Is There A Medical Doctor In The Forum?

NCSU Dad said:

We are looking to buy our first RV. After posting and reading posts on this forum I am seeing the wisdom of owing a Class A. We have been to two RV shows in the past 30 days.

The problem we are having is my wife has some kind of a physical or psychological negative reaction when she gets up front in the driver & passenger area. I guess this is vertigo. She voices the fact she does not like the massive windshields and how you can dang near see the front bumper from the cockpit.

Has anyone here experienced this?

Thanks!

PS -Divorce is not an option    (it's true divorce is always an option, but after 43 years of wedded bliss I wouldn't know how to act)

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My wife has a similar feeling.
We originally had decided on a class A, but after a couple of test drives, she suddenly became very negative. Finally, during a discussion it came out that she did NOT like being up in front with nothing but the big wide world spread before us, as we hurtled through the Universe.

We shifted focus to class C, and having a nice solid dashboard seemed to do the trick. 

Wow, I didn't realize that we had so many "non-Doctors" on here!

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That's funny, I was laughing about it too - including my non-doctor self!  On the other hand, those of us who use and drive motorhomes actually may understand her problem better than a doctor who probably has never been in a motorhome passenger seat.  Something that really bothers me is when I'm in that seat in a construction zone with the cement barriers right up on the white line.  I can drive it just fine, but I can't watch those barriers whizzing by so close when I'm a passenger.  I close my eyes and tell Jerry to let me know when we're past the barriers.  But then, I don't play any ball games either because my vision is such that I can't see fast balls coming at me well enough to react.  We do all have our little quirks, don't we!?! 

ArdraF

Well, he's not a medical doctor but I can assure you that Dr. Jerry Fitzgerald (author of several college textbooks on another subject) can provide you with a wealth of RVing experience and so can his wife, Ardra.  They've been at it longer than most and have owned everything from a WV bus straight through Class C's to their present luxurious 40' Class A.

JoelP said:

.......Then it was a matter of her feeling comfortable as a passenger and later comfortable enough to drive the Class A in those circumstances where it became necessary.  It took several trips for her to feel comfortable enough to drive our RV. She still has had a bit of trouble with road position, making for an exciting ride for me, but is slowly getting the hang of it.  Keep in mind that the copilot one has no control, and this can often be even s.....carier than driving yourself.

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Joel you just touched on something that reminded me of how uncomfortable I feel when riding as a passenger in our class A.  This may also help the OP explain the problem his wife is having.  My wife started driving in the open highway areas just a couple of years ago and she does fine but I have not become accustomed to being in that passenger seat primarily because I can see that white line on the right edge and think we are going over too far (not true).  Now a lot of states are putting the rumble strips right on the right side white line and that noise really convinces me we are going to crash - not really but it does start me thinking that way.  I now try to just put my feet up on the dash, recline the seat a bit and take a nap but still open my eyes frequently to see that white line and look in the outside mirror.  I guess it is just a matter of not having control - I drive our cars at home whenever we go anywhere together - that bothers me.  Anybody else get these feelings?

Bill

HueyPilotVN said:

I have two comments.

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The more likely cause of her discomfort might be Vertigo, similar to the reaction from standing at the edge of a cliff or driving along a mountain edge.

A practical solution might be for her to do what Renae does when we travel.  She is bothered by riding in the coach and she simply drives her car separately.  You might not like that option but it works for her.

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I think you may be spot on with the vertigo thing Bill.  Also interesting about your wife driving the car.  Whenever we camp less than just a few hours from home the wife drives our van (leave the small toad at home) as it avoids the hookup and unhookup several times and it allows us to have the big car at the campsite as well as lots of room for one or two of the animals.  Our cats tend to camp under the drivers feet or chair when given the chance - not good on the road.

Bill

Bill N said:

Anybody else get these feelings?

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Not me. When I was riding in our A and my GF was driving it was like being in heaven. She has been driving for 50 years without an accident so I assumed she knew how to drive. 

SeilerBird said:

Not me. When I was riding in our A and my GF was driving it was like being in heaven. She has been driving for 50 years without an accident so I assumed she knew how to drive. 

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My feelings have nothing to do with the qualifications of the driver - she is good.  But the view from the passenger seat is a lot different than when behind the wheel and you are doing the steering.  The edge of the road looks a lot different from that side of the coach.  Narrow bridges are the worst.........lol

Bill

Although the op hasn't chimed back in, I doubt if it's true vertigo which is an inner ear issue. It's way more likely to be a simple anxiety reaction, possibly bordering on panic. She really should make an appointment with her primary care doctor if she has a decent one, because questions need to be answered that would be inappropriate on a public forum. As someone suggested, she might just need a mild anti anxiety agent to use a few times to get used to it. Although it might seem like overkill, counseling can be quite effective to prevent having to take medications.
Bob

Thanks for the responses. Your personal experiences are valuable to me in understanding this.

My wife's glaucoma was diagnosed and treatment began in her late 40's. She has specialist for this.

She has a GP she likes so I'll suggest she discuss this Class A issue with her.

My office at the last job I had in career #1 was on the 15th floor. It took me a week to walk up to the window and look down to the street below. Even then my knees were wobbly. 

I used to live at the Grand Canyon photographing condors. I spent most afternoons sitting on the porch of Lookout Studio because I had such a great view of the Canyon east and west to look for incoming condors. This is one of the most popular spots on the rim. There was a steady stream of tourists walking past me. It was a three level patio and I was on the top level bench (red arrow) right next to the stairs leading down to the other two levels about twenty feet beneath the top level. From the top level if you had wanted to jump into the canyon and been able to have a running start it would have been impossible. You would have ended up on the first or second level. Yet I saw a number of people walk out the back door of the the studio and plaster themselves to the wall with a look of absolute terror on their faces. I talked to several of them and they all knew there was no real danger but they simply could not help themselves. I felt sorry for these people because they could not enjoy one of the seven wonders of the world.

prfcdoc said:

Although the op hasn't chimed back in, I doubt if it's true vertigo which is an inner ear issue. It's way more likely to be a simple anxiety reaction, possibly bordering on panic. She really should make an appointment with her primary care doctor if she has a decent one, because questions need to be answered that would be inappropriate on a public forum. As someone suggested, she might just need a mild anti anxiety agent to use a few times to get used to it. Although it might seem like overkill, counseling can be quite effective to prevent having to take medications.
Bob

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There are other types of vertigo too, visually induced.  At least one that I know of....
flicker vertigo
But as I think I posted earlier, what was descried makes me think it's more like the feeling I get that is set off by my fear of heights....

Margi  :-[  Bless your pea-picken heart!

Brad, fear of heights is one of my problems.  I went to the top of the old World Trade Center but had sweaty palms the whole time.  I also went up the Eiffel Tower.  Early in our marriage we hiked up to Morro Rock in California.  It's flat on top which makes a fabulous viewing platform.  Jerry was helping me work over to the edge when a bus load of people arrived and I started to panic as they converged on me.  Someone in the group very wisely held them back until I got to the edge and looked over.  Those people did me a huge favor in conquering this fear and I try to be mindful of others in the same situation.  Some of you have seen me help other people across to stand under Delicate Arch which terrified me the first time I did it.  But I still don't like that white line on the passenger side!

ArdraF 

blw2 said:

There are other types of vertigo too, visually induced.  At least one that I know of....
flicker vertigo
But as I think I posted earlier, what was descried makes me think it's more like the feeling I get that is set off by my fear of heights....

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You're right. Flicker vertigo is caused by flickering of light, closely related to visual vertigo (caused by repetitive motion), both of which are likely due to an imbalance between the eyes and the semicircular canals within the inner ears. As you pointed out, though, none of those things fit her scenario and that's why I suggested that she see a professional if they are serious about wanting to purchase a class A and not, as was also suggested, looking at class Cs or some other option.
Bob

ArdraF said:

Margi  :-[  Bless your pea-picken heart!
  But I still don't like that white line on the passenger side!

ArdraF

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Welcome to the club Ardra.  X2

I have Glaucoma, hereditary, as my entire family has it. I have not experienced any kind of discomfort with the windshield. I love being able to see everything all around me. I have problems with claustrophobia and the windshield is wonderful. The bright sunlight does bother my eyes, though. That's the medication and I just wear shades when I'm up front.