Got home from a 7 day cruise on Saturday, four days ago. Had no problems with motion sickness on the ship, but have since we got off I've been having vertigo, foggyness, headaches, nausea. My brain thinks the earth is still rocking. I've tried Bonine and Dramamine, so far nothing helps.

Every time I stand up I'm dizzy and feel disconnected from my legs, like trying to walk with a beer buzz. Doc says it may take a week, but should go away. It's weird. I grew up going on road trips, light aircraft, roller coaster parks, water skiing, never had motion sickness in my life.

Now I feel like I'm gonna hurl if I move my head too quickly.

Anybody had this?

Not the sickness but have had the continued feeling of motion after being on a sailboat in the ocean for a length of time. Yes, it should get back to normal once your brain figures out the earth isn't reeling, rocking and a rolling til the break of dawn.

I think being horizontal as much as you possibly can helps, right?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I think being horizontal as much as you possibly can helps, right?

I've never heard that. Generally, you want to be upright and get your brain, ears and eyes back on the same page by feeding them consistent signals.

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
...never had motion sickness in my life.

Nor did I, even after years of flying and boating. Then I went on a fishing trip up in Sitka a couple of years ago and got sicker than a dog with an hour or two of being on the water.

Thankfully, I had thought ahead and brought along some scopolamine which stopped it in it's tracks.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I think being horizontal as much as you possibly can helps, right?

I've never heard that. Generally, you want to be upright and get your brain, ears and eyes back on the same page by feeding them consistent signals.

Yeah, having experienced them both, you want to be upright and your eyes open looking at something that gives your mind a sense of up and down.

Laying down with your eyes closed just makes it about 100 times worse.

IMO, anyway.

1964, troop ship from New York to Germany, crossing the Atlantic in late November and early December, then straight on an overnight train from Bremerhaven to Wurtzburg. Never got motion sick, until getting off the train and standing still for the first time in a week. Then we got in the back of a deuce and a half truck for a ride

You can use the old sailor's cure for land sickness: get drunk.

Or I think I just faked getting land sickness a lot.

It is your vestibular system. OTC Bonime AKA meclizine HCl should work short term until your system calms down. Pretty common.

Back in my ship days I was the prize Captain of a Columbian shrimp boat (Punta Lobos) we seized for drugs in the Gulf of Mexico. It was nasty, and the quartermaster and I were on it for about a day and a half. We spent the night in pilot house taking turns "sleeping" on the chart table and the other driving the ship. You did not want to leave the pilot house, it was nasty. No running water, the dudes used a bunch of crates on the fantail as their bathroom. Disgusting vessel.

I was ok while on the shrimp boat, but when we finally got it to shore and were able to sleep in the barracks of the small boat station at Grand Isle it felt like the world would never stop rocking and weaving, it was miserable. It didn't last too long, a few hours, but I can't imagine having to put up with that for several days.

Getting seasick is no fun, had that problem a few times on the ship, usually only on the first day underway after a couple of weeks ashore.

Anyway, hope you get to feeling better soon.

I spent twelve years in the Navy on everything from small boats to aircraft carriers. I spent a year in Viet Nam as an advisor on Swift Boats. I was never once seasick. After months at sea, it took an hour or two on land before the motion feeling went away.

I have been on charter fishing boats many times without being seasick even in rough weather. I bragged that I had never felt seasick.

The last time I went out on a charter boat, the wave motion and strong wind were at 90 degrees causing large deep diamond shaped wave troughs. I caught a 58 pound Halibut and reeled it in. They gaffed it and brought it onboard. I ran for the opposite rail and fed the fish. I thought I was going to throw up my toenails. I can no longer brag that I have not been seasick.

You can try Seabands. They are wrist bands that have a small plastic bead that presses on a specific location on your inner wrist. The pressure relieves some of the effects of motion sickness, most especially nausea. My wife used them for morning sickness. Worked wonders. Our OBGYN recommended them. He was a pilot and kept them for his passengers as well as his pregnant patients.


http://www.sea-band.com/

quote:

Originally posted by thunderson:
You can try Seabands. They are wrist bands that have a small plastic bead that presses on a specific location on your inner wrist. The pressure relieves some of the effects of motion sickness, most especially nausea. My wife used them for morning sickness. Worked wonders. Our OBGYN recommended them. He was a pilot and kept them for his passengers as well as his pregnant patients.

http://www.sea-band.com/

Seconded. I've NEVER been able to go out on a charter fishing boat without spending most of the trip hanging over the side hollering for Ralph. Then in 199something we went up to Vancouver Island for a charter. Sure enough, first day out it's flat as a bathtub and I'm sick as a dog. Spent the next day ashore recovering. Third day it was nasty out. Windy, heavy swells. I was steadfastly refusing to go out again, in the sure and certain knowledge that I would DIE if I did go (or at least wish that I could) when one of the staff at the lodge gave me a set of wrist bands and swore they'd prevent it. Sure as shit, they did. It really was nasty out that day. I mean, water breaking over the transom whenever we slowed to boat a fish nasty. And I never felt a thing. No problem the whole day. `Course, when I stepped back onto the dock I nearly fell over, but that only lasted a few minutes.

I was feeling a little queasy after 5 days on the ship, so I had tried one of the patches. Turns out that I may be having a combination of a stomach virus mixed with a reaction to scopolamine. I've been taking Bonine until yesterday, and I think I may not tolerate those kinds of drugs well. My vision is really blurry, and I read they are similar to what they use at eye doctors to dialate.

Feeling better today, thanks for the suggestions. Stills bit wobbly, but less fatigued and nauseated.

Slept an extra 5 hours yesterday. That helped a lot.

What a strange phenomenon. I did not know it existed. Never spent enough time on a boat I guess.

We used to take 7-10 day sailing vacations to the Bahamas on a 35'-45' sailboat. The first hour back on land was always a little "weird".

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
I was feeling a little queasy after 5 days on the ship, so I had tried one of the patches. Turns out that I may be having a combination of a stomach virus mixed with a reaction to scopolamine. I've been taking Bonine until yesterday, and I think I may not tolerate those kinds of drugs well. My vision is really blurry, and I read they are similar to what they use at eye doctors to dialate.

Feeling better today, thanks for the suggestions. Stills bit wobbly, but less fatigued and nauseated.

Slept an extra 5 hours yesterday. That helped a lot.

Scopolamine causes my wife's vision to blur a bit. Fortunately she tolerates it otherwise and it works for her. I would try the bands if I were you. Good luck.