Hearts & Rides

[melomouse]

hi - I'm new to this board & have a silly question I'm not sure is for you or my cardiologist.
When there's a sign at a ride at WDW that warns people w/ "neck, heart, back problems" - what is it they are really saying? I understand that Space Mtn can throw out my weak neck muscles(old injury) - but does that mean, say, that Tower of Terror is going to give me another heart attack?
I've not seen this question come up. Maybe I should read more in "handicapped" section, tho I don't see myself that way - have 2 young kids and am heading off to WDW this August. Did Space Mtn a couple of years ago in Ca. - loved it, but the neck was a little off for a few hours after that. I am aware of orthopedic risks, but the heart thing confuses me. Any thoughts besides the obvious Disney fear of litigation or basic human stupidity??? Thanks in advance!

[DisneyGuy]

Dear Melomouse,
I think that is a question for your cardiologist. I don't really know alot on this subject. Have a great time

:)

[umasslabrat]

I agree with DisneyGuy. I am a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and I think you should talk with your Cardiologist. No one should give you medical advice except for the people that are your personel care givers. Second, Disney and other amusement parks put up those signs to protect not only the public...but themselves. If something was to go wrong..they are covered.
Hey, they told you so.

[melomouse]

Thanx so much for your replies. You are absolutely right -I see the cardiologist 7/3 and will be having a serious discussion on this. My hubby also has health issues - mobility problems and we did DL in 98w/handicapped passes & whatnot. My 23y/o helped out alot, too. He's not joining us this time.
I just want my kids to be able to do most of the rides w/ at least one parent!
But I will speak to the doc. Watch - he'll probably tell me he's more concerned about the heat than the rides!
but.. we'll see.....melomouse

[Nutz4Clopin]

Good idea to check with your doctor first, but also be very careful about the heat and humidity in August. It is brutal! Make sure to drink lots of water and try to take a rest back at your hotel midday. Let us know what the cardiologist says.

[melomouse]

Update - today I saw my cardiologist who explained that there is a "theoretical" risk since I have had a previous heart attack. However, with my current test results and diagnosis, I am really in no danger of having another from riding scary rides. Reminded me that Disney must cover itself as you had suggested, labbrat.
And it was funny, because he was more concerned as Clopin was, about the heat! I'm looking for those frozen gel packs NOW!
But thanx all - makes my heart a little lighter!!!:) :) 6 weeks to go!!!

[Nutz4Clopin]

Glad to hear you can go on the rides:)
Just make sure to get the gel packs and water bottles! August will be hear before you know it!!

[LPnerd]

I live in Fl. and I am a cardiac nurse. WATER WATER WATER. Why in gods name does anyone come here in Aug. ???Try going to parks early in am , and back at 5-6 pm. In between go to pool or waterpark.SUNSCREEN!!!!! If you wear sandles make sure you get the tops of feet covered with sunscreen.Sunburn feet and you will not be walkin around the parks. OUCH! If you find you can't quench thirst,go back to hotel ask for help whereever you are. If they know you r overheated with a heart condition they will be more than helpful believe me! Have a great time and Good luck

[umasslabrat]

Water is a really big thing to bring with you. Since you have a medical condition, I do believe that you would be able to bring in a small cooler with water. When the CMs at the gate stop you, explain your medical condition and they should let you through. This should save you alot of money on Bottled water in the park. Unless you are used to Florida Tap water with all that sulfur, then all you really need to do is buy One water bottle and refill it at the water fountains. You can also ask the CMs selling Soda to give you some ice for your bottle, they always do. Also think about renting a Moterized Wheel Chair. My mother always gets one and it helps in two ways. One, you don't walk as much, thus saving energy, and two the people in your party can get onto rides without the wait (unless Disney changed this policy also). And one last advice. Invest in a squirt bottle with a fan attached. It will be you best friend in the heat. Fill it with water and ice. Good Luck :D

[amynicole22]

Originally posted by umasslabrat
I do believe that you would be able to bring in a small cooler with water.

Sporting goods stores carry water packs for mountain bikers called Camel Paks. They hold quite a lot of water (a gallon or more, I think), and strap onto your back like a backpack. A straw runs from the inner water bladder outside the pack for you to drink from. If you can tolerate the weight of the water (it will get lighter over the day), it's a lot easier to tote around than a water cooler and it will save you $$ on purchasing water bottles.

One of my friends used one the last time we were at WDW (in September) and no one ever questioned him about it. He had water throughout the day for both him and his wife and stayed hydrated and cool (if you fill the pack with cold water or put it in the fridge, it keeps your body temperature down).

Just another option - hope this helps.

[Lani]

Originally posted by LPnerd
I live in Fl. and I am a cardiac nurse. WATER WATER WATER. Why in gods name does anyone come here in Aug. ???Oh my goodness, I couldn't agree more! In fact, I wrote an article (http://www.mouseplanet.com/lani/summer.htm) about it for my Trip Planner column here at MousePlanet last summer. I think most people don't realize that they're walking around dehydrated all the time. That is, if you don't have a bottle of water with you at all times, you're probably not drinking enough water.

Here's a quick calculation of how much water you SHOULD be drinking per day:

1. Find your weight in pounds.
2. Multiply your weight by 0.04
3. Multiply this number by 2

The number you reach is the number of 8-ounce glasses of water you should drink in a day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, here is the formula:

1. 150 pounds
2. Multiplied by 0.04: 6
3. Multiplied by 2: 12

12 glasses of water a day.

This may seem excessive, and it certainly goes beyond the "drink eight glasses of water a day" but there are a few caveats:

- You are sweating a LOT in the Florida heat.
- Not all the water needs to come from water directly, but may come from foods like fruits and vegetables (a serving of raw vegetables can yield a third of a cup of water, for example).

HOWEVER, be careful that you don't drink ALL SODA for your water requirements, or CAFFEINATED beverages. Caffeine is a diuretic (that means it dries out your body and makes you get rid of your body's water).
Originally posted by LPnerd Try going to parks early in am , and back at 5-6 pm. In between go to pool or aterpark. SUNSCREEN!!!!! If you wear sandles make sure you get the tops of feet covered with sunscreen.Sunburn feet and you will not be walkin around the parks. OUCH!Paula Begoun, author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1877988286/disneinforguided) takes it one step further. She recommends -- urgently that we buy sunblock that is formulated to include one of the following three ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone (which may also be listed as Parsol 1789 or butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane). Please note that another product, oxybenzone, is another popular ingredient, but it is not proven to shield you from the more nasty, cancer-causing UVA rays.

Most American-made sun screen products do NOT contain these products, although beginning this Spring I have seen a noted increase in the use of Parsol 1789. Look for "Parsol 1789" on the product's main packaging; most manufacturers are using it as a big marketing draw so it shouldn't be hard to find this marked on the bottle. Both Europe and Australia have required one of these ingredients in their sun screen products for a long time, and the U.S. is just catching up, with the FDA finally coming out and saying something about it a year or two ago. Just remember that while UVB rays give you your (unwanted) tan, it's the UVA rays that apparently give you the nasty melanoma!!

ANYONE who plans to go into the sun should read Paul's excellent and easy-to-read article called Sun Care Facts (http://www.cosmeticscop.com/sunbasics/indexframe3.htm) at her Web site, Cosmetics Cop (http://www.cosmeticscop.com).
Originally posted by LPnerd If you find you can't quench thirst, go back to hotel ask for help whereever you are. If they know you r overheated with a heart condition they will be more than helpful believe me! Have a great time and Good luck [/B]
For a lot of folks, going back to a hotel room for water isn't feasible. My recommendation is that you carry the water with you everywhere you go. Most mega-marts and sundry stores in tropic tourist areas usually sell insulated bottle carriers. Buy yourself a bottle of water and freeze it overnight, and sling the thing over your shoulder in your bottle carrier. As you stop for snacks or meals, refill the thing with water. Some bottles, like Gatorade and some water companies, well their bottles in a wide-mouth variety and this keeps refilling easy (some are even wide enough for you to get ice cubes through).

The best thing that I recommend however, is something amynicole22 suggested. The product is called a "Camelbak" (sorry Amy, but it's not a "Camel Pak"), and it is very popular among bicyclists. Go to any bicycle or camping shop, or check REI.com (http://www.rei.com) and perform a search for "Camelbak" (no "c" before the "k") or "personal hydration" and you will come up with quite a few hits.

Much to the dismay of my husband, I currently own SEVERAL Camelbaks, and I currently have an off-brand that I actually use as my daily purse/backpack!!

Camelbaks are amazing inventions, and while I see quite a few in the Anaheim Disneyland, I saw nobody but myself carrying one when I went to WDW last year. It may have to do with the whole California fitness thing, but I can't tell you how great these are.

They basically look like a flat backpack but you open it up and it contains a bladder... imagine a saline IV drip bag that's full of icy cold water, which you tuck in your backpack or purse. During the day, you just drink from it by sucking on the end of the tube. That's basically how the Camelbaks and similar hydration systems work.

The larger-capacity models hold 100 fluid ounces. ONE HUNDRED OUNCES! (Camelbak bladders also come in 50- and 70-ounce sizes) The mouth is wide enough to easily accommodate regular ice cubes as well. In the morning before I leave for the parks, I fill up my Camelbak's bladder with all the free hotel ice cubes it can fit. Then I fill the rest up with water (tap or bottled, depending on whether I'm in Orlando or Anaheim). For the rest of the day, I have ice cold water!!

Now... the reason I am so into Camelbaks and staying hydrated, is that for two years in a row Alex and I went out to the hot summer Nevada desert to attend the Burning Man (http://www.burningman.com) art festival, where you have to bring your own week's worth of water, and where water is considered a life-or-death necessity (and you are urged to drink a gallon of water a day to combat the desert heat and aridity).

However, just because I'm in a theme park and not a dry desert, makes no difference to my body, which still screams that I have to drink lots of water!

Oh, one more thing... you can't just drink water by itself. You need to take in some electrolytes so your body knows to RETAIN the water. You can do it with sports drinks like Gatorade... but if you've ever read its directions, did you know that for every ounce of Gatorade you drink, you're supposed to drink an ounce of plain water? Gatorade is also stuffed full of sugar, which I don't really care for. Instead, you can bring a few electrolyte tablets or Emergen-C (https://www.alacer.com/shop/emerprod7.htm) powder to mix into a cup of water.

Bottom line: During all warmer months, I carry a Camelbak with me into the parks. And Just like amynicole22 said, nobody gives you any hassles for carrying in a Camelbak, an insulated bottle carrier, or bottles of water with you. This is a HEALTH issue and one which you can feel free to defend if they give you any flak at the entrance (they shouldn't).

[Lani]

FYI here are a couple of pictures of what a Camelbak looks like. [Clicking on them will take you to their links at REI.com.]

http://a1072.g.akamai.net/f/1072/2062/1h/gallery.rei.com/largeimages/665829.jpg (http://www.rei.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=6363941&prmenbr=8000)

They aren't the cheapest things, but they are very well made, and are worth their price.

This is what the bladder looks like inside the Camelbak:

http://a1072.g.akamai.net/f/1072/2062/1h/gallery.rei.com/largeimages/668410.jpg (http://www.rei.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=10274181&prmenbr=8000)

[amynicole22]

>>(sorry Amy, but it's not a "Camel Pak")<<

Bahaha...I knew that was wrong but I couldn't find a website to verify it! Thanks for the detailed info. I was surprised no one had mentioned them in this thread and they're an excellent invention! I don't own one myself but I want one, and I will surely secure one before my next WDW trip.

Another tip I picked up from a friend - soak a washcloth in water and freeze it overnight (if you have access to a freezer). Put it in a Ziploc bag and keep it handy to wipe down with or put over your neck during the day.

----> Off to put $.50 in my Camelbak (right Lani?) fund. :D

[Lani]

Originally posted by amynicole22
Another tip I picked up from a friend - soak a washcloth in water and freeze it overnight (if you have access to a freezer). Put it in a Ziploc bag and keep it handy to wipe down with or put over your neck during the day. Oooo that's nice! Here's another tip: On those hot days, find a park potty with a changing table, and pick up one of their changing table liners. They're basically very large and absorbent paper towels -- about four times as big and as absorbent as a regular sheet of paper towel. Unfold one of these and get them wet in the sink. They are long enough that you can drape them around your neck, and they help cool you off. Although they are meant for changing your baby's diaper, I don't feel guilty using them because I wouldn't use but one a day (they last me the whole day).

[Lani]

Oh yeah, and don't forget strong sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. :D

[melomouse]

A BIG Thank You to all of you thoughtful and creative folks who took the time to offer suggestions on keeping ourselves hydrated and a tad cooler next month in WDW.
Lani, I'm deciding between several Camelbak models now and think you are so clever!
Why August? Because we having been trying and trying to get to WDW since we tried DL in 98, but DH's repeated hospitalizations as well as my own have prevented us health or moneywise. The air and hotel rates I got are unbelievable thanks to internet wizardry.
My first choice is always January. Part of why we are onsite is to get back to that room & pool and rest whenever we might need it. We are even planning on a non-park day.
When I read all the responses I felt so cared about and relieved because I am responsible for four people and most days it don't come easy. Stay tuned for the trip report on The Totally Differently-Abled Family Goes to WDW in 105 degree Weather - And Loves IT!!!!!
:cool: :cool: :cool:

Blessings of Magic Upon You All!!!
melomouse:p

[amynicole22]

Originally posted by melomouse
A BIG When I read all the responses I felt so cared about and relieved because I am responsible for four people and most days it don't come easy. Stay tuned for the trip report on The Totally Differently-Abled Family Goes to WDW in 105 degree Weather - And Loves IT!!!!!

Have a wonderful time! Be sure to report back on your trip! :D