Fibromyalgia at Disneyland?

[dtnrhi]

My family is taking a trip to Disneyland Resort in 26 days! In the past, we have only done two days max at the parks, and this time (thanks to Costco!) we will be doing FOUR (as well as a day at Universal).

We went on my brother's Wish Trip in August, and it was by far the best experience we have ever had. I understand this was namely due to the skip the line pass, but still. We were able to spend the most time in the parks we ever have before.

My mom has fibromyalgia and will usually break down (energy-wise) after a few hours in the parks. She really can't last all that long, and she REFUSES to get into a wheelchair. It's a pride thing, and also not plausible as my brother is also in a wheelchair, and having someone to push will become an issue.

I understand that getting the same pass as we did on our Wish Trip is not possible, but are there any other accomodations we will be able to get?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Would your mom be willing to rent an ECV? That way she will be able to save her energy as much as possible, save her family some worry, and she will still have some control because she will be "driving" the ECV instead of being pushed by someone else. I understand this can be a very sensitive issue with people, but it really would spare her a lot of physical stress on your trip. Deckerts is a reliable company to rent from -- they will deliver to your hotel. Otherwise, your mom can rest for a while each day at the first aid stations. If they are not full, she should be able to lie down to rest, if getting back to the hotel on her own is too much for her.

 

[Escape2Disney]

I agree with the previous poster - an ECV is probably the best option. I don't have fibro, but I do have a chronic illness that depleats my energy. My kids finally sat me down and told me that they'd rather not travel with me unless I got an ECV and started taking care of myself. I was frustrated at first, but they were right. We've had much more enjoyable trips ever since!

 

[starshine514]

I also recommend renting an ECV from an outside company. She'll have it all the time and it should be cheaper than renting one daily from Disneyland. If she could use one and double the amount of time she could stay in the park, that would definitely be worth the cost.

DH has MS and without an ECV there is no way he could enjoy Disneyland. Last trip, we went in the last morning after packing up the car (we own our ECV) for about an hour. We were staying just across the street at the Del Sol. He made it into the park, and sat down near Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln while the rest of us got a few rides in, then he walked back to the hotel with us... Not exactly a fun-filled experience for him. However, when he has his ECV, he can do 4 or 5 hours in the park.

 

[Grumpy~N~Dopey]

I have fibromyalgia, and I have been suffering for years through many Disney vacations! I used to travel with my family completely drugged up on pain killers just to make it through the day. I would take ice baths at night to kill the unbelievable pain I would have. And after a week in Disney I would be in bed for a month recouping! Finally after years of this torture my partner ordered an ecv and had it delivered to our hotel. It was the best thing ever!!! I to was embarrassed, I was only 40 then lol, but I don't care at all anymore what people think! I get to spend the entire time with my family, I do not even have to take any pain killers, and when I come home I am as normal as if I didn't go to Disney.
Recently I went for just a few days and opted not to get an ecv because I thought I could handle just the few days and I will not make that mistake again! I was miserable by the second day.
If your mom gets the ecv you all will have a better trip, tell her it will help you not worry about her so much and hey a scooter also comes in handy carrying stuff!

 

[Eeee-va]

My mother rented an ECV for our last 2 trips and it's made a HUGE difference. She has fibromyalgia and also some pretty severe hip pain. She went from being so exhausted she could just do a few rides before she had to go back to the room, to being able to stay in the parks for several hours. She generally will drive the ECV, park it, get in a regular line, get back in the ECV, and drive to the next location. So she doesn't feel like she's "skipping the line" (though wheelchair lines can be longer than regular lines).

Really, when you do the math, just walking from the hotel (if you're within walking distance) to your first ride, that could be nearly a mile. At least, when I was trying to figure out why Mom gave up just an hour or so into the Halloween party in 2010, I mapped it out and saw that she'd walked a couple miles by the time she was too tired to go on! One year she took ART from Hojo (the rest of us walked) and not only did that take ages, but she was STILL tired very quickly.

In short, I understand that your mom is proud (mine too!). But I hope she can be generous enough to do whatever it takes to let the rest of you enjoy her company throughout your day in the park.

For what it's worth, Disney's official solution to endurance problems is to suggest a wheelchair/ECV.