Seizures, heat & dehydration ... what do I need to do?

[wuv tigger]

Any have good tips for our family as this is my 1st trip with anti seizure Rx (We been to WDW MANY x's in the past 6 years)

My Rx meds should be stablized by then.

I know that the heat in June could be a problem. I will be bringing in lots of bottles of water for each park. We will plan to use the First Aid stations if I need to cool down.

I also have asthma and am FULLY prepared to handle that aspect of my medical concerns.

What other tried & true tips can you share me?

tia,

wuv tigger

 

[SueM in MN]

My DD has epilepsy and has had seizures at WDW; her seizures are not well controlled and she has usually 3-4 per month.

The suggestions her neurologist gave us were:
1) To keep on schedule with medications. I have an ipod touch with me and set an alarm for her medication. It’s very easy to lose track of time at WDW and all of a sudden realize that you are a couple of hours past a dose.

2) If you don’t plan to bring your whole bottle of medication with you, at least bring an extra dose (in case you are running later than you planned or decide to stay at the park later) and a couple of extra pills (in case you drop one).

3) No burning the candle at both ends - try to get your normal amount of sleep and not having very early mornings combined with late nights.

4) Avoid dehydration - water is best (but, you already are planning for that

5) One way to avoid the heat in the summer is to go to the park in the mornings before it gets hot and then leave for a while. Come back in late afternoon or evening when it has cooled off a little (although June does not cool off that much after sundown).

6) Watch the weather and try to avoid the hottest parks on the hottest days if you can.
Our feeling is that Magic Kingdom can feel hot, especially in Fantasyland because of how tight it gets with people.
AK also feels like a hot park to us and most of the attractions/queues are outside.
Epcot has most attractions with inside queues.

7) A tour planning service like Tour Guide Mike or Ridemax can help you to see the largest number of things in the shortest amount of time.

 

[wuv tigger]

THANKS so much for ALL the great tips!

I will make sure that dh reads your tips/ideas! We will make sure to avoid the HOT times. We will plan on earling mornings, go back to our room, then return later in the evenings.

What do I need to tell the CM's why I need the GAC. This is ALL so new to me. I know I need to avoid very hot times (our trip was planned BEFORE my seizures )

thanks SO much Sue for helping us on a journey we didn't realize had my name on it

 

[RabFlmom]

A story from this week.....without telling too much because of HIPPA laws.....

At one of the parks where a family member is a first responder, he got word while in the far side of the park that someone was having a seizure in the parking lot.

Upon arrival after running through the park he was huffing and puffing a little. He found a high school girl who was there with a group lying on the pavement. Like trained he started asking questions..... her name, where from, etc. She was blind so couldn't see him, but even though she was struggling herself she asked him "are you OK? " I thought that was so sweet. He found out she does suffer from seizures sometimes, but also that she had only had orange soda and potato chips for breakfast, a cookie for lunch and hadn't had anything else to drink all day. so be sure to eat healthy complete meals while on vacation and drink liquid throughout the day.

Also if you feel like heat is going to be a bother and about to pass out put a wet cloth, a cold bottle of water etc. under your arm . oit will bring your body temp down a little faster than applying a cold cloth to your forehead. I sometimes also wear a wet cloth around my neck to help with the heat.

 

[Belle1962]

Carry in a couple of disposable ice packs. They are found in the first aid section of the store (WalMart and Target). They run about a buck. Squeeze to activate and apply to neck, head, etc. Then toss. My family uses these constantly. Especially when waiting for a parade in the heat.

 

[Nebula]

My mom has epilepsy, asthma and bad knees. Her best advice? Take breaks! Schedule them, make sure you take them. Always have water with you to avoid dehydration. If in doubt, just find a place to sit. Maybe bring one of those water spritzing fans. And know where the best attractions are to sit and take a load off. Mom's favorites are Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress.

 

[SueM in MN]

There is information about Guest Assistance Cards in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.
You need to think about what problems or needs your asthma ans seizures might create, not just that you have those conditions.

Whether or not you have a GAC, you need to make allowances for the heat and humidity. Some attractions have no cool place to wait, especially when you are looking at AK, where the majority of things are outside.

 

[dmccarty]

...
Also if you feel like heat is going to be a bother and about to pass out put a wet cloth, a cold bottle of water etc. under your arm . oit will bring your body temp down a little faster than applying a cold cloth to your forehead. I sometimes also wear a wet cloth around my neck to help with the heat.

Bing Bing Bing!

It is very good advice to put a wet cloth on your neck. A neck exposed to the sun can heat you up FAST. A wet cloth with evaporate and make you cool off fast or keep you cool in the first place.

A wide brimmed white cloth hat with vent holes can do wonders in the cooling department. Just be careful of a hat that would collect heat because of color or construction.

A cloth hat is nice because you can soak it in water which evaporates and keeps your head cooler. And a wide brimmed hat is even better since it keeps the sun off your face and neck. Keeping your head and neck covered does wonders to keeping cooler.

Drinking water is good but if you are really sweating you are loosing minerals that have to be replaced. If you are very hot you won't likely be hungry. But eat something. A banana is high in potassium which is a mineral you loose and need.

More than a few years ago I was working an event in a polyester uniform that included long pants, a ballistic vest, and 20 pounds of gear. I was standing on black top in weather that was not too hot but hot enough. I was drinking lots of water and eating bagels. But after 6 hours or so I was feeling bad. I took a break and found a banana to eat. Eating that banana was like flicking a switch. I went from about going down to being perfectly fine over a few minutes.

This weekend I was working in our garden. Very nice weather it might have gotten into the low 70s and we had low humidity. I found my self having to take frequent breaks in the shade because I was over heating. I was NOT wearing my hat. Put on said hat and was able to work long before needing a break. Bending over to garden exposes the neck to the sun which heats you up ASAP even when it is a nice day out. If it had been hotter I would have gotten the hat wet and wore a wet towel to cover my neck.

Wear a wide brimmed hat if you can. Wet it if you get hot. Wet a cloth and put it on your neck if needed.

Drink water but don't forget to eat and/or drink a sports drink if you can handle the sugar.

Take breaks in the shade or better yet the AC. Hall of President or COP come to mind. At EPCOT there the building behind Club Cool is very COOL and great place to sit out of the heat.

Later,
Dan

 

[jenn-n-okla]

I have seizures and my daughter has lung issues (she wears oxygen in the parks to help her make it through a Disney day.) We both overheat easily and we come from Oklahoma where the weather is not that much different than Florida's.

My recommendations:
1. Go in the mornings, go to the hotel in the hottest part of the day, then come back in the evenings. Avoid the 3:00 parades. They are not worth passing out.
2. Drink water, drink water, drink water! We also throw in at least one sports drink.
3. Bring a washcloth from the hotel in a plastic ziplock bag. When you get too hot, find a place with ice water. Get the cloth wet with the ice water and put it on your neck and ears. Your ears have LOTS of blood vessels in them to help cool you off.....think about a rabbit.
4. Wear a hat. We use those bucket style. Like the ones from Gilligan's Island. Dumb looking but works the best. We have several Disney ones. Although I didn't see as many for sale in 2008 when we were there.
5. Get yourself one of those misting fans. The ones with the water bottle attached to a fan. We keep ice water in ours. It works great. You don't have to squirt the water out all the time either.
6. Get a GAC. tell them you need a place out of the sun to wait due to seizures.
7. Use Tourguide Mike or Ridemax like someone else said.
8. If necessary see about getting a cooling vest. They are a vest that has pockets all around it that you put those gel ice packs in. It keeps you cool. They use these for patients who can not sweat due to certain genetic problems.

 

[PrincessDadx2]

OOOOPPS: I logged in under dh's sign in

I KNEW the disers would come to my rescue for our upcoming trip. You guys are awesome!

I will be requesting a GAC due to the heat. I have 2 cold neck thingies (not sure of the name of it) that I soak in cold water & place it on my neck. It is filled with gel that expands when wet & works really well in cooling me down.

I gotta put it on my list for my trip so I don't have 2 buy new ones in Orlando in June.

 

[dmccarty]

8. If necessary see about getting a cooling vest. They are a vest that has pockets all around it that you put those gel ice packs in. It keeps you cool. They use these for patients who can not sweat due to certain genetic problems.

I forgot about those. I have not used those cooling jackets but they were being sold for contractors working in hot and humid places. Seems like they would last four or so hours and them the packs had to be replaced. An online store selling to contractors might have these things.

The other thing I forgot to mentioned was to wear cotton clothes. My granny was born, raised and lived in GA and FLA most of her life. She always for thin cotton clothes. It does help. Polyester is just hot hot hot. I bought some shirts and shorts for our WDW because they dry out quickly. The shorts are ok. The shirts not so much because they were a poly blend. I knew better. They do dry fast but the shirt is very hot. A cotton shirt is far better.

Later,
Dan

 

[wuv tigger]

I had so MANY ??? and so few answers!

BUT you disers came through for me!

THANKS!

 

[dmccarty]

I was thinking about this thread again when I was working the in the garden yesterday. Regarding dehydration and water I mentioned to eat even though you might not wanna. They other thing I do is to mix a bit of OJ with my drinking water. The potassium and other minerals in the OJ help replace what has been lost.

Yesterday was nice and low humidity. Working four hours in the garden I drank a 2-3 liters of water with the last liter have a bit of OJ. A bit too much since my stomach does not like real sugary and acidic drinks. The past weekend when I was working out there the DW made the drink just perfect. That weekend was a 4-5 liter day.

And it aint summer yet.

A banana or a bit of OJ can really pick you up if you have been out in hot and humid weather.

And the broad brimmed hat works wonders. Working yesterday it was cloudy and overcast so a hat was not needed. Then the clouds cleared and I started to overheat quickly. So the hat was placed and it was a night and day difference.

Later,
Dan

 

[D L and K's Mom]

This is probably overkill if you are traveling with family etc...but, I would suggest wearing a medic alert bracelet or something with your medical history on it or a contact person in case you are alone (family on a ride etc). If you do have a seizure or faint it is important that people know your history. My DS has seizures and I know that when we are in WDW they seem to increase. I am sure it is a combo of heat, being excited and tired. We make him drink and eat lots and lots of popsicles!!!

 

[wuv tigger]

This is probably overkill if you are traveling with family etc...but, I would suggest wearing a medic alert bracelet or something with your medical history on it or a contact person in case you are alone (family on a ride etc). If you do have a seizure or faint it is important that people know your history. My DS has seizures and I know that when we are in WDW they seem to increase. I am sure it is a combo of heat, being excited and tired. We make him drink and eat lots and lots of popsicles!!!

I consider wearing the Medic Alert Bracelet a help to me & to any medical staff who might need to treat me!

I've had my Medic Alert Bracelet for the past 20 years and I've only had to use it once but THANK GOD the bracelet was able to "talk" for me.

I will be updating it the 1st week of June so all my Rx & OTC's are current.

thanks for the reminder