DBF and doing WDW w/ asthma

[lilmissdisney216]

Wanted to know if anyone has had any specific issues with asthma and WDW.

In the future I was planning on going to WDW possibly with my DBF around May or June. But there's one problem. My boyfriend has asthma and just this past summer his symptoms came back after what he says has been 10 years of him being symptom free (he's 20 now). He tells me that its harder for him to breathe when its warmer out (its the opposite for me, its harder for me to breathe when its cold out. I suffer from mild asthma) and I'm not sure how this will effect going to the World in the future. It would be rather difficult for either of us to go during any other time of the year due to our school schedules and other outside activities that we're involved in so the spring/summer seemed like a viable choice ( and yes this is the same boyfriend who is allergic to nuts). Any tips would be helpful and I wanted to know if anyone else has ever been in this situation before?

Meredith :tinker:

[BeckyScott]

This was just our experience-

DS has asthma but it's pretty well-controlled. I carried his inhaler in the parks, and we had the nebulizer in the hotel room.

The first night we were there he was kinda wheezy so we nebbed him. But you know, it had been a long day and airplane ride and all.

He had no problems at all the rest of the trip.

I know he is triggered by specific things- allergens- lots of different plants. Mold. Animal dander. Those things were not an issue when we were there.

We were there first week of June and it was pretty dang warm! :scared1: There are plenty of places to cool down though. But it's Florida hot, not midwest hot, it's not the same exactly, so it would be hard to predict. We sweated like pigs the whole vacation but had no bad effects from it.

I'd plan a light schedule and make sure you go back to the hotel mid-day. Take advantage of EMH's. If you are going Type-A Commando planning, plan to mingle the inside stuff with the outside stuff. I thought AK was the hottest park, it seems like it wouldn't be with all the trees, but most of the attractions are outdoor so it's harder to cool off.

[lilmissdisney216]

I'm not even sure that DBF has a nebulizer for his asthma. I've only known him to take Advair twice a day and then he has a rescue inhaler (Proventil which I think is relatively the same as the Albuterol that I'm on) which he's used quite often in the past couple of months. Many times I've been in the kitchen washing dishes and he's run in and he's been wheezy or he's just run in and immediately gone for the inhaler. It just scares me sometimes.

[monkey68]

I have asthma, and I do have a hard time in Florida in the summer. I have a hard time in NY in the summer too. Make sure he always carries his rescue inhaler. If the medication he is using isn't helping, it might be worth another trip to the doctor. We also always pack a nebulizer, it's a small little one and doesn't take up much space. I don't always need it, but better safe than sorry.

Also, a little asthma tip, if you are at the start of an attack, and don't have your inhaler, drink some black coffee. The caffeine will help to open your airways. Yea, I've had that experience a couple times.

[lilmissdisney216]

so in other words it helps to have a nebulizer handy just in case? I mean it couldn't hurt. Does anyone know why the warm air aggravates some opposed to cold air?

[karliebug]

My daughter was set off by all the flowers and trees in bloom in florida as well as the heat.

[lilmissdisney216]

Man I hope I can handle this. I shouldn't sweat it. If we work together we should be fine.

[SueM in MN]

so in other words it helps to have a nebulizer handy just in case? I mean it couldn't hurt. Does anyone know why the warm air aggravates some opposed to cold air?
Here's an article (http://asthma.about.com/b/2006/08/02/asthma-can-get-worse-during-summers-heat-waves.htm)that explains why some people have more problem with heat and humidity.

If you need a cool place to stay for a while, or you need any equipment stored, each park has a First Aid station that you could use.

[disneymarie]

My first trip with Asthma was in early May. I never realized how the humidity along with heat would flare me. By mid week, I was not only wheezing, I had full blown bronchitis. I gaged and coughed , wheezed so bad on the flight home I thought people would complain. I told dh, to let me sit where he was next to window, and take my middle isle seat so I would not disturb the folks next to me.

The other thing that happened was the pain from the pressure. My chest, and ears hurt so bad I hid tears.
By the time we got home, I wanted to go to the ER but we were so tired. I did drag my butt down to the ER the next morning and found out it turned to plurasy. I was terribly sick with breathing problems a long time.

We went in late October several times and I thought it would be better. In 06 it was 98* 99* and I suffered.
I had a better maintaince program that trip, but I ended up sitting in Aid stations most of the day. Some nights it never went below 89* and I was stuck in the room.

The night before we left, it was a record low 40*s and I froze with no jacket. I had left it at home. So it is difficult to gage when to go. But, I remember a great Jan. trip. 83* we swam all week and there were record storms in the N.E. with school closed for several days....

If DBF is highly sensitive to heat, it is not the right time to go. I hope things work out for a great trip, whenever you go.
di

[lilmissdisney216]

Gosh there is soo much to consider. I will talk to him about this stuff way in advance so I can make sure the trip is a comfortable one and one that keeps him alive of course.

Thank you soo much Sue for the link to the article. That should help bunches.

disneymarie: wow sorry that happend to you. sounds like that was highly uncomfortable. I don't think I want to get him extremely ill. But like you said it may not be the right time to go.

I shall figure it out. All the help has been fabulous. One of the many reasons I love the DIS. Thank you all soo much!!!

Meredith :tinker:

[AGentlRose]

In all honesty, I suffer more with my asthma in Nevada, than I did in the 10 years I lived in Central Florida.

I purchased the Passporter book called "Open Mouse" written for people visiting WDW with disabilities, including disabilities which are not visible, asthma being one of them.

I did have a problem in Disneyland, CA, getting short of breath, in attractions were stairs were involved and on my last day at Disneyland, found out about the Guest Assistance Card, which I was able to use to bypass stairs in any attractions.

[SueM in MN]

I did have a problem in Disneyland, CA, getting short of breath, in attractions were stairs were involved and on my last day at Disneyland, found out about the Guest Assistance Card, which I was able to use to bypass stairs in any attractions.
::yes::
If you want more information about Guest Assistance Cards, look in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. (It's near the top of the thread link for this board or there is a link in my signature to that thread.)

[mgilmer]

We live in southern Middle Tennessee where it is almost as hot and humid as Orlando, but my son, who is asthmatic, who usually does not have too many problems here, had several episodes where he needed his Albuterol inhaler while at WDW and almost needed a neb treatment as well. It seemed to hit him the worst when getting out of the pool and back into the warmer air. :confused3

[Earstou]

I gaged and coughed , wheezed so bad on the flight home I thought people would complain. I told dh, to let me sit where he was next to window, and take my middle isle seat so I would not disturb the folks next to me.

The other thing that happened was the pain from the pressure. My chest, and ears hurt so bad I hid tears.
Earplanes help the pressure in the ears alot. I now never fly without them!

[lilmissdisney216]

Does using a nebulizer make a significant difference when wheezy due to the weather? Just curious.

[evedein]

If perfumes or chemical smells bother him, be sure to tell the CM when you book your room.
On my first DVC stay, they had just cleaned the carpet in the living room & used some kind of perfumed "freshener". I had problems with my asthma all week, in spite of the "air nutralizer" machine they set up to get rid of the smell. Also, hotel house keeping will sometimes spray an air freshener when they're done cleaning. That stuff kills me too.
Now when I'm booking my room, I always have them flag my ressie with "no perfumes or chemicals". It's made a world of difference for me. Luckily, reminants of smoking is no longer an issue at WDW. Thank goodness.

[monkey68]

Does using a nebulizer make a significant difference when wheezy due to the weather? Just curious.

It should help no matter the reason, basically what happens with asthma is that the bronchi constrict, making it harder to exhale. There are different stimuli for asthmatics, some are stimulated by allergy, some by weather, but what happens in the body is essentially the same thing. So the nebulizer will help to open up the bronchi again.

[TheGeeks]

I was born with moderate-severe asthma that is set off by just about everything. When my wife and I went in April of this year, I had no real troubles. I take Advair 100/50 twice a day and kept my rescue inhaler on me - I think I used it twice, both triggered by passing by a rather heavily populated DSA. The ventilation in the attractions was more than adequate, and we just made sure to avoid the more dense floral arrangements at the flower and garden festival.

[lilmissdisney216]

Thanks everyone for the really good input. Me and Ben talked about doing Disney again with consideration of his asthma and he seemed more receptive to going and such. I will take everything you guys said into consideration.

What types of medications are used via nebulizer and how do they differ from using a regular MDI Inhaler?

[DISNEYNUTS]

Thanks everyone for the really good input. Me and Ben talked about doing Disney again with consideration of his asthma and he seemed more receptive to going and such. I will take everything you guys said into consideration.

What types of medications are used via nebulizer and how do they differ from using a regular MDI Inhaler?

My daughter takes both her pulmicort (steriods) and abuterol through her neb. (when she is having problems). Doctors say it is a much quicker response time then using reg inhalers. When ever she has a flare up we switch these 2 meds immediately to help get her back into a controled state.

[DISNEYNUTS]

My daughter has what doctors refer to a true or severe "asthma". She deals with it every second of every day. She takes several meds a day and some twice a day. She also has several other factors that trigger attacks one of which is her sereve allergies. With that said, we went in June 3 1/2 years ago and it was the worst trip to WDW ever. She started having problems the minuted we got off the Plane. She went down hill from there. Neb treatments, inhaler treatments, all the while people staring at her (the uncontollable cough), She was embrassed, as was I trying to explain that she wasn't "SICK" at least not in those terms. by the time we got home she had pneumonia (spelling), Doctor said it started in the plane with poor air quality, and then the heat and humidty of June in florida she didn't stand a chance. We decided we would not return in the summer months again to WDW. Or without talking to her doctor first. For us it is not worth risking one's life for a trip to WDW, and with asthma you cannot predict when the severe attack is going to come even when you know the triggers. Just our experience. Hope it helps.

[lilmissdisney216]

I think we have reached a happy medium relatively on when to go. We've decided to visit in late March-middle of April. Due to Ben's asthma and what not, we decided it might be a little bit better for the both of us. So we're going to probably go there round that time, we'll definately make a trip to the Drs. before we leave in 2010 to have all necessary meds.