As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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It was 3 weeks ago yesterday that my 80 year old Dad had a major heart attack. Several days later while hospitalized, he had a mild stroke. He's still in the hospital. He had a lot of pulmonary issues at first, but his lungs are good now as well as his heart. He had to have a stomach tube inserted a week ago Friday and a trach was put in the following day. Still is on a respirator cause he's just so weak he can't do without it for long. Then his kidneys started acting up so now he's doing dialysis and to top it all off he now has C/diff which is a nasty intestinal infection which he will be on medication for a couple months. We were so hoping that after the stomach tube and trach that he would improve enough to be moved to an acute care facility where he would begin rehab, but it's looking like it's going to be a long road until he's well enough for that. I appreciate your prayers and pixie dust and hope that you will continue to think of him.
Keep praying and hoping and supporting your dad. I spent almost three months in intensive care after my heart attack. Three years later my heart is functioning normally and I can do everything again.
Please do not rush your father. Things take time. And be very wary of long term acute care. It is not usually good care. I can tell you from personal experience. The LTAC facilities do not get the best staff, I felt my care was bordering on neglect at times. I was initially approved for 10 days for rehab. I was at the facility for 5-6 before I ever saw a PT or OT. I attribute my recovery to getting out of LTAC and home where I had the best in home nurses, PT and the loving care of my children.
Please do not rush your father. Things take time. And be very wary of long term acute care. It is not usually good care. I can tell you from personal experience. The LTAC facilities do not get the best staff, I felt my care was bordering on neglect at times. I was initially approved for 10 days for rehab. I was at the facility for 5-6 before I ever saw a PT or OT. I attribute my recovery to getting out of LTAC and home where I had the best in home nurses, PT and the loving care of my children.
I'll second most of this. Except the comment on staff. Sometimes it is inferior staff. LTACs (at least in Indiana) will hire people who graduated from non-accredited nursing schools (meaning they aren't up to par with the regular schools), and there are a lot of people who work for LTACs who are just trying to get their feet in the door for nursing (including most techs (nurse's aides). Most techs I know are in nursing school and are jus trying to get through school. HOWEVER - LTACs notorious staff very low, leaving 1 RN, 1-2 LPNs, and 2 techs to care for 30-60 patients or more at a time. Everyone I ever knew who worked/works at an LTAC hate the restrictions this puts on them, hates the fact they KNOW their patients aren't receiving the best care, and HATE the fact that no-one in management seems to care. Most nurses leave as soon as they can find a better position because they really don't like their license being put in jeopardy.
C-Diff is a nasty infection. Are they treating your dad with antibiotics AND probiotics? If they're not using probiotics, insist on it. It helps restore intestinal health. Also - this is a Nosocomial Infection. Make sure your dad (and the insurance) aren't charged in any way for it. This is on the hospital, literally.
Look into good REHAB facilities, not LTACs. If your dad doesn't have a Case Manager, ask for one. Tell them you want a PT and OT evaluation to determine what he'll need to work on. They can also send an OT out to the house to determine what changes may need to be made to make it easier for your dad to get around (ramps, handrails, furniture moved, etc).
I'll continue hoping things go well for him. Give it time. One of my new co-workers (also a nurse), had a stroke while at work 7 years ago. This is her first job since then. She told me when she first had her stroke, she couldn't move any of her left side, couldn't speak, struggled to breathe, and had cognitive issues. She had OT, PT, and ST (speech therapy) for years, lessening from daily to weekly, and then monthly and now nothing. She has residual paralysis, but is able to walk and work (we don't see patients, we have desk jobs).
It's a long haul, but it does get better. Push, but not too hard.
Continued [emoji14]ixies for your father, you & your family. After years of caring for two elderly & sickly individuals - please be diligent & watchover your father's care carefully especially after he is moved to a long term rehab facility. From experience, many things seem to slip through the cracks at these facilities. Be the squeaky wheel that gets your father the care he needs and deserves so he can get home to his family.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I knew the LTAC I was going to had a mediocre (at best) reputation. ( a colleague's father had been there and she told me she and her mother did not feel comfortable leaving him). I asked not to go, however one of the medications I was on was not accepted at many LTAC's and rehabs. I had some major issues with the staff, many of whom did not seem to speak English. I seldom saw an RN and did not receive much care at all. In three weeks, I was never helped to bathe or shampoo. I went to MD appointments at the medical center by ambulance and the LTAC would not send a nurse with me so the EMTs stayed with me the whole time.(5-6 hours) And what really got to me was when I realized that the reason my IV was never attended during certain times was the staff was in the staff room eating a meal.
Perhaps my problem was that I was doing "well" compared with most of the other patients, many of whom were ventilated.
I think when you are ill and confined, good nursing care makes a world of difference. And little things, like washing your hair helps so much.And part of good care is having a staff that stays. My current hospital is considered one of the best, if not the best, in the world. The nursing staff is outstanding and most of them seem to have been there for at least 20 years. I have never been chastised for pushing the call button. In a 5 day hospitalization, I walked many, many more hours than I had in either my three month hospitalization or in the LTAC.
I think most nurses really want to do a good job and see comfortable patients. I would just do what I could to avoid a LTAC facility.
ETA: I have read many of my records during my extended hospitalization. I was shocked to see how I was noted to be pleasant and cooperative. I thought they were going to say, unpleasant, demanding and with a pushy family. I often wonder how the cranky patients were made to feel.
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Charlie
Last edited by Huntermom; 11-08-2015 at 02:06 PM..
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