Would I qualify for a blue badge?

Hello,

I was diagnosed in August last year and re-confirmed in January of this year. I had a bad case of foot drop out of the blue which led to the diagnosis and it progressively got worse whereby I could not bend any of my leg at all and walked like I was like Quasi Modo! I had crutches. It took around 6 weeks to come back to normal but not without pain and burning etc etc. I can now walk unaided but my legs do feel heavy from time to time and ache alot. I have RRMS. I have looked at the Do I qualify checker on the govt page but it looks as if I have no chance as I can walk more than 100meters and am not permanently unable to walk. But what (touch wood) happens if I have a relapse in next week? I am lucky that I am okay and have been since the end of August.

Any advice is grateful x

I was in a similar situation to you before my disability worsened. My OT wrote a letter detailing that although I could walk 300m , I often needed a stick /elbow crutches to walk and that I struggled to open a car door and get out in a normal sized space. I got a letter from my local authority inviting me for a mobility assessment. I never actually made it to the assessment as my disability got suddenly worse with a new relapse and I was awarded high rate mobility DLA and automatically qualified. Contact your local authority and fill out the paperwork. Give the details of a health professional who knows you who can detail the things you find difficult with reference to parking e.g fatigue/trouble opening car door wide anough/ being exhausted by the time you get to the shops (some car parks are massive)

Good luck

Hi Dawny I have had exactly the same thing as you diagnosed cause of a foot drop which I had last April…mines had got a lot better too but was thinking of applying for exactly the same reasons don’t know what to do either…I can walk unaided also but get the quasi modo bit lol!!!..I’ve only had the one attack so got a diagnoses of a CIS but was severe enough to start on dmds…Emma

Well I suppose you have nothing to lose if you ask. When we first had ours my husband could walk on some days reasonably well. We did not use the badge on those days. I remember using a multi story and he was ok walking towards a town but in those few yards he went from being OK to the point of collapse. We now use it when we can as walking has become such an issue. He does have a mobility scooter but they are cumbersome and not easy to use in our town. I’ve always thought that once you are in a wheelchair you can go a reasonable distance, especially if motorised. However if you can walk a bit it is much more difficult esp. with MS when perhaps you can walk 200yds or even more, but getting back is another thing.

I get really bad swollen ankles at work when I am on my feet most of the day and my knees ache. Even getting off the sofa o have to rock a couple of times as my knees hurt but once I’m up I can walk fine apart from ankle pain