BP kid questions

[katlas&kids]

Hello all. Read back a few pages and didn't see anything so I thought I would ask about traveling with a bi-polar/adhd almost 10yo boy, and ADD girl who will just turn 7 before we go, and DH who is obese, diabetic and also BP, with other medical conditions.

I know he (DH) will sleep some and miss some days in the park. I am ok with that. I am more worried about handeling our DS, who can make or break with mood swings. He is on medication, and I know to keep him hydrated, move slowly, take rest breaks and try to keep stimulation to a minimum. But this is Disney and he is going to be higher than a kite and ready to go, go go!

Has anyone traveled with a BP kid and lived to tell about it? Any other suggestions than what I wrote?

TIA kathy

 

[Forevryoung]

I am bipolar and while I was diagnosed and put on meds a little later in life (15) I have always exhibited bipolar characteristics.

Your ideas are great but it's the tricks to making them work that will be much more difficult. I may be able to give you more suggestions with a little more information. Does your DS obsess or fixate on things? Does he have any triggers? How much of himself is he aware of? Any anxiety issues? When are you going?

Feel free to PM me... I am extremely comfortable talking about mental illness and my life.

You may not see it now but your son is extremely lucky to be diagnosed so young- Good luck!

 

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

Hey, I have a bipolar son who is 7 and we just got back from the world a few weeks ago. He and I are going again next weekend for SWW!... With a family of 5, this trip was hard at times because, we all wanted to do things and my DS had a mind of his own.... He had some meltdowns when he did not get his was when he wanted!... We worked this out as a family and told him that he had very little choice and these were the things that we did and in what order. There were times that we had to seperate as a group in order to keep control and make this a great vacation. What we did notice is that he had less melt downs this vacation then the last time we were there... We walked around the parks and remember all the melt downs he had the last tiime we were there.. This time he was on meds and somewhat more managable.... If you can call it that! My DS gets stuck on things and can not let them go.. You can not refer to anything unless u mean what you say. If you say that you are going on a ride... you better be going on it!.. God bless and have a great Disney time.... Eileen

 

[katlas&kids]

Thanks Eileen. Yes DS is on meds, so that will help. It is our first time, so I am not sure how it will be. We did a local amusement park before so someof it can be expected and he did pretty well there.

Dh is BP also, so that helps some, but I know he won't be with me everyday. DD is ADD, just diagnosed. We are going to hopefully take it slow. since he is almost as tall as me, I have a harder time holding him if he wants to be elsewhere or getting him to unlock off of me if he feels clingy. Then DD joins in cause she wants to be with mom too.

*sigh* I know it will be fun, but some work too and I hope not to let either of them know until we get off the plane! I wouldn't here the end of it otherwise!

 

[katlas&kids]

forever young, I PM'd you and we are going the August 26th - Sept. 2

 

[spotdog]

Are you staying at one of the WDW hotels? Do you have a rental car? As an adult with an anxiety-based mental illness, I love WDW, but do best with a midday break. Cooling off in the pool or having a "TV break" in the air-conditioned room, improves my outlook greatly.

You seem to be on top of things with making sure the kids have plenty of fluids and are not being in a "hurry up and see it all" mode. If DS should have a major clinging breakdown, don't be ashamed to ask a CM for directions to First Aid. Just explain that you need a quiet place to calm down.

If DH would have more stamina to see the parks with a scooter, they are available for rent. Feel free to PM me.

 

[JenJen]

My good friends little girl is BP & ADHD and the only issue we have ever had with her is her getting upset because she wanted something (like a toy) and he said no. She threw herself to the ground and screamed and cried for over an hour....It was not a problem for me or him because this is something that just happens with her but we did get some stares. People just thought she was spoiled and gave us dirty looks which I really did not care because I have experiance with many differant Behaviors when it comes to children....
The next time we went we gave her, her own money and told her at the end of the day you can get something for yourself but not until we are going home,,,She was also told that she could not go over the amount we gave her and it worked very well.
She has never had issues with the lines except she gets a little hyper in them but she did okay.
I really hope you have a great time!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jen

 

[SueM in MN]

To add to the good information you already got, if you didn't already look at it, check out the information about Guest Assistance Cards (GACs) on the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

Some other things that might be helpful to you would be the Passporter Book: WDW for your Special Needs and you might want to look into Tour guide Mike (there is a link on the Theme Parks Board). His service helps to come up with touring plans that take into account what you want to see and the times those things are less busy.
Getting to the parks early helps a lot, even when you go to WDW during the busiest times.

Also, even if you are not staying at one of the WDW resorts, you can use the monorails to go to one of the MK resorts. You can walk around, sit in the really comfy lobbies and just chill out. There are also boats that go to the MK area resorts from MK.

 

[spotdog]

JenJen, don't worry about tantrums that you just have to wait out...you should be commended for your patience. Spoiled is when you GIVE IN to every demand.

As an adult with exaggerated emotional responses, learning to "accept it and then move on" from unpleasant experiences is a social gift.

With so many people around you at WDW these "learning experiences" can occur rather frequently. Children who have someone to stand by them are very, very lucky.

 

[BlindTyldak]

My sister's son (6 when we went on our trip) was diagnosed with ADHD and is actually going in for testing soon to find out if he is bi-polar . . . one thing I know that helped a lot with him was having him take a large part in the planning, and he got a lot of imput on planning what to do if things do NOT go as planned; this way he did not become fixated on just one plan of action, because surprises were already built right into the touring plans and he understood that not everything always goes as you expect.

 

[katlas&kids]

DH is making backing out sounds. I do hate not knowing what he will decide until the last minute. I think that I can handle the kids alone there though, even if it is 24/7 with no break. And no, I can't think of anyone else to take at this time that isn't already going or would help with the kids. I think I'd rather have my money back for his part of the stuff anyway.

I am going to rent him a scooter, just in case. And see if we can get a GAC thingy from sons pdoc. He is leaving the area in July, so we have to find a new one. Thank goodness he is pretty stable right now! My son, not the doc!

I will continue to check things out as we go along. Thanks for all the help!

kathy

 

[Cheshire Figment]

And see if we can get a GAC thingy from sons pdoc. He is leaving the area in July, so we have to find a new one.

You do not need anything from the doctor to get a GAC. Even if you brought a note the CMs at Guest Services would not want to see it and legally cannot even ask for one. What you need to get the GAC is knowing the needs, not the diagnoses. There is nothing wrong with your writing up a list of the needs to show the CM or using it as a checklist so you don't forget anything.

 

[JenJen]

JenJen, don't worry about tantrums that you just have to wait out...you should be commended for your patience. Spoiled is when you GIVE IN to every demand.

As an adult with exaggerated emotional responses, learning to "accept it and then move on" from unpleasant experiences is a social gift.

With so many people around you at WDW these "learning experiences" can occur rather frequently. Children who have someone to stand by them are very, very lucky.

I just read this and I want to thank you for your Compliment that was very sweet. If I could go back to work again my dream job would be to teach kids or adults with Autism. Maybe someday there will be a cure for what I have or something that can manage it well enough I can go back to work and I can do so
Thank you,
Jen

 

[SueM in MN]

You do not need anything from the doctor to get a GAC. Even if you brought a note the CMs at Guest Services would not want to see it and legally cannot even ask for one. What you need to get the GAC is knowing the needs, not the diagnoses. There is nothing wrong with your writing up a list of the needs to show the CM or using it as a checklist so you don't forget anything.

Chances are very good that the CMs will not want to see a note from the doctor if you do bring one.
If you haven't already, you might want to read the GAC information in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the board.