Limited Access Rvs

I read the original post, the follow up and the last post and I am not sure what you are asking. A Class A is a Class A be it gas or diesel so no difference in steps. In the first post you seemed to be concerned about steps due to a knee replacement and the last post you say "I was not referring to my knee". Steps are steps be they Class A, Class C or household. If you could clarify a bit about your concerns we might be able to give you a better answer.

outboardfever wrote:
I was not referring to my knee, it just got me thinking about if we went full time how we might deal with a situation that could come up.
My knee is no big deal.

Depending on the type of disability, there are RV's specially configured to allow wheel chair or elevator type access. Some systems can be retrofitted to existing RV's, while others require a factory installation during construction of the unit.

Take a look at what Winnebago offers in their "Ability Equipped" models:

https://winnebagoind.com/products/specialty-vehicles/2016/ability-equipped/overview

I was not referring to my knee, it just got me thinking about if we went full time how we might deal with a situation that could come up.
My knee is no big deal.

2 Retired wrote:
Another thought - how wide is your entryway? My husband had knee replacements and he was on a walker for a couple of weeks each time. He could not walk through our RV door using the walker - doorway not wide enough.

It's not advisable to use a walker going up stairs. :E

If you have an outside handle at the door that's all you need. When you get inside there are tons of things to hold onto.

You won't need to go in an out the RV at first. You'll leave it to get into the car for physical therapy and that's about it. If you're traveling with someone that person can easily pull the dump lever to dump the tanks. You won't be driving the motorhome until physical therapy is finished so no need to go up and down the steps. However, the recuperation is so fast that you'll be going outside to sit with a cool drink in no time!

Being in a RV is the easiest place to recoup from surgeries. Everything is within reach. We also dealt with cancer in our RV. We've known folks having to have dialysis while traveling and without limbs. You're able to go to the best doctors in the country for surgeries and treatments. If you really want to travel this should not be an issue. It can be done. I will say, it's an added plus if both of you are able to drive the RV but definitely not required.

Folks travel and full-time with many 'disabilities' and a knee replacement is not a disability.

outboardfever wrote:
I am courious how someone with a permanent disability would deal with it.

What is the permanent disability? At you talking about an artificial knee?

My wife has bad knees and my 94 year old wheelchair bound dad used to travel with us. I installed a Burr Handi-Lift near the door. It allowed me to raise my dad in his wheelchair up to the doorway and wheel him into the RV.

There are companies that build portable aluminum step and porch setups that make it easier to get up into rvs. They are easy to put up and take down plus fold flat for transport.

My surgeon would not allow patients to leave the hospital until you could get in and out of a car, and go up and down steps. There was a place in the hospital set up with a mock car & stairs to practice.

You do need at least one good sturdy handrail.

You also want to avoid making lots of trips up and down the steps for a couple of weeks. That can contribute to getting a hematoma, which you don't want. Hold it to 3-4 trips daily right after the surgery.

What makes you think that a knee replacement will make you unable to go up stairs in to a Class A? I have a guy on my bowling team that went through a double knee replacement and still carries a 200+ average. There is also a woman in the same league and the double knee replacement has not slowed her down.
I know they make different knee replacements now out of various metals, as well as the plastic type knees, but I don't think I would make any assumptions as to your limitations until well after the surgery.

depends on how the steps are configured. The steps on our A are no more severe than those we had on our TT, and better than ones on our old C. I have been in some A's however where even with 2 good knees the steps are problematic. Another thought - how wide is your entryway? My husband had knee replacements and he was on a walker for a couple of weeks each time. He could not walk through our RV door using the walker - doorway not wide enough. Couldn't go in sideways either. He had to 'hop' in on his good leg - not always easy. Might want to check to see how you might do if you could only use one leg. We didn't use the RV for about 2.5 months after each knee replacement. Once he felt stronger and gained confidence, we've never looked back. Two new knees, twice the fun! BTW, PT is not fun, but it is essential if you hope to get a quality result from the replacement surgery. No point in getting it done if you're not committed strongly to the physical therapy after the fact. A waste of your time and money if you don't follow through. Good luck and assume the best, commit to the effort, and it will happen. You are having the surgery to get rid of what could be a "Permanent Disablilty" - you're not creating one! My husband says he has a "New Life with New Knees". So many things we couldn't do before we can do now!

outboardfever wrote:
My concern is not so much the knee because we are still in our home. I am courious how someone with a permanent disability would deal with it.
I'm sure a DP will be a lot closer the the ground than the A.

I would not consider a knee replacement a disability. I've had both done and have no side effects what so ever. One was done in 2004, the other in 2011. It took about 30 days of physical therapy after each one to regain full mobility. The only thing I have to be careful of is falling off bar stools. It hurts more now than it did when I was in my 30's. Then again almost everything hurts more now than it did when I was in my 30's.

My wife has had both hips replaced. Again there are no long term problems. We both enjoy life more now with replacement parts than we did prior to having them installed.