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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I feel your pain. I had my first knee replaced at age 48 and my other knee at 49. Due to an accident in PT after my first knee I am now scheduled for a replacement of parts on May 19. For the past 2 years I have used the scooters at the grocery store. Last summer I rented an ECV at WDW and it was a life saver. Right now steps are a big problem and I use an elevator whenever possible otherwise I need to go step by step slowly. I also recently found out I have degenerative scoliosis in my lower back. Standing or walking any distance or time causes severe back pain. Sometimes I get depressed about what I can no longer do. Try to stay positive and definitely find a doctor who won't wait until 50. Let the doctor know you can't live like this any more.
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I've been told to stick to non weight bearing activities (biking & swimming) for exercise [...]
I highly recommend a recumbent tricycle, like I ride. Lots of folks in the FaceBook group for owners of a particular brand (TerraTrike) have had knee and hip surgery, and swear by their trikes as some of the best (and most fun!) physical-therapy activities ever.
And, bonus: with a cooperative doctor willing to write a prescription for one, many kinds of insurance will pay for all or part of a 'bent trike.
As a huge bonus, you can take back at least SOME of your independence - a trike would allow you to get out and about, without driving, and in the fresh air.
Given your knee problems, I'd recommend a Rover like mine, as it has a fairly high seat (almost the height of an office chair), making it easier to get into and out of.
This is a picture, from last year I believe, of my tricycle:
And here's my housemate's much newer trike, the same basic model but with a wider seat and custom color:
If you would like more information, send me a PM and I'll point you at the TerraTrike website, as well as answer any questions you (or your doctor!) might have, if I can!
Pax, thanks for the suggestion & the willingness to answer questions. If the seat is almost the height of an office chair seat it's definitely worth considering. Although with the recline/tilt of the seat/chair and lack of arm rests getting up & out would be a concern.
Pax, thanks for the suggestion & the willingness to answer questions. If the seat is almost the height of an office chair seat it's definitely worth considering. Although with the recline/tilt of the seat/chair and lack of arm rests getting up & out would be a concern.
The seat's angle of recline is adjustable (the range is 35 to 70 degrees); the two pictured above are pretty close to the most upright they go. The seat is listed as 16.5 inches high, which sounds a lot lower than it feels, at least to me (the wheels are 20" diameter, plus the thickness of the tire on each side ... and the seat isn't _that_ far below the top of the wheels, so ...).
With the brakes locked, the handlebars can be used to help get up; the maker also sells a product called "Versa Bars", designed specifically to aid in getting in/out of the seat for anyone with mobility or balance issues; they mount to the handlebars, giving a pair of hand-holds parallel to each other (oriented like you'd hold a cane, if standing between the bars).
There are a lot of other aftermarket things that can be added, too - sun canopies, a cargo rack (with panniers and expandable trunk bag, you can do a 6-7 grocery bag shopping trip by trike!).
The big drawback is: these are NOT inexpensive cycles. The purple one there, cost about $2.5K before sales tax (6% here in CT, I believe). And Rovers like ours, are among the least expensive adult trikes on the market. Some of these puppies start at $4K or $5K. START ... and then take off like rockets once you start adding accessories.
Hence, seeing if you can get it prescribed, so your insurance will possibly pick up at least some of the tab.
The seat's angle of recline is adjustable (the range is 35 to 70 degrees); the two pictured above are pretty close to the most upright they go. The seat is listed as 16.5 inches high, which sounds a lot lower than it feels, at least to me (the wheels are 20" diameter, plus the thickness of the tire on each side ... and the seat isn't _that_ far below the top of the wheels, so ...).
With the brakes locked, the handlebars can be used to help get up; the maker also sells a product called "Versa Bars", designed specifically to aid in getting in/out of the seat for anyone with mobility or balance issues; they mount to the handlebars, giving a pair of hand-holds parallel to each other (oriented like you'd hold a cane, if standing between the bars).
There are a lot of other aftermarket things that can be added, too - sun canopies, a cargo rack (with panniers and expandable trunk bag, you can do a 6-7 grocery bag shopping trip by trike!).
The big drawback is: these are NOT inexpensive cycles. The purple one there, cost about $2.5K before sales tax (6% here in CT, I believe). And Rovers like ours, are among the least expensive adult trikes on the market. Some of these puppies start at $4K or $5K. START ... and then take off like rockets once you start adding accessories.
Hence, seeing if you can get it prescribed, so your insurance will possibly pick up at least some of the tab.
Interesting. You're right that 16.5" sounds low but I actually took my yard stick & measured my office chair which is raised as high as it will go & the 16.5" mark was part way up the cushion of the seat. So that's not as low as it sounds. Yes they're expensive but it would give me form of exercise that I hopefully will be able to do, improve my health & help keep me active & mobile; it would be worth the investment. Plus I'd still be able to use it in the future after my knees have been replaced or assuming it's in good shape & I wanted to sell it. Thank you so much for this suggestion. The more I learn & think about it the more of at least a temporary solution to some of my issues it sounds like. I definitely need to have a discussion with my doctor about this & other things & then possibly/probably go to a dealer to check them out in person & go for a test ride.
No thanks needed - for one, I'm pleased as punch to be helpful. For two ... I'm a recumbent-tricycle enthusiast now, so the chance to spark someone else's interest is a pleasure unto itself.
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I also agree: You absolutely need to get another opinion with a doctor that will LISTEN and understand the impact this has on your life and just how unbearable your pain has become. If replacement is not an option, there are other things you can do. I know many people who have artificial cartilage put in both knees, including my brother-- it relieved his pain and gave him back his mobility. Making you wait is just wrong. I hope you're feeling better soon.
I can understand how you feel about the limitations this puts on your life. I had both knees replaced at the same time last year and it was the best thing I ever did. My life is so much better now. I have been traveling and danced all night at my son's wedding. I don't even remember the pain I had before and it was bad. I was 58 and my PT said I may need it done again in 20-25 years if I am still here. The surgeon says the replacements could last the rest of my life or at least until he retires. By then, the techniques will be even that much better than now. I know of people who had knee replacements in their 30's and 40's and are now living active lives. Please visit the website bonesmart.org. They have alot of great information. I know you are in your 40's but with that much pain and limitations on getting around it would be worth it to look into knee replacements sooner rather than later.
I wouldn't wait either. If you will need to get another replacement in 20 years then I would rather get it in my 60s then 70s. And it will only get worse and worse. My grandma is 88 and is bone on bone and it has bowed her legs. Everything hurts up and down her legs and back because of it. There is no rebuilding cartilage, once it is gone it is gone. She never got a replacement thinking she could handle it now it is too late. I am actually shocked that if you are bone on bone that the ortho docs do not insist you get a replacement considering how much damage that can do to your legs and back. Find a doctor with more sense.
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