Has anyone ever been designated "temporarily disabled"?

[kimberf]

I also think you should see your doctor and make sure everything is OK. If you are that short of breath and having that much difficulty with non-strenuous activity so early in your pregnancy, you need to make sure that you and your baby both are getting enough oxygen.

[vhdos]

I'm sorry, but I just don't view a pregnancy as a disability. I believe that handicap spots should be saved for people who are truly handicapped. With that being said, I agree with the others that you need to speak with your doctor about your concerns. Best of luck.

[pitterpatter]

Originally Posted by vhdos

I'm sorry, but I just don't view a pregnancy as a disability. I believe that handicap spots should be saved for people who are truly handicapped. With that being said, I agree with the others that you need to speak with your doctor about your concerns. Best of luck.

i agree 100%. my Mom is disabled and there is nothing worse than being out with her and there are no handicap parking spots available. my Moms spine consists of a metal rod, several plates, and screws. that is a disability.
what your experiencing is not normal with a "typical" pregnancy and i think you should talk to your Dr.

[omgsweet]

There are different degrees of handicapped. There is temporary and permanent. You qualify for a handicap sticker in Az:

"Applicant must have one or more of the following conditions: unable to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest; unable to walk without assistance from another person or from a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair or other prosthetic or assistive device; lung disease with forced respiratory, expiratory volume for one second, if measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest; uses portable oxygen; cardiac condition with Class 3 or 4 functional limitations as by American Heart Association standards; or severely limited in ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition."

Its not that her pregnancy is her disability, it is the fact that she can't walk that far without having to literally sit down and rest.

[sweetneet]

Originally Posted by omgsweet

There are different degrees of handicapped. There is temporary and permanent. You qualify for a handicap sticker in Az: "Applicant must have one or more of the following conditions: unable to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest; unable to walk without assistance from another person or from a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair or other prosthetic or assistive device; lung disease with forced respiratory, expiratory volume for one second, if measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest; uses portable oxygen; cardiac condition with Class 3 or 4 functional limitations as by American Heart Association standards; or severely limited in ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition." Its not that her pregnancy is her disability, it is the fact that she can't walk that far without having to literally sit down and rest.

i agree. pregnancy affects everyone differently. for most pregnancy does not seriously affect one's health or daily activities that much, but for some it really does. i have a friend who was pregnant with twins and in her last few weeks she could barely stand up for 10-15 minutes to take a shower everyday. since she was so big it was really hard for her to get around. she had to make special arrangements with her job to allow her to work from home for last couple weeks of her pregnancy. had that not been possible however (if her job didn't allow her to work from home), i think she would have been justified in applying for a temporary placard so she wouldn't have had to walk across a massive parking lot every day to work.

[Aslan]

Originally Posted by sweetneet

i agree. pregnancy affects everyone differently.

I agree, but if a health problem like shortness of breath develops at 8 weeks into the pregnancy, I think it's very likely that this issue is not pregnancy related (if it's not asthma).

[lorihmatthews]

Originally Posted by Rockst@r

I didn't know one could be considered "temporarily disabled."

This isn't pregnancy related, but is related to the topic ... when I broke my ankle and had a walking cast, my doctor gave me a temporary handicap placard so I wouldn't overexert myself by walking too far and too much.

So yes, if it's an injury like I had, you can be temporarily disabled.

[sweetneet]

Originally Posted by Aslan

I agree, but if a health problem like shortness of breath develops at 8 weeks into the pregnancy, I think it's very likely that this issue is not pregnancy related (if it's not asthma).

i had a lot of shortness of breath in my first trimester (i dont' have it anymore, now that i'm in 2nd trimester) and i had asked my OB about it and she said it was normal, since my body was adjusting to all the extra blood flow, etc . I guess what can contribute to the shortness of breath (at least in my case) is the nausea/vomiting often associated with pregnancy...not only did i feel very weak on the days i couldn't keep anything down..whenever i had to walk a lot feeling out of breath/sweating it would just make the nausea worse (during my first trimester it was always a sunny 100 degrees outside, which didn't help).

anyway, regardless of whether the OP's condition is pregnancy-related or not (if its asthma or something else), i was just speaking to the issue of whether or not the OP was justified in getting a temporary placard for her situation... I personally didn't see anything wrong with it, if her doctor approves it...

[vhdos]

Originally Posted by omgsweet

There are different degrees of handicapped. There is temporary and permanent. You qualify for a handicap sticker in Az: "Applicant must have one or more of the following conditions: unable to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest; unable to walk without assistance from another person or from a brace, cane, crutch, wheelchair or other prosthetic or assistive device; lung disease with forced respiratory, expiratory volume for one second, if measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 mm/hg on room air at rest; uses portable oxygen; cardiac condition with Class 3 or 4 functional limitations as by American Heart Association standards; or severely limited in ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition." Its not that her pregnancy is her disability, it is the fact that she can't walk that far without having to literally sit down and rest.

Sorry, but I still disagree. If she's blaming the fact that she can't walk too far without having to literally sit down and rest because she's pregnant, then it is her pregnancy that is her disability. If a pregnancy causes such a significant amount of distress on a body that one can not preform normal, daily functions (like walking to and from your car in a parking lot) then perhaps you should be on bed rest and not out and about at all. Just my opinion and I can appreciate that others may feel differently

[elizat]

I agree pregnancy is not a disability as well. I was shocked when my co-worker received paid disability leave for 3 months when she had a normal vaginal birth and no complications to mom or baby.

I hope the OP starts to feel better though soon- she sounds very uncomfortable.

[omgsweet]

Originally Posted by vhdos

Sorry, but I still disagree. If she's blaming the fact that she can't walk too far without having to literally sit down and rest because she's pregnant, then it is her pregnancy that is her disability. If a pregnancy causes such a significant amount of distress on a body that one can not preform normal, daily functions (like walking to and from your car in a parking lot) then perhaps you should be on bed rest and not out and about at all. Just my opinion and I can appreciate that others may feel differently

I see what you're saying. But regardless of why she can't breathe...those handicapped spots are meant for people with those issues. I wouldn't call her being pregnant or my having arthritis as having a disability at all. But if a person is having one of the issues listed on the application, then those spots are meant for them.

I agree, she should probably be on bed rest.

OP, have you been checked out by a doctor yet?

[omgsweet]

Originally Posted by elizat

I agree pregnancy is not a disability as well. I was shocked when my co-worker received paid disability leave for 3 months when she had a normal vaginal birth and no complications to mom or baby. I hope the OP starts to feel better though soon- she sounds very uncomfortable.

Are you sure your co-worker wasn't granted paid maternity leave? Maybe she accidently used the wrong word with you?

[elizat]

Originally Posted by omgsweet

Are you sure your co-worker wasn't granted paid maternity leave? Maybe she accidently used the wrong word with you?

No, I am sure. Our workplace does not offer any paid maternity leave at all. She was very direct that it was disability through an insurer.

[Junkenpo]

Lots of discussion going on here! I appreciate all the opinions. I'd also like to point out that I said in my first post that i don't think pregnancy is a disability, but that different folk experience pregnancy differently.

For me, I am experiencing symptoms where I do feel like I'm having trouble "walking 200ft without resting". I didn't know about temporary disablity placards except my father recently got a disability placard and my mom mentioned they had "temporary" cards available as well. Dad has lived with heart disease nearly his whole life, but only recently has distance walking become an issue for him. He looks great for his age/health. I'm sure someone seeing him getting out of the car from handicapped stall would wonder why/how he was granted a placard.

Like my dad, I can putter around the house, no problem. I teach, so my work environment isn't physically demanding just emotionally/mentally taxing!. So far the only concession I make are perching on a stool instead of standing when lecturing, and when the students are doing seatwork, I sit. I don't think I need to be at home on bedrest. The shortness of breath only becomes an issue when I have "go the distance." The handicapped stalls near my building are never occupied because they are on school property and quite a distance from the main parking lot (where visitors & parents would actually park).

I see my doctor tomorrow, so I'll see if he thinks my shortness of breath is something to worry about and if it qualifies medically as a disability. If it does, then there it is. If not, well then that means my husband is going to have to wake up every morning to drop me off and pick me up after!

I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[Junkenpo]

Originally Posted by elizat

No, I am sure. Our workplace does not offer any paid maternity leave at all. She was very direct that it was disability through an insurer.

I've heard of this happening here. I don't know the details though...