Need help, here now - would first aid have

[asta]

ok i'm very confused. my wife has had to go to first aid twice.

lets just say she has a very delicate digestive system thats compounded by having a few food allergies that i'm not sure she knew of at the time and gets skin rashes by just touching the wrong type of cotton. i mean we have military spec skin creams around the house.

in 99 she picked up a bug on our departure day where we were flying out around 6 that night. it was really bad when we were in the mk. we went to first aid and couldn't be better unless we were at an er. she stayed there until she was better, they gave her some meds for the flight home that i'm not sure were over the counter and even arranged for a ride back to our cabin FW.

it was in late aug when many brits seem to visit. they were wheeling them one after the other. it was like an er and they were triaging them and i swear but may be wrong starting IVs.

last trip she got the florida leg rash that we now know has some thing to do heat and pavement. she had gotten it before and had talked to her dermatologist group (its attached to a major teaching hospital) and they didn't really know what it was and started with bed bugs and other bugs. the people at Epcot first aid knew exactly what it was and gave her a sample pack of cream.

so i'm not sure why the posts saying they barely did anything for them and just handed out band aids. like I posted above I think there was at least one nurse practitioner there who could hand out certain non OTC meds.

My story of first aid (or lack of) was at Universal so maybe WDW is different. My injury was major and required surgery to repair the damage. I would have thought they would have been concerned with a biohazard from the blood running down my leg.

I guess my point was that it is never safe to assume that a particular level of service is available.

 

[chartle]

My story of first aid (or lack of) was at Universal so maybe WDW is different. My injury was major and required surgery to repair the damage. I would have thought they would have been concerned with a biohazard from the blood running down my leg.

I guess my point was that it is never safe to assume that a particular level of service is available.

yea my post was directed to at least one post that said that FA at mk barely helped at all with an issue.

 

[SueM in MN]

You can get ticks anywhere there are trees and animals. She could have easily gotten it there. But, it really doesn't matter where she got it.

Here's a link to ticks in Florida.
http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/hot_topics/families_and_consumers/ticks_and_disease.html

Ticks generally stay fairly low to the ground, so dropping out of trees is not common. And, they are more common in areas with underbrush, layers of dead leaves, etc.
The black-legged tick, used to be called deer tick, but their major host animals are actually mostly small mammals - mice, chipmunks, squirrels, and, in warm areas like Florida, lizards.
People see ticks on their heads and assume the tick dropped from a tree, but it's most likely to have gotten onto the body lower down a crawled up (I know, eeewwwe!).
This information is from a talk I went to last week presented by one of the chief investigators into Lyme disease in Minnesota. Ticks often roam around on the body for 12-48 hours before settling down to feed.
And, then feed for many hours up to days.

Maybe people get snarky because they realized that the OP was at the parks having fun and they weren't

PS OP if you are reading, if you happened to save the tick and believe the tick was on your child for longer then 24 hours, you can have the tick tested for lyme disease.

Testing ticks for Lyme disease is a common misconception. Except for research, they don't usually test the ticks. They just look whether it is the type of tick (black-legged tick) that can carry and transmit Lyme disease.

Lyme disease if pretty uncommon in Florida according to this nice education sheet about Lyme disease and ticks.

So, if they brought the tick with them from a place where Lyme disease is more common, there is a greater risk of Lyme than if she picked up the tick in Florida.

Lyme disease is what people think of most with ticks, but they can also transmit other diseases. For Lyme, in general the tick needs to be attached and feeding for 36-48 hours to transmit enough bacteria to transmit Lyme disease.
The CDC has a lot of good references:
http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/

There are other diseases that can be transmitted by ticks, so the OP should be aware of any symptoms that might develop. Tick borne illnesses in general are less common in Florida, so if she picked up the tick in Florida, she is less likely to get sick.

Didn't read all replies but I read enough. Perhaps OP was waiting for people on a ride, in the middle of a show, or even eating lunch and thought they would just pop on and post a question. Most questions on here get a response in under 5 or 10 mins. If that is the case, then where is the harm in asking on here? If the answer was no, it would have saved OP the trip to first aid possibly from the back of the park. So what's the difference? And why is everyone so quick to assume OP wouldn't have asked someone in the park too?

As for first aid, I think some people have the impression that first aid is staffed by a couple college CMs who hand out band-aids and Neosporin and send you on your way. It's obviously not a doctor's office or urgent care and if you've never utilized a first aid stop somewhere, how would you know? I would think liability would play a factor too. Of course it never hurts to stop and ask, but if you think of first aid in this sense, whether or not they would help with a tick is a fair question. I would have expected to be sent to urgent care.

I just want to clarify that at WDW, First Aid is staffed by Registered Nurses and they are working under protocols to treat common things.
For more severe illnesses or situations that dont fall under the scope of their protocols or the practice of Nursing, they will suggest the guest go to Urgent Care for non-emergency situations and EMS/paramedics will come to the park for more emergency issues.

 

[ShannonMB]

Interesting thread! Passive aggressive mean responses to a perfectly innocent question, people calling out "mean people suck!", and tons of information on deer ticks and lyme disease! Yep, I'd say a normal day on the DIS!

Just to add to the lyme disease discussion, I took DD to a pediatric urgent care here in Ohio because she actually had a circular red raised rash on her leg. I never did see a tick on her, but I was scared to death she had lyme disease! The docs weren't too impressed with what I thought was a horrifying rash (and I'm a nurse!), but they told me that very rarely do they do prophylactic antibiotics to ward off lyme disease in a child because the meds they use to treat it are pretty wicked and can do some real damage.

Just my experience - call your own docs, everyone, if you suspect your child has been exposed to lyme disease. Just thought I'd add to the discussion!

 

[luvthemouse71]

Not sure if someone else mentioned it, but not everyone gets the raised circular rash. I would take your daughter to the doctor when you get home. Most likely she didn't get exposed, but Lyme is nothing to fool with either.

They can give Doxycycline( an antibiotic) prophylactically in kids but not if they are under 8 yrs old.

 

[Mom2six]

That was my point as well. I also agree with an earlier poster that asked when electronic communication took over from face-to-face communication in a situation like this.

I think it is funny that both you and another poster asked about when electronic communication took over from face-to-face communication -- using an electronic communication forum! Irony at its best. I guess it is just a reality of our world especially if you are using the camera on your smart phone. I know I use the camera on my iPhone, and I use an app with WDW maps etc, so using my iPhone when at WDW is automatic. I also happen to have the DIS app so that is super fast too.

 

[declansdad]

I think it is funny that both you and another poster asked about when electronic communication took over from face-to-face communication -- using an electronic communication forum!

Except we are on a discussion board and not looking for an answer immediately or an answer about something in a place I am currently in. It is like sitting in the doctor's waiting room but asking WebMD for a diagnosis while you wait.

You want to ask a question about WDW on the Dis while you are at WDW, more power to you. To me and others that have made similar comments on threads such as this or seemingly medical threads that require immediate attention, it doesn't make a lot of sense. To each their own I guess. I don't think anyone made any comments ridiculing the op or were passive aggressive. Simply making a comment, something that I thought discussion boards were for.

 

[mousefan73]

Just to add to this discussion. Lymes can also show up years later without even knowing you had a tick. Happened to my nieces husband. Overnight he had sudden depression where even he was likw WT? Is wrong with me. Turns out it affected him mainly neurologically. They spent forever trying to figure out why he was depressed until he was tested for a bunch of other things. He said one day his life was happy/ colorful and bam dark.

 

[Mom2six]

Except we are on a discussion board and not looking for an answer immediately or an answer about something in a place I am currently in. It is like sitting in the doctor's waiting room but asking WebMD for a diagnosis while you wait.

You want to ask a question about WDW on the Dis while you are at WDW, more power to you. To me and others that have made similar comments on threads such as this or seemingly medical threads that require immediate attention, it doesn't make a lot of sense. To each their own I guess. I don't think anyone made any comments ridiculing the op or were passive aggressive. Simply making a comment, something that I thought discussion boards were for.

Why question the validity of asking the question? To me, it doesn't seem very nice. It being a discussion board isn't really an excuse to act like the OP is silly to ask a question. You may have done it differently but so what? As you said to each their own. In my opinion, the posts saying they were standing outside the ice cream shop and wondering if inside they sold vanilla ice cream, or the post that said it boggled their mind that someone would ask this are negative and ridiculing. Everyone can make a comment, but each person really should stop and think about whether that comment is nice or just to be snarky about the question - which too me is a waste of time.

 

[mesaboy2]

Except we are on a discussion board and not looking for an answer immediately or an answer about something in a place I am currently in. It is like sitting in the doctor's waiting room but asking WebMD for a diagnosis while you wait.

You want to ask a question about WDW on the Dis while you are at WDW, more power to you. To me and others that have made similar comments on threads such as this or seemingly medical threads that require immediate attention, it doesn't make a lot of sense. To each their own I guess. I don't think anyone made any comments ridiculing the op or were passive aggressive. Simply making a comment, something that I thought discussion boards were for.

Yes, there were at least one or two--and they are now gone.

 

[declansdad]

Why question the validity of asking the question? To me, it doesn't seem very nice. It being a discussion board isn't really an excuse to act like the OP is silly to ask a question. You may have done it differently but so what? As you said to each their own. In my opinion, the posts saying they were standing outside the ice cream shop and wondering if inside they sold vanilla ice cream, or the post that said it boggled their mind that someone would ask this are negative and ridiculing. Everyone can make a comment, but each person really should stop and think about whether that comment is nice or just to be snarky about the question - which too me is a waste of time.

I didn't say the OP's or her question was silly nor did I question the validity of the question, you and others implied that I and another person did. I simply agreed with another poster that simply said "Why didn't you just go to the first aid station and ask?"

Which brings me to ask, if you didn't like my comment, why not just ignore it? Why waste your time responding?

 

[NicPie]

I don't think anyone made any comments ridiculing the op or were passive aggressive. Simply making a comment, something that I thought discussion boards were for.

Some did, they've just been removed now.

 

[Nina1]

I usually don't stick my nose in where it doesn't belong, but I feel bad for the OP because if it was me, I would be hurt by these replies. They were trying to find out information to help their child, not asking everyone at pick at them for doing it.

People spend months on these boards asking questions and getting advice for their WDW trip. Is it wrong to feel a sense of community and to feel comfortable enough here to ask a question even if they had the option to ask someone else?

I personally don't understand why anyone would even question why the OP asked here. Really, who cares? You can choose whether to answer the question or not. But why try to analyze the reasoning? Answer (or don't) and move on.

I've only been on here about 5 months, but i've observed a ton helpful people who are friendly and kind and then there are those other people who seem to purposely go out of their way to make people feel stupid. I don't get it.

Amen. How true this is. Totally agree.

 

[declansdad]

Some did, they've just been removed now.

Sorry I never saw them.

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, you should ask some CMs if the First Aid stations have tweezers and see what kind of responses you get, just out of curiosity.

I agree that first aid is hard to find, and frankly if I'm in the back of the park I do not want to trek all the way there to ask a question, when in two minutes I could get an answer and know if I should bother. It's all about foot preservation for me!

 

[khaoskat]

Maybe she was in a resort room at the time, and was trying to see if she needed to run out to the store to get something, or if she could just make a run to one of the various first aid stations.

All the title said is "Here now", not exactly where....

I would think ticks might be common over by wilderness lodge where they have lots of trees...and you are constantly under/around the trees.

 

[khaoskat]

Also going to say, under current treatment practices, they no longer use tweezer to squeeze the tick out, because of the high chance that you could get the body but leave the head.

The current recommended removal method is heat, as the heat would cause the tick to back out on its own power, thereby significantly reducing the chance of the head getting left in the person.

Which is probably why Disney did not use the tweezers themselves to remove the tick.

As for a poster who had the fall, if they brought in the medic, they may not have brought simple things like pain relief or band aids, but in medic bags it is common to have ice packs because they can be used to help reduce heat related problems and start cooling the person off.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think it is funny that both you and another poster asked about when electronic communication took over from face-to-face communication -- using an electronic communication forum! Irony at its best. I guess it is just a reality of our world especially if you are using the camera on your smart phone. I know I use the camera on my iPhone, and I use an app with WDW maps etc, so using my iPhone when at WDW is automatic. I also happen to have the DIS app so that is super fast too.

Not funny at all. None of us is at Walt Disney World with the opportunity to speak the words to a Cast Member. We don't have the physical capability of having asking a question to a person standing near us.

In my opinion, the posts saying they were standing outside the ice cream shop and wondering if inside they sold vanilla ice cream, or the post that said it boggled their mind that someone would ask this are negative and ridiculing.

Now, that was funny. Drily funny, but funny. As for the "boggles my mind" comment, that poster is as entitled as anyone to interject their thoughts on any post.

I agree that first aid is hard to find, and frankly if I'm in the back of the park I do not want to trek all the way there to ask a question, when in two minutes I could get an answer and know if I should bother. It's all about foot preservation

First Aid is pretty centrally located at three of the four parks, right by the gates at DHS, marked on the park maps, and known to all Cast Members if you ask. If a guest is at the back of a park, they're going to have to approach if not actually trek right by First Aid in an effort to leave that park to find help.

 

[asta]

Also going to say, under current treatment practices, they no longer use tweezer to squeeze the tick out, because of the high chance that you could get the body but leave the head.

The current recommended removal method is heat, as the heat would cause the tick to back out on its own power, thereby significantly reducing the chance of the head getting left in the person.

Which is probably why Disney did not use the tweezers themselves to remove the tick.

As for a poster who had the fall, if they brought in the medic, they may not have brought simple things like pain relief or band aids, but in medic bags it is common to have ice packs because they can be used to help reduce heat related problems and start cooling the person off.

I just needed something to stop and clean up the bleeding. I did then have a long walk from the park to my hotel room with the shreds of the torn meniscus rolling up into the knee cap and being pinched with each step. I am still amazed that the only assistance they would offer was a small finger type bandaid.

 

[bumbershoot]

. If a guest is at the back of a park, they're going to have to approach if not actually trek right by First Aid in an effort to leave that park to find help.

Not everyone would treat this as an emergency. Not everyone would leave the park immediately.

The op got an answer in two minutes and the answer apparently was correct. Let's all accept the fact that in this case it worked out wonderfully.