WDW with arthritis

[JDFan]

A friend of mine is going with me to WDW. She has a severe type of arthritis but is not yet wheelchair bound. She can't walk or stand for long periods of time, but is pretty insistant on not getting a wheelchair. Has anyone used the GAC for this type of disability? Would she be able to get one that would keep her from waiting in long lines?

 

[Chuck S]

She will still, most likely, be waiting...but some attractions will provide an alternative waiting area. I strongly urge her to use a wheelchair.

If she has severe, painful arthritis, my guess is she'll be willing to try a wheelchair after a couple hours in the the parks. Has she been to WDW before? Most folks just don't realize how big the parks actually are until they've been there. It is not uncommon to walk several miles a day. It is over a mile just to walk around World Showcase at Epcot, not even counting Future World.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILTIES!

Most people do not realize how much walking is required at WDW. Most people will do about 8 miles per day. One time around the World Sowcase Promenade is over 1.25 miles.

Also, the usual response for a GAC request for a mobility/stamina issue is suggestion of renting a wheelchair or ECV. If you note in the "disABILTIES! FAQ" the purpose of the GAC is to allow a person the same access that non-disabled people would have. The majority of the lines at the Disney parks are all "mainstreamed", so that people with wheelchairs or ECVs will have the same wait (and theming) as people who are able to stand easily.

Please ask her 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 travelling 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!

The first time I decided to rent an ECV for the day, afterwards Judy told me it was her best Epcot trip in a couple of years since she was no longer slowed down by having to wait for me.

Also, an ECV will make her feel "less disabled" than a wheelchair as she will be in control of it. Also, the better (and less expensive) ones are from the off-site vendors (and some are listed in the FAQ).

 

[arminnie]

Waiting in line is the least of her problems. How does she plan to get from line to line?

I almost always go when the crowds are very, very light with virtually no lines. I am not confined to a wheelchair. I don't even use the ECV at Sam's, but renting an ECV at WDW was the BEST decision I ever made.

The parks are really big. There is still SO much walking even if you were able to get on every ride immediately. Someone who cannot "walk or stand for long periods of time" really will need assistance.

I would probably resist a wheelchair also (especially since I often travel solo ). The ECV really is great. Just make sure that she practices to learn how to use it.

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree with the other posters. Although she may be able to walk the distance, she will pay for it in pain.

Here are a few things I have written before that people said have helped them to convince a family member that they really need a wheelchair or ECV.

• Find a familiar place that is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from her house (like a store, mall, etc).
  Ask her whether she would be able to walk there, walk around and then walk home from there (a total of 3-4 miles). Then ask if she could do that every day for as many days as you plan to be at the parks.
  She is likely to think you are bring ridiculous even asking about a distance like that, but 3-4 miles is acutually a low estimate of the number of miles people walk a day at WDW.
  If she would not be able to walk that distance, there is no way that she could walk at WDW.
• Wheelchairs are assistive devices for bodies just the way that glasses are assistive devices for eyes.
• Think of energy as a checking account.
  Each morning, you get more 'energy points' put into your account.
  If all the points are used just getting around, there won't be any left for enjoyment.
  If getting around causes pain, the person will have 'spent' more points than alloted and will go into the next day already overdrawn. If they are too overdrawn (i.e. not sleeping well because of pain), they will spend the next day 'paying back' the energy they 'borrowed' the previous day instead of getting new 'energy points' the next morning.

My FIL spent many years thinking he was 'not bad enough' to rent an ECV. He ended up most of his park days in pain, with ice on his swollen knees. And, he wasn't able to sleep well because he could not get into a comfortable position. He missed out on things because he would tell us to 'just go and have fun' while he sat on a bench fairly close to the entrance.
A few years ago, he finally broke down and rented an ECV at Epcot. He told us how silly he felt to have not rented one before and that day was the first time in many years that he ended a day in the parks without pain. After that, he rented an ECV from the parks (he preferred them because he was not confident to go on the buses) in Epcot, AK and MGM. He would not rent at MK because he felt that park was more crowded than he felt comfortable driving in.
Unhappily, he died suddenly last June. We felt sad that he had missed out on years of fully enjoying the parks. But, we were happy to have the last few years when he did go places he had not in years.

 

[Haley Whippet]

Do tell her to rent a ECV, It makes the day so much better, And she can look just as cute as me on this rented ECV !!!!!!!!! I now have my own, but the rented ones are just as good..
Deb

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[JDFan]

Thank you everyone for your valuable input. I have pointed out to her that she can easily put on 5-10 miles in a day. But I think she doesn't realize how far that is. I will use the idea about walking from one point to another here so she has a better idea of the distance. I also think she might be more acceptable of renting the scooter intead of a wheelchair. I really want her to have as much fun as I do each year and not be in pain. Again, thank you for your input.

Just two more months!!!!

 

[Momelie]

Hi there!

I have a pretty severe form of auto-immune arthritis, and while I'm normally not wheelchair bound (a cane on bad days), when I go to WDW I always get an ECV or a wheelchair.

I can tell you from experience that even if your friend does manage to walk through a park all day, she WILL pay for it that night and the next day! You just can't underestimate the toll it will take on your body.

I recommend the ECV for Epcot, for sure, because its the most amount of walking. If you have somebody to push you, I recommend a wheelchair for MK, because there are so many more (and younger) bodies that stop in front of you or don't see you, also MK has so many rides that are difficult to maneuver in a ECV that sometimes a wheelchair will be easier. Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, and POC come to mind.

That said, please let her know that just because she gets a form of ECV or wheelchair it does NOT mean she's chairbound for the whole day! Most of the time I park outside a shop or restaurant and walk through, then get back in my chair when I'm done. It is hard to navigate in the shop aisles, and I hate having to tell DH when to push me where, so walking is easier there.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more tips for WDW with arthritis, LOL!

 

[JDFan]

Hi there!

I have a pretty severe form of auto-immune arthritis, and while I'm normally not wheelchair bound (a cane on bad days), when I go to WDW I always get an ECV or a wheelchair.

I can tell you from experience that even if your friend does manage to walk through a park all day, she WILL pay for it that night and the next day! You just can't underestimate the toll it will take on your body.

I recommend the ECV for Epcot, for sure, because its the most amount of walking. If you have somebody to push you, I recommend a wheelchair for MK, because there are so many more (and younger) bodies that stop in front of you or don't see you, also MK has so many rides that are difficult to maneuver in a ECV that sometimes a wheelchair will be easier. Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, and POC come to mind.

That said, please let her know that just because she gets a form of ECV or wheelchair it does NOT mean she's chairbound for the whole day! Most of the time I park outside a shop or restaurant and walk through, then get back in my chair when I'm done. It is hard to navigate in the shop aisles, and I hate having to tell DH when to push me where, so walking is easier there.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more tips for WDW with arthritis, LOL!

Thank you for your advice. I will be sure to pass it along to her. It will probably have more impact from someone who can understand, first-hand, what her needs are.

 

[arminnie]

You just can't underestimate the toll it will take on your body.

I really wanted to second that.

I actually have no problem walking - no joint problems or pain. I LIKE to walk and am a fairly fast walker.

But the FATIGUE is what does me in. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I do not recover from exertion like a normal person.

I could walk and enjoy a park for a day, but then the next two days I would literally be unable to get out of my room.

The ECV was just a lifesaver for me. I really did not understand how much it was going to improve the quality of my life at the parks until I tried it.

 

[cupcake]

The ECV was just a lifesaver for me. I really did not understand how much it was going to improve the quality of my life at the parks until I tried it.

So, so, so true. I think we are all so used to trying to fit what we do into the limits of what we *can* do that it's impossible to even imagine how fabulous it is to just do whatever you want without even thinking twice about it. This is especially great in a place like WDW where there's so much to do. Having tried it once, I would never go back to how it was before. Just because you can manage in the literal sense (being in pain, viewing the park from the vantage point of a variety of benches, etc.) doesn't mean it is the only or best way.

In fact, I was so struck by how enabling mobility assistance can be that I got a folding wc for home for holiday shopping, museums, etc. I just had to add that perspective in, bc I know I thought of it in exactly the opposite way before.

Best wishes for a fabulous trip!

Cupcake

 

[powellrj]

I have had OA for years and it has just gotten worse as I have gotten older. On this last trip I wasn't sure I could walk through the airport let alone through the parks.

I bit the bullet and rented an ECV. I couldn't believe what a wonderful time I had! I felt like I was a teenager again! I really struggled getting through the airport and getting to our room the first night so there is no way I could have made it through the parks.

I had forgotten how much fun WDW was! On the last several trips I had been in so much pain I would just focus on taking the next step and miss all the fun.

The only problem was, I was in such great shape because I was riding all day, I lasted longer than my family did and that hasn't happened in years!!! I am usually sitting on a bench waiting for them to come and get me, and this trip I was riding all the rides and seeing all the shows!

 

[leanan]

My dad uses an ECV at the parks. He has a number of problems that make it hard for him to walk long distances. He will not do the regular chair but enjoys the use of the ECV. It gives him freedom. He does not have to stop constantly to rest. He does not hurt at the end of the day. Heck as a borderline person I contemplate renting an ECV. It is all about quality of life. An ecv at the parks bring you to a whole new level of quality of life and enjoyment.

If you are worried about what other people think, dont. By the end of the day even the healthy people will be jealous of your ECV. These parks are torment on your body. If you have more energy and less pain to enjoy your day then it is all worth it.

I am currently trying to decide if the siting down or the walking will be more painful. I have some pregnancy related issues with my already bad hip. It hurts to sit for long periods of time.

 

[snowwite]

I have multiple medical issues but the most painful now is hip arthritis and plantar fascitis causing incredible heel pain. If I get a w/c or ECV do I bring to resort or just rent at park? Do you keep same one all week? If you get in and out do people think you dont really need it and harrass you? I am going alone w/my kids and I am scared I will end up in hsp or in room and ruin trip. We leave in a month and my heels are so swollen today from a 1/2 mile walk that I cant imagine what this planned 10 day trip is going to do to me.

 

[SueM in MN]

I am currently trying to decide if the siting down or the walking will be more painful. I have some pregnancy related issues with my already bad hip. It hurts to sit for long periods of time.

What some people do is use the ECV or wheelchair to get from general area to general area. Then they park it and walk around the area (especially in shops). That way, you are not walking or sitting constantly (just remember to take the ECV key with you if you leave it parked).

 

[SueM in MN]

I have multiple medical issues but the most painful now is hip arthritis and plantar fascitis causing incredible heel pain. If I get a w/c or ECV do I bring to resort or just rent at park? Do you keep same one all week? If you get in and out do people think you dont really need it and harrass you? I am going alone w/my kids and I am scared I will end up in hsp or in room and ruin trip. We leave in a month and my heels are so swollen today from a 1/2 mile walk that I cant imagine what this planned 10 day trip is going to do to me.

I don't know how old your kids are, but if your kids are too small to push you, you would be better off renting an ECV. That way, no one has to push. It is possible to push a wheelchair yourself, but the rental wheelchairs are heavier than the ones people who need a wheelchair all the time use and you would get very tired pushing yourself.
You would most likely be better off renting from one of the off-site companied (there are links to a bunch in the disABILITIES FAQs thread). That way, you would know you have it. If you are staying at one of the WDW resorts, almost all the WDW transportation is accessible to wheelchairs and ECVs (there is a section in the FAQs thread about riding buses with a wheelchair or ECV).

There may be some rude people, but their opinion doesn't count. You know you area in pain and they can't feel your pain. (Several DIS posters have said if anyone gives them any flack, they smile sweetly and say something like "I'll give you the ECV, but you have to take the __________ (arthritic hip, or whatever) that goes along with it".

 

[snowwite]

What some people do is use the ECV or wheelchair to get from general area to general area. Then they park it and walk around the area (especially in shops). That way, you are not walking or sitting constantly (just remember to take the ECV key with you if you leave it parked).

Should I be concerned that someone might steal it? I would not want to be responsible for buying Disney a new cart.

 

[SueM in MN]

Should I be concerned that someone might steal it? I would not want to be responsible for buying Disney a new cart.

If you leave it, just take the key with you.
If it's not exactly where you left it, look around because the CMs in the area might have pushed it somewhere a little bit away if they thought it was in traffic. That doesn't happen too often.
There are lots of ECVs at WDW and they pretty much get left alone. I would not leave anything of value on it (like bags of things you have purchased). Those types of things do get stolen because they are easy to grab.

 

[snowwite]

If you leave it, just take the key with you.
If it's not exactly where you left it, look around because the CMs in the area might have pushed it somewhere a little bit away if they thought it was in traffic. That doesn't happen too often.
There are lots of ECVs at WDW and they pretty much get left alone. I would not leave anything of value on it (like bags of things you have purchased). Those types of things do get stolen because they are easy to grab.

I have to think about it. It is an additional cost I hadnt planned on. I am falling apart fast! I have to go on CPAP so now I have to make room to pack a machine and a cane too. We will be at AKL so we would be relying on buses all week so that would not be fun with ecv.

 

[arminnie]

It is all about quality of life. An ecv at the parks bring you to a whole new level of quality of life and enjoyment.

If you are worried about what other people think, dont.

Amen!