Felt My Handicap Today

My Mother in Law is 99 and has had a card for a few years. She doesn't drive any longer (thankfully), but still totes the card with her when we go out.

I refuse to use it because I feel that someone with a handicap who doesn't have someone to driver her needs it more. I drop her and my wife off at the door and then find a parking spot. When we leave, I retrieve the car and drive back to pick them up.

I have nothing but contempt for people who use that card as a free parking upgrade, but have no need for a special parking space.
 
Damn , guys , I was going to complain about the cold here , it's in the 50's , and no that's not below zero . Having had 2 back operations , now 3 , I've got a placard . I too , use it sparingly , except maybe Xmas shopping . I also had severe nerve pain , living on gabapentin , 12-1600mg's a day . I recently had a Spinal Cord Stimulator put in , a model by Abbott . It doesn't have that electrical impulse like a Tins unit . This has a wave length program , you feel nothing , unless you change the program to the old style . I have cut down the gabapenten to 200mg's a day . I should be able to not take any here soon . There is hope , you just have to find the right Dr. that has your best interest at heart . Good luck to those of you in pain , I KNOW where you're coming from .
 
In weather like this, going out without a scarf over my mouth is flirtin' with disaster. (thanks Molly)

Even with the handicapped placard, I often get dropped off at the door as all the HC spots are taken. I can't tell who's parked there illegitimately so we just go to plan B and don't stress test my aortic stent over it.

I used to feel sorry for Ruthie having to park in the north 40 until I remember that she clocks over 10 miles a night on the nursing home floor.

A 50 yard parking lot 'tis but a stretch o' the legs for her.

Severe cold is nothing to take lightly.
 
Ol' Sureshotbob misses his old pickup truck, I miss being 19 yrs old! Meds really play games when the temp drops don't they? I figure if I wake up alive I'm in for a good day . Wake up dead , not so good a day.

Pack a big bore for a woods walk and keep warm my friends
 
sureshotbob said:
Wayne I hear you brother. Today after 2 1/2 hours clearing my large driveway and sidewalk from last nights snow. I have a John Deere garden tractor with a 3' plow or a Simplicity 30" snow blower .

I went to Home Depot and used my handicap placard . I went in and got what I needed then got out with no extra walking around.

Tonight I'm sore all over my back and legs. On day's like today I do miss my old 2000 Chevy 3500 PU with the 8' Fisher plow.:(

P/S most of the time I don't park in handicap parking as I don't mind walking a few extra feet and there might be someone that is in worse shape than me.
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I rarely use mine and it was my wife who convinced me to renew it.
There have been times when a parking area would be nearly full up but there'd be lotsa empty handicapped spaces. My wife'd tell me to use a handicapped spot and leave the other few open spaces for other people to park in.
I wouldn't use it in the severe cold if it weren't for the fact that the cold messes me up.
 
bamacisa said:
Wayne, I have severe arthritis in my lower back. Rainy or cold weather causes my back to hurt so bad that it is hard to get around. Today was not a happy day. Sometimes, I have to lay in bed on my back until it gets better and the pains get better. Today was one of those days.
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My Dad had arthritis in his lower back. I feel for ya.
 
kraynky said:
Take two beers and a cigar, and call me in the morning. LOL!

My wife's car has a handicap license plate, but I only use it if I'm having a really bad back day. But then I'm really really glad to have it. However even those spots are almost always already taken.

I spent the last 40 + years working outdoor construction, where extreme heat & cold were just part of life. Now days I can't decide which is hardest on me, I really think it's the cold that's the worst. However, check back with me about July or August, I may have changed my mind.
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It's supposed to get up to a sunny 60 degrees on Sunday. I may be on my front porch with a beer and a cigar.
I like it hot. When it gets to body temperature and higher, I feel great.
 
louisq said:
I gave up and went to sports/rehab clinic. This has done more than any pill or diet, or...

I find it as hard as that first good job at the start. Thing is, it's all there, but it's hard work.
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When my neurologist told me that all he can do was to help me get an electric wheelchair and prescription for narcotics, I decided to do what I can to avoid that. I relearned to walk using the muscles that still work (took 'bout a year), lost extra weight and started exercising on a regular basis. It's been 7 or 8 years now.
 
rwsmith said:
Snubby, you need to winter down here. Most days it's been around 40 with wind, which I don't care for, but compared to what you guys have been doing.....

I think I used my handicap placard about four times over the years. Most days it was like, "There are a lot of people worse off than me......." Those few days though I really appreciated it.

I rue the day when I'll need to renew that hateful thing.
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My wife's my voice of reason. I didn't want to renew it, "that's for handicapped people", I'd say but she reminded me that I sometimes have some not so good days and that my condition is degenerative. That's also why, for the first time since I got my drivers license, I don't have a vehicle with a manual transmission.
 
cherrypointmarine said:
Damn , guys , I was going to complain about the cold here , it's in the 50's , and no that's not below zero . Having had 2 back operations , now 3 , I've got a placard . I too , use it sparingly , except maybe Xmas shopping . I also had severe nerve pain , living on gabapentin , 12-1600mg's a day . I recently had a Spinal Cord Stimulator put in , a model by Abbott . It doesn't have that electrical impulse like a Tins unit . This has a wave length program , you feel nothing , unless you change the program to the old style . I have cut down the gabapenten to 200mg's a day . I should be able to not take any here soon . There is hope , you just have to find the right Dr. that has your best interest at heart . Good luck to those of you in pain , I KNOW where you're coming from .
Click to expand...
That is one thing I am thankful for. My neuropathy doesn't cause pain. In fact I lost feeling in my right foot for about a year once. It did come back eventually.
It also does cause cramping, sometimes pretty severe, but I can work them out. It does kinda suck when a bad calf cramp wakes me up in the middle of the night though.
 
625-7 said:
Ol' Sureshotbob misses his old pickup truck, I miss being 19 yrs old! Meds really play games when the temp drops don't they? I figure if I wake up alive I'm in for a good day . Wake up dead , not so good a day.

Pack a big bore for a woods walk and keep warm my friends
Click to expand...
I figure, if I can stand up out of bed in the morning, I'm doing pretty good.
 
snubbyfan said:
Today was one of the few times I used my handicapped placard. Glad I bothered to renew it.
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This warms my heart. So many abuse that privilege it's wonderful to hear that some still only use it when they have to.

When I was healing from a broken leg, I was very glad to have a temporary DP permit. I haven't had one in a few years now, but when it gets cold, there are times I might consider one. However, I would never use one unless I had to.

There's a guy at work that has a DP permit and uses it every day. He brags about how he can park close because of it yet, he doesn't struggle at all, ever. He's actually taking a spot away form some other people I know that need it. :(
 
A couple nights ago, I awoke at 3 am with a painful right hip. It continued that way throughout the morning, causing me to limp until I took a three-mile hike. The pain and stiffness cleared up after the hike, later in the day. So what caused the painful inflammation and limp? All I can figure is that the night it came on, I'd been playing some of my favorite 70s rock and roll LPs, dancing like I was a teenager. It's the only explanation that holds water. Sucks getting old.
 
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