a couple questions

[Cruise Dragon]

Hi everyone,

 

My wife, MoonBaby had a spinal fusion about 15 years ago and has always had a bad back, made worse by owning an ice cream store with her ex for 18 years. Over the years her back has gotten worse, in fact on our last vacation we found a cane that turned into a chair because she can't stand in one place for any period of time. She also has other medical problems such as Fibromyalgia and Arthritis among other things.

 

Over the past 2 or 3 years her back has gotten progressively worse. Over the last few months we have found out that she has a herniated disc and also has other problems on every level of her spine.

 

She never needed a wheel chair until recently when we went to 2 conventions back to back weekends last month.

 

She has used a cane for years when her back is really bad and we have found that most people are really nice when we are traveling if she has her cane.

 

Since last month was the first time we used a wheel I have limited experience regarding treatment while in wheelchairs. That said at these conventions, crowded elevators are always an issue even for AB people and we found that even though people didn't lose their spot in line or the elevator they tended to be very nice and respected that she was in a wheel chair.

 

Since her back is as bad as it is we have started to talk about buying a wheel chair so we always have one when needed, as we have found that not all hotels have them to lend out.

 

I have 2 questions:

 

1- Since my wife can walk, do we necessarily need a HC Cabin or can we deal with a regular cabin and fold up the chair when we need to.

 

2- With Security at the airports and ports being what it is is it more or less difficult to get though Security in a wheelchair?

 

 

[Arlened236]

Sorry to hear about your wife's medical issues, but it seems she had a great helper in you. To answer your questions...

1. Getting thru the airport is easier with your own chair...when you check in the agent will call a "pusher" for her chair, and he/she will take you thru security to the gate. They will ask if she can walk thru the metal detector or she needs hand wanding.

2. You could use a regular cabin, but if she needs assistance like hand bars near the toilet, or standing in a small shower is difficult because of her arthritis, a w/c cabin is the way to go...the bathroom is much larger, often with raised toilet seats, a roll in shower with a pull down seat, and a hand held shower head.

If you chose a regular cabin..you can request a raised toilet seat, and a shower chair which would make it easier.

 

As for people in elevators...I use an electric scooter on the ship, I just announce "watch out I sometimes get a few toe's"...this usually makes people smile and they give me lots of room. LOL...also, just a tip, get on the elevator whatever whay its going...what goes up must come down.

 

Have a great cruise...any cruise is better than a day with 12 inches of snow (which we got last night in Chicago) We leave 2 weeks from today for a 15 day cruise to Hawaii....cant wait

Arlene

[Cruise Dragon]

Thanks, I knew I could get the information here.

 

We don't have a cruise booked right now but friends are talking about getting a group together for a cruise for later in the year.

 

Walter

 

[daveco58]

Hi everyone,

 

My wife, MoonBaby had a spinal fusion about 15 years ago and has always had a bad back, made worse by owning an ice cream store with her ex for 18 years. Over the years her back has gotten worse, in fact on our last vacation we found a cane that turned into a chair because she can't stand in one place for any period of time. She also has other medical problems such as Fibromyalgia and Arthritis among other things.

 

Over the past 2 or 3 years her back has gotten progressively worse. Over the last few months we have found out that she has a herniated disc and also has other problems on every level of her spine.

 

She never needed a wheel chair until recently when we went to 2 conventions back to back weekends last month.

 

She has used a cane for years when her back is really bad and we have found that most people are really nice when we are traveling if she has her cane.

 

Since last month was the first time we used a wheel I have limited experience regarding treatment while in wheelchairs. That said at these conventions, crowded elevators are always an issue even for AB people and we found that even though people didn't lose their spot in line or the elevator they tended to be very nice and respected that she was in a wheel chair.

 

Since her back is as bad as it is we have started to talk about buying a wheel chair so we always have one when needed, as we have found that not all hotels have them to lend out.

 

I have 2 questions:

 

1- Since my wife can walk, do we necessarily need a HC Cabin or can we deal with a regular cabin and fold up the chair when we need to.

 

2- With Security at the airports and ports being what it is is it more or less difficult to get though Security in a wheelchair?

 

 

 

Understand that folding up the chair "when we need to" means every time you go through either the front door, or the bathroom door. If she can get up and walk, every time you go in and out of the cabin, and every time she goes into the bathroom, you might be okay in a regular cabin.

If not, you will need to book a w/c accessible room. And it's not just the width of the door, but the bathroom door (and the shower) may have a "lip" that you have to step over. So, consider that carefully.

 

As far as getting through airport security, me and my brother (he is in a chair) often get pulled out of line and moved ahead, since he (and his chair) have to be hand wanded, so we often get through faster.

And always at ports we get pulled aside to a w/c accessible check-in, though the line there is usually comparable to the regular lines, so it's not necessarily faster.

[leoandhugh]

You mention the possibility of buying a wheelchair. If you do that, keep several things in mind 1) get a proper wheelchair with big rear wheels, not a patient chair with small wheels which always has to be pushed by someone else. 2) make sure it folds, and is relatively light weight (you dont need one of the heavy duty (and therefore heavy) ones used in hospitals where they are in constant use by all sizes and weights of patients, and 3) if you can get a letter from her doctor stating that she needs a wheelchair because of her medical conditions, you can usually get some financial assistance from your medical insurance company or Medicare as the case may be. And as someone has already stated, at airport security they will bypass the metal detector and hand wand her, sometimes even requiring her to remove her shoes like the rest of us, so it pays to wear shoes easily slipped on and off.:)