Motion sickness - shall we try again?????

 

I dont quite understand the difference? :confused:I dont think seasickness can be cured as it a sickness to do with your balance and hearing. I think the medication is there as a preventative. In any case whatever works I think. :D;)

Liz

Oops sorry Liz, bad wording on my behalf! What I meant is that with seasickness tablets such as Kwells, it is important to take them before you get sea sick as they work as a preventative. Once you are actually sea sick onboard, it is too late to start taking these

I dont quite understand the difference? :confused:I dont think seasickness can be cured as it a sickness to do with your balance and hearing. I think the medication is there as a preventative. In any case whatever works I think. :D;)

Liz

There are 2 types of sea sickness tablets. Ones that stop the signal to the brain that your are imbalanced and ones that treat the nausea etc. If you take the first ones it is really important to take them before you are sea sick or as soon as you start to get a different feeling. if you wait until you are actually sick you will need a lot of medication to feel right and then most of these make you sleepy. The second ones tend to work better once you are sick.

I personally prefer to prevent rather than treat.

Hi all, very interesting topic, I too got sick on the Sun, I was one of the lucky one's I went and had injection before we left sydney I just knew I would be unwell. I came good after 2 days and did not make the vomitting stage, this put me of cruising for 4 years. I've decided to go again on the rhapsody of the seas and have booked a aft cabin again, so I hope being a bigger ship it will be better. Could anyone tell me how much the ROS charges for the injection and am I able to get it before leaving Sydney heads.

Hi all, very interesting topic, I too got sick on the Sun, I was one of the lucky one's I went and had injection before we left sydney I just knew I would be unwell. I came good after 2 days and did not make the vomitting stage, this put me of cruising for 4 years. I've decided to go again on the rhapsody of the seas and have booked a aft cabin again, so I hope being a bigger ship it will be better. Could anyone tell me how much the ROS charges for the injection and am I able to get it before leaving Sydney heads.

I would strongly suggest booking a cabin midship if you are prone to seasickness. I find that the movement is felt more at the front or back of the ship.

Definatly book midship lower decks rather than fore or aft cabins.

Hi all, very interesting topic, I too got sick on the Sun, I was one of the lucky one's I went and had injection before we left sydney I just knew I would be unwell. I came good after 2 days and did not make the vomitting stage, this put me of cruising for 4 years. I've decided to go again on the rhapsody of the seas and have booked a aft cabin again, so I hope being a bigger ship it will be better. Could anyone tell me how much the ROS charges for the injection and am I able to get it before leaving Sydney heads.

Well Kazwal, I will be watching closely to see how you go on your next cruise. Friends of ours just came back yesterday on the pacific dawn, they had smooth seas and good conditions and there were still quite a few people that needed to be treated for motion sickness, so I think that put my husband off again! But there was lots of help here so I think we will try again. I dont want to wait 4 yrs! Also, I thought the lower decks mid ship was the most stable part of the ship.

Hi all, very interesting topic, I too got sick on the Sun, I was one of the lucky one's I went and had injection before we left sydney I just knew I would be unwell. I came good after 2 days and did not make the vomitting stage, this put me of cruising for 4 years. I've decided to go again on the rhapsody of the seas and have booked a aft cabin again, so I hope being a bigger ship it will be better. Could anyone tell me how much the ROS charges for the injection and am I able to get it before leaving Sydney heads.

I would suggest, as the others have, to go for a midship cabin.

While you're sitting reading this pick up a pencil or pen, balance it across your finger so it is horizontal. Now tip it back and forward..... see where there is less movement.... in the middle.

You'll love Rhapsody of the Seas.... you haven't got time to be sea sick on her...:)

Jilly:)

Paihia Bombs from Paihia Pharmacy work a treat! Google them and you will see all sorts of reviews. Myself and my friend took them on our cruise last week and they were excellent! Basically they are an antihistamine tablet, followed by a caffeine tablet (to stop drowsiness). We took them once we got on board and for the first 3 days and again for the last 3 days. The days in between were travelling between islands and we felt we didn't need them. They say to avoid alcohol, but I had a few drinks and was fine. Lots of our friends at home use them for fishing and swear by them! Good Luck! :)

Human beings instinctively seek to remain upright by keeping their center of gravity over their feet. The most important way this is achieved is by visual reference to surrounding objects, such as the horizon. Seasickness often results from the visual confusion on a moving craft, when nearby objects move with the motion of the craft. Because the lines of the masts, windows, and furniture on a ship are constantly shifting with respect to fixed references, humans, especially those unaccustomed to being at sea, can suffer a number of afflictions.

Seasickness has such a remarkable effect because both the sense of sight and touch are disturbed by the motion of a craft on water. The severity of seasickness is also influenced by the irregular pressure of the bowels against the diaphragm as they shift with the rising and falling of the ship.

In his book The Human Body, Isaac Asimov related the anecdote about a seasick passenger whom a steward cheerfully assured that nobody ever died from seasickness. The passenger muttered, "Please– it's only the hope of dying that's keeping me alive."

Cause

About 33% of people are susceptible to motion sickness even in mild circumstances such as being on a boat in calm water, although nearly 66% of people are susceptible in more severe conditions.[1][5][6] Individuals and animals without a functional vestibular system are immune to motion sickness.[7]

Motion sickness on the sea can result from being in the berth of a rolling boat without being able to see the horizon. Sudden jerky movements tend to be worse for provoking motion sickness than slower smooth ones, because they disrupt the fluid balance more.[1] A "corkscrewing" boat will upset more people than one that is gliding smoothly across the oncoming waves. Cars driving rapidly around winding roads or up and down a series of hills will upset more people than cars that are moving over smooth, straight roads. Looking down into one's lap to consult a map or attempting to read a book while a passenger in a car may also bring on motion sickness. Motion sickness is greatest for vertical sinusoidal motion in the frequency range of 0.05–0.8 Hz and is maximal at 0.167 Hz.[8]

The most common hypothesis for the cause of motion sickness is that it functions as a defense mechanism against neurotoxins.[7] The area postrema in the brain is responsible for inducing vomiting when poisons are detected, and for resolving conflicts between vision and balance. When feeling motion but not seeing it (for example, in a ship with no windows), the inner ear transmits to the brain that it senses motion, but the eyes tell the brain that everything is still. As a result of the discordance, the brain will come to the conclusion that one of them is hallucinating and further conclude that the hallucination is due to poison ingestion. The brain responds by inducing vomiting, to clear the supposed toxin.

Seasickness is a form of motion sickness characterized by a feeling of nausea and, in extreme cases, vertigo experienced after spending time on a craft on water.[1] It is, again, essentially the same as carsickness, though the motion of a watercraft tends to be more constant. It is typically brought on by the rocking motion of the craft[9] or movement while immersed in water.[10] As with airsickness, it can be difficult to visually detect motion even if one looks outside of the boat as water does not offer fixed points with which to visually judge motion. Some people experience car sickness yet they don't experience seasickness.

Treatment

Many cures and preventatives for motion sickness have been proposed.

DevicesAcupressure wrist bands may help prevent motion sickness. The bands, sold over-the-counter in many drug stores, use a pressure point on the wrist to prevent feelings of nausea associated with car sickness and air sickness.

Natural

One common suggestion is to simply look out of the window of the moving vehicle and to gaze toward the horizon in the direction of travel. This helps to re-orient the inner sense of balance by providing a visual reaffirmation of motion.

In the night, or in a ship without windows, it is helpful to simply close one's eyes, or if possible, take a nap. This resolves the input conflict between the eyes and the inner ear. Napping also helps prevent psychogenic effects (i.e. the effect of sickness being magnified by thinking about it).

Chemical

Over-the-counter and prescription medications are readily available, such as Dramamine (dimenhydrinate),[17] Stugeron (cinnarizine), and Bonine/Antivert (meclozine).

Scopolamine is effective[18] and is sometimes used in the form of transdermal patches (1.5 mg) or as a newer tablet form (0.4 mg). The selection of a transdermal patch or scopolamine tablet is determined by a doctor after consideration of the patient's age, weight, and length of treatment time required.

Interestingly, many pharmacological treatments which are effective for nausea and vomiting in some medical conditions may not be effective for motion sickness. For example, metoclopramide and prochlorperazine, although widely used for nausea, are ineffective for motion-sickness prevention and treatment. This is due to the physiology of the CNS vomiting centre and its inputs from the chemoreceptor trigger zone versus the inner ear. Sedating anti-histamine medications such as promethazine work quite well for motion sickness, although they can cause significant drowsiness.

Ginger root is commonly thought to be an effective anti-emetic. One trial review indicated that sucking on crystallized ginger or sipping ginger tea can help to relieve the nausea,[19] while an earlier study indicated that it had only a placebo effect.[20] Tests conducted on the television shows Mythbusters and Food Detectives support the theory that ginger is an effective treatment for the nausea caused by motion sickness.[21]

Ginger is reported to calm the pyloric valve located at the base of the stomach.[19] This relaxation of the valve allows the stomach to operate normally whereby the contents will enter the small intestine instead of being retained within the stomach. It is this undesirable effect of retention in the stomach that eventually results in vomiting. Vomiting is not seasickness but is only a symptom or side effect; although the effect most commonly associated with seasickness. This link reports on a ginger study; notice the comment about less vomiting when taking ginger, but not less nausea.[22]

A simple method for relieving common and mild car sickness is chewing[citation needed]. Chewing gum has an uncanny effectiveness for reducing car sickness in those affected. Chewing gum, however, is not the only thing one may chew to relieve mild effects of car sickness, snacking on sweets or just chewing in general seems to reduce adverse effects of the conflict between vision and balance.

Fresh, cool air can also relieve motion sickness slightly, although it is likely this is related to avoiding foul odors which can worsen nausea.[16]

Ginger has also been found to reduce motion sickness[citation needed]. This is available in tablet form or a fresh stem of ginger can also be chewed to relieve symptoms.

As astronauts frequently have motion sickness, NASA has done extensive research on the causes and treatments for motion sickness. One very promising looking treatment is for the person suffering from motion sickness to wear LCD shutter glasses that create a stroboscopic vision of 4 Hz with a dwell of 10 milliseconds

Thanks for all the information thied, it makes me super excited to go, it's all so tempting to do a cruise earlier but I will wait. Cheers

Hi all, very interesting topic, I too got sick on the Sun, I was one of the lucky one's I went and had injection before we left sydney I just knew I would be unwell. I came good after 2 days and did not make the vomitting stage, this put me of cruising for 4 years. I've decided to go again on the rhapsody of the seas and have booked a aft cabin again, so I hope being a bigger ship it will be better. Could anyone tell me how much the ROS charges for the injection and am I able to get it before leaving Sydney heads.

Hi Kazwal

I would seriously reconsider your aft cabin, larger ship or not. I had an aft cabin on the Rhapsody...true aft. I don't get seasick and I've been in some rough seas. This cruise we went through some pretty heavy seas on the edge of Cyclone Vania. The shipping was pitching quite steeply. I think she has good stabilisers and there wasn't any roll....or the Captain was gunning straight into it....don't know. I was unable to stand in the aft cabin, had to crawl along the floor to sit on the floor of the shower :eek:. I actually felt a little queezy (spellcheckers :p) and as I said I don't get seasick. Aft is definitely not a good place to be if your already thinking of having the injection before you even leave the heads. I can't tell you if you will be able to get it or how much it will cost. I doubt they'll give it to you until you upchuck anyway. And if you tell them you already have, I don't think they'll believe that you didn't make it out the Heads :D

There's a chemist in Caringbah, Sydney that actually make up special concotions for seasickness. From what I hear they do a great job matching symptoms to medication. They are a compound chemist so have the ability to mix and match. Google Caringbah Chemist Seasickness and you'll get the addy, etc.

Thanks for all the information thied, it makes me super excited to go, it's all so tempting to do a cruise earlier but I will wait. Cheers

glad to have help you out on that.

In the old Fairstar days (1994) I threw up as we were sailing out of Sydney Heads (true, couldn't believe what a wuss I was), proceeded to throw up throughout the night so first thing the next morning my friend dragged me to the dr and I got the injection. Slept all day and by the next night was drinking mixers in the cabin. Couldn't believe how effective the injection was.

Planning a family cruise for January next year on Radiance of the Seas and am a tad nervous. I think I will pop some pills before we leave, take ginger with us, grab some green apples as I walk up the gangplank and if all else fails get the injection asap, sleep for 8 hours and enjoy the rest of my cruise.

Nothing worse than feeling sick on a boat.

Love these threads.

Leah

Hi all...

I think there is a huge difference in ship sizes....I have been on the P.Sun twice and have noticed how wobbly it is. Have not had too much of a problem on P.Dawn...But the Rhapsody of the Seas(5 cruises) I think is the most stable ship I have been on. My daughter gets very sea sick and car sick.....we have just returned from an 18 night cruise to Hawaii and she did pretty well until the last 2 days. She finally had to have an injection which only cost me $45 (think it was phenergan)

I dont really understand people saying they feel better in the cabin. Walking around the open deck, and keeping busy is definately better. But whatever works for people to enjoy their cruise is good. I also agree with everyone that says its best to take a preventative, rather then get sick. My daughter used the wrist pressure bands and phenergan. I have used a few things, but tend to go back to using stemetil when i feel a bit queasy. My other cruise friend thinks the green apples work a treat.....

Hope you find what is best for you, but dont give up. Hope you get to enjoy another cruise very soon. It does get better the more cruises you do I think. Well thats what I keep telling myself anyway!!! lol

Catherine :)

subaru94, we are booked on the Rhapsody for our first cruise in December. So glad to hear she handles the seas well. Can I ask does your husband take seasick medication before he boards and for the duration of cruise?

I bought Bonine in the States while on an Alaskan cruise & found it far superior to anything we can get over the counter here. I have friends pick me up some when they are in the US. Don't know why we can't get it here. PS for us, ginger tablets were a disaster - made us feel worse.

Ginger Tablets upset the stomach.

Bonine has no sleepy side effects.

Worked great for many cruises!

From my observation over many years, it appears to me that some people are more inclined to "mal-de mer" than others. I do not know the reason for this -- but suspect that it lies deep inside the mind.

I have known people who get seasick on a ship the size of Pacific Dawn INSIDE the Brisbane River. This is a fact- and there is no point in arguing that they are imagining their ailment :)

However, I WILL argue against the use of drugs of any sort to counteract this problem. My wife ( who has sailed in almost every ocean and sea of the World and has sailed right around the World) still remembers the time she got badly seasick on her first cruise in the 70's. It IS something that affects her mind and continues to haunt her.

Joke -- the first stage of seasickness is when you think you are going to die. The second stage is when you know that you are really going to die. The third and worst stage is when you realise that you are not going to die!! :)

I fear that, now that your husband has a bad memory firmly implanted in his mind, you are going to have a hard time ahead of you.

But it can be done -- as I have proved :)

Barry

Hi all...

 

I think there is a huge difference in ship sizes....I have been on the P.Sun twice and have noticed how wobbly it is. Have not had too much of a problem on P.Dawn...But the Rhapsody of the Seas(5 cruises) I think is the most stable ship I have been on. My daughter gets very sea sick and car sick.....we have just returned from an 18 night cruise to Hawaii and she did pretty well until the last 2 days. She finally had to have an injection which only cost me $45 (think it was phenergan)

I dont really understand people saying they feel better in the cabin. Walking around the open deck, and keeping busy is definately better. But whatever works for people to enjoy their cruise is good. I also agree with everyone that says its best to take a preventative, rather then get sick. My daughter used the wrist pressure bands and phenergan. I have used a few things, but tend to go back to using stemetil when i feel a bit queasy. My other cruise friend thinks the green apples work a treat.....

 

Hope you find what is best for you, but dont give up. Hope you get to enjoy another cruise very soon. It does get better the more cruises you do I think. Well thats what I keep telling myself anyway!!! lol

 

Catherine :)

Hi Catherine I notice you have been on the pacific jewel , but don't have your cabin number , wondering what you thought of the ship and what deck etc u stayed on ..we have an aft about 6 cabins from the end booked and I did feel a little disorientated / queasy on our last cruise.,still don't know if it was sea sick ,,it's difficult trying to pick the right cabin considering you want cabins over and under you and no empty white spaces on the deck plan near u which r probably housekeeping storage etc., we would have liked deck 10 midship ocean view that we had on the pearl but those cabins are all balconies on the jewel ...anyways just wondering how your trip on the jewel went?

We are going on our first ever cruise, on the Pacific Jewel in August, and seasickness is something I am quietly, and without being too much of a drama queen, concerned about.

I take comfort in hearing that being mid ship is better, as we are in cabin 8110 which is pretty much smack bang in the middle on deck 8.

I'll see the doc before I go, take something before I board, then refuse to let it concern me or get in the way of my holiday :)

Hi Ru2on

I just realised I didnt put my cabin number in....lol...will have to look it up later.

Cant remember exactly which cabin, but you say you are towards the back of the ship.... Ideally midship is good and not too high up. much less swaying down lower decks. But if i cant get midship, i would prefer back, then the front. You really feel the ship lurching more in the forward cabins. So your one towards the back will be fine.

Pearl, Jewel, Dawn are all about the same size and feel I reckon. I personally dont spend any time in my cabin at all except to sleep, so usually only pay for an inside cabin. That way I can afford more cruising!!! lol...I feel queasy in the cabin if I am just sitting around in there, so I much prefer sitting around the deck or lounge areas near big windows.

Enjoy your cruise. If there is anything else I can help you with, just ask away....

Catherine :):)

I've been on 4 cruises, just about to go on my 5th. I've suffered varying degrees of motion sickness on all of them, but I don't let it stop me going. Usually kwells or similar is enough to make me feel better.

However our last 12 night cruise I was pregnant and couldn't take anything. We had 5m seas the first few days (I realize it can get much worse than this but that's the worst we've had). Anyway I was sick as a dog, I couldn't even stand up without vomiting. I reluctantly went to the dr, thinking they couldn't give me anything as I was pregnant, but I was able to have the needle. BEST thing EVER!!

I had a 2hr nap then woke up feeling fine and was fine the rest of the cruise. I will never worry about sea sickness again as I know the needle will always fix it. That was on Dawn. We've been on the Sky and Sun also. I actually thought the Sun was pretty good for movement.

We always get a cabin on level 6 now midship and with a window, that's our favorite spot for a room.

Bazzaw - your joke about seasickness is completely true lol!!

We recently went on the Pacific sun for a 7 nt cruise of south pacific. I was so excited about this trip, but unfortunately we did not have a good time. My husband was quite sea sick right from the first day. We visited the Doctor but he only gave us tablets that made my husband sleepy. So 5 of 7 days was spent with him feeling sick or sleeping.

It has put us off cruising, but my question of the regular "cruisers" : The Pacific Dawn, being a larger and heavier vessel, is it more stable and therefore less likely to cause motion sickness?

If someone can help me here we might reconsider and try another cruise at a later date.

Thanks

Hi :)

I get horrible motion sickness and although I had been told that there are stabilizers on the ships and I wouldn't feel the motion, so I went unprepared for sea sickness. What I was told was absolutely positively wrong! First cruise was a Princess ship and when I went to the desk and asked for help they told me to buy sea bands in the ship store. I bought them and put them on and the rest is a very nice non-sick history. Sea bands work with accupressure on the wrists. I cannot take the meds due to allergies, so I am left with sea bands, peppermint tea and gravol ginger. Gravol ginger is much easier on the stomach (it is coated and organic) than the ginger caps that you buy in a health food store. They will not make you drowsy and usually help quite quickly. I am cautious to make sure I drink some peppermint tea a couple of times per day if it is rough. There is an old sea faring trick that works really well - if you are nauseous and even if you are vomiting it can be effective - go to the dining room or the buffet restaurant and find a green apple (granny smith) - eat it one little piece at a time and don't stuff yourself. Believe it or not it is one of the best things to eat when you are sick and I can speak from experience. The green apples help with motion sickness, hangover sickness (don't ask me how I know:rolleyes:) and even some morning sickness for pregnant women - so do the sea bands by the way.

Some people find that they are shaky and their head is fuzzy after a cruise - you need your land legs back as the saying goes. I leave the sea bands on for approximately a week when we return home and the problem has been eliminated.

Your husband felt better in the cabin due to the fact that he could not see the waves. In a vehicle it is the exact opposite with motion sickness, you are usually better off seeing where you are going. I always sit in the front seat in a vehicle and I'm fine. That is not usually the way with motion sickness on a ship/boat. Have him try it the next time and see. Stay away from windows and do not look at the waves. From my experience when you are seeing the waves your stomach seems to match the rise and fall.

I have used all of the above and have cruised upwards of 15 times. We always go with midship, usually have a balcony and have not lost time cruising due to being overwhelmingly sea sick since I started taking care of myself this way. We fly to all ports so I put the sea bands on when we leave home and do not take them off (except for showering) until about a week after we return home.

Hope this helps and gives you both some hope. I will check back later today in case you have questions.

Dee :)

Having worked on both the Pacific Sun and the Pacific Dawn I can tell you that the differences between the two ships are night and day.

Pacific Sun (now a Ferry based out of Hong Kong) was a very old ship that lacked effective stabilizers which made and movement quite noticeable. We were actually caught in the tail end of a cyclone and experienced 8m swells and gale force winds. The ship at one point listed so much that the alarms went off. There was also a constant humming throughout sailings.

Pacific Dawn is roughly double the size of the former Pacific Sun, with much of the modern amenities that current cruise ships have including stabilizers. You notice very little movement on that ship with the exception of very rough seas where you may notice a little bit of pitch and roll. But we were caught in a storm on that ship as well previously and barely noticed until we went outside and our food got blown off the side of the ship :p.

We are going on our first ever cruise, on the Pacific Jewel in August, and seasickness is something I am quietly, and without being too much of a drama queen, concerned about.

I take comfort in hearing that being mid ship is better, as we are in cabin 8110 which is pretty much smack bang in the middle on deck 8.

 

I'll see the doc before I go, take something before I board, then refuse to let it concern me or get in the way of my holiday :)

Hi Shellfisch, My twopence worth in case it helps with your decision.

I have been known to get terribly seasick, carsick and all sorts of motion sick. My husband booked us a fabulous cruise year and I was terrified about being sick all 18 days. No over the counter pills, doctor's pills or injections had ever worked for me.

I ended up using two things which both separately and together kept me totally well for the duration of the cruise.

1. Andrew Ettingshausen's 'Escape Seasick capsules' http://www.escapewithet.com/sea_sickness.aspx

I have a helicopter pilot son who gets airsick if he is flying a long distance with lots of updrafts. He has always been a motion sickness case and nothing worked for him either. He and his pilot friends put me onto ETs capsules because they have found them the best to take and for my son they worked.

With nothing to lose I ordered them and took one every night if it was predicted to be rough the next day. They did not make me drowsy.

2. Accupressure sea bands - but the pretty bracelet kind called 'Queasy Beads' (google it). I wore them every day and even had some made to match my evening outfits.

Even on the days I didn't take a capsule, the sea bands worked brilliantly for me. We were on Rhapsody of the Seas and for two days were in 60 knot winds and 5 meter swells .... and I wasn't at all sick.

As for my particular choice of combination, I'm not sure if I needed both, but the fact that they worked a treat for me meant that I didn't care. I only took the tablets on the cruise, but have worn the Queasy Beads on winding road car trips and shorter boat trips since and have never been motion sick while wearing them.

I'm off on another cruise later this year and both ETs capsules and my cute sea band bracelets will be the first things packed :D

Oh yes .... and a midships cabin :)