Pictured is Finley, my MS Adventure Buddy, orange 🧡(of course) for MS, in front of my window (hubby made sure I had a window seat!) on my very first flight in 24 years🛫 And doing it with MS!
We got there super early, I'd read conflicting things about getting the wheelchair assistance, some said they would have it waiting for you when you checked in, some said there were lines. There were lines! Thankfully, we discovered that hubby could push my wheelchair, so we opted for that. These things are not built for comfort. There is no lumbar support at all! So, with that line taken care of, we ate at one of the restaurants in the airport (they are not great, and super expensive! Eat before you go!). And discovered the problem of the disappearing waitresses. The guy at the table next to us had been waiting for so long, he had 10 minutes to get to his gate (thankfully it was nearby) because his waitress just... didn't come back. So we paid early. People stared. A lot. I'm supposing it is because I'm only in my mid 40's and I was in a wheelchair. They can get over it. Using a cane around the town I do, I've gotten used to the stares, mostly.
We boarded early. The people helping were super nice.👍 Took me right up to the door of the plane and asked if I needed assistance. Getting off the plane was another matter. We got off early. With, as you guys described them, the buffalos. I nearly got a suitcase on my head because of this one guy who was extraordinarily rude, in a rush, and ignoring everyone around him. He yelled at me. I ignored him.
We didn't bring cash. If you go on a plane and are going to be going on buses to take you places, bring cash for tips for them helping you with your suitcases. Yes, it is their job, but they expect tips🫠 They also have Venmo. 🫣Usually. I did read that some airlines don't pay their wheelchair assistance people enough and expect you to tip them. Thankfully Delta is not one of those companies.
I did get really dizzy taking off and landing. But, this particular pilot liked to hard bank (turning the plane to the left or right on it's side). Or maybe traffic was really bad in the skies that day. All I know was it made me extraordinarily dizzy. More than usual. Dramamine didn't help. Zofran helped a little bit, because the extra dizziness from the plane taking off and landing and hard banking, made me really nauseated.
Almost all the people that helped with the wheelchair assistance were really nice and had great attitudes. Getting help through TSA was great. I had no clue what to do (TSA in the airports, doing checks, was not a usual thing last time flew commercial), but they walked me through everything. The only one that was truly awful, was the very last one coming home. She insisted on helping push the wheelchair. That was a red flag, but we were tired and didn't feel like arguing, just wanted to get home. She was yelling, "wheelchair" loudly, at the crowds, and "get out the way". And even cussed a few times at people to get out of the way. I was so embarrassed to even be there. She was getting off shift, apparently, and was using zooming with me as an excuse to get out of there faster. 🫣🫠
Overall, it was a great experience. I just had those two bad interactions. I'm not going to let it cloud the rest of my experience, though. Everyone else was great. Had to have my phone out with the app out for all the interactions. The app made everything so much easier. I have a very distinctive suitcase, and I was completely caught off guard when someone had the exact same suitcase! Good thing I got one of those tags to put on mine with my last initial to make it more distinctive. And I just got an orange butterfly to put on it as well, Teen 1 found it, to make it even more distinctive 🦋I definitely recommend a distinctive tag!
Thank you all who chimed in on my post asking about flying! Made my trip go much more smoothly! Especially about keeping my meds in my carry on bag! I researched more on that, and my suitcase probably would have gotten stolen if I'd put them in there! 🧡✈️
I am here to learn how others cope with the everyday living of MS.
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