Taking Mother with knee issues Need Tips/Advice

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

Hi All,

I am looking for tips & advice to help plan and ease the trip next November (2017) for my Dear Mother who will be coming with my Dad and my husband, daughter and I. She has not been to Disney in over 10 years and since then has developed severe knee issues from some old injuries.

She needs full knee replacement surgery on both knees but is very hesitant to undergo those at least at this point. She has been getting steroid shots which help tremendously but her General Practioner wants those to stop entirely as they as causing other health issues. Best case scenario is that the has the surgery and is recovered prior to the trip. But even at that she tires easily and I doubt in 18 months she will have the surgery be covered and getting enough daily exercise not to tire easily.

So now to the point of my post:

As things stand now we are looking at renting an outside ECV. What companies are reliable?

Please share any and all tips/advice you have on renting ECVs whether from anther company or Disney.

Bus transportation: She is mortified about trying to load the ECV herself onto a bus could my husband do that for her? Tips on transportation? We will mainly be on bus transportation and staying near bus stop 1 at Port Orleans. ECVs on boats?

Tips for ride lines for those that can/do transfer from an ECV to stand in the regular stand by line?
We always try to avoid ride lines with a wait time longer than 30 minutes. She figures she could stand in line since it's rarely at a total stand still for more than a few minutes. She does work in a hospital and has to walk around there but can take quick sit down breaks frequently with helps with the tiredness.

Slowing of the conveyor belt loading system of the rides? I had asked this before and was told for rides such as Buzz/Mansion etc they can slow the moving sidewalk to allow easier boarding. Could we request this thru the normal standby line or would be need to try to obtain an assistance card and go through all of that?

Any rides that are particular difficult to get on that we need to be aware of? Again she can and will transfer from the ECV with out any issues but bad knees/short legs sometimes can cause issues. I know the ride in Norway use to give her fits because you had to step so far down into the boat. She would practically have to crawl out when the ride was over. No need to mention any thrill rides of any of the mountains she don't ride those

Thanks for any and all help with this! I just finally convinced her to go and I know the more information we have to be prepared the easier her mind will be.

 

[gap2368]

Hi All,

I am looking for tips & advice to help plan and ease the trip next November (2017) for my Dear Mother who will be coming with my Dad and my husband, daughter and I. She has not been to Disney in over 10 years and since then has developed severe knee issues from some old injuries.

She needs full knee replacement surgery on both knees but is very hesitant to undergo those at least at this point. She has been getting steroid shots which help tremendously but her General Practioner wants those to stop entirely as they as causing other health issues. Best case scenario is that the has the surgery and is recovered prior to the trip. But even at that she tires easily and I doubt in 18 months she will have the surgery be covered and getting enough daily exercise not to tire easily.

So now to the point of my post:

As things stand now we are looking at renting an outside ECV. What companies are reliable?

1 Please share any and all tips/advice you have on renting ECVs whether from anther company or Disney.

2 Bus transportation: She is mortified about trying to load the ECV herself onto a bus could my husband do that for her? Tips on transportation? We will mainly be on bus transportation and staying near bus stop 1 at Port Orleans. ECVs on boats?

3 Tips for ride lines for those that can/do transfer from an ECV to stand in the regular stand by line?
We always try to avoid ride lines with a wait time longer than 30 minutes. She figures she could stand in line since it's rarely at a total stand still for more than a few minutes. She does work in a hospital and has to walk around there but can take quick sit down breaks frequently with helps with the tiredness.

4 Slowing of the conveyor belt loading system of the rides? I had asked this before and was told for rides such as Buzz/Mansion etc they can slow the moving sidewalk to allow easier boarding. Could we request this thru the normal standby line or would be need to try to obtain an assistance card and go through all of that?

5 Any rides that are particular difficult to get on that we need to be aware of? Again she can and will transfer from the ECV with out any issues but bad knees/short legs sometimes can cause issues. I know the ride in Norway use to give her fits because you had to step so far down into the boat. She would practically have to crawl out when the ride was over. No need to mention any thrill rides of any of the mountains she don't ride those

Thanks for any and all help with this! I just finally convinced her to go and I know the more information we have to be prepared the easier her mind will be.

1 Is all option look at the top of this list for a list of places some will drop off pick up at bell service some will not and they will meet you this could be good to have them show you have to use the ECV or it could be bad that you may have to wait some also it is so fair in advance the one you like today may be really bad then so I would start to look just a few months before to get a good understanding of how the company is doing then and then go with one.

2 yes someone in your party can drive the ECV on the buss and she can walk up the ramp

3 she can take the ECV with her in lines that ones that she can not will have a wheel chair she can transfer into or she can use it to push and sit if needed

4 yes some moving walk ways can be stopped some like the people mover can not be stopped you do not need any specie card they have gone away with the guest assistance cards a few years ago and now you just let the CM know what you need

5 a few I can think of that you step down into are space mountain, POTCB, Splash mountain, test track Rock in roller coaster are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[gap2368]

opps post this 2x

 

[minnie mum]

Welcome to the Dis ABILITIES forum. As someone who was in your mother's shoes a couple of years ago, I understand your concerns very well. I hope she will eventually have the surgery- it has improved my quality of life tremendously. But the recovery period is prolonged and requires great commitment to the daily physio regimen.

But go get to your questions: almost all of the answers can be found in the FAQ sticky at the top of the page:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/di...disabled-1st-trip-next-trip-wish-trip.595713/

Post 2 includes info on off site rentals
Post 4 deals with using the resort/park buses with an ecv or wheelchair
Posts 18-22 deal with the accessibility of attractions at each of the parks.

Regarding your mother's difficulty stepping down into the boats. This is a problem with several attractions. IASW, POTC, TT, JC, LWTL, Splash Mtn are just a few. I found it best to have DH board first, then offer his hand to steady and support me as I boarded. To exit, he would get out first, and again offer his hand to help me up.

If you have other questions after you've read the FAQ thread, there are lots of us here to offer help.

 

[Bete]

I'm coming in with info about another injection your mom could do which is not steroids. It's a gel injection. Usually, you have to do three injections like a week apart for each. You have to wait for all the injections to usually feel better. This is a more expensive treatment. Not sure if this could help your mom, but I sure would investigate it. Why her doctor hasn't suggested it already I can't say. Maybe, the doctor doesn't do those injections, but should be able to refer her. I believe most people are a candidate for these gel injections. You may not want to do it, but it may be an option especially since she wants to put off surgery. I know someone who had two, bad knees that was able to get another two years before he had to get the surgery done because of these gel injections. I was thinking about it, but so far my last steroid shot has lasted 9 months and counting for me.

If she had one bad knee she would probably do all right at Disney, but with both bad knees she may have great difficulty getting on and off rides even leading to a possible fall. If possible I would make sure someone is in front of her to help and someone is behind her, as well to help to get on and off rides that are more difficult. I would even go as far as to avoid rides with deep on and off situations like some of the boat rides.

Also, long days could be rough on her. Consider alternating rides with shows, parades and fireworks. That way she will get some rest in between the rides.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hi All,

I am looking for tips & advice to help plan and ease the trip next November (2017) for my Dear Mother who will be coming with my Dad and my husband, daughter and I. She has not been to Disney in over 10 years and since then has developed severe knee issues from some old injuries.

She needs full knee replacement surgery on both knees but is very hesitant to undergo those at least at this point. She has been getting steroid shots which help tremendously but her General Practioner wants those to stop entirely as they as causing other health issues. Best case scenario is that the has the surgery and is recovered prior to the trip. But even at that she tires easily and I doubt in 18 months she will have the surgery be covered and getting enough daily exercise not to tire easily.

So now to the point of my post:

As things stand now we are looking at renting an outside ECV. What companies are reliable?

Please share any and all tips/advice you have on renting ECVs whether from anther company or Disney.

Bus transportation: She is mortified about trying to load the ECV herself onto a bus could my husband do that for her? Tips on transportation? We will mainly be on bus transportation and staying near bus stop 1 at Port Orleans. ECVs on boats?

Tips for ride lines for those that can/do transfer from an ECV to stand in the regular stand by line?
We always try to avoid ride lines with a wait time longer than 30 minutes. She figures she could stand in line since it's rarely at a total stand still for more than a few minutes. She does work in a hospital and has to walk around there but can take quick sit down breaks frequently with helps with the tiredness.

Slowing of the conveyor belt loading system of the rides? I had asked this before and was told for rides such as Buzz/Mansion etc they can slow the moving sidewalk to allow easier boarding. Could we request this thru the normal standby line or would be need to try to obtain an assistance card and go through all of that?

Any rides that are particular difficult to get on that we need to be aware of? Again she can and will transfer from the ECV with out any issues but bad knees/short legs sometimes can cause issues. I know the ride in Norway use to give her fits because you had to step so far down into the boat. She would practically have to crawl out when the ride was over. No need to mention any thrill rides of any of the mountains she don't ride those

Thanks for any and all help with this! I just finally convinced her to go and I know the more information we have to be prepared the easier her mind will be.

yes someone else can drive ECV on bus but the drivers I have had a very good at helping you get on and parked. I also have knee issues and I would suggest that you take ECV in lines with you for 2 reasons it allows you to rest while in line and also keeps ECV out of sun heating the seat or rain is shower pops up. if you decide to park ECV while in line bring a bath towel to cover seat so it doesn't get hot in sun. one ride that I remember taking longer with ECV is Toy Story as you have to wait for special cars ay a special area where you do not have to do the steps. there are a few rides that you have to transfer to wheelchair which are there at the ride. one ride that will not slow the belt is Peter Pan and no wheelchairs or ECV on the People Mover. do not know if it would help her but I have found that using a cane for support helps me get out of the boats. would ask CM at each ride as you get in line what you need to do for that ride to help her. you are not bothering them but helping them by being prepared and getting to a point of holding up the line by missing something or being in wrong spot. I would use an offsite rental as they are usually cheaper and easier handle in the parks plus you have for use of getting from transportation to the parks and having a place to sit while waiting for transportation leaving the parks which can have very on lines. have not stayed at your resort but most of the larger boats are able to take ECVs but as with rides ask the CM there for sure. would do this before you plan to use so you have time to plan other transportation if you need to. I had more trouble parking on boat from Fort Wilderness to MK than on the buses but that did not stop me from using. tell her she will not be the only one there having same problems with ECV as she is. tell her to have a great trip

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

Welcome to the Dis ABILITIES forum. As someone who was in your mother's shoes a couple of years ago, I understand your concerns very well. I hope she will eventually have the surgery- it has improved my quality of life tremendously. But the recovery period is prolonged and requires great commitment to the daily physio regimen.

But go get to your questions: almost all of the answers can be found in the FAQ sticky at the top of the page:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/di...disabled-1st-trip-next-trip-wish-trip.595713/

Post 2 includes info on off site rentals
Post 4 deals with using the resort/park buses with an ecv or wheelchair
Posts 18-22 deal with the accessibility of attractions at each of the parks.

Regarding your mother's difficulty stepping down into the boats. This is a problem with several attractions. IASW, POTC, TT, JC, LWTL, Splash Mtn are just a few. I found it best to have DH board first, then offer his hand to steady and support me as I boarded. To exit, he would get out first, and again offer his hand to help me up.

If you have other questions after you've read the FAQ thread, there are lots of us here to offer help.

Minnie Mum thank you soo much for your help and I felt a little sheepish I found the FAQ thread after posting this and it does have a lot of great info! And thanks for the ride tips. I didn't think about living with the land that's her favorite so we can't skip it!

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

I'm coming in with info about another injection your mom could do which is not steroids. It's a gel injection. Usually, you have to do three injections like a week apart for each. You have to wait for all the injections to usually feel better. This is a more expensive treatment. Not sure if this could help your mom, but I sure would investigate it. Why her doctor hasn't suggested it already I can't say. Maybe, the doctor doesn't do those injections, but should be able to refer her. I believe most people are a candidate for these gel injections. You may not want to do it, but it may be an option especially since she wants to put off surgery. I know someone who had two, bad knees that was able to get another two years before he had to get the surgery done because of these gel injections. I was thinking about it, but so far my last steroid shot has lasted 9 months and counting for me.

If she had one bad knee she would probably do all right at Disney, but with both bad knees she may have great difficulty getting on and off rides even leading to a possible fall. If possible I would make sure someone is in front of her to help and someone is behind her, as well to help to get on and off rides that are more difficult. I would even go as far as to avoid rides with deep on and off situations like some of the boat rides.

Also, long days could be rough on her. Consider alternating rides with shows, parades and fireworks. That way she will get some rest in between the rides.

thank you so much for that suggestion I have not heard of gel injections and she might not have either. the steroid shots give her about 3-4 months of great relief and when she's had them she can do very well as long as she doesn't push it. We will be with my daughter who won't be quite 3 so we plan on going at a pretty slow pace so everyone can enjoy their time.

her main concern for surgery is last year she had a surgery with complications and spent 3 weeks in the hospital (2 in icu) so she's a bit terrified. I think with all of the people going though she will be in good hands if she needs helping getting up and down. My husband is a fireman and his parents are coming and my father in law is a recently retired fireman/ems plus my dad so we have lots of push/pull options.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

yes someone else can drive ECV on bus but the drivers I have had a very good at helping you get on and parked. I also have knee issues and I would suggest that you take ECV in lines with you for 2 reasons it allows you to rest while in line and also keeps ECV out of sun heating the seat or rain is shower pops up. if you decide to park ECV while in line bring a bath towel to cover seat so it doesn't get hot in sun. one ride that I remember taking longer with ECV is Toy Story as you have to wait for special cars ay a special area where you do not have to do the steps. there are a few rides that you have to transfer to wheelchair which are there at the ride. one ride that will not slow the belt is Peter Pan and no wheelchairs or ECV on the People Mover. do not know if it would help her but I have found that using a cane for support helps me get out of the boats. would ask CM at each ride as you get in line what you need to do for that ride to help her. you are not bothering them but helping them by being prepared and getting to a point of holding up the line by missing something or being in wrong spot. I would use an offsite rental as they are usually cheaper and easier handle in the parks plus you have for use of getting from transportation to the parks and having a place to sit while waiting for transportation leaving the parks which can have very on lines. have not stayed at your resort but most of the larger boats are able to take ECVs but as with rides ask the CM there for sure. would do this before you plan to use so you have time to plan other transportation if you need to. I had more trouble parking on boat from Fort Wilderness to MK than on the buses but that did not stop me from using. tell her she will not be the only one there having same problems with ECV as she is. tell her to have a great trip

thank you very much and I didn't realize you could take ECVs into lines or even transfer to a wheelchair for the line wait. and that';s a great idea about the cane. if she's recently had shots and is walking fine once she's in line a small walking cane might serve her well without having to worry with an ECV/wheelchair option.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

thanks again everyone I feel like I've learned a lot already!

Good to know that Peter Pan cannot be slowed but I don't recall that one being super swift. The one that gave us fits in the past was Buzz Lightyear on our girls trip 11 years ago I had her get in a ride vehicle which took some time and I could run and jump on quickly behind It was a site to say the least!

I didn't even think about Pirates either I remember they were updating the boats but I didn't think about them being deeper now so we will be prepared for that and Small World as well.

Thanks again and keep advice coming!

 

[asta]

I have done WDW with knee pain both before knee replacement and after. There are different issues in each case. You hurt all of the time before replacement and anything you can do to get weight off of damaged joints will help. Afterwards the tissue and bone cut during the replacement takes time to heal but it does get better. Hard work put into physical therapy will pay off big time. It is especially important in keeping a good degree of bend which can determine how functional the new knee will be. I committed to a dedicated workout before surgery and developed strong arms. That was critical to getting in and out of ride vehicles. When you can use your arms to assist in getting in and out of ride vehicles it will make your time at Disney easier and give a break to sore knees. The one big caution is to watch for big steps down into ride vehicles. I rode everything and by far the worst was the step down into the cars at Test Track. It is steep and I stepped in not prepared for the forced bend of my knee replacement. The pain from that hurt for several weeks afterward.

 

[Selket]

I have severe arthritis in both knees and need both replaced. I'm perhaps on the younger side for folks having this issue as I still have two teenagers - to give you some idea of my age...lol! I started renting an ECV last year for the first time at WDW and it makes the trip SO much better. I rented from Buena Vista Scooter and I LOVE their portable model because it is so darn maneuverable -even when I don't need a portable one because we aren't going to carry it in the car. You can turn on a dime in that thing and I found it very easy to work in heavy crowds. They are preferred provider so they can drop and pick up at bell services at Disney hotels.

Some rides are NOT comfortable because of the degree to which I have to bend my knee. Splash Mountain comes to mind - I can ride it but once the ride got stuck and I felt like yelling and asking someone if they could just get me out - lol! I have no trouble with the Mine Train though - others do. Also stepping down into rides (like Splash Mountain) is a challenge but I just focus on myself and what I need to do to get in and then out (I have to step on the seat for Splash - just no other way I can get in there or out). I do try to have one of my teenage sons there to give me a hand if I need it but usually there is some place on the ride to grab onto and it works for pulling myself up or getting in. I've found it useful to make sure the bag I carry is easy to handle (small, lightweight, quick to put over the shoulder or whatever) because trying to fiddle with a bag and getting in and out takes too much time.

I've read that the gel shots work better for those who have less severe arthritis - and my doctor told me that too - but yet others have found great relief using them. Steroid shots still work for me. I also like to park the ECV and walk in stores and places where it's hard to take it. All of the ride ques are great for ECV's though - the ones I've taken it through.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

@Selket

Thanks for the advice! I will certainly check out Buena Vista scooter and I like the idea of an easy to use model for her. I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who has replied I have seriously learned a lot of info from this group!

 

[GrammyJudy]

There is lots of good advice above but I wanted to add a couple of things. If you get a cane get a folding one so it will fit in the basket of the ECV. Getting on the boats at POR can be scaryso maybe someone could load for her