Car Anxiety?

[Sue]

For the past few years I've had a problem being a passenger in the car. I drive people crazy as I over-react to their driving and to the other cars. I think that cars pulling out in front of us are going to hit us, and I react to that. Or I think that we are driving too fast, or that he doesn't brake the car in time. I did this with my friend when she took me with her on short road trips related to her job.  I would have to close my eyes sometimes.  I saw a Dr. Phil show about this one time, and he said it was a control issue.  I do ok when I drive. On our recent road trip south, I put my auntie in the front seat (shotgun) with my husband driving and I rode in the backseat, because I knew my husband might kick me out of the car if I gasped and braked and carried on like that all the way to Eureka, California!!  I did much better in the back seat.  So my question is this:Do you think this is AN related or is it just some other thing going on.  I am not dizzy like some of you are, but I know I do have a little bit of that going on.  I hate to think he is going to have to chauffuer me around like Miss Daisy for the rest of my life!!

[Captain Deb]

I actually get less stressed and dizzy when I drive than when I'm a passenger, except in heavy traffic or on a freeway. And YES it is AN related. We can't locate sound, for one,which is quite disconcerting. The muscles and pressure sensors in our bodies can anticipate better when we are behind the wheel than when someone else is driving. I don't hesitate telling Dr. Love to slow down, especially if he is in a hurry and driving like a jerk. If we have to be somewhere on time, like a movie, I announce our departure time, and make sure he stays on track getting ready (in a kind and loving way)so we don't have to rush--it's taken a while to train him right, but he minds pretty good these days! If he don't, a good poke with the meat fork usually does the trick!
Captain Deb

[Boppie]

You are not imagining motion anxiety...
Sue, my daughter used to scold me for grabbing at the overhead stabilizing handle in the front passenger seat when she drove.  I don't grab it nearly as much now that I have recovered from AN surgery.  But I was compensating for the loss of balance for several years.  I am sure my behavior was related to the AN.  Now I drive just fine and ride in the front without much fear.  I find that wrap around sunglasses (nice looking ones) help me ignore the peripheral motion when I am in the passenger seat. But my husband and daughter are more cautious now that we've faced the boogyman together!

I drive the freeway on the lane next to the curb (berm).  I don't like passing other motorists to my right.  I am not looking forward to my first exit up ramp on an elevated overpass.  And in future I have to avoid any causeway like Galveston or Lake Pontchartrain.
I have other issues with my daughter-in-law's spicy cooking.  Such beautiful meals that make my tongue nuts!

[Battyp]

Actually, I know since my AN my car anxiety has gotten worse....I know for me it's part of giving up control to someone else.  Yes, I'm a control freak  LOL  But since surgery even though my driving is horrible I have a harder time as the passenger.  It feels like I'm careening out of control and makes my dizziness worse.

Oh Boy, Dr. Phil would have a field day with me 

[HeadCase2]

Sue,
 Several people on the Forum have mentioned that riding in the Car is more unconfortable than driving it yourself.  My PT seemed to already know about this when I mentioned it.  My balance is not that much affected.  But my vestibular processing speed is slower than it used to be.  Losing a vestibular nerve has seemed to reduce the bandwidth, so of the amount of vestibular information I can process at once is reduced-- my reaction times seem slower.  It's slowly getting better with time.  But I don't expect the bandwidth to totally return to normal.
  I've also noticed that early on I concentrated on balance stuff more than I do now.  I occasionally bump into a doorway, but now I think to myself, "so what", and keep moving.
Regards,
 Rob

[matti]

Sue - everything you have described is exactly how I have felt for the last several years. I constantly tell my husband, sons or anyone else when to brake, slow down, you are too close, etc..  Even though I am not driving, I am exhausted by the time I reach my destination, because I am "driving" from the passenger seat.  As far as my own driving, I experience sensory overload and have problems with freeways, 4-way intersections, changing lanes and driving at night. (not much else left)

My therapist told me it was a control issue, and maybe some of it is, but I know it stems from the AN issues.

Cheryl

[Sue]

Thank you for all your posts. I thought I'd read something like that on here, but didn't take the time to look for it.  I guess I am never sure if some of our issues are the same for non-surgical patients as well as surgical patients.  But, as I think about this, I realize that my vestibular nerve must be affected in some way, even tho I'm not falling down with dizzyness...and I guess the driving thing is part of it. I wasn't that way until a few years ago.  I do okay when I drive, like most of you said.  Just another part of our grand adventure. *sigh*

Of course, when my daughter-in-law is driving I am pretty sure it's HER DRIVING! She came up to a red light at a busy intersection and just turned left...didn't even stop.  My heart about did, however. I said, Oh, Honey, you need to stop at the red lights!!  She's from El Salvador, where driving is much more free spirited, I guess.  She knows better, I think my aunt and me in her car made her nervous. 

I hope I can get over this passenger thing however.  It's a bit of a pain.

Sue

[cookiesecond]

Thanks Sue,
I experience the same things. For years I have preferred driving over riding. I am accused of driving too slow but I am safe. Some drivers worry me more than others( like my sister!!!) but overall most of the time it bothers me to ride. I do get nauseated very easy. I hadn't really linked it to the An but it makes sense.
Take care,
Lynn

[nannettesea]

Definitely true for me.  I now get motion sickness either way, but MUCH better if I'm driving.  Not a control thing, I think, as others say, vestibular system works differently when you have the wheel.
Nan

[rezski]

I started having this about 8 ot 9 years ago but I thought it was related to who was doing the driving.  It didn't happen all the time either.  And it was a lot like my MIL's agoraphobia car behavior so I mostly willed it away.  I was only diagnosed a year ago and am in watch and wait mode as it hasn't grown.  Weird...