Disneyland at Six weeks post op!

[23109VC]

I'm six weeks post op and I'm going to Disneyland!

I live 45 min away, so it's not like a huge family vacation... Just a one day trip.  I have been of my cane all last week and a half but I brought it since I'll be walking a lot.

I feel really good but will probably avoid any high speed rides.. Like space mountain... But I'm sure there are plenty of more calm rides I can go on and have fun with the kids!

Any suggestions or thoughts? 

There are some rides that are jerky but maybe ok.. Star tours? It  wiggles and shakes but it's not high impact.... I'll err on the side of caution.. I've been there a lot so I know what each ride entails....

It will be nice to be walkin around with the family and not think about how much my hip is killing me! 

[lori.36]

Oh How much fun.  I think that would be a great photo for the website.  I love your opening line.

[FlbrkMike]

I feel really good but will probably avoid any high speed rides.. 

I guess a trip to Magic Mountain next week is probably out of the question then...

[svanci02]

I have never seen anyone talk about lawn mowers and restrictions, riding lawn mowers OK as long as you are not breaking any "hip restrictions" ???

[obxpelican]

I thought I saw a commercial 5 weeks ago with you on a stretcher and an announcer in the backround "now that you have that new bioment hip what are you going to do next" -------- then I remember you screaming "I'm going to disneyland!"

;)


Chuck

I'm six weeks post op and I'm going to Disneyland!

I live 45 min away, so it's not like a huge family vacation... Just a one day trip.  I have been of my cane all last week and a half but I brought it since I'll be walking a lot.

I feel really good but will probably avoid any high speed rides.. Like space mountain... But I'm sure there are plenty of more calm rides I can go on and have fun with the kids!

Any suggestions or thoughts? 

There are some rides that are jerky but maybe ok.. Star tours? It  wiggles and shakes but it's not high impact.... I'll err on the side of caution.. I've been there a lot so I know what each ride entails....

It will be nice to be walkin around with the family and not think about how much my hip is killing me! 

[23109VC]

Well, it was a great day!  I walked all over Disneyland....no idea how far I walked, but it was more than a mile that is for sure!  I used my cane most of the time, and that paid of, because by the end of the day my leg was tired and having the cane made it easier.

Also, if you are using a cane or are in a wheelchair, many of the rides have handicapped accessible limes...you and your entire group are allowed to wait via that line as well.  For some rides, the handicapped line was no faster than the normal line, but for several rides, it meant virtually no wait, of half the normal wait.  For someone like me, utilizing those lines meant I spent a bit less time just standing in a line, which would have been tiring, and likely would have meant I would have gone home earlier.

Now, the following day, I can feel that my leg is tired, but so is the non operated leg!  I'm sure I'll be a bit worn out today, but I'll take it easy.

Before my surgery, yesterday's trip was something I could have done, but it would have been uncomfortable because the walking would have been painful.  It was nice to walk around and spend time enjoying myself without the old hip pain!

My 9 year old told me it was the best day of his life... That was the best part for me.

[hernanu]

Sounds great Sean! little by little you pull your life back.

[newdog]

Wow Sean! That's a story that makes people smile. Thanks and way to go!

Steve (newdog)

[23109VC]

Tell me about it!!!  It was really neat to walk around at Disneyland and NOT have that constant nagging pain in my hip... although despite using the cane all day, I still got sore in the evening.  

today my hip feels slightly more sore than it did the day before I went to disneyland, but it feels like the soft tissue stuff...discomfort I've felt before..so it's nothing I"m alarmed about, it's just my body's way of telling me I walked a lot and now it wants me to slow down...

I probably walked more yesterday than I did the whole week prior put together!  Given how far I walked, I am suprised I wasn't MORE sore!  :)

I will be taking it easy for a while...  but I had no problem walking to work today without the cane... so I guess at this point I'd consider myself "caneless" for a mile walk...but any "all day Disney" excursions still require a cane... :)  

It will be cool when I go back to Disneyland in a couple years and I can ride Space Mountain!!!  I passed on that one.  :)  Althought I got to ride it vicarously through my 9 year old who exited the ride yelling and screaming how "awesome" it was...  :)  

I have to give credit to Disneyland...they have a pretty good system setup to accomodate people with mobility problems.  The tram, which is often a nightmare, has special handicapped sections, ramps, and they go out of their way to assist you on/off..and even though I was in a group of NINE, everyone in my group got to stay with me, be in the special lines with me, etc.  When I was more mobile, and not in need of special assistance, I never really paid attention to that stuff...and now that I've been on crutches, and have used the cane, I pay more atention to those who still need it, and empathize with them.  It was really nice to see that even people with pretty severe disabilities get to expereince the fun and wonder of Disneyland.  I saw quite a few pretty heavily disabled kids in wheelchairs, getting to go on the rides - and it was nice that they got at least that one day to probably forget a little bit about their lmitations and just be mesmerized in the magic of Disney.  

My son is 9, daughter is 5, and my little guy is 3.  They all had a total blast  - I had a great time, but mostly because I was enjoying seeing their little faces light up.  

If any of you had concerns you wouldn't be able to hit up an amusement park at 6 weeks - I think yo'ud do fine.  just stay off the hard core coasters.