Immune and Sun Sensitive

[tvhcols]

Hello all,

My question is does the GAC card have a category for immune suppressed and sun sensitive individuals?

I will be taking my two daughters to Disney World next Tuesday and am a little concerned about the trip. I have been diagnosed with Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am currently on Remicade, Methotrexate, Predisone and other meds. The three I have listed suppress the immune system and increase my sensitivity to the sun. Having Lupus also requires me to be stay out of the sun. I do not want to rent a WC or ECV while at the park. My girls really don't want me to and I really don't have the money to. I will be using the Fast Pass option when ever possible. My question is does the GAC have a category for immune suppressed individuals? I don't do well on the stairs either. We plan to take it slow and I am sure I will pay for my stuborness the next day but I want this to be a special day for my girls. I want to do this while I still can walk around and join them on the rides. Please don't reprimand or criticise my option for not wanting to use a WC or ECV. If I need to I will break down and get one but I want to avoid it if at all possible.

Stubborn in Ohio
tvhcols

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
First of all the GAC isn't a pass (and the only reason I am mentioning that when you think of a pass, you think of a pass allowing something and that's not really what it is). GAC stands for Guest Assistance Card and it actually is a tool to let the Cast Members (CMs) at the attractions know what sorts of accomidation/assistance is needed by someone with invisible disabilities.
You go to Guest Serices and explain what your needs are. The GACs are all stamped with different icons, giving information on what you need. In your case, you need to have a place to wait out of the sun and to avoid stairs. Do your best to explain what difficulties/needs you expect and they will do their best to help you get your needs met.
One of the best ways to avoid waiting for long periods is to use FastPass. You didn't mention whether you are going with anoyone besides your girls or how old they are. But, if you have other people in your party or your girls are old enough to do the running and get Fastpasses, you can expend a little less energy yourself.
For the immune problems, there really isn't a lot a GAC could help with. You will be in a very crowded area with lots of people. Even if you got a GAC that allowed you to wait in less crowded conditions, it's still pretty crowded. I would suggest carrying one of the alcohol based handrinses (like Purell) and use iot often.

No one will reprimand you about choosing not to use a wheelchair or ecv, but we do mention them to people who don't want to use them because most people who have not been to WDW before just don't have any idea of the distances involved. When I think of walking to the high school my daughters attended, it seems like a huge distance, but when I measure the distance with my van odometer, it's only a bit over 4 miles. I've read that the average person walks between 3 and 8 miles a day at WDW.

Anyway, if you don't want to use a wheelchair or ecv, then it becomes really important to look at your energy like a checking account. During the day, you will be spending energy (and hopefully saving some too). if you overspend on your energy account, you already realize you will pay the next day, so you have to plan not to get overdrawn.

• So, the first thing is to some planning. Even people without health problems can't see everything, especially during Spring break. Plan with your daughters the top couple of things in each park you want to do. if you each see a couple of things you really wanted to see, that's better than rushing around and trying to see everything.
• Plan your day based on how you feel. Touring plans say to go to the parks early to avoid the crowds, go back to your room to rest/swim and then come back to the parks later. That's fine if you are good in the morning, but a some of people with arthritis feel better later in the day as they get a little looser. You know when your best times are; use them for the parks and you will probably get more done and feel better than trying to make your body fit a plan that's not right for you. (It's not so hot this time of year that the time makes as much difference as in the heat of summer).
• Pick up maps and use them. What do you really want to see and wherre is it in the park? What else is near it?
• At MK, use the trains to avoid walking. You can use the train to get from Main Street to Frontierland if one of the ride you want to go to is there. And, if the next really important thing for you is in Fantasyland, it might be less wear and tear on you to take the train to ToonTown and then walk the short distance to Fantasyland.
• Consider the energy cost of the ride. SOme of the rides are going to be more restful than others. We find MK very un-restful because most of the attractions are very short and it's a lot of work to get our DD out of her wheelchair and into the ride seat (especially for a 2 minute ride). Do some of the ones that require a lot of moving in and out when you are feeling the best if you can.
• If your girls are old enough, let them do some of the standing in line for you. Are they old enough to order the lunch for your group? If they aren't, they might be old enough to purchase some of the simpler things like an ice cream or popcorn snack from a cart while you are within sight the whole time. That way, you might be able to sit and rest for a few minutes while they spend some energy.
• Realize that it's going to take a certain amount of energy to get back to your hotel. If you are already overtired at the time you leave, you will really be in tough shape when you get back to your hotel (and you'll really pay for it the next day.

i can't really think of anything else off-hand right now, but I'll keep thinking.
Good luck and here's some pixie dust for a great trip.

 

[ducklite]

In the summer months I've finally given up and gotten the GAC for sun issues. I have asthma and tied for my number one trigger is direct sun on a hot day. I can deal with the heat, or the sun, but both together is a ticket to visit the EMT's. (The other trigger is bitter cold air--the frozen food section in the grocery store can actually trigger an attack!)

Back to my point. I've found that some of the rides and attractions, even with the GAC don't have a good place to be out of the sun. One of the problems is just finding a CM at the ENTRANCE to the queue at some of the rides with very long queues. Splash Mountain is one. Even though parts of the queue are shaded, it's deceiving, and there are plenty of parts that you're in direct sun.

At any rate, when we run into this, we just skip the ride or attraction until later in the day when the sun is going down.

Luckily it's not beastly hot yet, so take it easy and do a lot of resting. The first Aid people are wonderful, and will have no problem allowing you to lie down and rest for a bit if you become fatigued.

Have a wonderful trip!

Anne

 

[tvhcols]

Thank you for responding to my question and sharing your experiences and advice. We leave tomorrow morning and will be in Florida on Saturday. And we can't wait. We are going to Disney World on Tuesday. My Dad and Stepmom live in Ocala and we will be staying with them. My girls are 13 and 10 years old. All five of us will be going to DW. We are not sure which parks we are going to yet but my Dad got us passes so that we can go to more than one park in the same day. We will be checking out the rest of this website for suggesions and the Disney website.

My dad is 75 years old and both of his knees are really bad. We plan to take it slow and steady and hope that my endurance holds out. That is also one of the reasons I don't want to use a WC. I can't see me using one when he does not. I know that he does not have RA and Lupus but it still bothers me just thinking about it. I have never used a WC before. Even after breaking my ankle, having surgery to repair my ankle, and having two knee surgeries.

I don't know if we will be able to go to DW again and I really want my girls to do as much as they can and I want to be able to do it with them. They have been through a lot the last few years and I think they have another tough year coming up. Their Dad is probably going to lose his house this year. The house they have both grown up in. Even though they are with me 80% of the time they still are very attached to the house and the neighborhood. I really want them to feel part of a normal family for this special trip.

Sorry this is sooo long. Thank you again for your advice, I appreciate it.

Tvhcols/Ohio

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Another bit of generic advice ... drink lots of water. Nobody is immune to dehydration, and if you don't drink enough water, than no matter what other precautions you take, you'll feel weak and tired towards the end of the day. (It's happened to me on occasion, and I'm fairly young, and in decent physical condition ... for someone with physical limitations, whether visible or not, it could be much worse)

 

[rpbert1]

Hi all just found this forum.
hi tvhcols,see you have been just diagnosed with Lupus. My wife was diagnosed with SLE[lupus] and Fybromyalgia 15 years ago ,they treated her for 8 years for arthritis, Lupus was not really known here in the UK and still most people have never heard of it.
we are coming over to florida on the 28th June 2006 for 3 weeks, i booked into Royal Pacific Resort so we will not have to queue for rides as my wife is a bit like yourself ,refuses to use a wheelchair, she can walk but not that far and needs to stop and rest a lot, and would not be able to stand in the queues for the length of time you have to wait on some of them,so will take a while to get round the parks.
we have also booked into POFQ and hope to use the EMH to do most of the rides and the ones that are not available on the EMH she will just have to miss. another reason for booking on site is that when my wife gets tired we can return to the hotels quite easily and then i can take my 10 year old daughter back to the parks, works out quite expensive but i have a year to pay it.
i dont think the GAC would benefit us ,as my wife would be unable to stand so long in the queues

 

[Cheshire Figment]

...as my wife is a bit like yourself, refuses to use a wheelchair, she can walk but not that far and needs to stop and rest a lot, and would not be able to stand in the queues for the length of time you have to wait on some of them,so will take a while to get round the parks.

I don't think the GAC would benefit us, as my wife would be unable to stand so long in the queues

Please ask your wife the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are travelling with, such as your family, know you are diabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

I would strongly suggest rental of an ECV or wheelchair from an off-site source. It will really make for a better time for the entire family. Click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of thios page to go to the index; about the 5th item down is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which gives lots of information that will be useful. I know that both Walker and Randy drop their rates after the first week, you might send them e-mails to find out costs. If you don't have a hire car you can arrange for Mear's to get you from Universal to Disney when you move; all of the ECV rentals will be willing to drop off the ECV at one hotel and pick it up at another. If necessary, they would probably move it from one to another at no additional cost.

 

[SueM in MN]

An ecv can really make a difference between having a tiring trip and having an enjoyable one. My FIL finally rented one for one day in 2004 and for 3 days this year. He said the first time he rented one was the first time in years that he didn't end a day at the parks in pain. And he saw some things he had not been able to see in years because he had not been able to walk far enough into the parks to see some of them.

 

[rpbert1]

thanks for replying Cheshire Figment and SueM.
i know a WC or ECV would make a big difference to our Holiday, but my wife is insistent that she will not use any of them, she says she has 2 weeks in Disney and reckons she will be able to get round the parks in that time and see almost everything.
With her being able to walk ,albeit not great distances she feels she would be cheating especially if people saw her walking and then sitting in the WC at different times as my wife looks quite well, and as people know with Lupus you can look a million dollars, but looks can be deceptive.
i must try and get my wife to read some of these posts and maybe she might have second thoughts

 

[Daydreamer64]

RPBERT1-

I just returned from a 10 day stay at WDW. I'm 41 years old and overweight, but only a bit . I hate to use a chair because I feel that people will make a judgement call that I'm in it because I'm overweight and lazy ( not true on the lazy part but anyway.. ). I have many health problems to contend with. I never used a chair- although I should have on many occations. I found out that I'm expecting a surprise baby this Christmas and am in 4 of the high risk catagories for this pregnancy. My kids are 11 and 9 now so yes it was a surprise! So, restricted activity levels for me already.

Doctors said that I could vacation but I had to promise to use the chair the whole time. I used it to travel between the rides, used our fastpasses and then parked it to ride the rides. It was a blessing because after days of touring I was tired even though I was in the chair and my DH had to push me along all day - we couldn't afford to rent an ECV- wanted to though- maybe next time if needed.

It is NOT cheating if you need the chair. Most of the lines are chair accessable so she will be able to stay with your family to get on the ride. Very few of the rides now give faster access for chairs so tell your wife to get her chariot and let her prince charming push her around! I haven't seen anyone that was at WDW here at home. I don't care if they look or judge. What I do care about is taking the best care of myself AND making sure that my family could enjoy this trip by not having to "rest" with Mom every time she got tired or sick. It made a world of difference for us.

Please tell her to try it her way but to keep an open mind if she feels very tired- no need in letting the disease get the best of her if there is a solution for the problem.

WDW is very big- I mean we walk every day for exercise and we are still tired after a stay.

 

[rpbert1]

thanks daydreamer 64.
have been telling her all this so have got a year to work on it,thanks for all the replies and hope everything goes well with you`r pregnancy