DH has a Broken Ankle - WWYD ?

[Msslaydbug]

My DH just broke his ankle today and we leave for Disney in 2 weeks - now what ? The Dr says he will not be up to walking. He said we could rent a wheelchair (ezpensive?) but we will have our 8mo daughter and she will be in a stroller. I could also change our vacation to later in the year but we got our plane tickets for $140 w/ tax (nope - we didn't get insurance since they were so cheap !). To change now we would have to pay the diffrence in the airfare ($200) plus the $100 change of flight fee. Anyone ever gone through this before or have any suggestions for us ?

 

[Lynn4Mel]

You can also rent the motorized wheelchairs, then you'll still have the freedom of pushing the stroller.

I don't know of prices for rentals, if you can't get any onfo from here about that, check All Ears Net or call Disney... maybe they would be kind enough to give you a "package deal".... never hurts to try....

 

[danny1649]

Not easy for you but your insurance should cover expense of wheelchair with a MD's order.WDW is a place that CM'S will help you a bunch and most of other guests are understanding to those with special needs.I say go for it and I send pixie dust************** and my hope if you go you will have a magical trip.Plus I hope your husband recovers and is not in to much pain.

 

[Talking Hands]

Dad gets ECV from offsite. Baby gets to ride in Snuggli with either Mom or Dad. Diaper Bag goes in basket of ECV.

 

[rascalmom]

I DID this too! We rented an ECV from Walker Medical for our March trip - I had broken my ankle in October & because it wasn't healing my doctor put me back in a brace boot about two weeks before our trip. The ECV worked out great. It's an expense (about $30 per day), but not as much as changing your flights.

How much pain is dh in with his breaK? Does he feel like he will be able to get himself on & off rides? Even with the ECV you will have to walk some to get to loading areas, etc.

 

[Lizzybee]

My father had open heart surgery just about 3 weeks before we went to WDW in November of 2003. He was actually feeling much better than he did before the quadruple by-pass, but still couldn't do all of the walking. The resort loaned us a wheelchair for the duration of our stay and it was very helpful. You may want to check with the resort where you are staying to see if you can do that. It didn't cost us anything. There were days though I would have paid double the price for a motorized one after pushing my 200+ lb Dad around the parks! It is a bit of a hassle to get on and off of the busses sometimes.

 

[Msslaydbug]

Does anyone know of the offsite companies that you can rent from in Florida .... ugghhh I just can't believe this !

 

[eeyore45]

Check the DisAbility thread here at the Dis, I believe they have that info up on the Sticky, as well as information about taking the busses with an ECV...

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, come to the disABILITIES Board.
We can help you out with all your questions. As was already mentioned, there is a thread stuck neat the top of the board with disABILITIES FAQs that has information on where to get the various types of mobility devices - wheelchairs, ecvs(the motorized scooters).
Check with your insurance to see if they will cover rental (but I would not be surprised if they don't since he probably doesn't need an ecv or wheelchair for every day use).

 

[JudithM]

Lori, I am sorry to read about yoru husband's broken ankle. I know it feels devastating right now, but it really is only a temporary disability. Please stop by the disABILITIES board. Several of us have posted about our experiences with EVCs (scooters). I have rented an ECV from Walker Mobility for a few years now & have always had very good service. You will all enjoy your trip to WDW!

 

[donnajon]

Also, would DH be able to hold baby in the wheelchair rather than pushing a stroller too? Not sure if it would be too long of a day but it's an idea.

 

[GinaGrumpyDwarf]

Personally i would NEVER EVER hold the baby all day long. you are just ASKING for a bad time. It will be hot and the baby needs to rest by itself. an ECV is the best way...push the stroller...are you staying onsite? do you have a car? and ECV isnt too bad. My MIL had one in dec a few times, and we found it great to get on rides with shorter lines..lol and reserved seating for parades (still get there early) anyways, dont let this get you down....have a great trip.

 

[DMRick]

I went to Disney several years ago after breaking my foot and swore I'd never do it again. Besides the pain I was in, I was a pain to push. I tried the electric cart (battery went dead twice in one day) and it was too hard to get around the crowds. I really had new empathy for those in a wheelchair all the time, and I make sure to help in any way I can now..holding doors, moving over for a place in a parade, etc. I consistanly found I couldn't get near to many of the attractions, especially at AK, (oh man was it hard to push me on those hills), and getting on the rides was awful. Figuring out where to put the crutches, as I went from wheel chair to ride or to eat, or whatever, I'm sure I banged a few people, when we weren't picking them up from the ground (the crutches, not the people). I can't imagine my having to try to hold onto a squirmey 8 mo old in the chair. A couple of days, I really just wanted to be left behind at the resort..it would have been so much easier for the others (it was my hubby, daughter and at the time 6 year old grandson). My daughter and hubby always had a smile on their faces, but I'm sure they wanted to wack me with my crutches when it was done, along with the people who had to wait while I got on a bus (of course mostly, they just walked over me as if I wasn't there, so I usually had to wait for another bus, as the first would be full by the time the driver realized I was there). I really don't mean to sound down about this..but if you can change your plans I would do it. If you have no choice and can work it out, good for you, but I wouldn't do it again if I could work out another time.
PS I never realized before the "broken foot" trip, how hard it is to open a door and push myself into a store at Disney (when the "gang" was on a ride I didn't do), or how crowded the stores are for getting a wheel chair around!

 

[Msslaydbug]

Thank you EVERYONE for your help ! I am heading over to the DISabilities forum to read up on wheelchair options.

Rascalmom - he just broke his ankle yesterday so is still in a bit of pain from it ! I am hoping that will go away soon.

DMRick - What do you do if your wheelchair goes dead ? Do you just have to push it over to an outlet or what ?!

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

OMG!! This just happened to us Thur. night! My DH fell asleep on his feet, and when he fell, he broke his ankle. We see an orthopedist Mon., and if he is not going to be completely healed, we are going to postpone our trip. We don't leave until June, and we do have the trip insurance, but just wanted you to know I empathize with you! Hope he gets better and good luck!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

My DS fractured his foot a week before we were to go on our trip this past winter. He was in a "boot" and was getting around quite well but I felt that for his comfort, we should postpone the trip. I'm glad that we chose to. I saw so many people trying to navigate wheelchairs and ECVs thru the crowds (and late April is not that crowded!). I cannot imagine how he would have felt if someone had accidentally stepped on that not-quite healed foot.

I'm not sure what an ECV rental would cost you for the trip but it might be as expensive as the cost of the plane ticket change. Keep that in mind, as well as the inconvenience and discomfort your DH might have with traveling at this time.

 

[Sally]

I broke my ankle last week while mowing the yard, I knew the hole was there I promise. However, with my husband already in a scooter ( he has CP ) I have to hope my ankle isn't stiff when we go end of the month, no way I am renting 2 scooters. We are renting ours from Randy's Mobility, only $175. for the week, and so far they have been great with info and getting us ready to meet them at our resort. I hope your husband feels better. It's been a full week and I am hobbling around already, still have 23 days to go.

 

[blessedby3]

We didnt have a broken bone situation, but when we went to Disney 6 years ago my Mother sliced her ankle open on a storm door a couple of days before we were supposed to leave. She had to have many stitches and then the thing got infected and she was on antibiotics and it was a mess. She ended up in a wheel chair, couldnt wear a shoe- only an open houseshoe- and my DH pushed her for a couple of days then he put his foot down and said she had to get an electric rental. It was a bit more, but well worth it. She was afraid of driving one, but after a couple of hours she was more comfortable with it. We did get extra help from the CMs at rides and such which was nice. They would help us get her out of the chair, loaded on to the ride and back into it afterwards. I hope you have a great vacation and make the best of the situation.

 

[stacysheridan]

Honestly.. I would replan the trip to a later date.

It is tooo hard to go to Disney with a broken ankle.

Last year I had a broken ankle and tib/fib... I went to disney 4 months after the break and I still had a hard time.

For one... you can't ride any rides unless you want to be in pain all day (the smallest jarring around even hurts)

Also... it's hard to combat the crowds.

With a baby, this could equal to more hardache than FUN!

 

[DMRick]

DMRick - What do you do if your wheelchair goes dead ? Do you just have to push it over to an outlet or what ?!

You send someone to the nearest CM and they call for help. First time we waited and learned that wasn't smart..it took forever. Next time we gave directions (we were in AK) near the train, so I used my crutches to go over (at that time they told me I couldn't bring the electric cart over anyway..I saw one there since then, so I guess they can now). Boy was that stupid..it's a long walk on crutches from the train to the building). Next day we got a wheelchair instead.