rabidstoat
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2005
- Messages
- 107
I'm in my mid-50s have some arthritis in my left knee, what I refer to as my gimpy knee, but I've never used a cane before due to it. I walk 2 miles at the local park most days and it's fine. I get in 6k to 8k steps a day, sometimes 10k. I've done a lot of walking at Disney as recently as 3 years ago and it was fine too.
Well, not this time. My first day was 22k steps and that night, I realized my gimpy knee was not amused. I limped through another 19k steps the second day in increasing pain, leaning on railings and walls whenever I could. It was the morning of the second day that I decided to order a cane off Amazon and have it delivered to me at All Star Movies. Pro-tip: if you have an issue with your cane or lose it or suddenly need one, Amazon same-day delivery works great.
I got the cane for the last two days at the parks and it really helped! As did cutting my steps down to 14-16k steps, with less backtracking. It took a bit of getting used to the cane, I guess, because the first day my knee was still really painful. That second day with the cane, though, was awesome! I got back to the room after those 16k steps with no pain. I had brought some ibuprofen around and unlike the previous day, didn't need to use it.
The CMs were really helpful. Most rides I kept my cane with me. If it was a moving sidewalk, they usually asked if I was okay transferring from a moving walkway into a vehicle. No doubt this is so I didn't fall and sue Disney, but it was nice of them to check. (I could.) On a few rides -- the flying ride at Pandora and Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom -- I had them keep my cane for me and retrieved it afterwards. For Pandora, they asked if I could walk to and from the bike vehicle and offered to bring my cane back if needed. For Tiana's Bayou Adventure, I could've kept it in the vehicle but didn't want to juggle it around at that point. It did collapse, but the one time I collapsed it I just had to carry it in my hand collapsed and that was more trouble than having it extended.
I didn't notice too many canes in the parks, but I did notice some when before I hadn't noticed any, so it's true that once you use a mobility device you'll notice them in use more. I also saw a rollator or two. I didn't feel as pressured hurrying off the ride, always tricky with my weak knee, because I had a visible reason why I was a bit slower than usual.
Today was my last day at the parks and as I was heading down Main Street, leaving the Magic Kingdom, I came across a cast member in a pinstripe suit and hat and carrying a cane as part of the costume. As I neared him, I said "nice cane!" He stopped and said mine seemed to be a fine specimen as well, and admired the solid base. We spent a few moments comparing canes before continuing on. I thought that was a nice little moment. Cast members are always so nice!
Well, not this time. My first day was 22k steps and that night, I realized my gimpy knee was not amused. I limped through another 19k steps the second day in increasing pain, leaning on railings and walls whenever I could. It was the morning of the second day that I decided to order a cane off Amazon and have it delivered to me at All Star Movies. Pro-tip: if you have an issue with your cane or lose it or suddenly need one, Amazon same-day delivery works great.
I got the cane for the last two days at the parks and it really helped! As did cutting my steps down to 14-16k steps, with less backtracking. It took a bit of getting used to the cane, I guess, because the first day my knee was still really painful. That second day with the cane, though, was awesome! I got back to the room after those 16k steps with no pain. I had brought some ibuprofen around and unlike the previous day, didn't need to use it.
The CMs were really helpful. Most rides I kept my cane with me. If it was a moving sidewalk, they usually asked if I was okay transferring from a moving walkway into a vehicle. No doubt this is so I didn't fall and sue Disney, but it was nice of them to check. (I could.) On a few rides -- the flying ride at Pandora and Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom -- I had them keep my cane for me and retrieved it afterwards. For Pandora, they asked if I could walk to and from the bike vehicle and offered to bring my cane back if needed. For Tiana's Bayou Adventure, I could've kept it in the vehicle but didn't want to juggle it around at that point. It did collapse, but the one time I collapsed it I just had to carry it in my hand collapsed and that was more trouble than having it extended.
I didn't notice too many canes in the parks, but I did notice some when before I hadn't noticed any, so it's true that once you use a mobility device you'll notice them in use more. I also saw a rollator or two. I didn't feel as pressured hurrying off the ride, always tricky with my weak knee, because I had a visible reason why I was a bit slower than usual.
Today was my last day at the parks and as I was heading down Main Street, leaving the Magic Kingdom, I came across a cast member in a pinstripe suit and hat and carrying a cane as part of the costume. As I neared him, I said "nice cane!" He stopped and said mine seemed to be a fine specimen as well, and admired the solid base. We spent a few moments comparing canes before continuing on. I thought that was a nice little moment. Cast members are always so nice!
