Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis... Oxygen... and DAS

[lanejudy]

He doesn't want an wheelchair because he hates the idea of not being able to stand and walk but he also doesn't want to not have a place to sit or the time to sit if he really needs to...

One option is to push a wheelchair just like a rollator. Then sit when he needs a break.

he's very reluctant to spend 600 dollars on scooters and not being sure that if we have to park hop he will get one at the second park. We would have to get one from Disney, since we have to haul his big O2 concentrator he can't see trying to fight with the busses from the resort to the parks if he rents on off property.

As others have mentioned, offsite rentals are considerably less expensive than in-park rentals. Plus he'd be guaranteed to have the ECV to/from the buses (it can be a long walk) and around the resort (most are somewhat spread out). Most rentals include a basket, possibly the O2 will fit in the basket. Or you may be able to rent an attachment for it. You should be fine on the WDW buses/boats/monorail transportation. The bus drivers will help guide how to park it.

You mention hausling a big O2 concentrator -- if you don't have a portable travel O2 concentrator you might want to look into that to be a little less cumbersome. Be sure to check with your airline about travel with oxygen.

You may want to read post #30 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is about traveling to WDW with oxygen.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[arminnie]

Let me start off by saying that one of my dearest friends has IPF. Yes it's terminal - but life is terminal. My friend has been on oxygen 24/7 for over 12 years - and celebrated her 91st birthday several months ago. We go to lunch at Commander's Palace in New Orleans (where she has two martinis) at least once a month - and other places also. So I wish your DH many more years.

He might want to look into purchasing an ECV since this is a permanent condition. You can buy one on Amazon for less than $600 - best thing I ever bought. I navigate quite well around my house. I can walk - but my draggy leg tires me out. Using an ECV can make some experiences just wonderful for me.

I never use my ECV in daily life. But when I go to a huge museum, Disney, or a large garden tour my ECV is a life saver. I can navigate, see every corner, and be totally normal.

I consider my need to use an ECV to actually be a good thing now. I used to always go bagless so I had to plan out what to put in my pockets. Now I can bring whatever I want in my basket or a backpack on the back of my seat. I have a fan on my tiller that I can point right at my face, etc.

When I had to walk everywhere I often chose not to go down a path if I didn't know for sure there was something that I wanted to see there. Now I can explore with abandon.

Don't worry about the buses. If you can park a grocery cart you can park an ECV. If you are worried about doing it while seated on can always dismount and push it into the parking place quite easily.