Getting over a year long illness - No strength

[karebear1]

I'm am just beginning to overcome a year long illness and have a trip planned for Thanksgiving. My illness included 5 hospital stays, my liver and both kidneys, my right lung a trip to Mayo Clinic and a new immune deficiency diagnosis for me. It has been a very difficult journey, but I am finally able to walk and think and drive again. While I can walk, I cannot walk long distances so I know I will need a wheelchair, or something like it for our trip but I am not sure what.

Can anyone give me some suggestions as to what I should do? I'm at a total loss as to what to do and thinking a lot about it just sets my head spinning-literally

thanks

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I would look at off site ECV rental for 2 reasons. 1 you will have it for resort use, not just in parks. you can not use a park rental to get to transportation as it is not allowed out the gates. 2 you will be able to take self where you want to go and not depend on someone else to push you. Disney is so big you will not have the strength to push self if you tire easily

 

[aaarcher86]

Using an ECV or wheelchair, you'll be able to go through the normal standby and FP lines. I definitely second the notion to get a rental offsite so you have it everywhere, and not just inside the parks. It's also cheaper.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I think an ECV would be great for you. If you have not used one before you can get a practice run at places like walmart or your grocery store. The ones that you rent will handle must better than the ones at your store, but it will at least give you a feel for it.
Also, you may need to plan a break into your day. Set aside some time that you can go back to your room and rest if you are staying on property. You might also want to consider planning a day in the middle where you do not go to the parks, but just spend some times resting and recovering. If you are in he park and you absolutely must rest, be sure to go by first aid. They will have you sign in and will take you to a room with a cot and allow you to rest for a while. of course it is much better if you can get to your room, but we have had to allow my son rest there before and it was quiet and got the job done.

 

[ttintagel]

Nthing the third-party ECV rental for the duration of the trip. There's a sticky at the top of this board with information about the different companies to rent from (we were happy with Apple last time).

My general ECV tips:

• Take your key out whenever you get off
• Keep an eye on the battery, and ask a CM for the nearest electric outlet if you need a charge
• Leave it plugged in to charge in your room all night
• The CM outside each attraction will tell you any specific procedures (like at PotC where you either have to walk through the queue or transfer to a manual wheelchair)
• You can generally park them with strollers whenever you want to get up and walk, but ask a CM if you're ever unsure where to leave it
• I like to stick a flag or something tall on mine so not all of me is below people's eye level, and to identify it when I've left it parked
• Don't leave anything so valuable you couldn't part with it in the basket when unattended
• I found the crutch/cane clips on my rental too loose and kept having my crutches fall off; I wish I'd brought a bunjee cord or something else for the purpose
• Ask a CM about handicapped parade viewing areas, and get to them pretty early, because they can fill up fast. On crowded days, they may restrict how many people can be in there with you.
• (Attraction-specific, and Me-specific: I tried driving one through the dark stratching room of the Haunted Mansion. It did NOT go well. If I had a choice, I would always leave the ECV and walk through that particular queue. Your mileage may vary greatly, as I'm sure many people have no trouble at all there.)

 

[The Hunchback]

Use an off site company like Walker Mobility. Good rates and good service.

Check with your resort to be sure the ECV will fit in the room. I have never stayed on site with an ECV but I know some of the condos we have rented had too narrow of doors for the ECV to come in.

Charge the ECV nightly. It should last the whole next day if you turn it off when you can, like during a show.

I disagree with some of the other posters. I have stayed on the ECV all the way to the loading area. If you stand in line, you will be too weary to enjoy the day. Driving the ECV all the way can be a challenge. You will learn to do it and then it becomes an accomplishment.

I do agree on the haunted house. It is not ECV friendly. That is one I will stand in line for rather than using the ECV inside. It is just too dark, too fast, for my eyes. Also the set up is just plain bad for the disabled.

Use an EVC to help you enjoy your trip. You need to have a good time.

 

[Bete]

I'm with the others and I would pursue an ECV. The scooter operates with hand power, not leg power. If you stay at a Disney resort there are approved offsite vendors that will deliver to your resort and the scooter will be waiting for you usually by the luggage area. Offsite resorts offer the service, too, but you may have to be present at the time of delivery of the scooter there; you do the same for non-approved offsite vendors. You return it to the same place.

You do have to consider your weight when ordering the right scooter. Weight includes any purses, cameras and so forth. If you are too heavy for a lightweight scooter you will lose battery power fast. Renting a travel, portable scooter is the best; because, you can take it apart and it will fit in most trunks of cars. It comes apart in 4 to 5 pieces usually. There are u-tube videos to show you how this works. You may have a local mobility company and you could visit there and see a demo live with your own car. If you use a car the whole time then all you need to do is bring the battery charger and battery in each night to charge up. If you use your car then you don't have to take it apart until you need to use it. Most Disney resorts expect you to keep your scooter in your resort room when you are not using it if it doesn't stay in the car.

If you need to bring it into the resort room chances are someone will have to hold the door; so, you can get it inside. This will be the same in reverse when you leave the room. The room doors are heavy and it's better to have someone hold the door open. You can even have someone else drive it in and out of the room. Some will move the table and chairs in their room to make it easier with the scooter for getting it in and out. The same holds true with Disney transportation. Someone else can drive the scooter on and off if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself. I think the hardest for beginners is getting a scooter on and off a bus if you have to use one. Monorails are easier. You wait with the handicap areas to board a monorail.

You will have to get use to the crowds at Disney while using a scooter. There is no doubt in my mind that you will have someone dart out at you and you will need to stop fast. Sometimes it helps if some one is in front of you guarding your turf coming through the crowds. You need to be careful and use all the handicap ramps when necessary; you don't want to jump a curb.

You need to carry your battery charger with you on the scooter in case you need an emergency charge. Usually there is a pouch where you can keep it. There are outlets in the parks where you can juice up if necessary. If you have trouble finding an outlet a Disney CM will be able to guide. You need to watch the battery sensor to make sure you are not losing power.

In addition to practicing at a local store you can go to a local zoo and get more comfortable using one there. Once you get to your resort you can practice at the resort before going to a park.