Traveling with menieres for the first time

[ppack]

hello all. I have recently been diagnosed with Ménière's disease. It affects balance and causes severe dizziness. It is triggered for me atleast by heat, too much physical activity and lots of noise. As you can imagine I am very nervous about our trip to Disney next year but am determined not to let this condition keep me from what I love.
Has anyone travelled with a similar condition and have any tips. I'm not sure if I should consider renting a scooter or if I should just play it by ear and if need be get one when we are there if I need to.

 

[gap2368]

if you think you need a schooner then I would rent one off site much cheeper or so I have heard

 

[anonymousegirl]

I can't advise about the scooter, but wouldn't you have the possibility of dizziness while riding (which would be very dangerous). What do you think the scooter will do to ease the symptoms/possibility of a severe attack?

Also, remember to speak with your doctor about what type of rides you will need to avoid. I had a similar issue once, affecting my balance, causing vertigo etc. I was heading to Disneyland in two weeks and I was instructed to stay off anything that spins, so no roller coasters or even Toy Story Midway Mania (which just about killed me!)

 

[ppack]

I was just wondering if anyone with similar conditions found that a scooter or wheelchair saved them enough energy so that an attack wasn't as likely from walking to much. But yes there is a chance that driving it could make me not feel well. Luckily my doctor is headed to the world in 2 weeks lol so she is going to give me her thoughts on what I should avoid when she gets back. I'm planning on skipping tot, tea cups, space mountain. Probably anything too simulator based like star tours also

 

[gap2368]

I would not do start tours at all if you can not do spinning things the CM at the front of the rides are great people to ask about the rides if you know what bothers you if you can say I went on XYZ ride and the fact that it did ____ almost caused me _____ they can tell you if XYZ is anything like the other ride. I hope you have a great vacation and your are able to come up with a great game plane with your dr

 

[gap2368]

I just notice that noise is something that bothers you I bring ear plugs and I bring my phone to lesion to music when the noise is to much for me also first aid has some if you forget yours

 

[ppack]

Yes I already found awesome earplugs that allow you to hear people next to you but block out the background noise

 

[gap2368]

what ones did you find where they expansive I have been looking for something like that

 

[ppack]

I got them on Amazon they were around 25 I think. I think the brand name is musicians pro or something similar. It has two different filters to change out depending on how much noise you want to block out best investment I've made yet. Makes crowds much easier to handle. They come with a nice little lipstick sized carrying case too

 

[ppack]

They are made by alpine I just looked

 

[mamabunny]

@ppack - I would suggest practicing (with a friend/partner/family member along for assistance if needed) by trying to use an ECV at your local Walmart, Target, grocery store, Lowes, etc.

If the movement of the store cart causes you to have issues, then you will know right away NOT to rent an ECV at WDW.

 

[ppack]

That's a great idea

 

[mamabunny]

@ppack: As you try a store cart (because if you can drive one of those big old lumbering beasties, you can drive any ECV in the world LOL) just remember that YOU will be in control of the ECV at WDW - so YOU can control how fast you turn, how quickly or slowly you go up or down hills, ramps, etc. The most difficult thing for you will probably be simply watching out for pedestrians who may inadvertently step in front of your moving ECV.

Honestly, the only place I see where you might have a problem with an ECV would be boarding one of the buses; but in that case you could have someone else in your party zip on/off the bus to park or disembark. Those turns tend to be sharper.

If you decide to rent an ECV, remember that there may be LOTS of walking at your Resort - some of them are quite large; additionally, if you want to go visit Downtown Disney/Disney Springs, or other Resorts, you may wish you have an ECV outside of the parks. Rental from a local Orlando vendor is almost always cheaper than the $50/day charged by Disney for use only within the 4 theme parks.

 

[ppack]

I would probably have to do that ahead of time though correct. I am hoping with breaks and taking it slow and being careful about what I am going on I can avoid the whole scooter thing. I just don't want to ruin the trip for the rest of my party so I am trying to consider all possible options ahead of time so I have a plan b if things don't go well

 

[mamabunny]

Actually, you don't have to rent a scooter ahead of time. (Although, if you think you might need to, I would still advocate practicing at a local store prior to your trip).

The first time I used an ECV at the parks, I sat down on a bench to "take a break", and realized that I wasn't going to make it half the day - let alone all day and into the Extra Magic Hours that we had planned. A family member went to the front of the park to rent an ECV from Disney for me, but they were all out. So, I pulled out my cell phone, and after a brief, but intense internet search, I called an Orlando area vendor, who made all the arrangements on the phone while we were talking. Less than an hour later, I was on the rental ECV, and our trip was back on track.

So, no - you don't have to rent in advance. Local vendors will deliver to your resort, and (like in my case) even directly to the parks. You might want to put the name and phone number of a couple of the local ECV rental vendors in your phone prior to the trip, just in case you need them.

 

[ppack]

That's awesome to know thank you so much. I will def try one out ahead of time. And keep some numbers in my phone just in case