30 more days 'til our Anniversary trip and my husband broke his foot!

[connie1042]

I rented one in MK and Epcot on our last trip. The ones in the parks are very, very slow. I always thought it was running out of power. I did not want to deal with the buses is why I rented at the parks, but if I need them again, I will rent off site and deal with the buses. I did not want to run people over, or I did not have the I need to get there fast aptitude, but they were really slow.

 

[Hanover]

I was on crutches combined with a walker the 1st week after my surgery. I went to Walmart to get my prescriptions filled and after just getting to the pharmacy, I wanted to crawl in a cart and have my husband push me out of the store. At my 1 week post op visit, my surgeon told me he was going to prescribe a knee scooter. I only wish I'd known of them sooner and had it that first week. Gave me the freedom to do everything and with ease. I would highly recommend one if his doctor okays it. It's like a little scooter with a knee rest. I just rested my knee on it, with the surgical shoe/then walking boot hanging off the end and went about my business. It folded down easy to get into my vehicle. I was able to go to all of my son's football games and navigate across rocks, grass, etc. easily. I would not have wanted it in the Disney parks, but for home it really is great compared to crutches.

 

[connie1042]

I rented one in MK and Epcot on our last trip. The ones in the parks are very, very slow. I always thought it was running out of power. I did not want to deal with the buses is why I rented at the parks, but if I need them again, I will rent off site and deal with the buses. I did not want to run people over, or I did not have the I need to get there fast aptitude, but they were really slow.

 

[t_catt11]

My experience, as a (then) thirty-one year old in a walking boot...

Four weeks post-injury, one week in the boot? He'll likely be fine. I could not see having my wife push me around in a wheelchair when I had on a "walking" boot - hey, it's in the name.

My opinion woul dbe different if your husband were older, in poor health, etc... but I'm guessing that if he's spry enough to try the stunt that hurt him, he'll manage just fine.

Yes, I did have to sit more often than I would have liked, as the foot would ache. Yes, he needs to elevate it at every single possible chance (when eating, when resting, etc). Yes, I felt silly taking a seat on the bus when ladies were stanidng, but all in all, it was not the edn of the world that I had feared it would be. Keep it dry, keep it elevated whenever possible, and he'll be fine.

ECV?

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Don't be a hero! He went to work yesterday and it took him 30 minutes to get to his desk from his car (usually 5 minutes). He said he had to stop twice because he got tired. He's complaining about his underarms being sore, his arms being sore, and both legs being sore. Right now he's just convinced that once he can walk he'll be good to go. He even said, "I could probably walk fast than you."

Sounds like you have a lot of experience with all your surgeries...

thanks for all the advice.

NP OP. Yeah, I've had a lot of practice travelling with a bum limb. I have the utmost respect for those among us who do it daily.

I know everyone is voting for renting off-site (and I'm about saving $$, especially with a reputable company such as Walker) but, will he really want to mess with chair on the bus OR renting a car and then lifting the chair into the back of the vehicle? Would you be able to lift it into a rental car if need be? After my most recent knee surgery, I had to lift my wheelchair in and out of my car daily - it got tiring doing it on one leg, especially being that I didn't have a car that was adequate to transport the chair per se... it was a Neon, and it was fun coaxing the little bugger into place.

My mother went through a single knee replacement about 10 months before she and my father took DS and DNeph to WDW for a week. She made the choice to rent from the park, regardless of my warnings of availability and price... It was easier for them to not have to mess with the chair outside of the park. They went in September, so luckily, she didn't have to mess with availability problems.

And besides... don't the resorts have push chairs that people can borrow to get around? It may be worth looking into.

 

[kmadams]

Thanks everyone - the good news is some of this research I'm doing now will help out in June when I take my mom.

Here's my thoughts... Do you all really think he'll need an ECV if he's in the walking boot? He doesn't seem to think so, but since he'll have a few days without crutches before we go, I think he might change his mind. If he does think he doesn't need one for the entire week then I think we'll just rent one at MK the morning of our tour.

If he does... I'm thinking of renting a car so that we don't have to deal with the busses.

He just keeps insisting that "I can walk. The doctor said I can walk by then." Of course he also insisted that his foot was not broken.

Here's my take, my husband is also in a "walking" boot. Although he can walk in this boot, he can't walk far and he is not very fast in it! I can't imagine taking him to Disney while wearing the boot. Good luck, they are tough to convince!!

 

[Hanover]

We had a rental car that was a 4 door sedan and the scooter broke down in a couple of pieces to fit in the trunk fine. I don't think I'd have been able to lift it myself, but my husband managed fine. It took only a minute or two to set up/take down. I really didn't want to have to use the buses. We stayed at Kidani and I did try and get us in at Bay Lake so I could just drive the scooter over to MK but there were no openings. The hardest part for me was backing out of the monorail but I never managed to fall off the ramp or hit anyone. Another thing is the scooter I had was a 3 wheel one. I was offered a 4 wheel one with a foot rest but the turning diameter was larger and I wanted the smallest possible. I quickly found out that the right side of the steering lever you had to pull back to go forward and on the left you had to push it forward to go forward. Luckily when I realized they were opposite and I went back instead of forward witht he left lever, I didn't run anyone over. I found the speed easy to keep up with my husband and sons and it stopped quickly. I was cut off a billion times by walkers and even other scooters but I just remained patient and counted my blessings that I'm not in one all the time. It was hard to get anywhere after the parades and fireworks but I managed to not bump into anyone the whole trip which is what I was really worried about. Keep a plastic bag with you to throw over the boot if there's a sudden storm. I was rather worried the inside of my boot would get wet and I had no replacement. Luckily any time it sprinkled I put the bag on and was okay. I also had a poncho that covered the seat as I rode keeping me dry all over. I don't know if you are driving or flying, but we flew and I had different experiences through security each way of both trips. Another tip to consider is to make sure when you pack your suitcases, he takes the correct one shoe he'll wear...

 

[minnierealtor]

When my DH broke his leg, we rented a wheelchair. It was great exercise for me to push him and we could fold it up when we entered the buses. He could walk with crutches but he didn't want to do that very far but the wheelchair had a holder on it so he could attach them. We had some funny moments because his field of vision was very different.

 

[casjen]

I sprained my foot and ankle badly 2 1/2 weeks ago and I have been in a boot since 3 days after my injury. I am just starting to hobble around the house without the boot on per doctor's orders. (I say hobble b/c that's what it is. The boot makes your leg so stiff). The boot is so heavy and tiring to walk in! I am a very fit person and I am just exhausted in this thing! Plus, the way the boot is desgined, your injured leg will be higher and uneven from the uninjured leg. So your hips are a bit uneven and that affects your walking and back etc. Your DH is also going to have muscle weakness and atrophy from the cast. He's going to find that leg is very weak when the cast comes off. Very weak. In 2 weeks in the boot I also lost definition in my calf muscle and never mind my foot. I can barely wiggle my toes.

I leave for the world in 9 days and I am slowly accepting I will need a scooter to get around for the majority of my trip. My doctor told me to expect spending the morning out of the boot and half of the day in the boot. Because my ankle will be week for at least 4 more weeks and my trip is in 9 days!

I reserved a scooter from apple scooters and we are offsite. I am worried about gettng from the MK parking lot to the TTC but we'll survive. I figure it is better to havwe the scooter than find myself on a bench in agony wishing someone would carry me.

I debated getting a wheelchair but I have 2 young children (7 and 8) and my DH will need to wrangle them, never mind push me everywhere. Plus, he is the fastpass runner. My boys can't really push me if he is running for a fastpass.

Reserve the scooter. Epcot is HUGE and Animla Kingdom is so hilly. Just getting up a ramp in my boot is tricky.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the disABILITIES! board.

 

[mccathy]

My experience, as a (then) thirty-one year old in a walking boot...

Four weeks post-injury, one week in the boot? He'll likely be fine. I could not see having my wife push me around in a wheelchair when I had on a "walking" boot - hey, it's in the name.

My opinion woul dbe different if your husband were older, in poor health, etc... but I'm guessing that if he's spry enough to try the stunt that hurt him, he'll manage just fine.

Yes, I did have to sit more often than I would have liked, as the foot would ache. Yes, he needs to elevate it at every single possible chance (when eating, when resting, etc). Yes, I felt silly taking a seat on the bus when ladies were stanidng, but all in all, it was not the edn of the world that I had feared it would be. Keep it dry, keep it elevated whenever possible, and he'll be fine.

ECV?

You sound like you know my husband well... yes, he's in good shape and stubborn - so we might just end up taking it slow.

I think what's going to happen is he'll say no to the ECV or wheelchair - and then maybe once we're in the parks he'll change his mind and we'll just get one.

 

[mccathy]

I was on crutches combined with a walker the 1st week after my surgery. I went to Walmart to get my prescriptions filled and after just getting to the pharmacy, I wanted to crawl in a cart and have my husband push me out of the store. At my 1 week post op visit, my surgeon told me he was going to prescribe a knee scooter. I only wish I'd known of them sooner and had it that first week. Gave me the freedom to do everything and with ease. I would highly recommend one if his doctor okays it. It's like a little scooter with a knee rest. I just rested my knee on it, with the surgical shoe/then walking boot hanging off the end and went about my business. It folded down easy to get into my vehicle. I was able to go to all of my son's football games and navigate across rocks, grass, etc. easily. I would not have wanted it in the Disney parks, but for home it really is great compared to crutches.

Ohhh... good idea. I'm going to have him call his doctor. He's so tired after work - he works in a large plant and the distance from his car to the elevator and then to his desk is about half a mile - he talked to his boss about working from home and his boss said they'd give it a try for one day and see how that goes. But, if he could get that knee scooter - that would be sweet!

 

[mccathy]

We had a rental car that was a 4 door sedan and the scooter broke down in a couple of pieces to fit in the trunk fine. I don't think I'd have been able to lift it myself, but my husband managed fine. It took only a minute or two to set up/take down. I really didn't want to have to use the buses. We stayed at Kidani and I did try and get us in at Bay Lake so I could just drive the scooter over to MK but there were no openings. The hardest part for me was backing out of the monorail but I never managed to fall off the ramp or hit anyone. Another thing is the scooter I had was a 3 wheel one. I was offered a 4 wheel one with a foot rest but the turning diameter was larger and I wanted the smallest possible. I quickly found out that the right side of the steering lever you had to pull back to go forward and on the left you had to push it forward to go forward. Luckily when I realized they were opposite and I went back instead of forward witht he left lever, I didn't run anyone over. I found the speed easy to keep up with my husband and sons and it stopped quickly. I was cut off a billion times by walkers and even other scooters but I just remained patient and counted my blessings that I'm not in one all the time. It was hard to get anywhere after the parades and fireworks but I managed to not bump into anyone the whole trip which is what I was really worried about. Keep a plastic bag with you to throw over the boot if there's a sudden storm. I was rather worried the inside of my boot would get wet and I had no replacement. Luckily any time it sprinkled I put the bag on and was okay. I also had a poncho that covered the seat as I rode keeping me dry all over. I don't know if you are driving or flying, but we flew and I had different experiences through security each way of both trips. Another tip to consider is to make sure when you pack your suitcases, he takes the correct one shoe he'll wear...

We are flying - I haven't even mentioned the security stuff to him yet - he already hates that part of flying and I don't want him to think about it just yet. What were your experiences???

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Please ask the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

 

[mccathy]

Please ask the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

Okay - number 5 is what I need to listen to. We are both worried about holding up a bus for an ECV. I guess we should just get over that if he feels he needs it. We're not the type to complain about the hold up for a bus when someone else is getting on with an ECV, but we know those people are out there an impatient.

We're going to play it by ear for now. He'll have one week of walking on his boot at work (and lots of walking there) and then he thinks he'll be able to make a more clear judgement about WDW. We're planning on getting either a wheelchair or ECV for our Keys to the Kingdom tour so he can keep up easily. I'm in pretty good shape and feel I could push him for the tour... but if he wants something for the entire 4 days we'll go with the ECV.

I've been saying I need to slow down at WDW and enjoy more of the little things and less of the rush - so this anniversary trip may do just that!

 

[mickey50]

Rent a scooter and tell him to keep up. Yall can still have a great time. Totally understand sounds like something my hubby would do.

 

[bidnow5]

I never wanted to rent a scooter I didn't want to feel like I couldn't do every day things. I have been going to Disney for 24 years the first 14 years I was in fine health my wife and daughters couldn't keep up with me.

The next three years I was in constant pain and was miserable I took it out on everyone and everyone was upset with me always having to wait while I sat to rest.

One trip I was in so much pain I thought about staying at the hotel but finally admitted to myself that I needed help. It was a very difficult thing to admit.

I reluctantly rented a scooter and it ended up being the best trip in years I was able to to everything I wanted and everyone was soo much happier. I enjoyed it so much I now have my own scooter.

The fact is it isn't always about the one on the scooter in my case it was about making everyone happy

 

[Debbie Jean]

We are flying - I haven't even mentioned the security stuff to him yet - he already hates that part of flying and I don't want him to think about it just yet. What were your experiences???

DD (24) fractured her foot and had to wear a boot during out trip to WDW last month. Since I already had a scooter reserved for myself, I just called and added a second one for her. Her experience was the same going through security at the airport both ways... they pulled her aside and did a private search, then did a swipe of the boot and her hands... I guess for explosives maybe? Wasn't exactly her favorite part of the trip

Honestly, trying to walk with just the boot would have ruined the trip for both of us... hopefully you can convince hubby to at least consider some form of assistance if not for himself, then for you!

Have a great trip!

 

[mccathy]

DD (24) fractured her foot and had to wear a boot during out trip to WDW last month. Since I already had a scooter reserved for myself, I just called and added a second one for her. Her experience was the same going through security at the airport both ways... they pulled her aside and did a private search, then did a swipe of the boot and her hands... I guess for explosives maybe? Wasn't exactly her favorite part of the trip

Honestly, trying to walk with just the boot would have ruined the trip for both of us... hopefully you can convince hubby to at least consider some form of assistance if not for himself, then for you!

Have a great trip!

Oh yeah... my husband is going to hate that. He already hates going thru security. Poor guy.

I think I'll be able to convince him after he's had it off for a week. He thought crutches would be easy for him and he's learning it's not so easy after just a few days. I'm not going to push the issue now, but I'll have the numbers ready to call and get him a scooter.