The ABCs of An EPIC Girls' Trip! May, 2019-Q is for: Quietly Sending this Trip Report off Into an Internet Sunset (8/25)

[docsoliday1]

Z is for for: ZOINKS! Call an Ambulance!

View attachment 404418
​

First off, I hate the new (far fewer!) color choices. I liked my trademark blue.

Secondly, this is an update with no photos for reasons that will be obvious in a minute…

Storytime with Steppe:

Dinner was a fantastic, friend-filled event that I’ll write about in more detail another time, but what happened afterwards was equally exciting in a less-than-wonderful way.

O’hana included all the usual merriment with cocktails, laughter, too much food (oink, oink!), not enough ukelele, coconut races, and silliness. Mom had just arrived and we rushed from just settling her in from the airport at our resort (an entire story all of its own!) and we were both exhausted from early mornings and the heat.

Saying our temporary good-byes to all of our new friends after taking some PP photos, we made our way to the monorail for the short ride “home”. We had just arrived at the tables for the security check, when I noticed Mom leaning over the table and looking quite pale and… not good. Actually Jenn, @Chrystmasangel , noticed her first and asked her if she was alright.


“No, not really. I’m feeling light-headed and like I might pass out.”

“Holy crap! Do you need to sit down?!”

“No, I just need to rest.” You know that way people get when they have too little bloodflow to the brain? Like they can’t make rational decisions? Yeah…

Before I even asked, a CM had gotten and placed a chair behind her and we got her to sit down on it. Good fairies DO indeed exist. She lasted about 2 minutes. Honestly, time began to stand still, and I have no concept of the timeline from that point on. Could have been 1 minute, could have been 5 or more…

SteppeNurse kicked in, and I began to ask some intelligent assessment questions, but SteppeDaughter was overriding most coherent thought processes. I noticed a HUGE crowd gathering and that many of the folks we’d just eaten with were nearby wondering (and asking, THANK YOU!) if there was anything they could do

It wasn’t long before it became apparent that Mom was indeed going to pass out, so a few of us eased her to the ground. She came around fairly quickly, and by the time she did, the EMTs showed up. THEY ARE FAST!!! Then again, all sense of time was lost on me and I have no idea how much time had passed by now. None. @disneyAndi14 , one of the other EPIC Nurses was also nearby and lent a professional hand as well. A collaborative effort is always better in circumstances like that!

They quickly got a 5 lead on her, checked her blood sugar, took vitals, and did a good thorough assessment. Everything looked good and, eventually, it was determined she really didn’t need to be transported. She, understandably, was completely embarrassed and in the end we speculated that a recent change of her blood pressure meds, combined with the oppressive Florida heat and humiditiy she isn’t used to, the cocktail she had, the excitement and lack of rest created a perfect $hit$torm that led to the Great Monorail Platform Spectacle of 2019.

The amazing Poly Staff went FAR above and beyond, pulled off an incredibly professional and compassionate class act, made us feel safe and cared for and we can’t thank them enough. In fact, as I’m writing this, I am reminded that I still need to shoot off a thank you letter to them. They provided a wheelchair for us to get back to our resort and told us to just keep it for the duration of our trip. Nice gesture, but I have more commentary on this later.

The fallout from that event had sequelae that lasted the duration of our whole trip… but now that you have the background, the chapters that I’m touring with Mom will make more sense.

This was shortly after I left. I'm kinda glad now...if I had witnessed this, I would have been worried the whole way home. Much better to find out about it after the fact...ESPECIALLY knowing she was okay.

Will be interesting to hear about the wheelchair commentary.

Basically the same as hypoxia with pilots.

Two of my favorite nurses to the rescue (Yay @Steppesister and @disneyAndi14 )!!!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

That was indeed scary! I knew she was going to be fine when she started apologizing, typical of us women right? We never want a fuss over us even when we need it! I thought more about a BP issue after the fact, and it was humid for early May, I know I needed to adjust to it!

I have been really impressed with Disney CM’s during emergencies, they do act fast! On a happier note Ohana was a great time with everyone and I am glad we got the picture in the lobby, it is a nice keepsake!

 

[docsoliday1]

That was indeed scary! I knew she was going to be fine when she started apologizing, typical of us women right? We never want a fuss over us even when we need it! I thought more about a BP issue after the fact, and it was humid for early May, I know I needed to adjust to it!

I have been really impressed with Disney CM’s during emergencies, they do act fast! On a happier note Ohana was a great time with everyone and I am glad we got the picture in the lobby, it is a nice keepsake!

Just sad I missed the picture too. I just noticed how late it was when we finished and realized I had a doggie that needed me home.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Just sad I missed the picture too. I just noticed how late it was when we finished and realized I had a doggie that needed me home.

By the way you sure can make a delicious cheesecake!! So nice of you and yum!!

 

[pooh'smate]

So glad your mum is ok.

 

[buzzrelly]

I was enlisting the help of a passing CM to take my picture. I’ve never had a passerby refuse to do this favor and, in most cases, people are pretty happy to pause to snap a few. Truth be told, they often turn out better than the PP shots. Best part? No line and YOU get to set up the shots.

Those are great pictures!

she told me all about the Hidden Pascal Game. Well!!! That was perfect!!! I LOVE the Disney scavenger hunts around the properties and this was a brilliant way to use up the 30 minutes I had until my FP for HM, so I spent the next while finding 7 of the supposed 10 Pascals around the Tangled Tinkle Area. F

That sounded fun when you told me about it. I purposely skipped your spoiler area so I can try it myself one day

I’m having a hard time getting use to the boards! I am bumbling around, lol!

I feel the same Caroline! I really like some of the changes but some of them are tripping me up!

I asked the hostess if we could have the table directly across the aisle from us, but was told no. For zero apparent reason at all.

Huh. Kind of rude.

I had literally just joked to the girls at my table, “XX stole my table!!!!” and I’m not even exaggerating, 2 seconds later, I realized …


IT WAS KELLY!!! @cinderkelly

Ha! That’s too funny!

that perhaps the better tables (like mine) were saved for those guests. I did have the audacity to ask our server if that might be the case, but she denied as I thought she would. I’ll never know except that the facts stand.

I think you’re onto something here.

 

[Steppesister]

Even a stopped clock... wait... those are all digital now... so... a stopped clock is basically... blank.

Blank: my brain after a 11 hour work day.

Interested to hear how this came about. Went for a dip with it? Fell in the tub? Wishing well?

Soonnnnn....

You're welcome.
Got that list from Zsa Zsa Gabor's memoires, forwarded to me by Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy) and proofread by Zooey Deschanel.

.... and yet I used the one word not on the list complements of Shaggy.

 

[Steppesister]

Well, of all the people to steal your table at Y&Y...it just had to be a fellow DISer. The food looked delicious, but that seemed like a long wait in the heat in order to get to it.

LOL!! I KNOW! For sure, it was a very long wait! Fans or shade would have been nice.

 

[Steppesister]

Michael used to pick them up at the outlet in February for the running year. But I think starting with 2019 they stopped doing attraction posters. At least real ones. There was a story about WDI no longer licensing them to merchandising. They also disappeared from the Art on Demand kiosks. So, now they are made up posters. Not nearly as good as the real ones. They usually came out in August. When we were in California in 2015 they appeared on the last day of our stay at DL (just before D23).

We kept all of ours and are hoping to have some of the posters framed.

Well that really stinks. I guess that teaches me a good lesson: When you find something on a trip you really like, BUY IT... you just never know when they won't be there at all anymore. I used to love buying Kooky Pens with the rubber "hair" too. Now they are gone.

 

[Steppesister]

About the loss of your color: the color you used was called 0000b3. So, when you go to the color palate now, instead of picking one of the ones showing, type 000b3 into the field that says HEX color and click on ok. Voila! Your text is blue again!

Sorry about the scary event with your mother! We tend to forget how the heat and humidity really can affect you!

THANKS!! I didn't know how. l'll use it with a test reply here.

ETA: YAY!!! So easy!

 

[Steppesister]

Mmm...O'hana...

Surprisingly the meat was my very LEAST favorite part of the meal. I LOVED the salad, pot stickers and shrimp, and would be very happy with a meal made of just that. Which makes me think Kona is the better place for me because I can get all of that for A LOT less. Or even better option: get the Feast for room service and split it 3 ways with my kids for half the price.

I imagine this got very stressful very quickly!

Yes! Very.

Sounds like a lot of factors that could work against her. I'm glad she was ok. What a relief!

Yes, so much better than a heart attack or stroke or anything much else. Low BP is easily fixable and transient. Scary but transient.

This is so great to hear! I'm thankful it worked out and you had so much support.

Me too! Lots of good folks around to help!

 

[Steppesister]

That was SO very scary! I just remember feeling so helpless and simply awful when we left, even though it made the most sense to keep our very large crew out of the way. I was so relieved when you answered our texts/messages that she was doing OK later that evening.

It was SO scary! And if it's any consolation, I was feeling mucch the same way. I was very thankful that you texted to ask; that meant a lot! Thank you for caring!

 

[Steppesister]

Oh my, that was scary! I'm so glad to read it wasn't too serious and she did recover. It's great to ready how responsive Disney was to the emergency. I hope the wheelchair was a help for the rest of your trip.

We were so relieved when she started feeling better and we could just get her home and to bed (with a small detour). They really did a great job at getting her taken care of for sure! As for the wheelchair...

 

[Steppesister]

How scary - but thankful you had so many nurses in your group, and then Disney professionals, around to help! Glad to hear that it was a (sorta) temporary issue, but yeah, I can see where that might make her slow down her touring style.

It was the best group possible helping her. She couldn't have been in better hands. It was mostly temporary- at least the most critical moments but yes, it most definitely slowed her, all of us, down. And that's okay. We still had a wonderful time.

 

[Steppesister]

Oh wow, I'm so sorry that your Mom (and you!) went through that. As someone who passes out far too frequently I know how much it sucks to be the person who is trying with all their might to NOT pass out but also how much it sucks to be the person waiting for their loved one to wake up! (My Mom tells me often as she's usually the one who's with me lol) Which I've also been when my sister collapsed in my arms from passing out during prom photos, I recognized the signs and grabbed her as she went down (man, dead weight is HEAVY!)

I'm so glad that everything turned out okay and that everyone was super helpful! And that you guys were able to get her on the ground to prevent any other injuries!

OH man! EEK! Yes, it is scary for sure for people on both sides, Chloe! Just a frightening situation. Dead weight is VERY heavy and I was so afraid she'd just go down and bonk her head.

 

[Steppesister]

OMG we were all so worried about your mom, but we knew she was in good hands (you, Steppenurse, as well as Disney staff!) - but that was freaky what happened. I'm so happy it wasn't anything more serious, but I'm sure that extra precaution will be taken during the Florida heat going forward!

It was definitely a delightful night at Ohana, it was so fun, the food was great, and the company better! I hope your mom had a good time during the meal though!!

I very vividly remember looking up and seeing Steve looking very concerned. I knew that everyone there would be concerned. Thank you for caring and your staying a bit to make sure we were going to be okay. We did make sure to drink water often and we just went a LOT slower.

I think she had a nice time getting to meet some really nice people during the meal.

 

[Steppesister]

Oh? Why don't you use it then? if you're happier with this... then use it!

I will!!

No photos????

What the heck?
I'm outta here!

Well... okay, I'll stay.
But you're on thin ice, lady.

Way to go, Jenn.

I'm familiar with this. I've seen very competent people be completely unnerved when it comes to their own family members.

Adrenaline (too much of it) does funny things....

Which is what? EEG? IV? I suppose the former, but don't really know.
You and all your nursey talk!

An EKG with 5 points of contact. At work we use 3.

No need for embarrassment. It happens. Yes, you're the center of attention for a while, but so what? People just want to make sure you're okay and only have caring and concern for you.
I'm glad everything turned out to be okay.

That's a very nice thing to say and you are right, very true. While yes, it can be embarrasing, it IS good to remember aside from simple curiosity, most folks are kind and just want to offer what help they can.

Also very good to know that in an emergency, you're in good hands.

For sure! I saw a scooter mishap on this trip as well, and the CMs were RIGHT there in literally seconds offering help.

Nice of them.
And also explains where the wheelchair came in.

Sorry you had to go through all that... both of you, but glad it wasn't more serious. Is your mom feeling okay, now?

She is back to her normal pretty healthy self. YAY!

 

[Steppesister]

Just got my lap top back today. Opened it up last Sunday and the only thing that would come up was "hard drive not detected". Lost everything on it! All my pictures, school work, stuff I was saving to study for the registry, my resume, my references... everything. Sigh!

And I thought my phone "thing" was a big deal...

Perspective.

I hope they were able to recover at least some of it!

It will be a day or two before I can really respond. I am still trying to get all my stuff downloaded on my new hard drive as well as trying to figure out the new forums for the first time.

Everytime the Boards update it takes a bit. Always puts everyone behind for a while, so we all understand. Take your time... getting set up on a new laptop takes a LONG time; been there and done it.

Yes I did. When I got home and told hubby I had it, he was in shock!

LOL!! I think ahi is sooooo good! Mmm!!

After the fact, I was SOOO happy I didn't go through before her.
Someone had to be there to make sure her purse was ok after all!

Oh you did far more than that! Thank you for all your suppot during that stressful situation!

 

[Steppesister]

This was shortly after I left. I'm kinda glad now...if I had witnessed this, I would have been worried the whole way home. Much better to find out about it after the fact...ESPECIALLY knowing she was okay.

Will be interesting to hear about the wheelchair commentary.

Basically the same as hypoxia with pilots.

Two of my favorite nurses to the rescue (Yay @Steppesister and @disneyAndi14 )!!!!

I can see that too. I know after I see an accident I worry for quite a while.

An yes, same... lack of judgement.

 

[glennbo123]

Sorry to hear about your mom's episode. And I had to google "sequelae", thanks for that.