Hello Annelise -

When making your reservation, tell them that you have parkinson and will need a wheelchair for each leg of your trip. Some airlines have a form to fill out. The attendants take care of everything up to getting you on the
plane. There is no charge here in the States - so a tip
is nice.

Tell the flight crew that you have pd and ask that they check to make sure a wheelchair is waiting for you. By all means, take advantage of special services provided or the airlines will stop providing them.

One more thought - be sure you have your meds in your handbag so that the are available when you need them.

Hope you have a wonderful visit -

Dottie

Hi -

Some of you may recall that my biggest problem with pd is my balance and walking. I fall so often - boom! r ight down on my knees - that I wear wrestling knee pads., They have a gel filled area that covers the knee. I fall for any reason - this morning I picked up an envelope while seperating the mail and I fell sideways - between a wall and the diningroom table.

I've been lucky so far that I haven't broken anything.
Dottie

I listen to you all and , yes - tomorrow I will cal my daughter and ask her to tell " TAP" : I need assistant , do I have to sit in the wheelchair all the time at the airport ?

This will be hard to accept , I want to believe I am not seek,
many of you have walked this road before me and know,- - accept, accept .

I have sometimes very low blood pressure ,I can fell when this is coming and it is a different feeling , another kind of getting dizzy and weak , and I have time to lay down. That happened on the plane 2 years ago, after eating a good meal and a glass of vine, I fainted in the chair, leaving the plain I said everything was o.k., donīt need any help, my daughter was with me . I forgotten this episode , now I remember.


Annelise

I got off of the wheel chair at security and walked right through and sat in one of the chairs waiting for the plane. I was in the wheel chair from check in to the gait and went right up to security. They asked if I could walk through the security gait, and bye bye wheelchair from that point. It was a LONG trip to that gait! Was I grateful.

Yes, tip the porter!

Physical therapy can help with balance....

Repetitive training of compensatory steps: a therapeutic approach for postural instability in Parkinson’s disease

http://jnnp.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/75/12/1682