Anyone with DDD (degenerative disc disease) going to WDW? Need advice...

[baylie666]

I have been diagnosed (finally) with DDD (degenerative disc disease), and this will be the first time at WDW with this problem.
I was just wondering if anyone has it and how they found their experience at WDW.

Thanks in advance.

 

[powellrj]

I have had it for years and I use an ECV at WDW. I don't ride many rides anymore because its too hard to get in and out of them, but we do enjoy the shows.

 

[baylie666]

Hi, I am lucky that I am still able to walk about unaided at the moment but am considering taking a stick or something to help. I do get a lot of pain when standing still and if I walk for a long time. The painkillers don't always work so was wondering if you have any advice for my upcoming WDW trip.
Thanks

 

[OurBigTrip]

There is tons of walking at WDW (we do 6-8 miles per day), plus standing in the lines. That's much more than most people do in their day-to-day lives, and as such might well require assistance that isn't normally needed, such as a wheelchair or ECV.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I have this as well...luckily though its not at the point where I can't walk...although I have bad days and good days...usually if I push myself too hard then its hard to walk the next day. I used an ECV on our last trip but because I was healing from a sprained ankle. I have a pain management doctor that is incredible and he injects my back with helps a ton! I am hoping for our next trip I won't need an ECV and I can walk the parks. I rented the ECV from an off site vendor last year bc I needed it for the whole trip and it just made sense to do it that way. Next trip I might only rent an ECV for Epcot and AK bc I feel like they are the larger parks and for that I am just going to rent from Disney. This is all assuming my bad is still in this type of condition 9 months from now, lol, but who knows right now its not doing so good...going to have to make an appointment with the pain management doctor soon

 

[powellrj]

You might try a rollator if walking doesn't bother you too much. I know I needed something to lean forward on and the rollator was perfect for that.

 

[gap2368]

Hi, I am lucky that I am still able to walk about unaided at the moment but am considering taking a stick or something to help. I do get a lot of pain when standing still and if I walk for a long time. The painkillers don't always work so was wondering if you have any advice for my upcoming WDW trip.
Thanks

so sorry to hear about the DX with DDD but at lest you have an answer to why you are in pain. I would rent some kind of mobility device like a wheel chair or roller these tow things would give you some assistance when walking to take some pressor of your back and give you the option to sit when needed. Disney has a lot less bench around and some times it can be hard to find a set
another option is to use a ECV but you would either have to take it in lines with you and sit in it or leave it some where while you are in line and anything can happen in line ( there is no way to push one easily )

I hope you have a great trip

 

[baylie666]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I think I am going to go unaided and if I have a bad day I will have to rent a ECV while there as someone above said.
I'm pretty sure this will be my last trip with no ECV so am determined to not use one, but if I really need to then I'll have to giuve in to my stuborness.

Thanks

 

[gap2368]

I would look at having a good touring plan and have you FP for 11 to 2 so that you are not standing in long lines

 

[xipetotec]

I have been diagnosed (finally) with DDD (degenerative disc disease), and this will be the first time at WDW with this problem.
I was just wondering if anyone has it and how they found their experience at WDW.

Thanks in advance.

my wife has DDD and early Ostheo-arthritis. However *for now* she is still able to walk short distances and transfer. So for us, it's gone pretty well. We push her around the parks in a wheel chair for the most part. But she'll walk around in some shops a bit and transfers in and out of rides.

 

[johnsgrl]

I was diagnosed several years ago. I have an ECV that I take with me now. We actually tried once without using one and had to leave the line for Safari because I couldn't handle the pain any longer by the second day of our trip. I too, can walk around unaided mostly in my home life, but the amount of standing and walking was too much on me at Disney. One option to consider is renting the ECV from the start, from an offsite vendor, and just using it to go land to land and walk around each area, then you can walk around a bit as you can tolerate it. If you wait until late in the day when you are in too much pain to go further, you may find that all of the Disney ECV's have already been taken.