OK-need advice on rides 6 yo with 2 broken heels

[gatormom2tots]

He is in a wheelchair so we don't have to worry about the card.

We meet with the ortho doc this week and he said no rides that he might use his feet to brace (he is in2 air casts because we learned the hard way he is allergic to fiberglass casts!).

Now I have been to MK plenty of times so I am familiar with those rides- space mountain is definitely out.

We went to Epcot and HS last year but I was pregnant so I don't know much about the rides and DH is not real helpful!

He likes the thrill rides. But what thrill rides at these parks will he probably not feel the need to brace? And are there any rides that he might not fit in? Placing him in a ride is not an issue- but those darn moon boots are awfully big and bulky!

I have a feeling this trip will be one to remember- 1 in a wheelchair, 1 in a stroller, and one 5 year going for the first time without a stroller.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I would take a second look at any ride that has a height restirction. These might be the ones where you brace yourself. At HS Tower of Terror may be doable. When I ride I tense up all over, but my son has a death grip on the handles and sticks his legs up in the air.

 

[SueM in MN]

Too late to write much, but I want to point you toward the 2nd page of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. There is a post with a list of attractions with warnings that also includes a little information about each attraction and how turbulent it is. You can find that thread near the top of this board or follow the linkin my signature.

You won't probably have an issue with the air casts, but the biggest issue might be the attractions that involve a step up or down that he would have difficulty doing. There is a post about each park for ECV riders that talks about getting on and off attractions - that information may be helpful ( even though he won't be using n ECV ) to help remind you of boarding on different attractions you might not have thought about before.

 

[Bete]

and do way more shows and entertainment than rides especially thrill rides. I know this is not what you want to hear.

You have two younger ones that would be fine doing the more passive route at WDW. The thrill rides will be there for a future trip. We take many trips now without many thrill rides and we do just fine and we enjoy ourselves, too. If you and hubby have to do a thrill ride I would alternate and take turns as a solo rider. Furthermore, I would do this in a way that your son wouldn't be able to know or see it. Go do some other activity with the kids while one of you does the thrill ride and then change around; so, the other one can have a turn at the thrill ride.

Blame it on the doctor; whatever will work; so, your son is safe on this trip. Say there are strict orders from the doctor not to do rides that could cause further injury. Your boy has to live with his feet forever! He has to understand that this trip will be different and safer for his feet.

I would go as far as cancelling/postponing the trip for now if you can't be disciplined about this situation; WDW will be there in the future. I'm sorry, but the feet are more important than the trip and thrill rides. You have to be the stronger one here; he's just a child. You can't just live in the moment. I hope you take this in a guiding way.

I'm not about to suggest what rides might be safer; I'm sorry again. I will say there are plenty of u-tube videos showing thrill rides; so, just do searches and watch. You can get the WDW vacation DVD which will show a few seconds of a lot of rides, as well. This vacation video is free and you need to sign up for it on line. If you are a AAA member they may have some DVD copies in their office if you are in a hurry.

Anything borderline I would check with the doctor. Download the video to your notebook and let your doctor watch a few and see what he says. Your doctor will probably not be willing to watch more than 5 minutes worth. But even from seeing a few videos watched by your doctor I think you will be able to tell if you should lean on the side of caution, here.

 

[gilesmt]

Is it doable, are we crazy???

Yes!!!

You made me remember our most memorable trip. My ex, a vet from veitnam, with two metal knee replacements and lots of muscle loss due to shrapnel in his legs and hips, uses a cane, still refuses an ecv. Myself legally blind. My daughter with CP, who was in a w/c that year because during times of her rapid growth her muscles would get so tense that her hips bones would pull out of her sockets, she was 7 that year, and my youngest 5 that year, diagnosed at the time ADHD, we went through many diagnosis over the years and now have a BiPolar diagnosis with defiant disorder.

I could not keep my balance due to vision problems when my husband leaned on me for support, so we wobbled and even fell a few times. BUT WE LAUGH ABOUT IT NOW. He could not lift CP daughter, so I would lift her and he would have to give me sighted directions as to where to walk and how far away the seat was, AS WE LAUGH ABOUT IT NOW, WHY DID DISNEY NEVER KICK US OUT FOR INDANGERING OURSELVES. I think we spent more of the vacation trying to find our youngest DD, of course I could not see, or hear the bells on her shoes, he could not chase after her, and although we had her on a harness she always seemed to slip out of it, when we were trying to lift the other DD out of the chair, or he was giving me visual instructions, or I was helping him letting him lean on me, and off she would go. WE WOULD GO BACK TO THE HOTEL AND LAUGH FOR HOURS ABOUT THE COMODY ACT. WE STILL DO.

I hope yours will be as magical as ours was, that was 16 years ago. Every trip for us is a challenge and an adventure, but we find the laughter in it and seem to forget the major struggles over time, and you just brought back for me all the laughter of our most memorable vacation.

so yes it is doable, and yes it is crazy, but think of all the memories you will be gaining.

Sorry I can not help with what rides will hurt his heels, I would say all thrill rides, or jerky rides, like dinosaurs, but I'm not an expert since even if my feet hurt it is not from an injury just from walking. I would go check out those listings SUE mentioned.

 

[nfceagles]

I suspect most thrill rides will be out, but he should be able to do Soarin. Your feet are dangling in the air with nothing to brace them against.

 

[gatormom2tots]

Trust me, if canceling the trip was an option we would do it!

Unfortunately, this whole trip is connected with a surprise family reunion for my mother-in-law and the rental home is paid for and several family members have already purchased airfare, etc. And seeing as somehow we ended up paying for the rental home and the only ones planning on going to disney, cancelling is just not an option- as hard as I tried to convince my husband.

Of course, we would NOT do anything that would harm him- that is why we spoke with the doctor about it and he oked anything that does not require (or allow) him to brace with his feet. Luckily soarin is one of our favorites and that is definitely in!

Thanks for the advice about height restrictions- I had never thought about that in terms of using feet.

We are still praying for a miracle at our next appointment that we are further along in the recovery process...at least we have another month before we are scheduled to leave! But we are also planning our trip with his restrictions in place...