Hi all, we were last at WDW about 10 years ago, and since then my body has aged and I'm stressing about my ability to keep up with our 18 year old, who wants to do another trip to Disney & Universal as a nostalgic trip. I have fairly severe arthritis in my right knee, and I just had total knee replacement in my left. My main complaint is stiffness in both kneess (I expect my left to continually get better), but I get intense pain when going from sitting to standing.
Thinking about gettin in and out of rides all day for 4 days straight is a daunting prospect with the amount of pain I experience. Thus far, the Physical Therapy that I have been doing for my recovery for the knee replacement can't be done on my right as it causes it to swell up, so I can't progres exerrcises much passed beginner level on that knee. Cortisone or gel shots don't work, I've done a few of those over the years and they actually cause my knee to go off center, which makes it 'lock up' on occasion. Unfortunately that is a no go for me
I could be overthinking, wondering how others with knee arthritis handled and any tips in general would be wonderful on surviving the trip and making sure I can participate as much as possible!
Oh boy - we are in a very similar boat. I've been going to WDW for 7+ years now and renting
ECVs because my knees are so horrible. My HMO refused to replace either knee until I was closer to 60 years old and now they are both so bad I can barely walk at times. I can rarely do basic things like grocery shop and the like. The surgeon wants to do a bilateral because he's concerned about trying to recover with one while the other is still barely useful (I realize bilateral can't be done for everyone in my situation - and still trying to decide if I can handle it). I'm severely knock-knee'd. Oh yes...I've had locked up knees from cortisone shots too. I've stopped the shots in anticipation of having surgery. I also have been traveling with young males who are now young adults like your son. I understand the issue of keeping up lol!
First of all - rent an
ECV. I rent from off-site but I only stay at Disney and it's easy to take it on the bus or wherever I want to go. When we've stayed offsite or went to Universal I rented a portable ECV. Your son could break that down for you if you have a car - it probably would fit in the trunk. We generally just did a day or two at US/IOA and stayed at a Disney hotel. I can't speak as much to using an ECV outside their parks (ease of getting from hotel to the park). However at US/IOA I was disappointed since you usually cannot take the ECV into most queues. They say you can transfer to a WC but they didn't have any available so it was walk and wait in line or nothing. I decided I wouldn't go back because I can't stand long enough and walk through the lines (even their express pass lines are too much). Hopefully someone more familiar and with recent trips to US/IOA that uses an ECV or WC can give you tips.
WDW on the other hand is fantastic and most of the queues are mainstreamed so you take the ECV in. Some require transfer to a WC but you'll have your son to push AND I've never not had them provide a WC to transfer into to. Can you bend your knees very well? I do have an "ok" bend and can ride coasters but some are getting hard for me to bend enough to get into (7 Dwarves was painful this last trip). Some rides I know are short enough that I can tolerate it but I'd probably go insane if the ride got stuck so YMMV on whether to try some of them.
Sounds like your biggest problem is getting up and down...but I am presuming you are willing to get out of an ECV or WC and get onto a ride. The boats require the most stepping up and down and are the hardest for me (like Frozen or Pirates, Navi River). I can do them but you really need to take your time. Perhaps some of them have a boat that would allow you to ride seated in a WC - do you need this? I can't speak to it because I can still get in and out of boats. I am VERY slow and careful but that's better than falling. It is painful but I can still do it. It's a small world is an exception because the seats are so low (I'm tall) and the knee bend is too much for me plus getting up and down. I've avoided it for awhile now.
Rides with moving walkways they can usually slow down or stop. The CM will ask if you need this. Tron has a special seat that is more like a regular seat vs a bike so that's easy to ride (for me). Flight of Passage requires some knee bend and it's like you're on a bike somewhat.
If you find you cannot get up and down anymore into rides, take a look at the FAQ stickied in this thread as I think there's a list of rides that you could transfer to a WC or stay in a WC (assuming you're renting an ECV) and just not have to get up at all.
CM's do ask me if I can transfer (yes) and if I can walk a certain distance and stand for a short time just to walk through the last part of the ride queue and it's yes for me. However I don't know what they do if you say NO - can you stay in a WC and they take you up right next to the ride vehicle so you just get up and over? That still requires some getting up and down. I find that at most I'm riding something once an hour and I do need to get up and move or my knees get too stiff so that sort of works out for me.
I bought some portable old school refillable ice bags on
amazon that have a strap that lets me fasten it around my knee. That way I can refill with ice in the parks and wear them while I'm seated. Ask for extra pillows so you can elevate your knees at night. I You might want to discuss pain management with your doctor before you go. Also you can always let your 18 year old go and ride the thing you don't want to ride and you can meet up with him later. I like to shop!
