GAC due to compromised immune system?

[Lewisc]

I'm not sure how you can avoid crowds and sick people, even with a GAC. I won't pretend to offer medical advice. Others have already given free advice, most worth what they charged.

You might want to check with your doctor and ask if the trip is a good idea. I'd be afraid the GAC may give you a false idea as to how much exposure you're really avoiding.

 

[brat]

May your final go better than you expect.

 

[disfan07]

Thank you everyone! I have to go get ready for a final in a few minutes, but I just want to thank everyone for their positive comments and for sticking up for me.

A lot of awesome strategies here. I wish I could just think myself well, but that's not the case. There are very real risks involved in my medical condition. For me if I vomit twice, I have to go to the ER. That's all it takes to put me in the hospital, so understandably, I want to take as many precautions as I can to prevent that from happening. I want to live my life as full as I can while being realistic. Believe me, I can't avoid all germs ! Heck, college students are typically about as clean as pre-schoolers! ha ha ha

I'll write more when I get home from my final. Thanks again everyone!

hah...preschoolers are CLEANER than college students. I have a compromised immune system from immunosuppresents and I have lung, heart and other immune system issues and I worked with preschoolers for a full year only really getting sick two times. I've been at college fulltime since last september and I have been seriously ill 4 times, including being hospitalized once and almost hospitalized another time. I caught some mono-like illness back in october with a high fever for 2 weeks and was still recovering for another 5 weeks. I caught the flu 6 weeks ago and landed in the hospital and 2 weeks ago I had another virus that caused a high fever for 4 days. College students are the germiest people around!

 

[KPeveler]

It is a well know fact that the more some one avoids germs the more the immunity system will go down and the more you will get sick.

Not for the immunosurpressed, and definitely not for folks with the disease Honu has! I am glad you did not get sick while on chemo. that was you. We are not talking about you here.

Not everyone is the same, so please beware of giving "I know best advice" on this forum. It is difficult to know everything about someone else on a forum, so absolutist advice is not always helpful.

 

[Mrsjvb]

I'm not sure how you can avoid crowds and sick people, even with a GAC. I won't pretend to offer medical advice. Others have already given free advice, most worth what they charged.

You might want to check with your doctor and ask if the trip is a good idea. I'd be afraid the GAC may give you a false idea as to how much exposure you're really avoiding.

y'know, last time I was there( too dang long ago) I was waiting in one of those alternate areas. ( I can transfer most times form my chair) it was me and DH, an older gentleman on a scooter and his family, and this over the top anal woman, her child and DH. well soembody in the older gentleman'sa party had the gall to sneeze, well this woman went BALLIUSTIC, SCREAMING at the CM that how DARE he put them next to anyone else as her son and husband had compromised immune systems and that a sneeze could kill her child. well the CM was rather short with her( not that I blamed hiom ONE iota) and said that this was the only pace they coudl wait and that others were entitled to wait as well. I just turned to her and said: if Junior is so susceptible then why is he not wearing a mask?> Oh, and yeah lady my immune system is nonexistent as well. the drugs I need to keep me semi functional turn off my immune system. I have my handy dandy anti bacterial gel in my lap at all times, I use a mask when I am particularly vulnerable and I take my extar precautions.

I WANTED to tell her if her kid was so vulnerable than WTH was he doing at Disney( and no he was NOT MaW) but I figured that would be rude. it was liek she expected to be treated like the Boy in the Plastic Bubble( bonus points if you know who played him!)

OP, seriosuly, your Doc should give you suggestioins based on your needs/risk factors. for me, my scentsy foam does the trick. I also pack Clorox wipes 'just in case' we end up at a table that hasn't been cleaned by the time we grab it..( cuz let's face it, half the time you are hovering over some poor soul wrapping up their lunch any way hehehe)

 

[SueM in MN]

I am not home, so can't post a link to a picture right now.
I think there are some on either the disABILITIES FAQs thread or the Epcot FAQs thread ( sorry - I am typing on my iPod in a hotel lobby and can't easily check).

As was posted, many attractions dont have an alternate place to wait
Some of the alternate waiting areas for shows are just a 3 to 4 foot wide chained off area next to the regular waiting area. Some actually have a separate room - like Turtle Talk and you may end up waiting in that area with just a couple of other people, but we have also been there with over 30 people!

My suggestion would be to check out Tour Guid Mike or other touring plans to help you avoid the busiest places. We have been to WDW and have been able to find times when it was quiet enough to arrive at rope drop and get 6 or 7 things done before 11am with no wait longer than 10 minutes. So, that kind of information will be very valuable to you. Not only will it help you to avoid waiting in crowded areas with others, but will also mean the park is less crowded in general.
Other people have reported the same experience.

I'm not sure if a GAC would help that much, but requesting one is not that difficult and you would have it in your pocket if you run into a situation where the CM might be able to come up with something to help you.

You can talk to your doctor, but be aware that in most cases preventative antibiotics are no longer recommended 'just in case' (Note - this is different than a situation where someone was exposed to someone specific with an infection that could be spread. It is also different than giving some medication the person will take in case they become I'll). So, don't be surprised if the doctor does not recommend any preventative medication.
The reason for this is that taking antibiotics kills off 'good' germs as well as bad germs and can result in germs becoming resistant to antibiotics.
I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV (smile), but I am an RN who is specialized in Infection Control, so what I am saying is based on current medical evidence.

As far as the advice to "Just think positive", that is not helpful advise. I am going to close this thread at this point because it is being led on a negative path that is not helpful to anyone.