Persistent SeaSickness - Discouraging

[Restlessone]

I had the same problem, even in dead calm I would get sick. I started taking graval and just fell asleep. With time I was able to reduce the amount of medication and eventually stopped, with time I mean several years. I was down to 1/4 tablet of gravel for about 5 years and then just stopped. I found constant exposure helped.

Make sure you eat something, a full stomach helps as well.

[Astrid]

@jackdale

My wife is a pharmacist who does not recommend Scopolamine as it can affect cognitive ability. Maybe she thinks mine is affected enough already. ;-)

I seem to recall from somewhere that scopolamine was once used as a truth serum.

[reed1v]

There are drugs in Europe that are not approved in the US for seasickness. Some folks get seasick(motion sickness) regardless what they try to prevent it. Usually after four days, one gets their "legs" and can cope with the motion. Everyone will get seasick in really rough conditions. Air Force pilots often go for the barf bags when pulling high G forces. There are tons of "solutions" out there. Try them, maybe one of them will work for you.

After being ashore for several days, I usually barf away within 24 hours at sea. Learned not to eat a lot of stuff before leaving the dock, no booze, and lots of rest. Makes barfing a lot more comfortable.

Problem with most motion sickness pills is they are also sleeping pills. We had better luck with Valium and Coka-Cola. Valium to relax the brain's neural pathways(its all in the brain anyways) and Coke to settle the tummy. Helps get gas out of the tummy(remember as kids creating big burps from Coke?). Anyhow, you might try that.

[FilBrown]

Try using crystallised ginger or a much stronger ginger concoction if you can stand the spicy hot taste. It really does work and far cheaper than pills.
😁

[jackdale]

Btw - one of the side effects of some of the meds is constipation. Also not good.

[reed1v]

If you try ginger, and my wife swears by it for motion sickness, do not go hog wild with it. Its an alternative form of aspirin in terms of ingredients. Will thin your blood if consumed in large quantities; which people do, surprisingly.

[Manos1955]

As aerobatic pilots we learn from day one to fight air sickness
It is sea sickness
The real cause is that the brain gets contradicting info from your eyes and your labyrinth ( inner ear)
It is stupid simple to fight sea sickness, just say that what you see is is not stable but it is moving It is so easy that no one believes and all are searching for pills or bands or whatever
It helps if you look far away from time to time but most important tell yourself that the boat is moving that's all

[Pat Rains]

If someone tells you they never get sea sick, it's because they haven't been to sea long enough yet.
Don't go below; stay up in the fresh air, wedge yourself into a corner in the cockpit, sit still and let your eyes focus gently on the horizon line.
Take Dramamine ahead of time, but chase it with black coffee to counteract the drowsiness.
Before getting underway, avoid eating dairy products and acidic foods, because they'll sour quickly in your tummy. Provision with plenty of soda crackers and instant oatmeal, because they absorb the excess acid in your system.
As soon as you figure out your personal remedy, you'll be good to go for life.

[Cadence]

If someone is on the verge and go below insure they rake a bucket.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by bruce v

Sea sickness varies, as mentioned by others, per individual. All sea sickness is related to the sense of balance as controlled by crystals in the inner ear. Taking meds usually covers the balance by dulling the senses, thus the general malaise or sometimes sense of euphoria. Unfortunately the wearing off of the chosen med is also individual and dependent on metabolism. I say this laughingly now but I swear my mother would get sea sick in the bathtub.

We got her on Bonine so she could cruise with us and as she aged, she developed a land based loss of balance due to inner ear problems. It very much mimicked a cross between seasickness and the drunken, head spinning hibbie jibbies w/o use of any alcohol. The doctor prescribed meclazine and that helped but did not completely eliminate the symptom (again, most meds attempt to mask rather than cure the problem).

Fortunately, she had had a knee replacement and was seeing a marvelous physical therapist. When she experienced a "bout" of the dizzies and accompanying nausea, she called to cancel her appointment with him. Rather than have her do so, he suggested he could help if she could make it to his office. She had a friend drive her as she was so bad she felt incapacitated. The therapist had her lay on his adjusting table with her head lying off the end. He tilted her head back as far as possible and then turned it to one side and let it rest there for a minute or so (understand the accompanying nausea is exacerbated by the process but absolutely necessary) after a minute on one side, the head is rolled to the opposite side for the same period of time and relief follows. The immediate relief is not as positive as that felt hours later but good enough to know you are better.

For those of you thinking the PT was just finding a way to make an extra buck, he did all of this free of charge. What's more, he explained why it worked as it settled the balance crystals in the inner ear back to were they should be. And he showed me (I was there when it occurred another time-no it is not a permanent cure) how to do the adjustment for her with her laying her head off the end of her bed. He also told her in a worse case scenario, she could self adjust w/o anyone's help-harder but doable. Since this all happened my mom's seasickness bouts have also subsided and she has become an avid cruiser (smaller boats are still not her thing though as they tend to rock and roll much more than big ships).

The reasons I share this are twofold. If you are experiencing excessive seasickness, I suggest your crystals are out of wack and a little pre trip adjustment might help (certainly can't hurt). Secondly, in a worst case scenario, though I have not done so, an at sea adjustment might be a cure. Fair winds and following seas, Bruce V

conniecat,

I quoted this whole post back because I have heard of this cure, too, and it just might work for you, especially if you can teach yourself to do it for you, and not have to depend on someone else.

Thank you Bruce V, for this input.

Ann

[a64pilot]

I don't believe people have crystals in their inner ear that determine what is up and what is down. I should know all about that inner ear stuff, used it have to have it all rote memorized, but that was years ago.
I believe it is a fluid in the otoliths organs? Three circular tubes in the inner ear?
Crayfish do however, actually they scrape a little sand in somehow, as a kid we did an experiment and put some iron powder in the aquarium, then days later you can make them do rolls, stand on their heads whatever, with a magnet.


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[Blaine]

Here is an outstanding and consistent cure that came from NASA. Many shuttle astronauts experienced motion sickness during launches and they were given a drug called Promethazine (Phenergan). While the astronauts injected it into their thigh after onset, the drug is available in pill form with a prescription.

Having experienced seasickness without finding a cure, I asked my doctor about this and he agreed to let me try it. MAGIC. I now keep it on board for my guests and it has worked as advertised each time, even after onset. There also don't seem to be any side effects, even when drinking... Highly recommended!

Also as mentioned above, drink all the water you can hold, as dehydration definitely exacerbates seasickness if not being an outright cause.

[JPA Cate]

Phenergan is one of the drugs I tried. For me, it made me very drowsy. Lots of the anti-motion sickness drugs have drowsiness for a side effect.

I agree that it can be hard to find what works best for you, but I have read about the head hanging and turning trick before, and whether it is crystalline matter in the fluid of your inner ear or not, that therapy does seem to help some people. I suspect conniecat is susceptible to motion sickness, may not have that particular problem, but if she did, it might be something useful to try.

Otherwise, it is just keep on trying different things, and telling your body to make itself better, and it will, over time. I haven't been seasick for 17 days consecutively for years, because I kept up the affirmations and finally found something that worked for me. Fortunately, the same stuff works for Jim as well, although for him, it also acts as a diuretic.

Ann

[iancoombe]

Take heart I've read that people who suffer motion sickness have a better sense of direction.
I don't seem to suffer from it as much as I did, but I get lost alot
All things shall pass.
Cheers

[sartorst]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

It does usually go away after a day or 2.

It is half physiological and half psychosomatic, but no one knows which half!!

I have used a cure that everyone else shakes their head at. I don't think you need it yet as you have only be on a boat a few hours at a time. You need to go to sea lots, and for longer passages. Get on board and go to sleep. No chores, duties etc. That will usually get you over it in a day or two. (TAKE NO DRUGS!!!)

My method: Get drunk whilst on board, before you get sea sick. Sea Sickness is a middle ear thing and a loss of the gyros in your ear to keep you balanced. Its the same when you are drunk - you think you are walking straight but the rest of the world knows better!
After a while your brain tells your body that you are not sea sick, just drunk again. Voila! Cured!!



Mark

There is a lot of truth to this .I read an article many years ago by a doctor doing research for NASA and they found that those who drank a lot were less likely to get sea sick I have found the same to be true of my crew members and myself I like to drink a beer a hour for the first few hours of an offshore passage and also agree with the seeping on board the night before and also that the Scopolimine patches do strange things to my thought process