7 days from WDW, injured foot!!

[zhalo]

I am flying to Disney World one week from today. Two days ago, I injured my foot, and over the last 48 hours, I've had two minor procedures on my foot. I'm now using a medical boot and a cane. I can probably stop using the cane by the time I leave, and maybe the medical boot, but I'll still have some discomfort - maybe even some pain.

I've been reading these boards trying to figure out what to do. I love Disney and don't want to miss the trip. I've read the horrible experiences (mostly on this board) from people visiting WDW in wheelchairs and ECVs. I want to avoid that. I mean, sitting in a sun-soaked chair, at rear-end-level in the middle of a hot, humid, July in a crowded Florida theme park... well, that's not very appealing. That's not even to mention that the medical boots are also hot and uncomfortable. There has to be a better way.

All that said, I know there is no option for injured folks to skip ahead in lines (I understand that is only done for Wish Foundation kiddos). I know there are GAC cards, but I don't even know what kind of accommodations would help me - I mean, short of magical healing, what could they even do? I figured others have probably had similar experiences. Maybe you can share your advice with me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[livndisney]

I am flying to Disney World one week from today. Two days ago, I injured my foot, and over the last 48 hours, I've had two minor procedures on my foot. I'm now using a medical boot and a cane. I can probably stop using the cane by the time I leave, and maybe the medical boot, but I'll still have some discomfort - maybe even some pain.

I've been reading these boards trying to figure out what to do. I love Disney and don't want to miss the trip. I've read the horrible experiences (mostly on this board) from people visiting WDW in wheelchairs and ECVs. I want to avoid that. I mean, sitting in a sun-soaked chair, at rear-end-level in the middle of a hot, humid, July in a crowded Florida theme park... well, that's not very appealing. That's not even to mention that the medical boots are also hot and uncomfortable. There has to be a better way.

All that said, I know there is no option for injured folks to skip ahead in lines (I understand that is only done for Wish Foundation kiddos). I know there are GAC cards, but I don't even know what kind of accommodations would help me - I mean, short of magical healing, what could they even do? I figured others have probably had similar experiences. Maybe you can share your advice with me?

Thanks in advance!

In short WDW answer for mobility issues is to rent a wheelchair/ecv (so you can may full use of the lovely butt crack view)

Some things that make help-use a touring plan to shorten distance and walking. Don't plan to ride Space Mountain, then Splash Mountain and then Stitch. Do the rides in one area before moving on to the next.

Use Fastpass.

Each park has an airconditioned first aid. You can rest and put your foot up.

 

[zhalo]

In short WDW answer for mobility issues is to rent a wheelchair/ecv (so you can may full use of the lovely butt crack view)

I am afraid this is going to be the answer. For now, I'll cross my fingers and hope someone has some creative idea that I haven't thought of, but I can't imagine what other solution there could be.

No matter what, once I get there, I'm going to make the best of it and choose to be positive and fun -- no matter what. My very first job was as a CM at DL, and I love Disney but rarely get to go to WDW. I'm going to count my blessings and be thankful for just being there.

 

[peemagg]

I would bring my cane with me even if I am not using much at home. It will help to alleviate some of the pressure. You might want to look into getting a rollator before you go. It is a rolling walker with a seat. This might even be more useful to you than the wheelchair or ECV.

 

[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!

 

[minkydog]

I'll tell you what's *really* gonna be unappealing--your foot swollen up twice it's size, in great pain because you tried to walk around WDW all day. You really need to rent a w/c or ECV.

Four years ago i went to WDW with a hurt ankle. I had fractured the ankle at Thanksgiving and had just gotten the cast off. I was in an Arizona brace with orders not to walk too much on the foot. I rented an ECV and it really saved the vacation. Even with the ECV my ankle & foot swelled a lot. I went to First Aid several times to get ice in my ice pack. i figured out a way to tape the ice pack to my ankle and that helped some. But not as much as just staying off the foot.

Good luck. I hope you'll change your mind. Don't worry about people saying bad things about you. Who cares? FTR, I didn't experience *any* discrimination or smart remarks.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I just want to wish you well and hope you have a wonderful trip. Get that ecv and dont worry about what others think....its YOUR vacation...Its Disney, Have a Wonderful time mak'n Memories!
wishing you a speedy recovery,

 

[krisnme]

Was trying to find a good pic of my Dad, using an ECV for the first time last week at WDW and loving it! he was all relaxed with his feet up, and pretty pleased at the basket on the front to hold the cooler with all the nice cold water! Think of this as just another adventure (as I always tell my DS) and have a good time, everyone else will have tired feet but you!

 

[zhalo]

My assistant suggested yesterday that I use a knee walker. Has anyone used one of those in the parks? I think I would feel much more comfortable with one of those. They look like a scooter with handlebars, and they work pretty much like a scooter.

I don't really care what people think about me being in a wheelchair. It's Sunday, and I leave Friday, and my foot is still hurting too much to walk normally, even in the surgical boot. So, anyone who looks at me funny can kiss my piglet.

I really don't think I'll be comfortable in a wheelchair in the middle of summer. I think I'll feel hot and uncomfortable, and I'll want to be up at everyone else's level, especially when it's so crowded. I'm also not a person who sits still very well. I get restless quick, and I have a bad habit of getting up and walking because of my restlessness when I shouldn't be. I'm afraid if I get a wheelchair, I'll end up doing that, too.

So, who has experience with a knee walker/scooter? I can rent one locally pretty cheap, and I think it would be much better than the cane for doing that much walking. I'll ask my doc about it when I see him Thursday afternoon, but I may need to make a decision before I see him in order to have it in hand before I fly out on Friday.

 

[Zeora]

I don't have any experience with a knee walker, but anything that really keeps your weight off the foot (unlike a cane) would probably be a big help - I actually know someone who fractured her ankle, thought it was just a sprain, and set her recovery back two months by walking on it when she shouldn't have been. And that was just normal activities, not someplace like WDW. Don't hurt yourself!

 

[SueM in MN]

My assistant suggested yesterday that I use a knee walker. Has anyone used one of those in the parks? I think I would feel much more comfortable with one of those. They look like a scooter with handlebars, and they work pretty much like a scooter.

I don't really care what people think about me being in a wheelchair. It's Sunday, and I leave Friday, and my foot is still hurting too much to walk normally, even in the surgical boot. So, anyone who looks at me funny can kiss my piglet.

I really don't think I'll be comfortable in a wheelchair in the middle of summer. I think I'll feel hot and uncomfortable, and I'll want to be up at everyone else's level, especially when it's so crowded. I'm also not a person who sits still very well. I get restless quick, and I have a bad habit of getting up and walking because of my restlessness when I shouldn't be. I'm afraid if I get a wheelchair, I'll end up doing that, too.

So, who has experience with a knee walker/scooter? I can rent one locally pretty cheap, and I think it would be much better than the cane for doing that much walking. I'll ask my doc about it when I see him Thursday afternoon, but I may need to make a decision before I see him in order to have it in hand before I fly out on Friday.

I have not used one, but saw a lot of people using them on our last 2 or 3 trips.
I also know several people who have used them - not in the parks, but for getting around at work, etc. Both of them have used canes, crutches and wheelchairs before and thought the knee walker was much better than using any of those. It does allow you to pretty much walk normally, without putting pressure on the ‘hurt’ foot or changing the pressure you put on your other knee, foot and hip.

As you mentioned, a knee walker would keep you up, at the height of others and you would not have to worry about ‘getting up’ and walking.
If you bring one and then find it doesn’t work out, you can rent a wheelchair or ECV from the parks and they will store the knee walker for you.

 

[krisnme]

My sister had a knee walker after breaking her ankle, and says she would take a w/c or scooter anyday. it is great for short trips, but after using it all day, her shoulders, hips and knee all hurt. also, putting so much pressure on the leg all day caused a lot of swelling. see if you can rent one for just the day, and take a spin around the mall for a few hours before you decide.

 

[zhalo]

Thanks for all of the responses. It looks like there is no "good" option. I can:

(a) walk on it and risk pain, swelling, inflammation and further injury

(b) use a knee scooter and according to those who have used these, probably have some leg, hip, and back soreness/pain, along with leg swelling

(c) use a wheelchair, which someone is going to have to push, and I would be at rear-end level in a hot metal chair during the hottest and most crowded weeks of WDW

(d) use an ecv, which doesn't maneuver well in crowds and would also leave me at rear-end level in a hot metal chair during the hottest and most crowded weeks of WDW​

I'll have to give this some thought. I wish there were some knee scooters at Walgreens that I could just try out. I'll look on the web for a local medical supply place where I can maybe try out a knee scooter. If so, I'll rent it and take it to the outdoor mall for an afternoon. I'm in Arizona, so if I can handle it in our heat, I can handle it in Florida (they may have humidity, but we're about 10 degrees hotter).

 

[peemagg]

What about walking using a pair of crutches to take some of the pressure off of the foot?

 

[zhalo]

Thanks for the suggestion peemag, However...

When I was a kid, I used to play with my brother's crutches, and I thought they were great fun. But as a middle-aged woman, the last time I had to use crutches (about 2 years ago), I had horrible blisters on my hands within an hour, and I had to switch to a cane. I've heard the same from many other adults. Crutches are definitely not an option.

 

[luharvey77]

Just wondering, what kind of medical boot do they have you in? Our son broke his foot about a week before our trip to Disney a couple of years ago, and the doc wrote him a prescription for a walking cast. It is a boot with a curved bottom that took a lot of the impact off of his foot. I'm pretty sure that he wasn't slowed down a bit! I have broken my foot before (same bone as my son, ironically!) and had to use one of them, as well. It was a great help. Granted, I wasn't walking around Disney, but I did have an infant that I had to get around with, in the car seat and such. Maybe a combo of being on your feet part of the time, and in a wheelchair or ECV part of the time would be a happy medium? Hope this helps!

 

[zhalo]

luharvey77, unfortunately, I cannot do a cast because I have a rather substantial open wound that cannot be stitched. Because of this, they have me in a post-surgery shoe (actually not a boot at all, as I incorrectly referred to it earlier). This removable post-op shoe is necessary because I have to soak the wound twice each day in a bleach solution (to prevent infection) and redress the wound.

There is another type of post-op shoe that relieves pressure on the forefoot, which I am going to ask my doc about at my appointment the day before I leave. So, that is another option, too.

 

[livndisney]

luharvey77, unfortunately, I cannot do a cast because I have a rather substantial open wound that cannot be stitched. Because of this, they have me in a post-surgery shoe (actually not a boot at all, as I incorrectly referred to it earlier). This removable post-op shoe is necessary because I have to soak the wound twice each day in a bleach solution (to prevent infection) and redress the wound.

There is another type of post-op shoe that relieves pressure on the forefoot, which I am going to ask my doc about at my appointment the day before I leave. So, that is another option, too.

Can I ask how you are managing the soaking with the bleach? Is that something you fly with? How will you handle the soakings in the parks and resort? Is this something you will do at FA?

 

[zhalo]

I don't think they would allow bleach on a plane, even in checked luggage. Plus, I wouldn't want to chance a leak with all my stuff in the bag... lol

To get my medical supplies there... My plan is to use the towncar grocery stop to stop by a drug store instead. Once there, I'll buy the heavier, more cumbersome items that I don't want to pack, like wound wash, bleach, and epsom salts. I'll have to make a list. I've already put most of the other supplies in my bag, like ointment, surgical scrub sponge, tape, gauze, and so on.

Once I'm there, I'll do the bleach-water bath and redressing once in the morning before heading to the parks, maybe one extra time in the afternoon (depending when we go back to the room in relation to dinner/etc), and definitely every evening (either before or after dinner, depending).

 

[krisnme]

Once I'm there, I'll do the bleach-water bath and redressing once in the morning before heading to the parks, maybe one extra time in the afternoon (depending when we go back to the room in relation to dinner/etc), and definitely every evening (either before or after dinner, depending).

If you don't want to have to leave the parks, you can take your supplies with you (labeled with your name etc.) and leave them at the first aid station. then you can go there for a clean place to bandage. might save a long trip back to your hotel.