Husband ruptured Achilles yesterday & Disney World in 20 days

Good luck today!

I really don’t know what to advise at this point, other than taking the doctor’s advice.

But I wanted to wish you all the best. I hope the surgery goes well.

I feel your pain - I ruptured mine about 2 weeks before a DIS trip several years ago. My advice would likely be to reschedule - that’s what we did. Most of the DIS cost is refundable so you’re really just looking at flight costs for rescheduling. For me I didn’t want to be in a wheelchair/scooter and be a burden so we delayed the trip from January into November.

I wouldn’t expect him to be in any pain really - at least for me it was not a painful injury (and I’ve ruptured both my Achilles - had surgery on one) as long as you’re not walking on it. There just aren’t a ton of nerves down there.

The big issue is he’ll be in a no weight bearing cast where he should not put any weight on the leg at all. So that means crutches/wheelchair/scooter are it. That’s going to be rough trying to get around WDW even with a scooter and little stupid things like maneuvering to the bath room in the room and taking a bath will be difficult - showers are basically out since you can’t put weight on the leg unless you get some kind of stool. If it’s still hot though the cast and swelling will be an issue - ideally you want your leg elevated a lot as part of the recovery process and that’s just not possible when touring so you’ll get swelling and with the heat he’ll be miserable. The risk of falling and creating a re-rupture plus the discomfort from the swelling/heat would make it a poor choice for him to go IMO.

Good luck - it’s an annoying injury that takes a while to recover, but he will recover and be fine given time. He just may lose a few inches off his vertical…

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Damavs, Thank you very much! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I hate to reschedule–we truly would not be able to go again until next October, but I know it’s the right thing to do.

I’d say wait to make that decision. There are few places on earth more scooter friendly than WDW, so he can do just about everything by using a scooter and crutches. I don’t think there’s a single attraction he couldn’t do. But only if he’s not in pain and if he doesn’t worsen his injury.
You can do this! But talk to the doc first and listen to your poor DH’s needs too. He may be scared of scootering around, you never know. But rest easy knowing it can be done and you’ve got this covered if ypu decide to go ahead with the trip.
Good luck to you amiga!

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What a tough decision! I would urge you, if you do postpone Disney, to find some other cool replacement activity. Maybe a short cruise? Something restful for him but exciting for kids.

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I’m torn on this one.

I pulled my achillies over 20 years ago and it was AGONY. (And I was a figure skater, we pushed through ALL the pain. I competed on a cracked kneecap once!) Like UTTER AGONY. Reading the title of your thread made it hurt again.

Because I didn’t let it heal properly. And to this day it gives me trouble. And all I did was pull the damn thing. I can’t inagine rupturing it and needing surgery and going to WDW 18 days later.

That said, WDW is so scooter friendly (but the bus process is time consuming). We had one in february for my daughter and I (we shared instead of renting two), as she tired easily and is too old/big for a stroller (she’s taller than me!). I had to obtain a Drs note for the scooter company & showed it to Disney when they fussed at us over her using it. But it was kind of a pain. But nice to hold all the stuff.

But if we can avoid having one again? I will. I honestly thought our February trip was a once in a blue moon thing. LOL (then we upgraded our APs to bi-coastal and have 3 family trips planned in the next year alone) So I wanted to ensure we could see and do it all. When we go in 4 weeks? We plan to take it easy. Because we know we will be back in February. (Well the kids, I have a trip in Dec and January booked now. Darn visa discounts came out this morning!!)

So, I would almost wait. I would hate to see your DH be miserable and not want to go in the future. If he has a terrific time, then more Disney trips! That’s how I sucked my DH in. We had the most FABULOUS trip in May. I planned it, and even with the INSANE rain he enjoyed it and we had a ball. He’s actually excited to go back next month!!

I hope the consult goes well. Sending happy thoughts your way!!

Will the kids be sad? Can I send them a liner fairy-mail package? Maybe maps, buttons, and some other treasures to soften the blow and get them excited for when you do get to go? Seriously, shoot me a PM. I always have maps & buttons stashed!!! :kissing_heart:

@JuliaMc totally OT but what visa discounts? I’m always on the lookout for a deal :slight_smile:

@Beth33 The disney chase visa discounts…the email came out yesterday.

Very very dangerous!!!

Thanks again everyone!

The surgery went well, and he’s already off the pain medication. We’ve decided to wait another week to see how he’s feeling and see how much his mobility improves. This recovery has certainly knocked him down more so than he expected, but I saw a huge improvement last night when he began to test the speed of his knee scooter around the house…

If we do go, he will take it easy and rent a scooter. If not, we’ll either find a last minute cruise deal or rent a house somewhere with a pool.

My Disney dreams are not dead yet! :slight_smile:

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For what it’s worth, I’ve used the knee scooter in the parks and it went perfectly. I know it takes more energy than an ECV, but I liked that it put my head at head-level, instead of looking at people’s backsides all day. I also feel like it is less cumbersome and more agile than the ECV. Sounds like he may need the knee scooter at the airports, so you may be taking that anyway… maybe he’ll be up for using it at the parks some days. The airlines are great about gate-checking the knee scooter. Just remove the removable basket from the front of the scooter before you turn it over to them. I’ve had the basket get squished in the cargo-hold before. So glad he is doing well after the surgery. :):grinning:

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We had to cancel b/c my daughter shatter her elbow three weeks out and it was the best decision. When we went 5 months later every one was so happy that everyone could fully participate. Even if he hasn’t fully healed, 20 days from post op can be tough. Why not let things settle a bit at least?

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