Walking vs. Wheelchair

[MandyMaloo]

In the next few months, we'll officially begin planning our next trip to Disney and we couldn't be more excited! It will, however, be the first trip planned taking my health issues into consideration.

I was diagnosed with RSD (Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy) a few months ago (even though I had been dealing with it undiagnosed for almost 2 years). It causes an insane amount of pain and in my case, muscle loss, and while I can walk, it's extremely labored and painful.

I would love, if possible, to be able to walk around Disney on our next vacation. I know they have chairs (both electric and manual) for guest use, but I have an incredible amount of guilt associated with with using one of these. I just feel that because I can still walk, however painful, it wouldn't be right of me to take one away from someone who doesn't have the option.

I just had a cast member friend of mine mention the Guest Assistance Pass, but quite honestly, I'm not entirely sure how this works. Could someone please pass along some more information? Does this sound like something that would help me? Any advice or additional information is appreciated .

 

[livndisney]

Disney's answer for mobility issues is to rent a wheelchair or ECV. A GAC will not reduce walking. You will still have to walk to the attraction and make it thru the line. And ECV/Wheelchair can usually be taken in the line with you. It can also be parked if you are able to walk thru a line.

As an example, it is almost 2 miles around World Showcase. An ECV will help you get around where a GAC will not. Do not feel guilty about using an ECV/Wheelchair in order to be able to enjoy WDW pain free.

 

[mdvlprof]

if walking is painful, why do you feel guilty? Seems you have as much 'rights' to a scooter or wheelchair as anyone else.

 

[let'sgo]

When I took my Mom to Disney, we rented an ECV from an outside company. They dropped off the unit before we arrived at the resort, and we were able to keep it for the entire vacation. She was able to get around in it and go everywhere we wanted and do everything. It was wonderful. I think it was about $35/day.

If you have trouble or pain walking, don't feel guilty. I think it's great that you want to go on vacation and you should have a good time too. So if this helps you do that, go for it!

 

[SueM in MN]

If you follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread and look in post #6 of that thread, you will find a whole section of answers about Guest Assistance Cards.
Post #2 of that thread has information about renting ECVs and wheelchairs.

As was already mentioned, using a Guest Assistance Card will not shorten the distance you will walk - it’s the same distance whether you are walking or rolling. Some queues are very long; for example, the queue for Soaring is 1/4 mile from the time you enter the queue until you get to the boarding area.
And, once you are done riding, it is an equal distance to get back out to the area where you boarded. Have a GAC will not do anything to help with that distance.

The main reason that WDW recommends an ECV or wheelchair for people who are worried about the distance is that the distances at WDW are very far. The distances to go on attractions is just a small part of the distance you will walk during the day.
As was mentioned, it’s over a mile to go around World Showcase at Epcot. I was planning to keep track of a day’s distance at WDW on our recent trip, but was only able to do it for part of one day at Epcot (it was an app for my iPod touch and really drained the battery). Anyway, after walking into Epcot, walking around the World Showcase and then walking to Ellen’s Energy Adventure, I had gone 3.67 miles before my battery ran out.

If you can’t imagine how far a mile is, use your car’s odometer to measure the distance to somewhere familiar close to your home. I think you will be surprised just how far a mile is. Then, keep in mind that the average traveler doesn’t walk just a mile at WDW, they walk between 3 and as much as 12 miles in a day. If you can’t do that, you are one of the people who really needs to rent an ECV or wheelchair for a trip.
You deserve to not be in pain for your trip and you deserve to have a trip where you don’t use all of your energy up just getting from place to place.
Energy is like a bank account - if you spend it all on getting around, you won’t have any left to have fun with.

 

[peemagg]

I also have RSD. I know what you mean about feeling guilty because you can walk. I can walk some, but for only so far and then the pain is too much. On our last trip I used a scooter. It was so much nicer to be able to enjoy the parks without the pain associated with walking, let alone the pain from having a shoe and sock on. I find that the pain saps my energy more than anything else. With the scooter I can go farther and do more and enjoy it, because I am not in pain!

I suggest why not try renting a scooter for the day and see how you feel, then try the next day without it. I bet the 3rd day, if not 1/2 way through the 2nd that you will want the scooter back. When this happens have a phone number for an off site vendor like Apple Scooters, they will be cheaper than Disney.

 

[MandyMaloo]

WOW! Thank you all for your responses! Sue- I'll take a look at those links!

peemag- It's so nice to find someone else with RSD! It's so hard to discribe, and I don't think people understand that just because you can't SEE the pain, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I think that's one of the reasons I'm so apprehensive about renting a scooter. I've been able-bodied for 25 years, so when things started to get bad, I had a really tough time (and am still having a tough time) adjusting to my limitations. I grew up about an hour from Disney, so it's really tough to imagine a trip out that isn't like the literally hundreds I had taken before. Do you mind me asking how your RSD treatment is going for you?

Again, thank you all for your help and support. I think I'll look into an ECV or wheelchair just to help with the lines and distances.

 

[Pats Dragon]

There are plenty of scooters to go around so rent one and minimize the pain. Vacations are supposed to be fun!! Last November I hurt my knee and couldn't walk but a few steps without lots of pain and sometimes it would collapse. The only problems for me was I had trouble on the monorail because of the scooter surges that almost hit a baby. I think the bus is a better option. Also, sometimes a cm had me park my scooter too far away when i said I had some mobility. Otherwise, a scooter is fun, and part of life for lots of folks. Have fun.

 

[KPeveler]

From what I understand about RSD, it gets worse if you overdo it, right?

Definitely rent the ECV! There is nothing to feel guilty about! Being in pain does make you "brave" or "noble" or "courageous" like some people think, and you cannot "work through" RSD pain. It's not like you twisted your ankle! Get what you need!

Remember, there s a difference between surviving Disney, and enjoying it!

 

[Stag]

Your trip will be WAY better if you're not in pain! I feel some guilt about considering a wheelchair for my trip, but there are enough for everyone, and if being in a chair will keep me from being miserable, risking passing out and inspecting the asphalt, and making my family possibly leave the park early, I'm definitely going to pick that option! As much as I can use my service dog for balance, she canNOT combat the Florida heat and it will be easier on both of us if I'm in a chair-- she can walk without having to help me stay upright, and I won't be relying on her so much.

Keep in mind that... will you ever see any of these people again? No! Does it matter if people think you're not "disabled enough"? No! Will your trip be much better if you're in a chair? Yes!

I can guarantee that you will have lots more fun if you take it slow. My biggest trip for disney for *everyone* especially those of us with illnesses, is do 80% of what you can do... pushing it will just ensure that the next day you can't go quite as far, and so on....

I wish you the best and I hope you have lots of fun on your trip, whatever you decide to do!

 

[peemagg]

From what I understand about RSD, it gets worse if you overdo it, right?

Definitely rent the ECV! There is nothing to feel guilty about! Being in pain does make you "brave" or "noble" or "courageous" like some people think, and you cannot "work through" RSD pain. It's not like you twisted your ankle! Get what you need!

Remember, there s a difference between surviving Disney, and enjoying it!

KPeveler is right. The more you overdo it the worse it does get. I know that if I over do it one day the next three are H@#L!

I am 40, and have gotten to the point where I don't care what strangers think. I can have good days where I don't have hardly any pain at all. Then others don't even want to move off the couch. Right now, I am doing fairly well now that the weather here in Michigan has gotten better. In the winter it is horrible.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Basically a person has a certain amount of energy available to them daily. If they relax during the day the amount of energy available will increase; when they sleep at night they recharge their system,

However, when in pain energy is used up much faster than in normal conditions. If you become exhausted, with by what you have done or, more importantly, what you have done while in pain your system will not recharge to the original energy level overnight and you are starting the next day with a lower amount of energy available.

You might pick a location at least a half mile from where she lives and ask her would she like to walk there. If she hesitates, then say "and back", and of she is still not sure then add "at least three times in a row".

Once around the World Showcase Lagoon Promenade is more than 1¼ miles; most people tend to average 8 - 12 miles per day at WDW.

Please ask yourself the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

In the next few months, we'll officially begin planning our next trip to Disney and we couldn't be more excited! It will, however, be the first trip planned taking my health issues into consideration.

I was diagnosed with RSD (Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy) a few months ago (even though I had been dealing with it undiagnosed for almost 2 years). It causes an insane amount of pain and in my case, muscle loss, and while I can walk, it's extremely labored and painful.

I would love, if possible, to be able to walk around Disney on our next vacation. I know they have chairs (both electric and manual) for guest use, but I have an incredible amount of guilt associated with with using one of these. I just feel that because I can still walk, however painful, it wouldn't be right of me to take one away from someone who doesn't have the option.

I just had a cast member friend of mine mention the Guest Assistance Pass, but quite honestly, I'm not entirely sure how this works. Could someone please pass along some more information? Does this sound like something that would help me? Any advice or additional information is appreciated .

Hi there ! I've got Fibromyalgia, so know a fair bit about invisible pain conditions too. I say get yourself a set of wheels and enjoy your trip! I've now got the the point where I need to use my manual wheelchair everywhere outside the house, but Disney was the first place I started using one. I've got to say, even when my pain levels were lower, I couldn't have got around Disney without a wheelchair. I remember trying to walk it once, and ending up sitting on the floor in Norway (WS) close to tears because of the pain.

If you're not used to pushing a wheelchair, I suggest an ECV. You'll be able to take this through a lot of the lines, and for those you can't, there are usually wheelchairs you can borrow to go through the line. Disney is the most accessible place I've ever been, so you shouldn't have any problems.

Your trip will be WAY better if you're not in pain! I feel some guilt about considering a wheelchair for my trip, but there are enough for everyone, and if being in a chair will keep me from being miserable, risking passing out and inspecting the asphalt, and making my family possibly leave the park early, I'm definitely going to pick that option! As much as I can use my service dog for balance, she canNOT combat the Florida heat and it will be easier on both of us if I'm in a chair-- she can walk without having to help me stay upright, and I won't be relying on her so much.

Keep in mind that... will you ever see any of these people again? No! Does it matter if people think you're not "disabled enough"? No! Will your trip be much better if you're in a chair? Yes!

I can guarantee that you will have lots more fun if you take it slow. My biggest trip for disney for *everyone* especially those of us with illnesses, is do 80% of what you can do... pushing it will just ensure that the next day you can't go quite as far, and so on....

I wish you the best and I hope you have lots of fun on your trip, whatever you decide to do!

Stag, don't tell me you're wavering about using a mobility aid! Don't make me come over there!

 

[Donut23]

A few years ago I was in an unusual accident - 100' X150' outside tent fell ontop of me - trapping me in a horrible storm. I could have been crushed.....as it was, I injured my achilles and knee....so very lucky!

Months later we were facing our WDW trip and quite frankly, I couldn't walk without pain....didn't STOP me from trying until my knee surgeon assured me I was not helping myself.

DH did some quick research and we rented a scooter from Scootarama. It was a lifesaver.

One of our favorite things to do is stroll around World Showcase following Illuminations - especially during our holiday trip. The first night - with the walkway nearly empty - I was zipping around plantings, doing donuts around my husband generally having a ball. DH said it looked like I was figure skating to the music.

Finally the security person on a segway who had driven by a couple of times pulled up. With a big grin I explained I had not walked without discomfort for nearly 6 months (was wearing a big black boot on my ankle - boot decorated with garland for the holiday). He said......"you are just playing, aren't you". When I said yes....he told me have fun! I waived to him each night following illuminations!

My message.....go and have fun. ECV's are designed to HELP people who cannot walk without pain.


After 2 years of surgeries and PT....it looks like the Achilles is happy but the knee may never be. It also means I may be Scootarama's best customer!

We LOVE WDW.......your EVC will allow you to be free of the pain.

Go.....do some figure skating around World Showcase after Illuminations FOR ME!

 

[brittsmum1998]

I've had RA for a few yrs along w/ Diabetes and hemophilia for many yrs. While I've always been able to do WDW slowly, this year its just too much. I've gained more weight then I'd like to admit and honestly am afraid that the only excersize I get is at WDW so I've decided to try the walker. The walker is heavy duty and has a seat.

With that being said, my RA is uncontrollable, can't take anti inflamatories (sp?) remicade stopped working etc. so I'm taking the drug of choice steroids by IV and a big honkin script w/ me when I go I figure between those I should be able to make it.

After that long story, have you thought about a walker whereas you are so skirmish about the wheel chair (not that I think there is anything wrong w/ that) ?