Would you do this? ECV related

[chirurgeon]

This is my post from the original thread.

I have already reserved my scooter for my trip this coming December. And I'm feeling guilty. I mentioned this to my friends at work and they looked at me like I was insane. So if you see me going to the handicapped entrance of a ride that can't have an ECV in the queue and you see me jump up eagerly and get on the ride, don't think badly of me. Think about the fact I will be one chemo treatment away from ending six months of chemo following the removal of my cancer (they got it all thank God.) I am just afraid the chemo will have reeked havoc on my stamina and I will not be able to enjoy my Celebration the Chemo is Over Trip. Yes I know I will have one more after I get home but my schedule got pushed back. If not for this, I would not have even thought about using an ECV, OK, I might have thought about it, but wouldn't have done it. How else could I try to keep off the weight from all that good dining?

These people should be grateful they don't need a mobility device to enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth. We just have to remember that one cosmic equalizer, KARMA. At some point they will learn the error of their ways.

P.S. While I was recovering from my surgery I used a scooter at the grocery store. It was easy and to tell the truth it was fun.

 

[mytwotinks]

Who would want to sit and look at everyone's "rear ends" all day. You would miss most of the scenery at that level. I think that it is way pathetic for a healthy person to do this. Surely at some point DW would have to limit the # of these ECV's that they could let in the park at one time. It would become a safety issue if there were hundreds of them. They take up soooo much space and are sooooo hard to manuever. I would hate to see someone who relied on their ECV turned away from a park because there were too many ECV's already in there. It just seems really sad because I am sure that all of the people that are in them without choice would way rather have their health and "hoof it" around the world like those of us lucky enough to be able to.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

No way! My sister and I brought our mother to WDW a couple years ago for her first trip--our mother at the time was 81yo and was determined to walk everywhere. We encouraged her to rent an ECV or wheelchair, but she said that she could do the walking. After a day at AK and then a day at MGM where she stumbled and had a fall where she hurt her elbow, she relented and rented a wheelchair for the rest of the trip. It took a lot for her to admit that there was too much walking for her to be able to do it and still enjoy herself. Of course there was still plenty of walking inside of attractions and at the resorts.

Keep in mind that my mother is taking heart medication and has dual hip replacements. I respected her "can-do" attitude. She's one stubborn lady and I hope I have the same determined attitude.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

You would miss most of the scenery at that level.

Meh, not really. Trust me, you do adapt and make the best with what you have to work with.

Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather be out of a chair than in one, but it's not the worst problem I could have

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

People have told Lauri time and time again to stop torturing herself and use an ECV or a wheelchair when she goes somewhere like WDW but she absolutely point blank refuses. I'm lucky I can get her to take her can with her. She says as long as she can muster enough strength to land one foot in front of the other she is going to do just that.

 

[FroggyinArk]

add me to the stubborn list, i am sposed to use a cane to walk,, i seldom do, but i can garuntee ya that i will be useing a cane at wdw in august, the heat and the constant walking will wreak havoc on my legs. and i'll get my cane walk away and smile the whole time. i wouldnt use an ecv unless there was no other way to get around, and if you see me there,, carrying my cane instead of using it properly,, just remember i am hard headed enough to tangle with a motorhome with my head and walk away,, a little pain in my legs is worth it to be in wdw.

 

[Angelrose]

About twenty years ago I broke my ankle in three places. Had surgery to repair and then a year later had the hardware removed. My ankle behaved beautifully for 18 years. Then I started limping rather badly. When I finally went to the doctor and took an xray he found there is absolutely no cartiledge left. It's bone on bone. Let me tell you there is plenty of pain and I have to use a cane. I have thought about getting a scooter at Disney but I don't want to give in to it. With plenty of sit down breakes, I can make it walking. But to rent a scooter just because you are lazy?? That is just so rude and ignorant.

 

[arminnie]

I didn't answer my own question. No I wouldn't do that.

I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome plus have had a zillion surgeries (a couple botched) so I probably should rent an ECV at times, but I guess I'm just as stubborn as the rest of you.

There have been trips where I had to stay in my room for two days for recovery so I know what it is like to over do. But I will never forget the exhilaration of a January 2002 trip where I was able to walk around EPCOT. Six months earlier I couldn't walk to the bathroom. I remember that thrill of "Gosh I'm doing it."

And most of the time when I am debilatated by fatigue, an ECV wouldn't fix things as I wouldn't have the energy to sit on one.

 

[MushyMushy]

P.S. While I was recovering from my surgery I used a scooter at the grocery store. It was easy and to tell the truth it was fun.

I thought it was quite the opposite. Back at the very end of May (3 days before my trip), I sprained my ankle and was staying off it as much as possible, but we still needed to go shopping for the trip. DH and I went to Walmart, so I grabbed a scooter and figured it would be so helpful. It was a PITA! People kept going around me and cutting me off, so the trip took a lot longer than it normally would have. At first, I was getting nasty stares, so I finally pulled up my pants leg so that people could see my wrapped ankle -- I guess you don't "deserve" to ride around in a wheelchair unless you're visibly disabled. But we all know that from the attitudes even here on the DIS.

 

[annegal]

If it was rented from WDW, I have a problem with it. My Handicapped in Laws once had to rent a wheelchair because there were no more ECV's to rent.

He sounds like a lazy loser.

 

[helenabear]

I think he purly sounds lazy. I know most people who need to use them, really don't want to. Even my handicapped aunt was asking if she rented one, could she park it/leave it and walk to some attractons. In short, she doesn't want to use it all the time. If she doesn't have it, she won't be able to do the trip.

Of course she is relatively young (55) and overweight, so I am sure some might think she wouldn't need it if she just got off her duff and walked. I guess "fortunately" she won't have to deal with that since it is obvious once she walks that she will need it.

We're doing our best to convince her it isn't a bad thing, and we will be renting from a company outside so that she can have it 24/7

There are times when I wind up walking slower than I should due to great pain of firbro and back troubles (PT has helped, but some lingers), and I have been tempted to use one. But as long as I can keep on pushing and my fellow park goers don't mind the pace, I'm gonna do it myself.

I've helped with someone driving an ECV and they can be a real PITA... and we move slower than I need as well

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

How much more slothlike does our society need to be? How long before people start slapping on depends just to cut down on potty breaks?

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

add me to the stubborn list, i am sposed to use a cane to walk,, i seldom do, but i can garuntee ya that i will be useing a cane at wdw in august, the heat and the constant walking will wreak havoc on my legs. and i'll get my cane walk away and smile the whole time. i wouldnt use an ecv unless there was no other way to get around, and if you see me there,, carrying my cane instead of using it properly,, just remember i am hard headed enough to tangle with a motorhome with my head and walk away,, a little pain in my legs is worth it to be in wdw.

Froggy, you and Lauri sound like you could be pretty good (and equally stubborn) friends.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

How much more slothlike does our society need to be? How long before people start slapping on depends just to cut down on potty breaks?

Now there's an idea! Should I start a new thread? Maybe on the Theme Parks board?


I am so glad to see that there are so many other stubborn people like my mother. I was glad when she did agree to rent the wheelchair and I think it added to her enjoyment, but I was also glad that she wanted to walk whenever she could.

 

[arminnie]

How much more slothlike does our society need to be? How long before people start slapping on depends just to cut down on potty breaks?

This really made me laugh!

I also have visions of healthy kids in strollers moving directly to ECVs because my gosh it's not like they should ever have to walk.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I also have visions of healthy kids in strollers moving directly to ECVs because my gosh it's not like they should ever have to walk.

I think they'd have to move to wheelchairs for a few years since the EVCs can't be rented until 16yo, if I remember right. Maybe we can squeeze them into strollers until they are 10yo, then rent the wheelchairs from 10-16yo and then move to EVCs. Sounds like a plan!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I visited Disneyland with a torn achilles tendon. I wouldn't even use one then, although I deeply regretted it by the afternoon.

I was in a HUGE HUGE rhumatic flare on our 12 day WDW vacation, I did not rent one until our last day, when I could barely move. Then the thing broke down in Tomorrowland, outside Cosmic Rays, after being told we could not take it on the train to get to the park entrance. Dh and the kids took the train, while I drove to meet them. I ended up having to walk all that way.
Price was a factor for me not using one, but it still would burn me to see an able bodied person scooting around, knowing the parks only have so many available, and someone who needs it may be left out.

 

[shortbun]

First, I would NEVER rent an ECV to be able to dance that night. Second, I would NEVER judge someone in and ECV just because their disability was not evident visually. Third, I really dislike people who judge others more than I dislike someone who has the courage to rent an ECV for comfort-to be able to enjoy WDW with the grandkids or even their own children but has NO major disability. That judgment is about YOU and your personality. We have little or no business judging others. For those who say ECV's are a PITA to walk around or that they get in the way, I've been to WDW over a dozen times and never been irritated by someone on one. I have been put out by large parties blocking entire walkways or standing in doorways of stores and bathrooms but I walk around. I have also been suprised at overhearing people who were enjoying passive aggressive attacks at strangers rather than putting their energies into enjoying their own vacations but I have walked away from them. In case you missed it, the point of my message is: mind your own business, my life is about me and yours about you. I have rented ECV's for my in-laws so they could keep up with my son and see his joy. I have rented an ECV for myself when I blew out a knee just before a preplanned trip. I didn't use that ECV to get priority seating anywhere but did use it for long lines because standing was impossible. For those of you who are proud of the debilitating pain going without one has caused you, carry on but I'm no martyr and I'm not going to go there with ya. I hope you don't think I should applaud you for it though because I feel intentionally induced injury is a little over the top and pride in those times is actually vanity. Vanity has never been a problem of mine. These are MY opinions and I'm not wavering from them.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Shortbun, I do think you raise a good point. I can't speak for others, but in my mother's case, she didn't want to admit that she couldn't keep up, that she was too old, that her body just wasn't what it used to be, especially with the hip replacements. That was a tough thing for that 81yo woman to admit, but she did see the advantages and had a better time. There is not way that she could have kept up without it, and being probably her only trip to WDW, we wanted to see a lot.

 

[arminnie]

This thread is NOT about judging others that you look at. It's about the attitude (stated by the individual not by observation) that he was lazy and would rather dance at night.