Less than a week until we leave and...

[mamabunny]

I badly dislocated my finger last night, and spent the night in the ER. I will spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say that [1] I now have an "extra special" princess wave ('cause it's my extra-special "waving" finger, if you get my drift!) and [2] even if - no matter how much - they numb your finger, you still feel it when they pop it back into place. Ew.

And... it's my right hand. MY THROTTLE HAND for my personal ECV!

Luckily, I have a brand-new Crampbuster installed already, so it makes the "twist throttle" (like a motorcycle) into a "paddle" that I can use my thumb on, but I'm hopeful that by the time we leave next Friday, I will be "upgraded" to a splint that will let me bend my hand a little...



Oh well. As long as I can still go to WDW next week, I'm happy!

 

[POOHsie]

I badly dislocated my finger last night, and spent the night in the ER. I will spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say that [1] I now have an "extra special" princess wave ('cause it's my extra-special "waving" finger, if you get my drift!) and [2] even if - no matter how much - they numb your finger, you still feel it when they pop it back into place. Ew.

And... it's my right hand. MY THROTTLE HAND for my personal ECV!

Luckily, I have a brand-new Crampbuster installed already, so it makes the "twist throttle" (like a motorcycle) into a "paddle" that I can use my thumb on, but I'm hopeful that by the time we leave next Friday, I will be "upgraded" to a splint that will let me bend my hand a little...

View attachment 124662

Oh well. As long as I can still go to WDW next week, I'm happy!

I'm so sorry to hear this! Hoping when you arrive that your finger pain will be much-improved! Take care!

My scooter has levers that I press. The left-hand lever is for Reverse, the right-hand lever is for Forward. Probably this is what you're describing, too. If I PULL on a lever instead of PRESS the lever, it will go in the opposite direction. So, the left-hand (Reverse) lever, if pulled, will go Forward. Then with my Delta tiller design, I can rest my hand and just pull with one finger and not wear the finger out. This works well when shopping and one of my arms is carrying stuff.

 

[gap2368]

oh no I hope you feel better soon and that you have a great trip

 

[gwynne]

I hope your finger feels much better soon!

 

[SueM in MN]

Hope you heal quickly.

 

[ttintagel]

Ouch! As a veteran of five hand surgeries, I feel your pain!

Speaking of pain, don't forget to take your pain meds while at WDW, whether you feel like you need them or not!

 

[Aladora]

Ouch! As a veteran of five hand surgeries, I feel your pain!

Speaking of pain, don't forget to take your pain meds while at WDW, whether you feel like you need them or not!

And don't wait until you *REALLY NEED* the meds, take them when you start to feel discomfort. I had to learn the hard way that pain killers are lousy at stopping serious pain after it is established.

 

[mamabunny]

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes, and the advice!

I saw my "hand guy" today, and came away with a roll of Kinesiology tape, a new "buddy splint" and some very specific instructions on what to do/what not to do while at WDW! (most notably no heavy lifting with that hand, and no "squeezing" motions" until I am further along in healing) The good news is that he is hopeful we won't have to do surgery, and there are no broken bones, no fractures, no bone chips floating around. So YAY for good news!

Turns out my doctor is going to Food & Wine next month - so I was scheduled for a return visit prior to his trip so he can get all the juicy details about this year's festival! LOL

He was super - luckily he gets why we go to WDW, so it made everything MUCH easier!

Back to packing!

Thanks again!

 

[disneyseniors]

Sorry for your injury at vacation time, no less I know what you are going through. I broke my "wave" finger last year before our trip to WDW.
Just be careful not to get it hit or bumped. Food and wine? We are going Nov 11 thru 20th. Is F&W still going on then??? We didn't think so?
I will be using anECV for the first time this trip. I'm a little apprehensive, esp. after reading all the "hate" posts about ECV's. Is it really that bad????
Have a great time

 

[mamabunny]

Sorry for your injury at vacation time, no less I know what you are going through. I broke my "wave" finger last year before our trip to WDW.
Just be careful not to get it hit or bumped. Food and wine? We are going Nov 11 thru 20th. Is F&W still going on then??? We didn't think so?
I will be using anECV for the first time this trip. I'm a little apprehensive, esp. after reading all the "hate" posts about ECV's. Is it really that bad????
Have a great time

Well, you'll miss Food & Wine by a couple of weeks. [EDIT: Food & Wine ends mid-November! Sorry for any confusion that caused!] But, I have to say that while it is an amazing thing to see (and try to do) the crowds when we were there were just insane. Luckily, we know our way around Epcot well enough that we have a few favorite corners that tend to be fairly quiet and unpopulated for when we needed a stress break!

If you read outside the disABILITIES board, both here at DISboards and their "sister" website, you will come to believe that all that is truly wrong and terrible about WDW lies at the feet (or wheels) of us "scooter weasels".

My personal "favorite" is that scooter riders "clog up" the pathways at WDW for others because we are slow and don't know what we are doing. For the past week, every. single. time. we came upon a group of people walking slowly (which was ALL OF THEM) there was never a scooter in sight "blocking" or "slowing" any traffic. We literally made it a point to look and see if we could find any examples of this. We couldn't. We typically move at a fairly brisk pace regardless of whether we are at WDW or not, so it could be I am just impatient LOL.

People are often afraid of others who are different. Sadly, the folks who post stuff (like calling people who require the use of a scooter "scooter weasels") that is negative and/or derogatory are the digital, grown-up equivalent of the school-yard bully.

There are also some lingering hard feelings in some corners of the internet from a time when apparently some disabled folks would "rent" themselves out as a human front-of-the-line pass, back when being in a wheelchair or ECV pretty much gave you an automatic "skip" to the front of the line. (prior to current DAS system) Groups would literally "rent" the services of a wheelchair bound person (or a person who had access to a wheelchair) and then speed through park with their disabled "guide" getting them right to the front of every ride.

There's also a fair of amount of what some might call old-fashioned ignorance. I prefer to think of it as "uninformed". Until you (or a loved one) *have* to use an ECV or wheelchair, many people have NO idea that the world is not an easy place for those who must live on wheels.

Don't worry - practice with local store carts, and build in a bit of extra "training time" at your hotel where you can practice with the rental away from park-level crowds. Last but certainly not least... remember that CMs are our friends! When in doubt, ask a CM - that's why they are there!

 

[momofkids]

F&W lasts until November 16th.

 

[mamabunny]

F&W lasts until November 16th.

Wow! I thought it ended around Halloween - although I have to confess that I was far more focused on the fact that it started the day we arrived! Thanks for the info! I wish we could zip back down to Orlando to go again when it is cooler (and less rainy) but I don't see that happening this year.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Food and Wine usually ends around Veterans Day but this year an extra week in November has been tacked on.

 

[gap2368]

F&W lasts until November 16th.

And my next vacation is November 17 looks like I will miss it unless I add another trip in

 

[Hopefully]

Wow! I thought it ended around Halloween - although I have to confess that I was far more focused on the fact that it started the day we arrived! Thanks for the info! I wish we could zip back down to Orlando to go again when it is cooler (and less rainy) but I don't see that happening this year.

Did you have a problem with your ECV and the Rain? I am worrying about that

 

[mamabunny]

Did you have a problem with your ECV and the Rain? I am worrying about that

No, but...

We also dressed him up for the rain; I put (clear plastic disposable) shower caps over the handlebars, the battery, and the main battery/electronics connection point, and then covered him up with a cheap poncho. (My personal ECV has a removable battery).

Here's a picture of him on the bus, ready for more rainy day action:



Once we had him covered up, we put on our own ponchos, and just went. I figured that having done all we could, I had 2 choices: sit on the sidelines and try to wait it out, or get out there and do stuff, even if we were soaked. We had no problems with the rain, other than it does reduce the effectiveness of the brakes, and it also impacted on traction during the heavier downpours.

If you are renting an ECV from a local vendor, I would call the company you intend to rent from, and talk to them directly and openly about what their recommendations are for rain/heavy rain.

(and save a plastic bag to stuff your rain gear in between showers!)

 

[Hopefully]

No, but...

We also dressed him up for the rain; I put (clear plastic disposable) shower caps over the handlebars, the battery, and the main battery/electronics connection point, and then covered him up with a cheap poncho. (My personal ECV has a removable battery).

Here's a picture of him on the bus, ready for more rainy day action:

View attachment 126986

Once we had him covered up, we put on our own ponchos, and just went. I figured that having done all we could, I had 2 choices: sit on the sidelines and try to wait it out, or get out there and do stuff, even if we were soaked. We had no problems with the rain, other than it does reduce the effectiveness of the brakes, and it also impacted on traction during the heavier downpours.

If you are renting an ECV from a local vendor, I would call the company you intend to rent from, and talk to them directly and openly about what their recommendations are for rain/heavy rain.

(and save a plastic bag to stuff your rain gear in between showers!)

I am renting from Buena Vista Scooters I have aPride Victory reserved. They state they do not recommend using in the rain. I have a shower cap for over the tiller controls & ponchos for the scooter & for me. I don't think I can cover the battery specifically. I'll have to check. I am worrying about this quite a bit