COPD advice plse

[Bellestreak]

We will be taking my MIL down to WDW in early Sept for her first trip. She has COPD. She is not on oxygen, but about twice a year, has episodes where she has extreme difficulty breathing and often ends up in the hospital for a day. These usually happen during extreme weather, which up here, is the cold.
Her mobility is decent. She is able to shop and go about her regular day with no assistance. Needing breaks, of course.
Here are my questions:
Is the heat/humidity as likely to cause an episode as the cold?
Can she get emergency oxygen in first aid? Should we consider bringing some?
We will rent her an ECV, will one in the parks be good enough? (I know this is hard to guage, but sharing your experience would help too)
Any other tips for managing her COPD on vacation?

Thanks!!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I don't have COPD-specific experience so I'm not going to address that part of things. I would think that if there's a chance she may need oxygen, you'd be better off either arranging with her local supplier (if she has one) to work with a supplier near WDW or looking at bringing a concentrator or similar. I suspect that if she does have an emergency that there would be oxygen at First Aid, but they might also insist on transporting her to a local hospital since it's not a normal occurance for her.

I'm glad you're planning on renting an ECV. The average park-goer walks a minimum of 5-6 miles a day. Even if she can do that one day, I suspect she can't for multiple days in a row. I'd highly suggest renting an ECV from an offsite company. Not only does that mean she'll have it outside the parks if she needs it, but it's substantially less expensive than renting from WDW. As well, the parks can run out of ECVs (depends on how busy they are, but it's not uncommon) so if that happens she'd be stuck using a wheelchair until someone returns an ECV and it's been recharged enough to be used, etc. If she's able to drive at home, she should be safe driving an ECV, but it can take mental energy.

I'd also suggest that she talk to her doctor about possible coping techniques. I wouldn't be surprised if he or she has other patients who've dealt with similar trips.

 

[cobright]

Not to say anything about WDW specifically but it's really hit or miss depending on a first-aid station for bottled O2.

Get a small cheater bottle to keep on hand just in case. I think you can even get disposable ones.