Question about crutches, please help!!

RickinNYC

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 22, 2003
Hi all,
I have a quick question about crutches at WDW. At the ripe old age of 34, I was diagnosed with gout and when it flares up, it's amazingly, at times debilitatingly, painful. When I get an attack, I need a pair of crutches (or my poor partner) to get around for a couple of days. Now at the even riper, older age of 36, the attacks are getting much more frequent and more intense. What was a nuisance every 5 or 6 months that lasted for 4 or 5 days, now occurrs every couple of months and lasts one week to a month!
I have crutches on hand should things get bad but I'm hesitant to pack them for our October trip due to airline security concerns.
My question is, I know that one can rent wheel chairs and ECV's while in a park, but do they rent or loan crutches as well? If I have a flare up, I'd really rather avoid wheeling about the parks. Conversely, if they don't rent crutches, is there any policy about crutches? I can't seem to recall ever seeing anyone at any park with them! Are they considered a hazard?
Perhaps my question was a bit more involved than I thought!
 
:confused: That is a good one. I would say bring them with you use them if you have to. I would call disney and talk to them about using them in the parks and at the rides. Like what to do with them during the ride such as dinosaur in AK. I know the airlines are getting strict but I don't see a problem,BUT call them just to make sure what their procedures are. Have a good time at disney.

Dan-tot
 
Crutches are definitely allowed in the parks and resorts.

I would suggest an ECV rather than a wheelchair. Bring a bungee cord to attach the crutches to the back of the ECV seat to use when transferring to a ride or if you want to park the ECV when in a shop or restaurant.
 
I would suggest that you rent an offsite ECV then you will have it for your resort,too. The ECV will help you be as indepentant as you were before gout. I have bad knees and trying to walk made me cranky and it hurt. But the ECV made a huge difference in the Quality of my family's and my vacation!!
 
Originally posted by tink2dw
I would suggest that you rent an offsite ECV then you will have it for your resort,too. The ECV will help you be as indepentant as you were before gout. I have bad knees and trying to walk made me cranky and it hurt. But the ECV made a huge difference in the Quality of my family's and my vacation!!

tink, well said ... my sentiments exactly :)! off site ECV rental ... bad knees ... quality of vacation ...
 
Here's a list of places DIS posters have rented ecvs and wheelchairs from:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

If you choose not to bring your own crutches with you, I'm sure you can rent some from Care, Walker, or Colonial since they are full service medical equipment stores.
I have seen people bring crutches thru security at the airport. If you can walk without them, they go on the conveyor belt thru the xray machine like everything else. If you can't walk without them, you might be able to go thru the scanner if they don;t contain much metal, otherwise they would wand you. Once on the plane, they can go in the closet or overhead bins.
 


Again, thanks for the tips and links folks! You are all the best!

Gout is awful awful awful. Thank God it's manageable by diet!
 

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