Hernia?

[fantasymagic]

My 79 yo DF is coming along with us this trip. He has had a triple bypass, so I'm already a bit concerned about all the walking. He said he can walk fine and doesn't need a wheelchair, but I'm not sure he realizes how BIG WDW is. I was going to see about renting a wheelchair once we get there and he sees how much walking it really is.

Now, we found out he has a hernia that will be operated on after our trip. The doctor said the only restriction is no lifting.

My questions: I can't think of any attractions he would go on that have a lapbelt that might cause a problem. The only ones that come to mind are: RnRR, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain--which he won't be going on. I think Test Track has a seatbelt type. Would this be okay considering he wears a seatbelt in a car?

Has anyone rented a wheelchair for someone who may only need it periodically? What was your experience?

I know that we will really need to take this trip slow, which I'm kind of used to because my 13 yo DS has a heart defect.

Any other precautions I haven't thought of? I have a preferred view at All Star Sports so there shouldn't be as much walking to the bus stop/food court.

Thanks so much and pixiedust to you all.

 

[cupcake]

I don't know how to do links, but Mazzy was asking about this (intermitent wheelchair use) just a few days ago and I think it's still on this page. I personally recommend just getting the wheelchair on the way in. There's so much walking and standing, and it seems better to me to enjoy a longer day with the wheelchair and conserve energy than to get all tuckered out & then use it after getting tired and crabby. Re the hernia, although the Guide for Guests with Disabilities (available on the Disney website) is not terribly helpful, it does tell you what kind of ride you'd be dealing with (eg how much jostling to expect). I don't know what kind of rides you might be interested in, but some rides without tight waist restraints (eg Big Thunder) have a lot of vibration and motion and might not be comfortable with the hernia.

Have a super trip!

Cupcake

 

[Michigan]

January 1997 my DF had a triple bypass, 6 weeks later we went to WDW. He did just fine walking the parks. The Dr's told him that walking in WDW would be great therapy. He did chose to stay at the hotel 1 day and sit by the pool in the sun but that's something he probably would have done even without the surgery.

 

[SueM in MN]

Getting a wheelchair at the parks should not a problem. Scooters (ecvs) are in limited quantities, but from what I have read, wheelchairs are not a problem except during the really busy times.
Test Track does have a seat belt, but if he doesn't have a problem with the car seat belt, I think he should be OK. The ride has some sudden stops, but it's not really much more jerky than highway driving. It does have a caution (a red trangle on park map by the ride) to let you know it may not be the best ride for someone who needs to avoid vibration, speeds, etc. The rides that might be a problem are marked with a red trangle on the map.

Other rides with seat belts are Star Tours and Body Wars. Those are sort of rough, simulator rides that he might not be interested in riding anyway. I think the seat belts on those rides would cause more problems just because you get jerked around more in those rides.