AutoImmune Disease & Disney

[WDW_Emily]

Very random question but I'm hoping someone on here can help us out.

We are traveling to the world in June. After our last trip to the world, my sister was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (she actually got very sick on the trip and we had to make a trip to CentraCare). Since she has been diagnosed she has become a tad of a germaphobe since when she get sick, she is done for the count.

Right now her concern is bedding at hotels and how often they wash everything. At home she washes her sheets every 2 days. I know this is somewhat ridiculous and we have never stayed at a dirty Disney hotel but how often do they clean the sheets? My guess is once a family checks out they clean them. Should I make Disney aware of her autoimmune disease?

Side question: Does Pop have fridges in all the rooms now?

 

[The Mom]

If you strip the sheets every two days and put them on the floor I suspect they will get washed.

I would be more concerned about all of the germs she'll be exposed to in the parks - in rides, on handrails, other guest coughing, etc.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Bring sheets if it's that big of a deal. I travel for work and when I know I'm going to have to stay in a dive, I bring sheets, towels, canvas tarps for floors, and a bottle of bleach.

 

[WDW_Emily]

If you strip the sheets every two days and put them on the floor I suspect they will get washed.

I would be more concerned about all of the germs she'll be exposed to in the parks - in rides, on handrails, other guest coughing, etc.

Oh no that's a concern too. We just have embraced the it's kinda out of our control/hand sanitizer all the time logic.

 

[jaklgreen]

I am not too much of a germ freak but I bring my own bed sheets and my own pillow. Mostly for comfort. Mine are bright pink so there is never any confusion with housekeeping. We are are very healthy family and I attribute that to our hand washing. We do not touch things unnecessarily and always wash our hands before we touch our food. So we get our food(or order is at a table service) then we take turns going to the bathroom and wash our hands. We also, as soon as we get home(or hotel room), our shoes come off and it is straight to the bathroom and wash our hands so we do not touch all of our stuff with germy hands. We do not use hand sanitizers, I don't think they work as well as washing hands plus your hands are still dirty. I think if your sister is vigilant about washing hands, especially before she eats anything, then she will be fine.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I have moderate-severe asthma and have to be really careful about getting sick, so I understand your concerns.

In your hotel room, I would bring a pack of sanitary wipes or something else to clean surfaces and wipe down EVERYTHING. Including the light switches, the phone, the remote, nightstands, etc. Everywhere else in your room should be thoroughly clean, but those are the spots that tend to be missed and can get extremely filthy.

I'm not sure how often clean sheets are put on the beds at Pop. I would think they would be changed every day, but you can likely inquire at check in how often they are changed. If they don't change them as often as you would need, you can leave a note for Mousekeeping asking that they change the sheets.

Also, I would take the decorative cover off the bed and have your sister bring her own blankets. Those I know for a fact are not cleaned as often.

As far as other preventative measures, I find that increasing my vitamin C intake on vacation usually helps prevent me from getting sick. Hand sanitizer is a must. Also, just be aware of your surroundings. If you notice someone who appears to be coughing/otherwise sick, get away from that person.

 

[NelsonRD]

Not knowing your specific situation, but often times autoimmune disease is the result of an overactive immune system, and medication is used to suppress it. It is typically not the other way around. Talk to her doctor about the travel plans, and adjustments to medication, and you will be fine.

 

[jmillig]

I am so sorry to hear about your sisters condition! Please let your resort know before your arrival of the medical situation that is faced.

Also, yes, Pop Century does have mini refrigerators in their rooms. However, they do not have microwaves.

 

[slappy magoo]

I would be more concerned about all of the germs she'll be exposed to in the parks - in rides, on handrails, other guest coughing, etc.

Oh no that's a concern too. We just have embraced the it's kinda out of our control/hand sanitizer all the time logic.

Would wearing a face mask help? Not too comfy in the Orlando sun perhaps, but she's breathing fewer germs. That combined with perhaps surgical gloves. There might be snide comments, but if it keeps her from getting sick...?

 

[Matt_Black]

What does your doctor say? I would definitely ask their opinion.

 

[daisyduckie]

I'm not sure how often clean sheets are put on the beds at Pop. I would think they would be changed every day, but you can likely inquire at check in how often they are changed. If they don't change them as often as you would need, you can leave a note for Mousekeeping asking that they change the sheets.

Also, I would take the decorative cover off the bed and have your sister bring her own blankets. Those I know for a fact are not cleaned as often.

Disney doesn't change the sheets every day. It is, I think, every 3 or 4 days. They will do it every day if you ask them to. As our esteemed moderator pointed out, if you toss them on the floor you will get new ones.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I have a weak immune system from aggressive chemo years ago. I have been able to do Disney many, many times and stayed well. But, I bring my own sheets, towels, pillow, and cover.
The first thing I do is spray the room with Lysol spray or such. I bring wipes and clean all surfaces. I bring foam bleach spray to clean the bathroom counter, faucet, tub, and toilet. Be sure and clean the flush handle. I even use the bleach spray on the floor. I bring large microfiber cloths for the floor and throw them away. I pre-cut .07 mm plastic to sit my shoes and luggage on.
This usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour in a standard room, but it's well worth the piece of mind for the rest of the trip. I put out the do not disturb sign first. If you do all this cleaning and then let housekeeping into the room, you've wasted your time.
I believe more people get sick from the germs hanging in the rooms than from anything in the parks. People have flu, strep, and viruses and throw up repeatedly in the rooms. They tested resort rooms and found that flu, mrsa and others still in a room on surfaces for seven days. The common cold lives in the air in a room for 48 hours. At least in the parks, you are in more open areas and can move away from sneezing, coughing people. I don't do things like Mission Space where you are so enclosed. I wash my hands and use Purell. The latest studies show that you need both. Washing hands alone is no longer thought to be enough in a park environment. Make doubly sure she sanitizes after using the finger scanners. I bring alcohol wipes for times I can't get to a sink. CVS carries the individual alcohol wipes. I always have them with me to use after touching a menu. They found dangerous germs on menus in every city and every restaurant tested. Normal people can usually handle the germs. But, it can be deadly to those of us with weak systems.
I have been doing this for so long that it's second nature to me. The main thing is that by being cautious you can still enjoy Disney.
I always shower before bed no matter how late so that I don't have to change the sheets. I also wipe down anything, including my phone, that I had with me in the parks.
One more thing, I put my wallet, lipstick, and any personal items in ziplock bags in my purse or backpack to keep security from handling those things after handling 1,000's of other people's things.

 

[mouse_luv]

I have an autoimmune disease for some years now thanks to another major medical issue. We stay DVC so housekeeping would only come in once during my trip for towels and trash. So, if you don't want housekeeping in your room messing everything up that you worked to clean then I would make that known and keep the do not disturb sign up.

We lysol wipe all surfaces down when we get to our room and remove all duvets, decorative pillows etc from the beds. We also lysol phones, tv remotes, door handles etc. I will also lysol my phone (in case) that I took out to the parks with me daily after returning to room. I shower at night and in the AM, or after returning from the Parks during the day (most times this is also a relief from feeling sweaty and sticky from the heat and sunblock). In the parks, we frequently wash our hands, use Purell religiously, and watch who we are around. We never touch unnecessary things like queue ropes, interactive queue things, and so on. We also watch who we are around.

We (DBF) and I have been doing this for so long that it's second nature. I was also going to suggest a mask like a PP already has but IDK how severe your sisters issue is OP.

If need be, feel free to DM me. And last but not least, enjoy your trip!

 

[jaklgreen]

I have an autoimmune disease for some years now thanks to another major medical issue. We stay DVC so housekeeping would only come in once during my trip for towels and trash. So, if you don't want housekeeping in your room messing everything up that you worked to clean then I would make that known and keep the do not disturb sign up.

We lysol wipe all surfaces down when we get to our room and remove all duvets, decorative pillows etc from the beds. We also lysol phones, tv remotes, door handles etc. I will also lysol my phone (in case) that I took out to the parks with me daily after returning to room. I shower at night and in the AM, or after returning from the Parks during the day (most times this is also a relief from feeling sweaty and sticky from the heat and sunblock). In the parks, we frequently wash our hands, use Purell religiously, and watch who we are around. We never touch unnecessary things like queue ropes, interactive queue things, and so on. We also watch who we are around.

We (DBF) and I have been doing this for so long that it's second nature. I was also going to suggest a mask like a PP already has but IDK how severe your sisters issue is OP.

If need be, feel free to DM me. And last but not least, enjoy your trip!

I do not have any medical issues, but I do not touch things like queue ropes either. Just gross. We also shower before we get into bed, even at home. All good rules to live by.

 

[lemon meringue]

One more thing, I put my wallet, lipstick, and any personal items in ziplock bags in my purse or backpack to keep security from handling those things after handling 1,000's of other people's things.

How are you able to get through security without the agent going inside your ziplock bags? Do you explain your situation? I ask because I do the same thing with my eye drops. I have a dry eye condition that requires me to use preservative free drops every two hours. They come in tiny single use vials. When I'm away from home I put each needed vial in its own snack size ziplock to keep the outside sanitary. It's hit or miss with how thorough Disney bag check is but I've had several occasions where the agent removed the vials from the bags and handled them. They were worthless to me after that and had to be discarded. Not only are they pricey making this wasteful but it caused me to have to leave the park early each time to go retrieve more drops. I'm just wondering how you keep your items from being handled.

 

[mouse_luv]

How are you able to get through security without the agent going inside your ziplock bags? Do you explain your situation? I ask because I do the same thing with my eye drops. I have a dry eye condition that requires me to use preservative free drops every two hours. They come in tiny single use vials. When I'm away from home I put each needed vial in its own snack size ziplock to keep the outside sanitary. It's hit or miss with how thorough Disney bag check is but I've had several occasions where the agent removed the vials from the bags and handled them. They were worthless to me after that and had to be discarded. Not only are they pricey making this wasteful but it caused me to have to leave the park early each time to go retrieve more drops. I'm just wondering how you keep your items from being handled.

I carry my epi-pens etc in ziplock bags and they don't take them out and handle them. Honestly they usually just look in my purse quickly and let me go...

 

[lemon meringue]

I carry my epi-pens etc in ziplock bags and they don't take them out and handle them. Honestly they usually just look in my purse quickly and let me go...

They usually just quick look in my purse too, but I've had several occasions where they went through everything- they fondled the eye drops like I already mentioned, opened and rolled up my lipstick, opened my wallet and even rifled through my credit cards and cash.

 

[mouse_luv]

They usually just quick look in my purse too, but I've had several occasions where they went through everything- they fondled the eye drops like I already mentioned, opened and rolled up my lipstick, opened my wallet and even rifled through my credit cards and cash.

I understand why they would do it, but it's still gross.

 

[mmnw]

They usually just quick look in my purse too, but I've had several occasions where they went through everything- they fondled the eye drops like I already mentioned, opened and rolled up my lipstick, opened my wallet and even rifled through my credit cards and cash.

Do they open up the eye drops? I wonder if you can get a Drs. note asking they don't open. Otherwise, I bring sanitary wipes and wipe the outside of items off if I need to keep them germ free.

 

[jaklgreen]

How are you able to get through security without the agent going inside your ziplock bags? Do you explain your situation? I ask because I do the same thing with my eye drops. I have a dry eye condition that requires me to use preservative free drops every two hours. They come in tiny single use vials. When I'm away from home I put each needed vial in its own snack size ziplock to keep the outside sanitary. It's hit or miss with how thorough Disney bag check is but I've had several occasions where the agent removed the vials from the bags and handled them. They were worthless to me after that and had to be discarded. Not only are they pricey making this wasteful but it caused me to have to leave the park early each time to go retrieve more drops. I'm just wondering how you keep your items from being handled.

Are you talking about the TSA or disney security? I travel with eye drops and lip gloss that I put in the ziplock and have never had a TSA agent take them out of the bag. I usually keep the ziplock bag in my backpack and the whole thing goes through the x-ray machine without issue. If its disney security you are worried about, just put that stuff in your pocket when you go through. I do not carry a bag to the parks and just shove a few thing in my pocket and have never been stopped. As mmnw said, I would not throw them out but just sanitize the outside.