3 reports + links to more- 8 days since May + conversations galore

[amyamya]

Loving the TR so far! You have me seriously considering the DLH e-ticket level instead of the GCH for the next trip! It sounds like you guys had a great time...

 

[bumbershoot]

Hi Molly. Didn't mean to confuzzle the moment. When I said just arrived here, I meant just arrived here at the trip report.

Oh OK! Whew. I was getting even more upset with myself for being out of contact...

I have been sort of following that Air France story on the news, and am I correct that there is still no sign of the plane (even in the ocean)? Last I heard, it had just disappeared off the radar and I was thinking how bizarre that is - literally, like something out of a Twilight Zone episode. It seemed odd that there was no trace of the plane anywhere in the water - yet. Has anything changed yet?

I don't know if anything has changed. And yes it is very weird.

Loving the TR so far! You have me seriously considering the DLH e-ticket level instead of the GCH for the next trip! It sounds like you guys had a great time...

It was definitely nice! Of course now that my mind is open to PPH and DLH (e-ticket), who knows if we'll someday feel the need to complete the trifecta? Oh man, what have I done? WHAT have I done.....

 

[Sherry E]

It was definitely nice! Of course now that my mind is open to PPH and DLH (e-ticket), who knows if we'll someday feel the need to complete the trifecta? Oh man, what have I done? WHAT have I done.....

If you DO ever decide to complete the trifecta, you now know to not do it during the holidays when the huge tree sucks the light out of the lobby!!!!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Most definitely!

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, right before we all fell asleep, Robert arranged for a wakeup call, and while doing so, asked if there were any special calls he could get. He was told yes.

So in the morning (I think I was already awake), the phone rang bright and early. And rang and rang. Hubby and son slept on. No one answered it.

While I continued to get ready, I guess they allow for that sort of "I'm still sleeping leave me alone" thing, and the wakeup call "robot" called back. E was starting to slowly wake up, so I grabbed the phone, listened to the normal guy talking, then put it to E's ear as...Mickey! started to talk. Well that woke him up!

He sat up, saying "Mickey called me...", but he had NO idea what Mickey had said to him.


We were moving slow, and stopping off for coffee and waters (we were water smugglers, definitely, naughty naughty us...I just read that that is totally NOT allowed at WDW Concierge levels? thank goodness it was at the DLH for our stay.) and fruit, and THAT morning, croissants, didn't help us go faster. Since we were already running late, and since E had made us very aware of his yearning to ride Nemo, we made the decision to take the monorail.

And then...can you guess it? Our fickle little brand new 5 year old decided that Nemo was scary and he refused to go on. Even exiting the monorail was worrying him b/c it goes right next to the Nemo ride.

I noticed that the monorail exit changes! That morning we left "outside" of the Nemo line, on the Tomorrowland side. Another time, we exited on the inside, between the Nemo line and the water. Interesting!

So there were were, 20 minutes into MM, near Nemo, with a kid who wanted to be in Fantasyland. I'll be honest with you...we're really not aware of what all is open in Tomorrowland. And we get nervous about wasting steps by checking things out, so we gravitate towards *known* things. So I didn't want to go see if Buzz was open, even though I really did know it was.

So anyway, we went over to Fantasyland, where, of course, the guys wanted to ride Teacups.

Seriously, should anyone be on this ride at 7:30 am?????

Well, I guess...HE should.

I even let the guys twirl it... I was so brave.

From there, the guys did the Carrousel and Dumbo. I'd had enough spinning!



Oh goodness gracious, I forgot what else Natalie did for us the afternoon before! She gave E his birthday button ahead of time, though he was asleep so got to be amazed when we gave it to him that morning.


Getting so big!

Not quite strong enough though.

Loved the landscaping around the sword/stone...

After that it was time for BBB. I don't want to talk about it. I wrote up our experience in the BBB thread and that's enough. They had a photopass person there, and the picture she caught of his disappointed expression when they drew back the mirror curtains breaks my mama heart. He was so bummed about it, and refused to tell us how it could be fixed, because he was nervous that the Fairy Godmother in Training would be mad. Even though she was absolutely gracious and terrific, and wouldn't have been mad. She'd also made him nervous by telling him that he couldn't hug me until his hair gel was dry, and somehow he got it into his head that his hair would ALWAYS be like that, so he'd NEVER be able to hug me again.

OK I guess I'm talking about it, but that's about all. I was glad to meet some non-costume CMs at the end of the trip who wanted to hear my thoughts, so I'm hoping it gets better for boys.

Because frankly, this is not an OK pamphlet to give to a boy (read the wording):

And this does not make a 5 year old boy think he looks like a knight:

He was, however, very happy with the sword and shield he got, even though we barely got the sword home.

 

[kaoden39]

I love the Dreams Tower and I don't think that there is a bad view in that tower. And I just love the grounds. Now I have stayed at PP and at DLH and I prefer DLH. I will stay there any chance I get. Aren't those boats great? I love them.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

The little boats at the hotel seem like a blast! I think we need to make a walk over there just to play with those!

ETA: Did E get the foam sword/shield or the plastic ones? I remember hearing you say you wanted to get him the plastic ones and he already had the foam ones? I saw on Disneyshopping.com that they had the foam ones that looked very similar if not the same as the ones they sell at the parks on sale. For something very cheap like $2.99 or something.

I think they should have a separate little paper for little boys. With no mention of princesses on it. You would think with the popularity of BBB at WDW, even with boys they would have printed one for the BBB here.

 

[bumbershoot]

Love the boats, kaoden!

PPB, yeah you'd think having appropriate paperwork would be simple, wouldn't you? Guess they haven't figured it out. I just think that...if you're going to offer this for boys, especially since it's such a tiny offering, at least do it *right*. Don't do it halfway. In fact, get capes with a knight head on it, get appropriate paperwork (the back of that page, by the way, showed the three girl styles), give the paperwork at the right time (that paper was given to us AFTER he was done, when it's obviously not meant for then), have pictures so that the little kids know what to expect.

He got the plastic sword and the foam shield. We had talked about the choices and he said he wanted the foam, to replace the ones he already had (they are the Prince Philip foam sword and shield), but when they showed him the shiny plastic one, he was gone.



BBB did look really cute for girls, though. I saw a couple "reveals" and they were so happy about it. They have scented nail polish.

I hope it gets better for boys. And I have nothing bad to say about the FGIT, she was great. Spent scads of time getting his hair up, really wanted to make it right when he obviously hated it, etc etc. She tried her hardest.

 

[Sherry E]

The confetti baffles me a bit....but I have to say that 'Sir Eamon' has a great ring to it - very regal, indeed!

How cute that E said "Mickey called me," even if he had no clue what Mickey said.

You let them spin the Teacup??? As I recall, on a previous occasions they were not allowed to spin! And those cups spin faster than they used to in the old, old days! You were definitely feeling daring, I guess! I guess seeing that look of pure joy and elation on E's face makes the spinning worthwhile, eh?

 

[toocherie]

can I just say that Eamon is the cutest little boy and I can't believe how much he has grown from last year????

 

[auntiegem]

About the BBB -- Oh. My. Word. What are they thinking? Oh wait, they aren't. Okay, no more talking about that.

On a different note about Eamon (and his hair) . . . he has the most priceless expressions in so many of his pictures, and I love the color and texture of his hair.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks for the E comments. And yes he sprouted like a weed in his 4s!

And yes I let them spin. Or maybe that was the next time, I'm not totally sure. Hmm.

I do know that I still love the Ladybug Boogie, or whatever the heck that one's called in bug's land, b/c there's NO SPINNING! Well, no extra spinning. Also, we realized that that teacup/ladybug ride goes both ways, b/c it goes in a figure 8. So first you're spinning one way, then the next. But with the cups, you're just going one way the whole time. Bleargh.

Sorry, just had a pint and a half of Guinness at a pub with the guys and Robert's commute-husband (LOL...you know how some people have work spouses? he has a same sex commute spouse ) and his real life wife. The half was the last half of Robert's, and it's actually amazing I only got half! I figured I'd be getting 3/4 of his Guinness, if he made it past the first sip.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Oh Molly! Thanks for the review on BBB. We will skip that for sure in October! I was rolling on the floor looking at E's hair and your comment. Oh my goodness! What are they thinking???

Regarding Concierge goodies: You ought to be able to pack your suitcase full when you leave, with the pricing, but water for the parks is a bare minimum. Sounds like you enjoyed it after all.

I also have challenges with my family following my guidance. I have finally let that go, and just plan longer trips to make sure we have enough time. It works for us.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh yes, the other update. So there's been this one other thing going on that has been freaking us out. I didn't want to talk about it until we knew what it was, and we found out today.

Robert, it turns out, has a (non cancerous) growth on his pituitary that is putting out prolactin. For those who don't know, that's the hormone produced in lactating women. While it exists in men, it is supposed to exist in teeny tiny amounts. In him, it's overtaking his whole being. And along with that, it has lowered his male hormones to just about zero.

Can you say...reason we haven't had another baby yet?


Now...this would be frustrating enough...but hubby has been trying to get someone to do this bloodwork for TWO YEARS. He has seen NDs and MDs, and they all want to focus on his weight, and blame any lack of fertility on his older wife. Our shared acupuncturist (in his old ND's office) wanted to blame it my extended nursing, even though I had seemingly been ready for more babies since E was 4 months old. No one cared about that, they cared about my age and OBVIOUSLY it was me. So they've been ignoring him.

He even had a cyst grow in his chest tissue, which led him to an even worse situation than the BBB situation with E. Can you imagine a man going to a clinic to have a mammogram? And have all the surroundings be pink, all the paperwork be female-focused? To be embarrassed beyond anything...? I felt so awful for him then. That was 2 years ago. 2 years. And they didn't do any bloodwork, didn't wonder "why". Just sent him for a 'gram to a male-un-friendly place.

And here's the worst with that...cancer in men, in that tissue? Is deadly. Why? Because it's found so dang late. Why is it found so late? Well, I believe that a big reason is that the clinics are all FEMALE focused! We know that women have different heart attacks than men, and it's been very important to make sure that MDs know that they present differently so that women can be saved...well why on earth are men being shunted over to girly clinics with girly paperwork where the men will be asked when their last cycles were etc etc, when it's so much more deadly* in men? It's AWFUL. (*sure more women die from it, but that's b/c more women get it...in the few men that get it, it's hard to survive, b/c it's found so late...that's how I'm calling it more deadly, b/c there are fewer male survivors if the numbers are evened)

Because of all that, he dropped out of their care regarding the cyst. Did anyone call? No. Did anyone write? No. Did anyone CARE that he didn't go back? No.

The cyst went away (during that time he went back to a healthier diet close to what he ate when he beat a brain tumor (benign but so fast-growing he was given 6 months to live by the same medical center where my liver transplant friend went...big center, big medical school, not hicks who make errors) without any western medicine, and for the chest thing he drank a TON of organic grape juice, b/c it has some sort of compound in it that shrinks tumors). He stopped thinking about it.

But he's been asking doctors to look into these problems he's been having...no one has been willing. They all want it to be MY fault.

His endo? He wasn't going to run the tests. But hubby insisted. I insisted. And the endo acquiesced, and ended up finding this non-cancerous growth on the pituitary. If he had refused, like all the rest have, who knows how much longer this would have gone on?


So this has a simple fix. He will take a drug (the only drugs available for his fast growing brain tumor in his 20s caused side effects that he felt were worse than death...it was also inoperable...that's why he refused western treatment then, b/c there was no treatment that he felt was acceptable....THIS drug, however, he feels is acceptable). It shrinks the tumor and the prolactin stops being made. This will allow his male hormones to be made again (and it's possible R will choose to have supplemental hormones to help with the baby stuff quicker, since I'm rapidly aging, LOL). It's all a very simple fix.

That could have been taken care of two years ago, IF we had any sort of competent health care around us....


So that official diagnosis was called in to me today (thankfully they are willing to talk to me since I know much more than hubby does AND I ask questions), after the poor dude had to have two MRIs in the last month.

Can you understand how courageous he's been? Interview after interview, being scared he was losing his job *and insurance*, while having MRIs done? The first was an Open MRI, but they couldn't visualize the pituitary (uh duh, of course not, his noggin is huge!). So he needed a closed MRI, but b/c of his size we had to go practically to Canada, the week before our trip. The endo was supposed to call us during our trip, but didn't (can you say scared that it was something other than the prolactinoma????). But he did, the fix is simple, and hubby will be back to normal quickly. The endo was saying 6 months to a year maybe even 2 years before it's all taken care of...but he doesn't know hubby's remarkable healing powers. Brain tumor gone. Diabetes? What diabetes? (as long as he watches his food) Cyst? Gone. etc etc.


oh, and the kicker is that usually when people have these, they are GAINING weight. Like 60 lbs in 6 months. Whereas hubby has been losing, slowly, for the last 2.5 years. And that is amazing. Once the levels of the hormone start decreasing, the weight that the hormone has caused to hang on will likely just slough off. And that will be wonderful. When he found out about the weight gain affect of prolactin, and realized that his sllooooooow weight loss was likely due to this, I felt the pride in himself swell. It just shows the willpower he has had, to have continued to lose, when others gain huge amounts of weight in small periods of time.


So there you go. Departmental closing causing him to search for work during this time of companies waiting for the perfect person while there are SO MANY job candidates roaming around, and a looming "pituitary adenoma".

Could these last two months have BEEN any more fun?????

 

[Daisybelle]

Wow. That's some hefty stress to deal with. I'm so glad that Robert was able to finally get a diagnosis. The road getting there, however, shouldn't have been so hard! You wonder why some doctors are doctors if they are unwilling to do the work to help their patients.
I've been dealing with a pituitary tumor (non-cancerous as pituitary tumors generally are) for the past year and half also. Mine is affecting adult growth hormone production. I see a pituitary specialist up at OHSU in Portland. She's really good. I had to do daily injections of gh for awhile but it was causing more trouble then fixing anything.
I hope your husband begins to feel better soon and that you are able to add a sibling for Eamon into your family.

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

Wow, Molly. That's a lot for you guys to be going through. Lots of hugs and pixie dust for Robert.

We were sending lots of "have a baby soon" thoughts to you awhile back on the ladies thread.

 

[bumbershoot]

The road getting there, however, shouldn't have been so hard! You wonder why some doctors are doctors if they are unwilling to do the work to help their patients.


I've been dealing with a pituitary tumor (non-cancerous as pituitary tumors generally are) for the past year and half also. Mine is affecting adult growth hormone production. I see a pituitary specialist up at OHSU in Portland. She's really good. I had to do daily injections of gh for awhile but it was causing more trouble then fixing anything.

I agree about getting the diagnosis! I know firsthand that so many MDs (and even NDs, which I think has hurt me even more than the MDs) channel Alec Baldwin's "I am God" character from Malice...we run into so many of them for some reason. But this endo, even though he's kinda strange, was willing. He didn't expect to find anything (this is the same guy whose big ol' industrial "heavy person" scale was nearly 50 pounds OFF, and we went round and round for 5 minutes before he finally left the room and then calibrated the stupid scale. Hubby "lost" about 60 lbs since his visit in September, when we know he's only lost around 15 or less, b/c of the recalibration...so even he has a bit of "don't question me") but wowie he sure did!

It's good to know someone else with a similar growth. I'm sorry you're dealing with it, of course, but it's good to "know" you.

We were sending lots of "have a baby soon" thoughts to you awhile back on the ladies thread.

Oh I know.


This endo...along with doing the bloodwork willingly that we requested, when he called me yesterday and he was asking about our fertility problems, he was talking about supplementation, but when I asked if it's 100% that R has no "swimmers", he said that it's possible he could be making some. So I asked if he should have a "swimmer" analysis done, to get a baseline, and the endocrinologist told me that that was an "excellent idea". Love him!

He's still freaked out that Robert went from a diagnosing blood sugar of almost 500 down to a normal of 98 (with very little post-meal fluctuation) without taking drugs... But I personally think that *maybe* R's pituitary being so out of whack caused his whole endocrine system to go crazy, and since insulin is part of that system...I think it's all related. Which is why I'd LOVE to find a holistic person to, well, not oversee, but to sort of look "down" on the whole thing, and really reason out the starting factor...so that we could figure out how to support Robert's own system to best heal him while the drug works to "cure" him. I would normally go to an ND for that, but as I mentioned, all the NDs we seem to find are just like MDs who want you to buy $500/month worth of supplements. Harumph.

ETA: I'm actually normally very good at that sort of thing...seeing the whole health picture and pinpointing where I feel it started...but with family, I'm too close. Perhaps some meditation could help, or a spa day...hey, there's that Mandara Spa, isn't there? At that little hotel I haven't stayed at? Bwa ha ha ha.....



I'll get back to my trip soon. All of this happened at once...we bought into DVC, using stock grants to start, our current salary (to finance), and FUTURE stock grants (to finish it up), then my friend had her liver transplant, then MIL went to the hospital, then April 2 the department was informed they were closing in 2 months, then he had his followup visit with the endocrinologist where he told him about his level of prolactin and the probable cause (and thank goodness it was what he thought, b/c it could have been something worse causing *pressure* on the gland, instead of it just being a pituitary growth)... Anyway, it all hit so fast and furious and I haven't really wanted to talk about it...now it's just all coming out. Where's a brain-exploding smilie????

 

[bumbershoot]

I swear I'll get back to the trip report. But for now I just wanted to report that hubby now has an email address for his new job. How EXCITING! Dream come true. We're barely going to see him this month though, and might be "forced" to go visit my brother (in San Diego, poor us! and my brother has insisted that we let him get tickets for us, double poor us!) so that he doesn't feel so guilty about working so hard. But he has to work hard to prove himself so that they extend the contract to at least a year!

Hmm...if E and I go to San Diego, I wonder where *else* we'll go....

 

[kaoden39]

Molly, Wow talk about a roller coaster. I am so glad you finally got a DR to listen. I went through a similar situation where one DR finally listened. Oh how awful it would be to have to go to San Diego this time of year when the weather is so pretty.

 

[bumbershoot]

Opted to take out that particular freakout. Nevermind.



So in other news, I rode the SunWheel, er, Mickey Head Wheel, of Death during our trip. Was not fun! Though it was kinda funny...if we'd been alone I'm sure I would have been hyperventilating, but they put these two pre-teens in with us (really? two preteens in with an adult male (and female and 5 year old, but still, adult male) when you're stuck up there for 10 minutes? Really????? And yet people are asked for Toy Story if they're OK with a single rider next to them on a rapidly moving, easy to get help, ride? really????) and I felt like I needed to keep it together. Plus, the boy HATED the ride and the girl LOVED it, and she was absolutely tormenting him, and it was kinda hilarious. Must have been fun for R, E, and the girl, to watch me and the boy slowly turning green....

Oh, even though you're mainly still in the non-moving cars...you can easily get motion sick from watching the cars near you swinging and moving and swooshing wildly through the air! Uh oh, turning green just thinking of it....