Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: Zaffex on June 19, 2006, 07:13:13 PM
Title: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Zaffex on June 19, 2006, 07:13:13 PM
Okay, I seem to be having an up and coming dilemma. My sister and I plan to take a trip this summer to Guatemala on an airliner and, ironically enough, she's afraid of flying. She's worried the aircraft will explode in midair or dive into the Atlantic or have some other freak accident. Any suggestions to help her out?
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: happylanding on June 19, 2006, 07:21:32 PM
Okay, I seem to be having an up and coming dilemma. My sister and I plan to take a trip this summer to Guatemala on an airliner and, ironically enough, she's afraid of flying. She's worried the aircraft will explode in midair or dive into the Atlantic or have some other freak accident. Any suggestions to help her out?
:) Knock her down and drag her on the plane!
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Zaffex on June 19, 2006, 07:26:52 PM
Hmm, I don't think she'd take too kindly to that :).
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: happylanding on June 19, 2006, 07:42:34 PM
Hmm, I don't think she'd take too kindly to that :).
I'm quite sure, yes. It's a quite strong phobia and I was just kidding. :) :) :) I do not have a lot of ideas, but you could explain her that without the flight there is no vacation, adding all the brouhaha about the fact that aircrafts are the most secure transportation and so on. otherwise she could get the tablets they sell in drugstores to calm down before the flight, but I'd suggest something against plain nervousness: they cost less and they are quite powerful. I used them when I split from my former boyfriend: they work quite well... they made me too drowsy to think :) :) :).
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Gulfstream Driver on June 21, 2006, 10:29:12 PM
Valium.
Seriously, though, tell her that if you feel safe enough to get on the plane and you're willing to take your family on the plane, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. The problem with irrational fears is that it's hard to convince the person that there's nothing to worry about.
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: madpilot44 on July 08, 2006, 12:59:36 AM
Hey, you coming to Guatemala? that got my attention jaja.
When is the flight? if you need anything while in the country send me an e-mail (mravilad@gmail.com) and I'll be happy to help you with anything you need.
about the phobia, give her a little chat about the airplane beign the safest way to travel and so on and so forth... that should help. tell her that planes are designed to fly along on bad weather and are checked by people on the ground and handled by a lot of people on the way, try to give her some medications if you need also...
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: fireflyr on July 09, 2006, 05:39:50 AM
, try to give her some medications if you need also...
About three ounces of Tanguery gin is usually enough to get me on the airplane, then a double shot after takeoff holds me for a couple of hours ;D
Exactly what I was thinking... I prefer Vodka tough ;)... anyways, you read my mind, and for that, a toast in your honor <insert toasting smiley> ;D |:)\
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: FlyingBlind on July 13, 2006, 09:13:29 PM
Get her drunk....or bring her to me, i'll give her a parachute and some tips on how to use it :);)
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Zaffex on July 17, 2006, 09:18:02 PM
Well, I'm back! The trip was very nice down there (except for security, customs, and such) and I think my sister handled it very nicely in my opinion. She took some Dramamine to try and calm herself, but she was still pretty nervous. She kept asking me what the noises coming from the the airplane were, and a couple times she clamped down on my arm pretty hard (ouch). But overall I've still gotta give her props for facing her fear and getting on those flights. I don't think it changed her opinion about flying (quote from her: "If I never have to get on another airplane again it'll be too soon), but at least she had the courage to tackle her fears and not let them rule her. To madpilot44: Sorry I didn't get your message in time, we left on Friday for Chicago and flew out on Saturday. We arrived in the capital the same day and rode a bus for 4 hours or so to Santiago by Lake Atitlan (pardon me if I spell anything wrong, by the way). Man, it's a crazy drive! We were weaving through all sorts of crazy traffic. We then got to stay with the rest of the group with a guy named Tom, a missionary who works with kids unwanted by families and sent to Guatemalen government. He's also got a 182 ;D that he flies from a little airstrip on the side of the mountain. We pretty much helped out by fixing up the house (the electrical wiring for it was crazy - we could get zapped through the wall one time), hauling some firewood and timber, doing outreaches in the nearby villages, and playing with the kids.
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: happylanding on July 17, 2006, 10:49:41 PM
Glad to know your sister handled the flights nicely. :) Maybe she will get accustomed and fly more often?!? ??? it's strange when it happens that in a same family one is pilot and other members are scared about flying: I usually avoid saying too much when I plan to go flying, since I know my bro and my mom would not be completely at ease. Your trip looks really interesting. You went to Guatemala on a mission, did I understand it right? I think it must have been a really inspiring and surely a formative experience. tell us more, okay? |:)\ |:)\
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: fireflyr on July 17, 2006, 11:30:52 PM
Yes, I want to hear more about the mission also----please :D
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: FlyingBlind on July 18, 2006, 12:48:10 AM
Glad to hear she survived it :) Oh yeah, just so you know - taking any medicine for calming down is not good...
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Gulfstream Driver on July 18, 2006, 04:13:48 AM
Glad to hear she survived it :) Oh yeah, just so you know - taking any medicine for calming down is not good...
How do you figure?
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: FlyingBlind on July 18, 2006, 09:07:12 PM
Messes with your blood - you might THINK that you are calmer (and you are...) BUT it ends up in pumping up your fear in the end..... medicine is NEVER good!
(xept for aspirin when you have a atomical hangover....)
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: happylanding on July 20, 2006, 07:38:34 AM
Messes with your blood - you might THINK that you are calmer (and you are...) BUT it ends up in pumping up your fear in the end..... medicine is NEVER good!
(xept for aspirin when you have a atomical hangover....)
I'm not sure I understood your reasonment: do you say by that, that the problem is simply that it takes away symptoms but not the cause?
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Stef on July 20, 2006, 11:09:04 AM
I'm not sure I understood your reasonment: do you say by that, that the problem is simply that it takes away symptoms but not the cause?
Probably... I wonder where we'd be without medicine!! I know a lot of people who probably wouldn't be alive anymore without it (including me). In my opinion the real problem with every kind of medication is that people use it too much (also because of doctors prescribing too much, either to be on the safe side or because they get their holidays paid for by the pharma industry). The best thing is to use everything in moderation and only when you really need it. Otherwise it won't work anyway...
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: FlyingBlind on July 27, 2006, 11:07:54 PM
Messes with your blood - you might THINK that you are calmer (and you are...) BUT it ends up in pumping up your fear in the end..... medicine is NEVER good!
(xept for aspirin when you have a atomical hangover....)
I'm not sure I understood your reasonment: do you say by that, that the problem is simply that it takes away symptoms but not the cause?
You misunderstood me :) It makes you feel better for the moment - but it makes the sickness itself worse....
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: happylanding on July 28, 2006, 06:28:54 AM
You misunderstood me :) It makes you feel better for the moment - but it makes the sickness itself worse....
FlyingBlind, it could maybe be with some medicines (say for example a sleeping pill: you always take it and then you become unable to do without it, but it's mainly psychological I presume) but I'm certain that the reasonment doesn't apply to all the drugs. I do not think we would be here anymore if some medicines had not functioned and made the sickness/illness go away and heal! :)
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: FlyingBlind on July 29, 2006, 01:50:42 PM
You are indeed correct about that fact (concerning Penincilin, Antibiotics etc. - they help!) And now you hit the head of the nail :)
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Gulfstream Driver on July 29, 2006, 03:18:53 PM
Drugs like dramamine will make you sick if you OD. I know a guy that was so excited to get on a plane to go to the Frozen Four that he overdosed on it and missed the plane because he was sick. But, if you follow the directions on the bottle, it does help and gets a lot of people on the plane when they would otherwise have stayed on the ground. Like Stef said, everything in moderation.
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Firegirl on July 31, 2006, 11:50:14 PM
Yeah, everything in moderation.....even moderation !!! (teh-heh ;D)
Having a beer at the airport before the flight and knowing Chuck isn't flying usually helps me .... :D
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: madpilot44 on September 07, 2006, 10:37:03 PM
no prob zaffex. the next time any of you comes over, you know where to find me if you want any help.
about the medications, I have heard that some of them can, as flyingblind said, make the problem worse. like some of the medicine for running noses, or obstructed noses. what that does is it constricts the little veins in your nose, but when the effects pass off the veins expand, and are stronger (kind of the same effect as in exercise, you constrict the muscles and when they expand they are stronger). of course when you take it only once a week or so the problem isn't big. like you guys said, moderation's the key...
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Baradium on September 08, 2006, 05:29:19 AM
During training I was warned many times to never ever ever use any type of nasal spray. We were told that we could carry some for emergencies, but otherwise best to never use it. Apparently they actually cause physical damage to your sinuses over time, you really do become "addicted" to them because your body can't function normally without it after a certain time.
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: tundra_flier on September 09, 2006, 04:58:21 AM
Quote
During training I was warned many times to never ever ever use any type of nasal spray. We were told that we could carry some for emergencies, but otherwise best to never use it. Apparently they actually cause physical damage to your sinuses over time, you really do become "addicted" to them because your body can't function normally without it after a certain time.
The one exception is pure saline solution nasal sprays. They do no damage, you can use them as much as you like, and are your nose's best friend here in the winter. Indoor air becomes increadibly dry when the mercury hits -40 outside. I'm to Ayr brand because it come in a squeeze bottle instead of a pump.
Phil
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: Baradium on September 09, 2006, 06:59:24 AM
The one exception is pure saline solution nasal sprays. They do no damage, you can use them as much as you like, and are your nose's best friend here in the winter. Indoor air becomes increadibly dry when the mercury hits -40 outside. I'm to Ayr brand because it come in a squeeze bottle instead of a pump.
Phil
I'm not sure about the details specific to that. They recommended we avoid everything period unless we had to due worries that your body will still adjust to it.
I profess lack of knowledge on this one.
Title: Re: Acrophobia!!!
Post by: switchtech on September 09, 2006, 10:56:52 PM
I learned about saline nose sprays on a trip to Denver. After a few days over 5000 ft and near zero humidity (and sub-freezing temps outside) my nose was dry and cracking inside. The concierge recommended a moisturizing nose spray - and at the drug store when I asked, they pointed me to the saline nose spray. Now its the only nose spray I'll use.
