Should I know anything???

[Disfan3]

My dcousin is going with us to WDW in March, I am thinking. She was jsut diagnosed with MS a few months ago and seems to be doing OK, but she really does not tell me much about her symptoms and illness anyway. She found out she is pregnant too and still wants to come with us.

Is there anything I may need to think about with a person who may have some special needs like these??

any suggestions are helpful...thanks!

 

[amykathleen2005]

I would just say to be understanding if she needs to take a break. Often people won't say that they need to stop and will try to put on a good face in order to not "ruin" everyone else's time, so it is important to watch out for signs of exhaustion even if she doesn't say anything. She seems very self sufficient and probably wants to keep it that way but it is also important so admit that one cannot do all the things that they used to. I would do some research on the rides that someone pregnant can and cannot ride and make plans to either skip these or split up and meet up later for those who want to ride. Although you don't know her specific symptoms, with progressive diseases it is incredibly difficult to show a precendance for someone with MS and what they can and cannot do but I would say that if she stayed off all of the rides not allowed for those who are pregnant anyway she should be fine. Hope everything goes well!

 

[goodwrench67]

The fact that she's pregnant is a plus. It's a known fact that the hormones produced from pregnancies help to reduce the symptoms of MS. The biggest thing to plan around MS is fatigue and heat. Be prepared to take midday breaks and have plenty of misting fans to help keep her cool. We're going this summer and am planning to use a wheelchair to from getting fatigued. Enjoy yourself and live life to the fullest....

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have a lot to add to the good advice you already got.

The rides/attractions that have warnings for pregnancy and other things are marked on the park maps with a red triangle. If you go to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a link to the offial WDW Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for each park. That has information (very basic) about each attraction that tells what a little about the attraction - at least you will know whether it is a turbulent thrill ride.

As was already mentioned, there is a tremendous variability in possible symptoms for MS. Some people with MS have problems with balance and depending on how pregnant she is when you go, some pregnant woman feel a bit unbalanced, especially toward the end of pregnancy. There is a link in the disABILITIES FAQs thread to a past thread about boarding rides with moving walkways that might be helpful. She might not have any problem with those attractions, but it might be helpful to know which rides do have them.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

You might want to consider renting a wheelchair or ECV to help her around the park. I don't know how the condition affects her personally, but there is a lot of walking in Disney, and it may be benificial to her to consider getting some help of this nature (for more information on renting, see the FAQ thread). Do whatever you guys feel you need to do to have the best possible holiday. I hope it goes wonderfully .

 

[Judy from Boise]

Since keeping cool is the number one thing.....maybe plan your schedule around early entry each day, when it is coolest and least crowded.

 

[RIDisneyFan]

My DH has MS and we've been to WDW twice in the last 2 years, both times in Sept. My DH's biggest problems are fatigue and heat. So my advice would be to keep cool (shouldn't be a problem in March) and have her take a break when she needs it. Another problem he has is that any kind of spinning ride makes him really dizzy and he feels sick for the rest of the day, so she might want to avoid rides like the tea cups and rockin' roller coaster.

 

[Disfan3]

thanks for the great advice everyone!!