Please help

[wishiwereindisney]

These boards have been a great resource and i am hoping someone can give me some much needed advice. DH broke his foot three weeks ago. Today he was told by the DR that he needs another three weeks in a cast then will go to a walking boot. we leave in one month exactly. the DR said that he will be able to walk but not all day, no waterslides, etc. we are bummed and were considering changing our trip but with the help of these boards i am feeling a bit better. DH thinks he can tough it out and walk. i am concerned about him being comfortable and not injuring himself. i think he should get a wheelchair. that being said i don't know if we want to spend 45 dollars a day for and EVC if he is going to be doing some walking. here is my questions: will i be able to push him around in a regular wheelchair? DH is 6'2" and 220 pounds. I am 5'1", about 145 pounds and in fairly good shape but by no means super strong.

thank you!!

 

[everylastbreath]

Can you push it? yes, will you want to? no.... There are quite a few little hills in the parks that you might not really notice walking, but pushing a wheelchair with a 220lb man in it you will. Plus the fact that the heat will kick butt. Don't do it. Rent an ECV from outside vendor (I rented from Randy's) it's $180 for the week, instead of daily charge. I wouldn't recommend pushing a manual wheelchair, I guarantee you would only do it for 1 day and realize it's too hard.

 

[NavyMomX2]

I feel for you. Just last week, I had an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon and long story short I'm not able to walk the parks. Short walks yes, hours, no. So.....my husband was insisting on pushing me in a wheelchair. He is a strong guy who works out 3 times a week and I am not overweight. However, and a BIG however here, there is NO way I am going to let my husband push me - I'm renting a scooter from Randy's as someone else here said. I lived in FL for 19 years and trust me when I say I just can't imagine my husband pushing me in that heat and humidity. Again, I feel for you. Please do consider the scooter.

 

[hematite153]

For the alternative view....
I push my DW in a wheelchair when at wdw. She's probably a similar weight to your DH, so, I know that it is possible. We've considered the ECV, but, for us, the w/c is best. There's a certain trust/intimacy that comes from it that we enjoy, plus a greater flexibility to fold it up when there are others needing the tie-downs on the wdw buses.

(Btw, we have learned that the best option is to rent from home since this both makes it cheaper and means that she doesn't use up her walking power in airports.)

Now, to agree with everylastbreath....
Does pushing someone up and down hills, over the themed AK pavement, etc. wear me out? Absolutely. What do you mean when you call yourself "in fairly good shape"? The first time I pushed my DW at wdw, I was trained for a half-marathon and I found it challenging and tiring. After that I started lifting weights and pushed myself to improve my upper body strength--I would still not have qualified as a serious lifter, but, I roughly doubled my arm strength and it made a big difference. This year, I've had surgery twice and my weights are down below where I started, I tried pushing my DW last week in DC and was easily exhausted. Disney is a lot of walking. Can you walk 15 miles per day everyday without being too tired to enjoy it? Now, can you add a 50lb pack to your back? My experience is that this is a comparable comparison to the workload.

As for your DH walking, I don't recommend it. Broken feet can be really challenging healing experiences. I have known many people who walked too much in their walking casts and ended up in significant pain and/or with chronic problems. The easiest way to keep him from overdoing it might be to rent an offsite ECV.

My DFIL (with the same condition as my DW) came with us in Jan and we talked him into an ECV. He would use it for the room to bus, bus to park, and land to land walking. Then, he frequently parked the ECV with the strollers and walked around the local area. He remarked several times on how much more he was able to do because he didn't use up his foot power on the boring parts of the day.

 

[KPeveler]

i would give a scooter a try, and if you hate it, then switch, but i am 5' and 100 lbs and after an hour in the FL heat my mom gets sick of pushing me. and my dad, who is a good sized strong guy, has a lot of trouble pushing my mom, who weighs about the same as your DH.

i think more than anything your DH would enjoy the freedom of a scooter... he can do what he wants, no problem...

 

[hematite153]

i think more than anything your DH would enjoy the freedom of a scooter... he can do what he wants, no problem...

Yes, unless you've previously tested the dependency thing--i.e. are you pushing him in a w/c now, or, is he using crutches?--an ECV will give him much better independence.

My DW is currently on vacation with 11 teenagers and has spent a whole year working on the issue of trust so that she'll be able to let them "drive". I think it's going to go okay, but, be a challenge for all of them. She did consider an ECV, but, they are going a bunch of places where the w/c can go that an ECV couldn't.

 

[1stluvispooh]

As for your DH walking, I don't recommend it. Broken feet can be really challenging healing experiences. I have known many people who walked too much in their walking casts and ended up in significant pain and/or with chronic problems.

I was one of those people who overdid it in a walking cast and am now regretting it. If I had to do it all over again I would have taken it easier when I was trying to heal my broken foot.

 

[SueM in MN]

My youngest DD is a full time wheelchair user and has been since she was a tiny child. She's now a small young adult at 5 feet tall and less than 90 pounds, with a lightweight, custom wheelchair. DH and I are used to pushing her wheelchair, but after a day in the parks, we are tired.