Pulled my back be leave tomorrow!!!

[cassie58]

I have gotten the thermacare heat pads that wrap around you with a "belt" and are supposed to last 8hrs. They have helped when I have had to go out somewhere when I have been in this situation - don't know if it would help enough for park level activity, but they might give some comfort. This of course along with Ibuprofen round the clock to keep inflammation down.

 

[SplashMo]

You might ask your doc about sodium naproxen or simply Aleve.

 

[smidgy]

don'tcount on renting a wheel chair everyday. call randys mobility and ret a chair for the entire stay.l they will meet you at your resort at the begning and the end, you cna use it in the buses, the parks. at the resort. or not.. if you don't need it

 

[Gracie09]

When dh threw out his back right before a trip we paid for a last minute upgrade to 1st class (for the extra room for him), he used our stroller as a walker and we were able to get a stroller as a wheelchair tag, he also used the hot tub at the resort every night and got a massage half way through the trip. It helped

 

[ThistleMae]

I second or third an ECV rental. At least have the number for an offsite vendor with you. I recommend Walker Mobility. Check outtthe Disability Forum too

Definitely use an ECV. I was just talking to Buena Vista yesterday. They have a spot at the boardwalk, first come first serve there. So if you wanted to see how things are going, you could always go there first thing in the morning and rent one. Cheaper than the ones in the park. But....if you absolutely know you are going to need one, then call and reserve one. With Walker you have to be there for pick up and drop off. With Buena Vista, because they are an approved Disney provider, they will drop off and pick up at your resort and you don't have to be there. If it wasn't for an ECV I wouldn't have been able to do my last two trips. They saved my vacation!

 

[Rhianna.07]

Well I certainly hope your back heals well! I am very sorry that this has happened right before your trip! But Disney staff is always very helpful and do truly care about helping you during your trip so I would suggest maybe an ECV rental instead but I would not recommend walking if you are in a lot of pain. The parks are manageable if you do have an ECV or wheelchair, and you can still do most rides just not rollercoasters or intense rides. Pain medication can help and many replies above have helped with that ^^ but I do hope you feel better! Have a wonderful trip and a magical day!

 

[WhitneyMB]

By husband has back problems and a TENS machine that helps massage and offers electrical stimulation helps immensely. You can buy one on Amazon (Prime!) and use it while you are in the park. Pairing it with a heating pack can help keep your back loose. Good luck!

 

[ellie05]

Thanks everyone! I feel a little better today I can at least move. I talked to my doctor and PT today. Which went mostly well except when the Dr. laugh when I said I will walk half a day by Sunday . Our chiropractor is out of town until next week so I couldn't get an appointment today. The docotor gave me a few more prescriptions (thanks for all your help guys I talked to her about some of the stuff mention here to see what was better option for me) to take with me in case I would need and the PT send me some new stretches.

Today I can walk. I been walking 5 min per hour it is about all I can manage now. I found it was much easier to walk in the carpet because when I walk in the hard floors it is almost as I can feel the schock in my back and ot becomes painful much quicker also standing on hard surfaces it is so painful! I also just got out of taking a long bath in the jetted tub which seem to have help.

With that being said I don't think it is realistic at this point that I will walk the parks next week . I would walk slow and need lots of rest and I would do it if it was just DH and I but we are going with our friends and their daughter (DH goddaughter) and it is their first trip and I would hate to hold them back. I have looked into wheelchairs and ECV rentals and that is what we will go with. I am thinking I will try to walk when they go in the rides I can't go so I can walk at my pace and keep things loose. I can only imagine the looks I will get in the parks!

Oh yeah and thanks to the person that talked about the safari! It is rough and something I didn't think about. The dis rocks !

 

[I Love Pluto]

Ouch!!!! Rent an ECV!!!!!!

I hope you are feeling better today!!!!!

 

[cobright]

I can only imagine the looks I will get in the parks!

Seriously, try your best to not fall into this trap. We seem, as a people, to be programmed towards self-consciousness. The reality is 99.9% of the people who might see you in an ECV one minute and walking the next won't care, likely it won't even register as something they should think about. Most of the crowd is just going about their self-absorbed vacation, maybe worrying about making their fastpass window. The only times I've ever spared a thought about who's in a wheelchair or not was when bumped by them. As for the 0.1% who might have a critical thought on the matter ... well they're unlikely to say it to you and they're horrible people you don't need to expend the energy worrying over.

Go you being you.

 

[mamabunny]

@ellie05 I am so sorry to hear that you were injured so close to your trip!

Sounds like you are going to rent an ECV - just a few fast tips for you:

- Put the phone number and office hours for your vendor in your phone's contacts; if you have a problem with the ECV you want to be able to contact them. Most importantly, charge the ECV all night, every night in the room and you should have no problems though - thousands of rental ECVs are running around at WDW at any given time, so you'll be fine!

- Take a few minutes at the Resort to get to know your new "wheels", and learn how tightly you can turn, how it feels to go up and down ramps, curb cuts and inclines. Practice driving around in the shop and the QS to see what it's going to be like in the Parks. Practice making a panic stop - you *will* be glad you did.

- Tell the bus drivers, boat captains and Monorail CMs that you are a first time driver, and they will help guide you. Main thing to know is to center yourself on the opening, and go slowly but smoothly up the ramp. If you are not comfortable driving the ECV up or down the ramp, a family member or member of your party can do that for you.

- Ask any CM at a ride or attraction if you have any questions regarding using the ECV in the queue or where to park. Remember that POTC is dark, and you cannot drive the ECV through the line; there are wheelchairs at the attraction specifically for that. There are a few other attractions (Peter Pan for example) where you obviously can't drive the ECV very close.

- Bring a brightly colored bandana, or a length of ribbon from home to tie on the ECV, so that it will stand out in a sea of rentals. Especially in case a CM moves it while you are in an attraction, ride or meal.

- Don't leave anything in your basket that you care about; just like you wouldn't leave your stuff lying on the ground while you were in a ride or attraction.

- Don't freak out about using the ECV. First of all, it's *not* rocket science or brain surgery; that little bit of practice you will do at the Resort before heading out to the Parks is probably all you need to feel confident!

Next, and I can't stress this enough - you, on that ECV at WDW is a total non-event. You will see people of all ages & types on ECVs at WDW. Some of us only need an ECV at Disney - others use one full-time, wherever they are. Regardless, the big news here is that everyone else at WDW is so busy posting to Facebook and Instagram what a wonderful time they are having that you don't even register on their radar. Folks are just self-absorbed now. In fact, they are so self-absorbed that you will need to be alert; some people will literally walk right into you because they aren't paying attention! Little nuggets are the worst, they don't understand the laws of physics, and that ECVs can't stop on a dime.

Finally, know this: Your use of that ECV is not because you are lazy. It's not because you think its "fun" to ride around all day. You are using the ECV as a *TOOL* to accomplish a task. It's no different than using a calculator to do math, glasses to see better, or a hearing aid if you are hearing-impaired. Anyone who judges you for that does so from a place of ignorance.

- And my last personal tip: As someone who suffers daily from debilitating back issues, nothing feels better than some time in a nice, warm pool or hot tub! Taking the weight off your spine, legs and feet will feel amazing. If you can take a break halfway through the day at the Resort to pop into the warm water, that may help as much as anything.

I hope you all have the best possible trip!

 

[smidgy]

rent an ecv. and go have fun! no one is thinking anything about you! you have a very real injury and you do what is best for you!.. if you feel like you need to walk for awhile, someone else in you rparty can ride the ecv to move it along. have fun!!! and I hope you are pain free soon!

 

[adisneyaunt]

Oh... sorry to hear about ur back!!

Speedy recovery OP! Do whatever you can, However you can and enjoy as Best as you can!
Pixie dust ur way!!!!

 

[DG25]

I so flexiral, had a touchy back for years. It works for me, usually within two days now my back is better. I use ice and heat (I read somewhere that the hotels have heating pads if you ask). I do messages. Don't want to get blasted by this, but you can call and ask yourself. My ex is military, so I have been to shades of green, they have a spa and I get a message every three days. Now I have gone several times not at sog and not with my ex. I have called the spa, get number off sog website. I ask them if I don't have a military I'd can I go, they say yes, I ask how do I get on sog, they say tell them you have appt at the spa and have id and they will let you in. I have never had a problem. Why I tell you this, because a message there cost $75 an hour, and I can do two for the price of one. The spa is not owned by the military and they ncourage people to come in because they say they can not keep going if people don't come in. They also have golfers going into the restaurants all the time, because the golf course is right there and they just walk into the bar in the back. Anyway, like I say call and ask first, but it is a very well worth message and helps me be able to do Disney. To get to shades, you have a couple of options, I do a MK day, and get first appt. I then leave my party and go to poly, and walk towards the road near sog, you have to cross the street, (ask the spa for the number for the shady tram) they have a golf cart they send down to the road, you call the number when you take they short walk from poly to the road, by the time you get there the golf man is there to take you up to the door. The second way, if you have a car, drive to sog, tell them you are going to parking at the golf course (free parking there) and take the short walk into the pool area and the spa is off to the right of pool. I make 2 weeks or more at Disney because of the massages I get, ask for John he is the best.

 

[Smittolis]

If it were me and it were that bad, i'd convince my doctor to give me a cortisone shot in the affected area, or perhaps a tapered prednisone dose for a week to get it back on track!