Disney Wonder Sept 3-7, 2006 Part 2

[lunamum]

I feel stupid and this is off-topic, but I'm scared to post over on the DISabilities board. I figured I'd bounce this off you guys and hopefully get some opinions.

I was forced to rent a wheelchair last year at Disneyland because of my feet. I've been in physical therapy for plantar fasciitis, and they told me that I could resume normal activities, but I worked at the Renaissance Festival this weekend, and now I don't think I can treat WDW as "normal". The pain on Saturday was tolerable, but I was barely able to walk on Sunday and spent most of the day sitting on the thrones while the royal court was away. I wore my special shoes with their special insoles! I spent most of yesterday off my feet, but today they're *still* significantly swollen. I can't seem to get the swelling to go down, and I've taken over-the-counter medication. I don't want to get a wheelchair, but am I deluding myself? I know I'm fat, and I know that's a big factor, but I swear that I'm trying to get more active and lose weight. Would it be wrong of me to rent a wheelchair? Should I try to tough it out? It's such an expensive vacation, I hate to spoil it with my inability to keep up.

Thanks for listening, guys.

Hey Dawn,

sorry if everyone has already answered this, but I have been trying to catch up like crazy!

I don't know how many wheelchairs are available, but my instinct would be to rent the wheelchair and use it as you need it. I think cancelling things are a lot easier than trying to get one last minute if you change your mind and decide that you would like one.

Just my opinion but this is your vacation and you should enjoy it the best that you can, if that means getting a wheelchair then so be it. Don't feel bad about getting one. I don't feel bad about asking for a seat belt extender, or doing other things that would make my trip more enjoyable.
No need to "tough it out". Life is tough enough, this is your vacation... live it up!

I am sure that your family won't mind being "held up" by you being in a wheelchair if that is what makes you happier. (A happy mommy makes a happy family ) Besides if you are in pain you might ultimately end up going even slower or holding people back more than if you were in your wheelchair. Just whiz along instead of shuffling about.

Well anyway, good luck with that decision, I'm sure you will have a great trip.

 

[Piecey]

My Aunt doesn't *need* a wheelchair but always gets one because of problems with her knees. It would be so much worse to possibly make yourself worse than to have the wheelchair and be safe!
Not to mention, it's great to stick the shopping bags onto the handles.....

 

[Piecey]

Soo.. I've been up all night and am shocked things are still so quiet.

Guess summer really is over.

 

[NJBILL]

Ropical Weather Outlook
Nws Tpc/national Hurricane Center Miami Fl 530 Am Edt Wed Aug 9 2006

For The North Atlantic...caribbean Sea And The Gulf Of Mexico...

A Tropical Wave Located About 425 Miles East Of The Windward Islands Is Moving Westward At About 20 Mph. Shower And Thunderstorm Activity Remains Disorganized And Environmental Conditions Are Expected To Gradually Become Less Conducive For Tropical Cyclone Development. However...the System Will Spread Showers And Thunderstorms With Strong Gusty Winds In Brief Squalls Over Portions Of The Lesser Antilles Late Today And Early Thursday.

A Broad Non-tropical Low Pressure System Located About 800 Miles Southwest Of The Azores Is Drifting Southward. Shower Activity Remains Limited And Further Development Is Not Anticipated.

An Area Of Cloudiness And Showers Extending Across The Central And Northwestern Bahamas...southern Florida...and Adjacent Waters Are Primarily Associated With An Upper-level Low. Environmental Conditions Are Unfavorable For Any Significant Development Of This System As It Moves Westward At 10 To 15 Mph.

Elsewhere...tropical Storm Formation Is Not Expected Through Thursday.

 

[NJBILL]

I feel stupid and this is off-topic, but I'm scared to post over on the DISabilities board. I figured I'd bounce this off you guys and hopefully get some opinions.

I was forced to rent a wheelchair last year at Disneyland because of my feet. I've been in physical therapy for plantar fasciitis, and they told me that I could resume normal activities, but I worked at the Renaissance Festival this weekend, and now I don't think I can treat WDW as "normal". The pain on Saturday was tolerable, but I was barely able to walk on Sunday and spent most of the day sitting on the thrones while the royal court was away. I wore my special shoes with their special insoles! I spent most of yesterday off my feet, but today they're *still* significantly swollen. I can't seem to get the swelling to go down, and I've taken over-the-counter medication. I don't want to get a wheelchair, but am I deluding myself? I know I'm fat, and I know that's a big factor, but I swear that I'm trying to get more active and lose weight. Would it be wrong of me to rent a wheelchair? Should I try to tough it out? It's such an expensive vacation, I hate to spoil it with my inability to keep up.

Thanks for listening, guys.

The reason for your discomfort is not relavent,and is clearly no one else's concern. If you feel that you need to utilize a wheel chair on your trip,then you should do so. At worst, you may get a few glares from a few insensitive people,but that should not deter you from enjoying your vacation to the best of your ability. I say do what makes you the most comfortable.

 

[NJBILL]

But when I go over to the DISabilities board, I see people who have it soo much worse than I do, and I feel horribly guilty for even contemplating getting a wheelchair.

Dawn

Just because other folks may have a more severe disabilty than yours does not discount your pain or discomfort,or your right to take steps to alleviate the issues. There is no minimum threshold that you must meet,other than your personal feelings.

 

[NJBILL]

So glad the first day went so well....sorta

Ahh the valet pick up. I almost had to be in three of them this year, but the eldest's dd's teacher said dd could wait with Dbro. *whew!* I tried looking for a signal for the laptop while in the school valet car line last year....no luck. No DISing while waiting.

What is a school valet car line???

 

[ReallyFunMom]

I requested 6pm which means PTTA. tritons is the repeater restaurant. we will be in there for formal night and Pirate night.

Not that the 4 nighter has a real formal night but you know what I mean.

Thanks. Guess we are skipping formal night if thats Monday, we have Palos reservations. I was going to show up to feed kids and maybe have an appet but roomservice for the kids might be easier if we've had a busy day offship.

Has goodie bag making place been set?

 

[LCTsMom]

What is a school valet car line???

Car line is the parent pick up line at school, where the cars line up and wait for dismissal. My DD's elementary school has a great system. We have hang tags with the kids' names/grades that hang from our rear view mirrors. They have four lanes of cars and many more waiting down the street in each direction. They call the names of the kids in the line, starting with the line closest to the school, get them in the cars safely, the cars leave and they start the next line. We have a huge parent pick up population but they usually can get everyone out within 15 or 20 minutes.


Did that make any sense?

 

[JLSE50]

Try this:

http://www.107.peugeot.co.uk/Peugeot.swf

This took me about 7 tries at the 60 second level so now I quit. I did it once, and that is enough.
Been off the DIS for a while as I have three new clients to learn about and make homecare visits to. Two kiddos will be seen twice a week so my free time is at a premium plus I just learned that my siblings want Mother to be in an Alzheimer's facility near me, not near them. That is a big surprise as my sister is the most stable one of us, having lived in the same community for 29 years. And Mother lived in her city over 50. So I thought she would be in an Alzheimer's unit near them and I would be visiting a couple times a year. But there are apparently no good options--not sure what research they did, just assuming they did some--near my sister and my brother has found a lady-friend on eharmony.com who he would like to know better and I cannot begrudge him that. He has never been married and did so want a family and wife, but no one met his standards. Looks like this lady does. He is 55 and she is 48 so kids of their own are probably not an option, but they can borrow some nieces or nephews or teach Sunday School or something. However, she lives in Ohio and he is in upstate NY. He would like to relocate to Ohio in SEPTEMBER, get an apartment and be there to court her. I cannot fault that, but this means I am doing Alzheimer's facility research for an imminent move and I have a cruise to go on, new clients to see and thus, little time for fun for me -- like DIS. SO, IF ANYTHING IMPORTANT COMES UP, COULD SOMEONE EMAIL ME?
I keep telling myself, GOD IS IN CONTROL and HE has a plan for all this, I just don't know it all yet.

Jan

 

[JLSE50]

.....And for Jan - your best bet in choosing a home for your Mom is to go there and observe. Ask what the aide-to-patient ratio is, find out what the activities are, ask what security is like, etc. Also, ask what they do with the residents to keep their minds active - that was a big part of my job in the facility I used to work in. We assessed every patient's cognitive status and put them into categories based on this red-yellow-green light program. All of the activities were then divided up into levels of assistance and the techs were trained on who needed what intervention. That way, EVERYONE got to play bingo.

I miss it in a way, but it was hard to watch all of your patients steadily getting worse. That's the hardest part for families too.....watching their loved ones slowly become something other than what they have always been.

Good luck on your search. Ask LOTS of questions!!!!

THANK YOU This is EXACTLY what I was hoping people would help me with--questions to ask. Plan is that I will use my only free day this week--Friday--going to a couple facilities. Then I hope to get to one each Monday-Thurs next week after seeing my clients. Your assistance like this is part of what is helping me cope.
I also have a friend who was arrested for driving with a suspended license, etc and have committed to helping her deal with court dates and all. So that is on my mind and schedule too. When it rains, it pours. Is there a smilie with an umbrella? I don't have time to look, so if there is, imagine it here.
THANKS AGAIN!!
Jan

 

[JLSE50]

.......I miss it in a way, but it was hard to watch all of your patients steadily getting worse. That's the hardest part for families too.....watching their loved ones slowly become something other than what they have always been.

Good luck on your search. Ask LOTS of questions!!!!

This is the piece I expected and my siblings did not. I predicted that Mother's friends would stop visiting for this reason and both my brother and sister maintained that Mother's friends would understand! Guess who was right. Being a PT has given me some insight that they don't have. Yes I work with kiddos, but I know senior citizens to whom this has happened and I see it happen to the families with special needs kiddos too.
I thank God for facilities and trained staff who can meet the needs of special adults.
Any more interviewing ideas are greatly appreciated and can be e-mailed to me as my time on DIS will probably be increasingly shortened. I will miss you guys! This is such a fun way to unwind at the end of a day.
Jan

 

[PirateCutie05]

Okay I've never even heard of Rainbows... enlighten me Heidi?!

They're a flip-flop company. If you wanna check them out their website is www.rainbowsandals.com . I had never heard of them either til we were in the mall and Hayley went crazy over them when she saw them. I think you just have to live in an area where they're popular to know what they are.

 

[purplern]

In four weeks, we'll be here!

Nice!!!! Cant wait!

 

[purplern]

Patsy, you should be very proud of your accomplishments! It's really your parents' loss that they don't share in your achievements!

I'm very proud of my kids, for all they've done... from Logan right down to the 6 year old. At 15, Logan has held down a job for over a year, bought his own car, pays for his insurance and cell phone...pretty cool if you ask me. I know adults who aren't that responsible! At the same time, I'm also aware of his weaknesses and I'll always be here to help him with anything along the way. Of course, I feel the same for all three of my kids. My pride overflows. How sad for your parents that they are missing out on so much, having a great daughter like you!

Good for Logan! That's great and you're right about adults not that responsible!

Patsy keep up the good work!!!!!

 

[purplern]

Evening folks? Every one packed? Any docs yet?

I'm 0/3.

Not yet !

 

[purplern]

Honestly, I would not risk your being able to vacation WITHOUT a wheelchair. Its not like you went to the Ren fair to make yourself swollen etc. I wouldn't sweat it. Get a wheelchair, so I can follow you in the lines. jk! No really, get a wheelchair. Your feet and your family will thank you for it.

What she said!!! Its your vacation too!!! You deserve to enjoy it!

 

[purplern]

There are lots of moms who hang out and chat so it's not too bad. I bring my iPod and some magazines and just hang out in my car (when the a.c. is working).

We do the same thing. Hang out in the cars and talk!

 

[LCTsMom]

Not yet !

Nope, us either!

 

[purplern]

Car line is the parent pick up line at school, where the cars line up and wait for dismissal. My DD's elementary school has a great system. We have hang tags with the kids' names/grades that hang from our rear view mirrors. They have four lanes of cars and many more waiting down the street in each direction. They call the names of the kids in the line, starting with the line closest to the school, get them in the cars safely, the cars leave and they start the next line. We have a huge parent pick up population but they usually can get everyone out within 15 or 20 minutes.


Did that make any sense?

Our school has that too! Except instead of the kids name and grade we get numbers and they call the kids number when you are at the door.