First, welcome to disABILITIES.
Sorry to hear about your probable diagnosis. On a positive note, once you know what you have, there are a lot of good treatments for MS now. That wasn't the case when I was in nursing school (umpteen yrs ago). Hopefully your diagnosis will bring some effective treatment for you.
There are some regular posters to this forum who also have MS and I'm sure some of them will have some hints for you. And one of the biggest things to remember is that there are no silly questions. So, keep thinking them up and we'll keep answering as well as we can.
Here is a
link to the official Disney FAQs about touring WDW with a disability page. It includes links to information about each park. WDW is a very accessible spot, in general. Most lines are wheelchair accessible and for some rides you can stay in a wheelchair for the whole ride. Some rides require you to get into a ride car, but as long as you are able to walk a few steps, you will be able to ride anything. (You might want to ask your doctor if there are any types of rides you should not go on).
Here is a
link to a thread on this board that discussed boarding rides for people who might be a little unsteady.
You don't need any "proof" or papers from your doctor to rent a wheelchair. There is information about renting them from the parks in the link above. If you rent from the parks, you will only have it available while you are in the park, not at your resort or to use at places like DD. For that reason, many people choose to rent a wheelchair from one of the offsite medical companies.
Here's a list of the places that DIS posters report having good experiences with:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/
Phone (407) 856-2273 Toll Free U.S and Canada (800) 741-2282
Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com
RANDY'S Mobility is in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://randysmobility.com/
Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html
(800)747-0246
All of them will pick up and deliver to your resort in the WDW area.
You could hold your 4 yr old in your lap while someone pushes you in the wheelchair, but that is not going to be comfortable for long, will be hot and will probably tire you out more. It also would make it harder to push the wheelchair.
You might want to look into renting an electric
scooter (
ecv) so that no one has to push you. That would give you a lot more independence and leave your husband free to push a stroller or hold onto the hand of your 4 yr old. The places above rent
ecvs and they have pictures of them on their websites so you can see what they look like. After a little practice (especially for backing), they are very easy to drive.
