makes a huge difference to my life.

SingleSue

Our moment of real excitement just under a year ago, for the first time ever, we managed to get my youngest to change for P.E, something we had been trying to achieve since the age of nearly 5 (he was 11 when we finally managed it).

Not only myself but all the teachers at his school including the headmaster were in tears of joy...it was such an amazing feeling.

Alas, that has been the one and only time youngest changed at school for P.E, we are back to working on him again due to his move upto high school but just for that week, we were all so over the moon.

Oscar_The_Grouch

Thanks for all your comments.

The stranges thing about all this is that I'm not allowed to drive!! Due to the nerve damage in my spine, I get spasms up my back. It tends to upset your passengers (and other road users) when you suddenly swerve into another lane - especially on single carriageway roads!!

It's really nice that I can use the badge in other peoples cars, as we now rely on friends and family to get around most of the time.

Oh and Sunnyone, before the accident, I was one of the grouchy blokes that used to walk past the disabled bays checking the car windows and saying at the top of my voice "Well would you look at that; 4 able bodied people and not a blue badge in sight. I didn't know we were all allowed to park there". It sort of explains my name on this forum!!!

sunnyone

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Thanks for all your comments.

The stranges thing about all this is that I'm not allowed to drive!! Due to the nerve damage in my spine, I get spasms up my back. It tends to upset your passengers (and other road users) when you suddenly swerve into another lane - especially on single carriageway roads!!

It's really nice that I can use the badge in other peoples cars, as we now rely on friends and family to get around most of the time.

Oh and Sunnyone, before the accident, I was one of the grouchy blokes that used to walk past the disabled bays checking the car windows and saying at the top of my voice "Well would you look at that; 4 able bodied people and not a blue badge in sight. I didn't know we were all allowed to park there". It sort of explains my name on this forum!!!

I have damage to the full lengh of my spine and my lower spine has several fractures and crush injuries which results in crusiform spasms when I am suddenly wrenched in to a yanked backwards cross spasms but I drive, there are many meds that can help control it, that and copeing stratergies mean I can minimise the affects of the spasms.

Trying to explane spasms is always interesting, to me its like the kids wooden toys that you press the botton in and the animal or whatever go totally limp then you release the bottom and the figure is suddenly ridged, that what it feels like to me, someone yanking me ridgid in an abnormal position.

Trialia

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Oh and Sunnyone, before the accident, I was one of the grouchy blokes that used to walk past the disabled bays checking the car windows and saying at the top of my voice "Well would you look at that; 4 able bodied people and not a blue badge in sight. I didn't know we were all allowed to park there". It sort of explains my name on this forum!!!

I guess now you'll know better - not looking disabled doesn't mean you aren't!