Cruising with vertigo

Hi all

I have been having periodic dizzy spells and the doctor has diagnosed vertigo. I am on day 3 of quite a debilitating episode that forced me to take 2 days off work. There is no cure and i am prescribed medication to help with the symptoms.

I am cruising for the first time next year (lifelong dream of mine) and I am worried that the movement of the ship will bring on my symptoms.

Is there anyone else on this board that cruises with vertigo that can tell me if cruising will exacerbate my symtoms?

Thanks

Vickie

I can't speak to how its going to effect you, but I also have vertigo and have had it for quite a few years now. I don't take any medication for it, and it does sometimes leave me stuck in bed for days at a time. I did not have any issues on my cruise to Alaska some years ago. I did take sea-sickness pills the first day as a precaution and during the storm when we had 11 foot seas. I didn't notice that they did me any more harm then say a benadryl does (perhaps a slight increase dizziness but who can tell when the room really IS spinning).

You'll find most cruise ship showers/tubs are equiped with lots of handles in case there are rough seas, and the hallways typically have handrails etc. So there's usually something to grab on to if you start to feel dizzy.

I did find that the vibration from the engines came through my bed and it took me a day or two to get used to that, not swaying but slight shaking. However that didn't seem to increase my vertigo.

You may get lucky, and not have a spell while on the cruise. But unfortunately we can only tell you how it effected us, there's no predicting how it will effect you. We all have different triggers.

Thanks Skye

As I have just been diagnosed I am not sure what my triggers are, but I have noticed over the past few months that when I am stressed at work I have dizzy spells, so perhaps stress is my trigger. Not sure if anything else will trigger it in the future!

It is horrible though, I hate being drunk (I rarely drink) but this vertigo makes me feel drunk.

Never mind, i will adapt to it and I am planning a stress free cruise so hopefully will avoid an episode on the ship. I will ask my doctor for some pills just in case it happens!!

Thanks again

Vickie

I have the same problem, but my spells are brought on by rapid movement of head. No snap head movements for me. I have been on 4 cruises with no problem...

I, too, have sailed with vertigo, and found if I just don't make any sudden movements I can usually cope very well. I take motion sickness meds and Ginger pills that are really a life saver, sometimes.

Low and slow is probably good advice. Don't overbook your schedule, make sure you leave breaks to rest. I find I have more vertigo when my sleep schedule is off or I'm not getting enough sleep. Although sometimes it just happens, I had a spell hit me today and I spent 4 hours trying to nap in bed instead of doing work I'd planned to do today that people had come over to help me with. I had to apologize, excuse myself and tuck myself in until it passed. I find a nap often clears things up, often when I wake up I'm either no longer dizzy or not AS dizzy.

I would suggest you not book optional excursions every day of the cruise, or try to do them back to back. I would also look into what each excursion entails. For instance - as much as I wanted to see Denali National Park, had I known that the excursion to the park provided by HAL as part of the land tour before the cruise meant spending close to 6 hours stuck in a stripped down school bus climbing up mountain roads. Well, lets just say that when your only 2 scenic options are "off the side of the mountain down a steep ravine" and "rock wall blitzing by at probably less mph then it felt like" - I'd have passed. The fact I was recovering from food poisoning that day didn't help either. My only consolation was all the fellow bus-goers who teased me for keeping my head down and muttering to myself on the trip UP the mountain, got to be on the outside of the bus looking down the ravine on the way down and had a change of heart ;)

Lots of rest, lots of sleep, don't push yourself. If you have to cancel on an optional shore excursion - then don't think too much about the money, cancel and rest. And if you don't have it already - trip insurance in case you need to rebook the entire cruise for any reason.

Thanks to everyone for the replies, i appreciate your advice.

Think i may have a rest now if I can catch the bed!!

Thanks again

Vickie

My husband has some problems with vertigo, he always starts the cruise with a patch behind his ear, and that seems to help. But I would suggest that you discuss your concerns with your Dr. they might have the answers you need. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

Cori

hi,

ive had vertigo about 10 yrs. now. the antivert med.made it worse

i found. had me awake all night. i went through 2 hour testing with

an audioligist. the best advice he gave me & which i read, was when

the room starts spinning, to STARE at a stationary object even if

it's one finger. this will stop it. also, don't reach down & into a cabinet

or tilt your head back for something high on a shelf.

cruising has never bothered it, thank goodness!

i do hope this advice i gave you helps.

good luck & hope you have a great cruise.

cinnamon123:)

I reciently went to a specialist,eyes,ears,hose throat etc which includes balance and vertigo, He told me my problem was fairly minor , no meds at least at this time. He did send me to a rehibilation place that showed mr a kot of exercises involving walking, eye exercises and other exercises that did seam to help a lot. They also told my the problen was mild and to keep up the various exercises. Last comment, on a cruise a couple of years ago a commedian said that with the rough seas we were having the dunks will look normal because everyone was weaving as they walked

Definitely talk to your doctor. Do it early, as he might have to research options.

Do you have your cabin booked yet? Would something low and in the center of the ship help? An ocean-view?

I was going to a physical theropist for vertigo and balance problems. He advised me that a lot of anti-motion TOC meds have a possible side effect of causing dizziness. Again check with a MD.

All of the above-mentioned symptoms are all too familiar to me as well. I don't take any meds for it. I used to worry it would happen on a cruise, but it never has. I did take motion-sickness pills on one cruise, but that was only to ward off stomach upset due to high sea swells. You will feel quite comfortable aboard ship - plenty of handrails everywhere if you happen to feel any rocking. Out on deck is the easiest - lots of wide open spaces.

Stop worrying and look forward to your cruise!

Thanks everyone

I have booked a deck 7 midship balcony, originally i had an inside but thought a view of the horizon might be helpful. I have not had an episode for a week, hopefully the really bad episode I had last week was a one off!

I will speak with my doctor, i am not missing my cruise for anything!!

Thanks again

Vickie

I too as diagonosed with Vertigo a month ago. Went to be "flipped" twice it didn't help. But, long story short is, went on a Sail Boat here locally abut a week ago, I did just fine! I felt like I was finally normal, as I had been walking around like I was on a boat for the past month! I didn't feel a bit queasy either. I have a script for Meclazine. I cannot take it because it makes me dizzy and drowzy.

Hoping it will completely go away soon! Good Luck to you!!!

Ask your doctor about the epely procedure which is done by an OT or PT or ENT doctor. It is a series of slight turns of the head which clear the ear of the little crystals that cause the vertigo.

I don't normally have vertigo but I get it every time I cruise and it lasts for about a month. Things that help me are to spend time looking straight ahead every day on the ship (on all the Carnival ships I've taken, the gym is the best spot for this), not taking any boat excursions or vehicles in ports (walking and sitting instead) and going to the chiropractor before and a few times after the trip.

the one thing no one has addressed (unless I missed it) is: is it better to have an inside cabin or outside cabin? I would like to know before I book the room. My last episode was 4 yrs ago. I've had an MRI, seen the ENT specialist, done the various exercises etc. That yr, I had 3 episodes in 4 months. Certainly do not want to have again. Yes, I turn my head slowly and start sleeping in the sitting position then eventually slide down.

please let me know which cabin location is best.

thanks

Please, anyone suffering from this, talk to your doctor about balance/vertigo therapy. My mother had debilitating vertigo for months while her doctors ruled out everything from brain tumors to heart problems. The therapy got rid of the vertigo within a couple of sessions. It's a combination of physical movements done by the therapist, and training that they give you in simple exercises to do at home. She's been free of vertigo, without medication, for nearly a year now. It's been life changing for her, she was afraid to even go shopping while that was going on.

I don't have vertigo, but the one time I had an inside cabin I did feel seasick. I also try to take a shower when the ship isn't moving; something about standing in the enclosed space

when the ship is moving makes me dizzy.

I don't have vertigo, but the one time I had an inside cabin I did feel seasick. I also try to take a shower when the ship isn't moving; something about standing in the enclosed space

when the ship is moving makes me dizzy.

Agree with this. I have periodic bouts of vertigo that can be debilitating for a couple of days. Mine might be related to migraines- I'm not sure. They are similar in symptoms except I don't get the headache. I know it's similar to a migraine because I *used* to have traditional migraines for some years before I had children. Once I had kids, the migraines disappeared, but I continued to have occasional vertigo attacks.

Anyway, I have never had problems on the cruise. I have had seasickness but it did not feel anything like vertigo and meclizine cleared that up. The time I had seasickness was in a porthole cabin in rocky seas. We've had balconies for the past 2 trips and haven't had any seasickness. Also, when I did have seasickness, the shower felt the worst. I tried to time my showers for when we were in port and weren't moving. My other trips the weather was good enough that it didn't matter.

I also agree with the others that if you're going through a vertigo bout, or are just recovering from one (my recoveries usually took a long time until I didn't feel any spinning at all), then be careful how you move your head. No sudden movements, don't tip your head over if you can help it. Mirrors also bother me. I have no idea why. But I've noticed that if I make certain head movements while looking in the mirror it can make me feel dizzy.

How often do you get vertigo bouts? I can go years without having one and then have a couple in a row.

I have vertigo caused by a vestibular problem & take meclizine every day as a matter of course. When I cruise, my doc always prescribes the patch which I wear faithfully. We have had a couple of rough cruises & I wear the wristbands when I can feel the motion. This may sound like a lot of trouble to go to, but I do love to cruise & it's worth it to me to be able to go. I also have the doc's permission to increase my meclizine when necessary.

I had it for 3 weeks and tried a new age technique to get rid of it. Lifeline. It worked thank goodness. People were commenting that i couldn't walk straight and i was getting really tired of it.

Debbie Loshbough.

www .lifelineatl .com