Oy. I might be "That Guy."

[BufordTJustice]

IMHO - you also need to go to Guest Services on your first entry into the Parks and get a Guest Assistance Card.

The GAC met it's death in October of 2013 and was replaced by the DAS which is primarily granted to those with sensory disorders (i.e. ADHD, Autism, Aspergers). Believe me, no one will judge someone who is in a wheelchair or EVC (unless morbidly obese) because they are a PITA and get you no FOTL access anymore.

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

Believe me, no one will judge someone who is in a wheelchair or EVC (unless morbidly obese) because they are a PITA and get you no FOTL access anymore.

i'm the fat, lazy woman in the wheelchair. and of course, you know when someone fat is in a chair or ECV, people assume they're just lazy and don't want to walk.

the first time i needed a chair was a few months after a car accident where i'd shattered bones in my foot. i tried to tough it out and just couldn't do it. and then i was diagnosed with a painful chronic illness and there was no way. i walked what i could our last trip but ended up in a chair within a day. the walk between the car and the hotel room was excruciating. this time i'm renting an ECV from an outside source and am hoping to be confident enough to confront anyone who says anything to me about 'invisible disabilities'.

use the chair. use the ecv. f*** what other people think - you have fun with your family. make magical memories. live your life. and let those stupid, bitter, judgmental people live their sad, bitter, judgey lives.

 

[Fishbait]

The guy that looks like he doesn't need any assistance like a wheelchair, but does and then provokes the ire of everyone around him for "cheating the system."
I've been diagnosed as having a herniated disc, L3-L4. It's irritating the nerve that runs down my right leg. It's a bit like sciatica. It often feels like something is reaching in my leg and yanking up on it. I can be just standing and then all of a sudden need to lift my right leg like a flamingo. For the past few weeks it's been practically all-consuming. Just agony. I'm seeing a pain specialist and chiropractor and acupuncturist. Apparently, despite decent blood pressure and a low pulse, I am a ball of tension and can relax to the point where a chiropractic adjustment can take the pressure off that nerve to stop the pain in my leg.

I received a painkiller injection last week. I could get another, though a side effect is a raise in my blood sugar; I can be practically on an atkins diet and still have higher blood sugar than I ought to have. So I'm trying to exercise as much as I can (which isn't much) to strengthen my core and make it easier to get the back-crack I need to get to stop irritating the nerve.

The insult to injury - it hurts to pick up and hold my children. To say No, I can't pick you up Daddy's back hurts, to a 2 year old, is like saying I reject you and withhold love from you. Lot of tears in the house until I can get to a couch or on the floor and give hugs.

On top of all this, we're planning our WDW trip. At this point, never mind the kids, *I'VE* been looking forward to this trip too much to cancel it. Even with the 20 hour drive, I won't let this get in the way of going. But I worry that the standing in line is going to be agony if the injected painkiller starts wearing off. If that happens, my doctors told me I should get a wheelchair, plus then my 2 year old can at least be on my lap which will take pressure off my back versus standing and holding her. But I can already hear the comments from other guests - I'm not in a cast, my legs are attached to my body, I show no outside symptoms of injury, no shaking, no nerve damage bending my leg in unnatural ways, etc. Therefore I must be faking it for sympathy and line cutting privileges (yeah, I know, FP+, you still wait, blah blah blah, it's all perception vs reality), hey where did you get your wheelchair, loser I want to cut in line too, etc. Wow, you sure got out of that wheelchair easy, jerk, too good to wait in line with the rest of us?

I gotta get better. Either that or a fake cast so I "look the part."

I had an injury like that. I started doing stretching and foam rolling every day. It helped a lot.

 

[G00fyDad]

As long as you aren't being an a** in the wheelchair or ECV then ignore the people. I have had my fair share of people in these that have run over my foot, ran into my heels, barged out of a doorway without looking first, etc. But I have also seen a good amount of people in these with manners. My mother is coming with us on our next trip. She cannot walk the distances required for the parks so she will be getting an ECV while there. (No, we will not use the GAC. She will get up and walk through the attraction line because she can. ) However, she is considerate and looks out for others when she uses these things. Don't worry about what others think. It's not their vacation.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Thanks all. Barring anything else unforeseen and not necessarily having to do with my situaiton, we're going, no doubt. My thing with the kids is, they are at the just-right age, the age where everything is magical and no one is really that much of a jerk, and that time for kids, if they get it at all, is brief is precious. So while I'm willing and able to say hey screw those people we'll never see them again who do they think they are, I just hold that period of innocence inside of them dear. I can't be responsible for the behavior of others, but I also know me; I know my temperament and I know the extent of my sarcasm and scorn. I'm just as worried about what I might say to others who might comment to me as I am worried about those who might make comments. It's that fine line between not caring what others think, but also not taking insults or catcalls (if there are any) in stride, because we shouldn't have to take anyone's crap either, you know what I mean? So do I teach them to ignore others when they're not nice? Heck some people who aren't nice get even meaner when you ignore them, so that might be a good lesson at WDW but not IRL. Do I teach them to confront mean-ness? If they don't have the muscle to back it up? Again, not a factor at WDW, but we're only there for about a week, that's a lesson that will continue to have repercussions.

Which is why I'm really trying and hoping to get better. One less thing to worry about.

Man oh Man can I identify with this... I have major issues with sciatica and our trip last year really proved just how bad it can get. The first two days of our 10 day vacation, I had to sit down and do my flamingo stand and stretch every few yards. The Epcot *death ramp* to the monorail, literally reduced me to tears. I finally gave in, my husband got a wheelchair on our third day. For me to even sit in it, took alot. We collapsed it before boarding the monorail, going into parks, and I had to avoid any long wait lines, due to my leg actually going numb if I stand too long. The looks I got, the comments made that I was *intended* to hear were just unreal. Not once did I try to cut anyone off or take advantage of my *trusted steed* (as we named the wheelchair LOL) I had a woman remark .. "she's what 130 lbs and in a wheelchair, and look at the shoes shes wearing"... Well my Jersey side came out... I remarked "Well no, actually Im 134 lbs thanks to my love of funnel cakes, and my shoes are comfy and guess what? I got them on sale!!!" Her husband looked at her and said "There ya go... smart a$$ I told you to mind your own business" The best we can do is wish haters well, and hope they never wind up in a wheelchair. Enjoy your vacation! We are headed down in 99 days

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Let me say thank you, to ALL of you!!! Awesome responses.. Its so nice to see SO many wonderful thoughtful people out there. I was just fretting the wheel chair scenario again this year. @slappy magoo you're timing for this post couldnt have been more perfect. Wishing you ALL a wonderful pain free vacation!

 

[SMS55]

On top of all this, we're planning our WDW trip. At this point, never mind the kids, *I'VE* been looking forward to this trip too much to cancel it. Even with the 20 hour drive, I won't let this get in the way of going. But I worry that the standing in line is going to be agony if the injected painkiller starts wearing off. If that happens, my doctors told me I should get a wheelchair, plus then my 2 year old can at least be on my lap which will take pressure off my back versus standing and holding her. But I can already hear the comments from other guests - I'm not in a cast, my legs are attached to my body, I show no outside symptoms of injury, no shaking, no nerve damage bending my leg in unnatural ways, etc. Therefore I must be faking it for sympathy and line cutting privileges (yeah, I know, FP+, you still wait, blah blah blah, it's all perception vs reality), hey where did you get your wheelchair, loser I want to cut in line too, etc. Wow, you sure got out of that wheelchair easy, jerk, too good to wait in line with the rest of us?

I gotta get better. Either that or a fake cast so I "look the part."

Just because you aren't in a leg cast or missing a leg doesn't mean you're abusing. Sure some people abuse of it, and some will think you're abusing but they are being ignorant. On our last trip we had to get a wheelchair for my father. He's is 72, had one knee replaced and probably needs the other replaced. The first day he walked but by late afternoon he just couldn't do it anymore. His bad knee began to swell. We rented him one for the next day. I went years ago with an ex who rolled her ankle the day before we left. She could walk a little but the doctor advised against it because it swelled up a little and was purple. Imagine two young twenty year olds and one in the wheelchair. It was winter so we were in jeans and closed toe shoes. I'm sure we get some dirty looks. Don't let what others think of you have a negative effect on your vacation. If you need it, you need it.

 

[Minnie1976]

I wouldn't worry about it. You can't see that my husband leg hurts all the time from when they removed the vein for his open heart surgery. He has told the doctors, and they said he has to live with it. He gets an ECV from Apple, and they deliver it to our hotel and pick it up. He can't walk far nor stand for long periods of time. That is
the only way he can go to Disney now.

Oh, if you decide on an ECV don't get the 4 wheel one. They are bigger and harder to handle on buses and in some of the lines. My husband isn't a small person and does just fine on the 3 wheel one.

 

[Scott10]

It amazes me how Disney transportation moves the mass of people it moves as effectively at they do. Having been on a bus and watched the driver load and strap in the ECV in the time that they do and then continue on with transportation is amazing. During our July vacation we had a little wait time while a gentleman boarded our bus on an ECV. After being seated he began talking with us and was so embarrassed that he felt the need to explain to us to try to never break your pelvis weeks before a Disney trip. He had booked the trip with the plan to bring his grand-kids and had an accident between the time of booking and the trip itself and didn't want to disappoint them. You could just tell in his voice that he was feeling the looks from people as his reason for using the ECV was not visible and he felt terrible.....everyone knows how much walking is done on a Disney vacation, so I find it hard to complain about someone who is doing what this man did to enjoy time with his family!

 

[hrmom26]

i have rheumatoid arthritis, another invisible disease, to top it off i am on the heavy side so when i get on a scooter i know people are looking at me thinking jeez have a salad and you'd be fine. the first time i had to use a scooter it was in WDW. i will admit i teared up a bit and it kind of threw me for a while that i had to do this, what people thought of me, what was on there minds, flew threw my head but in the end the point was with using the scooter i was able to make sure my kids had a fabulous time and lets face it me too. the first day, the first hour, kind of was hard, but i got over it when my kids smiled and asked to have a ride and "does it go fast and can you do a wheelie?" lol. i realized to them it was not a huge deal to them i was still mom i just now had wheels. my advice if you use a scooter have someone walk in front of you if its crowded people tend to ignore whats around them, therefor you are stuck either feeling rude or like you're going to run people over, if you have someone else walk ahead of you and you follow like your own little parade lol it works nice people part for you then . also if you're staying for a fireworks display leave just before the fireworks end or wait till the crowd lessens the crush is insane when walking never mind on a scooter. good luck have fun