We Leave in 10 Days and DD Broke Her Ankle and Needs SURGERY!

[TinkHappy]

UGH!! I don't know what to do. I feel so bad for her. Both DD's were really looking forward to the trip. They are 15 and 16, so the two of them were just going to hang out and go to the parks together.

If I cancel, I will lose my points. If I cancel and put them in holding they will expire on Oct 1st.

The surgery will be orthoscopic, so it won't be too invasive. I am just worried about how sore she is going to be after. Her surgery is scheduled for Monday and we leave that Saturday!

 

[mjc2003]

If she is physically up to it, get a wheelchair and go! She can get pushed around, and what better way to recover then at WDW versus sitting at home feeling down?

Of course you really have to wait until after the surgery to see how she's doing, but she will be exponentially better with each passing day, and with the help of a few painkillers I bet she chooses to go (kids are resilient!).

If she cannot, you might be able to get MS to grant you an exception to bank the points. I have read a few stories about them doing so in unique instances. Worth a shot.

Of course if she goes she won't be going on any rides, but I still say it'd be far more fun than sitting at home watching TV with her foot up!

Good luck with whatever you decide, and most importantly good luck with your daughters surgery.

 

[JimC]

Sorry about the accident. Ask her doctor about travel restrictions. Hopefully it will work out. Even a less active vacation is better than none.

 

[BabsBunny]

I'm so sorry. That is a bummer. We leave in 10 days too, and come to think of it, our use year is October as well.

Kids are so resilient. My older son was the king of the broken bone, but he's never needed surgery. She may be totally up to it five days after (with wheelchair of course). I would suggest going over to the CB and asking if anyone has had a similar surgery experience.

 

[disneychic2]

So sorry to hear about your daughter! Hope her surgery goes well and that you'll all be able to still have your vacation. The dr should be able to advise you what would be best for her. Good luck!

 

[TinkHappy]

Thank yo so much everyone for your advice and well wishes. She has said she absolutely does not want to cancel. So, I guess we will play it by ear and take each day as it comes.

 

[disneyfanbcv]

Diffently check wit your doc. You don't want any blood clots while flying.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I hope she can go and that she gets better soon.

 

[wuzzy6]

Definitely check with her surgeon before deciding to go! Please don't think I'm trying to be alarmist - it's just really important she is cleared by her surgeon to travel.

I hope her surgery goes very well, and the doctor gives her full clearance to have some Disney magic afterward.

 

[castleri]

DGD broke both bones in lower arm with less than a week to go before one of our Disney trips. We went anyway and although she could not do the roller coasters because the jarring motion caused too much pain she did everything else including swimming ( with a clear garbage bag duck taped at the shoulder). You should have seem the lifeguards look at her as she floated around SAB. Ask the doctor for specific restrictions and then decide what is best for her. I might consider renting her a scooter for the trip from one of the outside vendors that deliver to the resorts. Good luck and I hope all goes well for your family and your trip.

 

[Pirate Granny]

My daughter broke her foot one week before our trip to Disneyland Paris and then on to Paris for a week...she went...at times it wasn't easy, especially in the subways, we rented a wheelchair in Paris, and Disney provided one for our three day stay...carting a wheelchair down and up the subway stairs, another sister carrying the crutches and the broken foot girl holding on to the hand rails hopping down and worse, up the stairs...

She went on EVERYTHING at disneyparis...a couple of times the CM weren't very happy, but she crawled onto a couple of rides.

Her dr told her to go and have fun...and we did...I still laugh that we tried to push her wheelchair through the pea gravel paths in Versailles...the swearing was priceless.

Hope she enjoys her trip.

 

[alice99]

I feel your pain!
My son just had surgery on both knees and one elbow! He has one good limb left (left arm). We are going next week also... though my son is 2 months post surgery on one knee.... and 3 1/2 weeks post surgery on knee #2 and the elbow (those were done at the same time).

Because of the nature of your daughter's injury... a weight bearing limb (versus an arm or other body part) ... I would cancel my vacation. She is not going to feel well, not to mention the mental toll surgery takes on a young person.

I would be VERY nervous about her re-injuring the ankle and screwing up a weight-bearing limb for the rest of her life..... an ankle is a complex body part... it needs to be rested.

I hope you don't think the tone of my post is judgmental , I don't mean it to be..... just pointing out some considerations.

I hope you can still enjoy your vacation.... but, you can make the decision after the surgery.
You have nothing more to lose by waiting.... it's already too late to change the outcome of the points.

BEST WISHES to your daughter, I hope her surgery goes well!!

 

[Dean]

My wife had a tri malleolar fracture last year. A week in the hospital, then surgery and then a week later we went to Marco island for a week. I hope it works out for you. All Disney resorts have wheelchairs free to check out, first come of course.

 

[acomasdiaz]

I would definitely get clearance from her dr. first. At least the surgery is not too envasive. I broke my arm in June in a car accident and had to have 2 surgeries on it this Summer. I know 5 days after the surgeries I was still in pain, so you're going to just take it all at a slower pace. You just might have to take some breaks during the day (even if she is using a wheelchair) .

Hope the surgery goes smoothly and your DD heals quickly.

 

[bgraham34]

See what the DR. Says. Chances are you will be good to go. Slow moving at times but a wheelchair will help her out.

 

[SueM in MN]

DGD broke both bones in lower arm with less than a week to go before one of our Disney trips. We went anyway and although she could not do the roller coasters because the jarring motion caused too much pain she did everything else including swimming ( with a clear garbage bag duck taped at the shoulder). You should have seem the lifeguards look at her as she floated around SAB. Ask the doctor for specific restrictions and then decide what is best for her. I might consider renting her a scooter for the trip from one of the outside vendors that deliver to the resorts. Good luck and I hope all goes well for your family and your trip.

The WDW parks and most of the offsite companies will not rent a scooter for use by someone under 18.
One of the off site companies, Randys, will sometimes rent for use by older teens. Randys actually delivers to the renter, not just leave at Bell Services like the other companies. Delivering it to the person allows Randys to give some instructions and make sure the child is mature enough to drive a scooter.

You can find more information abut renting scooters and wheelchairs in post 3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. That thread is near the top of the disABILITIES Board or you can follow the link in my signature.

My wife had a tri malleolar fracture last year. A week in the hospital, then surgery and then a week later we went to Marco island for a week. I hope it works out for you. All Disney resorts have wheelchairs free to check out, first come of course.

Although some people have had good luck with getting a wheelchair from their resort, others have found the available wheelchair at the resort was not in the best condition or was a wrong size.

So, if you choose to try to get one from the resort, I'd suggest still taking along contact information from one of the off-site companies. Also, the written information from Disney says they have wheelchairs for rent at the resorts, so the free ones could be unavailable at some point.

 

[DMKEDM]

Best advice, of course, is to get a recommendation from your DD's surgeon...each person (and injury and surgery & recovery) is different...

But...to give you hope...I will tell you about my DS' smashed ankle (and it really was "smashed," not just broken--he now has a plate and 5 pins holding it together) when he was 17...he had surgery (5 days after the injury; they had to wait for the swelling to go down prior to the surgery)...

By 5 days later he was categorically refusing to the use the wheel chair (in fact, when I went to school to pick him up 3 days later, I found the wheelchair had been confiscated by a teacher because the kids were using it as a hallway racing vehicle)...he was almost as mobile on crutches as he was/is pre-injury/post-healing...I was beyond amazed.

Even more amazing, the surgeon (very nicely) pooh-poohed my concerns...he knew my 17-year-old would be hopping around as if nothing had happened within a couple of days...we, too, were scheduled to travel (altho 2 weeks later) and the trip was a big deal (nat'l championship in a competition he'd won at the state level (not sports-related)...I worried myself into a frenzy (we flew from the Washington DC area to Colorado), but nary a problem...of course, there were minor issues--I had to carry his stuff, and we had an "interesting" logistical challenge on top (the competition week started the day after their senior prom and of course they wanted to (and did) do both...

Fingers crossed! Let us know what you decide, and if you go, how much fun you had, ok? Hugs to your injured DD...(and you!)

 

[TinkHappy]

I cannot thank everyone enough for your thoughts, concerns and great advice! Her doctor did tell us to go.

He actually said it would be good for her to be on vacation, just to take it slow.

We will be definitely be renting a wheelchair from an offsite place.
DD is 16 so we may consider renting a scooter if Randy's allows us. I am just concerned because the scooters don't have the leg lift for her to elevate her leg just in case she needs it.

Thanks again!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm glad you got the OK to go!

 

[alice99]

Have a great time!