Help on Motion Sickness

Hello All

I am hopeful that a few of you can help me out, or more to the point Mrs Armstrong..!

After a 2 hour hop over to Stockholm 2 weeks ago as a little break for her 30th my wife suffered really badly with what I guess is Motion Sickness. She is perfect (better than me!) on take off and cruising altitude, but on landing she gets very ill.

Can any of you wise folk advise on some easy fixes - such as sitting by the wings (if you can!) or some travel sickness medicine?

Thanks in Advance

Dan

If it only kicked in during the landing phase it sounds to me more like a middle ear issue (? minor infection) than ordinary
'motion sickness'.

So I'd suggest starting with a (non urgent) chat with her GP just to rule anything ear wise out.

I have similar issues actually - I'm usually completely fine on take-off, cruising, and landing (except for when the turbulence is terrible), but when the plane is taxiing I feel pretty sick.

I always try my very best to avoid sitting towards the back of the plane - the wings are fine, as well as further towards the front (sitting in premium cabins certainly help :w ). Sitting backwards is a no-no (not even on the train) so I haven't been brave enough to try BA CW as yet.

I don't read when the plane is moving on the ground, and also avoid eating anything cheesy (it's better if I can't smell it either, but sometimes that can't be helped) when up in the air. Tomato juice helps, too, I find.

I recently had a boat trip for a week (hard to escape the sea sickness), and I bought some Dramamine tablets from Amazon, which were shipped from the US. They were really effective (and better than anything else I have tried), as I didn't feel too bad at all all week (though I may have felt a little high a couple of times, I think! :w ), especially as OH who had never experienced any form of motion sickness had managed to throw up when the sea was rough :$ So I'd say it's probably useful to buy a pack or two (it took 2-3 weeks to deliver) for the handbag. The other thing I tried were ginger tablets. They help at least on a psychological level.

I've been travel sick, particularly in cars, since I was a small child so have every sympathy.

I've not had problems with nausea on descent or landing but as tonty mentions, I do have ear problems. Ears/balance/nausea are related so perhaps worth a look? I find it helpful on descent to hold my nose, keep mouth closed and try to blow out through my closed-off nose. This makes the ears pop.

I cannot, simply cannot cope with those wallowy cross-channel ferries. Hovercraft years ago were brilliant, bump, bump travel rather than wallow wasn't a problem.

Several times, despite my 'throw up at every opportunity' reputation, I had a brilliant time on a large yacht owned by friends. At their suggestion, as seasoned sailors with frequent travel-sick guests, they recommended Stugeron which worked brilliantly.

I so sympathise, travel sickness is really grim.

Some of us are not meant to fly/float! How people work on aircraft or boats I cannot comprehend...

All to do with misconnect and confusion between what your eyes are seeing - static interior of the cabin, your book/phone/map etc and what your balance organs (fluid filled tubes part of the ear) are sensing. I suppose we also have difficulties predicting the motion about to occur which is more of a problem on boats/trains/planes than in cars when one can see the road ahead. I have to sit in the front or drive. Keeping fixated on the horizon can help on the sea but you cannot always see it in fog/clouds/mirky windows and in a plane the scene is so rapidly changing too.

Sitting in the overwing area makes sense I think or in the middle of a boat. As suggested above regularly equalise ear/sinus pressure during climb/descent. Suck a sweet. I find I am worse when I am tired. I find accu-pressure wrist bands do help - no harm in trying. Boots etc sell them. Ginger - yeah I do that too. Ginger biscuits, ginger beer, ginger tea, fresh ginger, crystallised ginger sweets... Weird how it is all you can actually stomach...

As for tablets (I am a pharmacist - do check with yours about which if any drugs are suitable for you) - I use the hyoscine hydrobromide (drug name) chewable/suckable tablets (brands are Boots Travel Calm, Joy Rides, Kwells and others) because they start working more quickly (20-30mins), are thought the most effective (I find them so), and any side effects are more short lived - eg drowsiness. I usually only get a dry mouth which is easily managed. All the motion sickness pills/patches can cause extra drowsiness so beware drivers/drinkers - dramamine I think is one of those anti-histamine types which is probably also found marketed as a sleep-aid in some parts of the world so beware.

I don't let it stop me flying Club World but BA just have :$

Hey - Thanks all..!

I have shown this to Mrs Armstrong who also said a very heartfelt thanks... She will be off to get some Joyrides as she used to get sick on car journeys when she was a kid and these were the one apparently!

Ginger is a great idea - do they sell Ginger Ale on US flights? Canada Dry..? I know its a mixer - and I also know V-Flyers like a tipple!

I will also get her to have an ear check - that's a very good shout..!

Thanks again all - it really is appreciated...! I also love how nice everyone is on V-Flyer!

Dan

Most GPs would advise the following.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/motion- ... ss-leaflet

If this is a recurrent & intermitent problem that only presents on landing in an aircraft, and she is otherwise symptom-free, there is very little chance it is "infection".

Ginger is a great recommendation . Kwells and Kalms don't work for me but Stugeron does. Have used it for years now , one tablet night before and one two hours before take off. I think it must make me slightly drowsy because I always have my best night's sleep the first night on holiday - waking up completely refreshed. no bad thing after a long haul.

but I haven't noticed being particularly sleepy on board - just relaxed.

Ginger is a great recommendation . Kwells and Kalms don't work for me but Stugeron does. Have used it for years now , one tablet night before and one two hours before take off. I think it must make me slightly drowsy because I always have my best night's sleep the first night on holiday - waking up completely refreshed. no bad thing after a long haul.

but I haven't noticed being particularly sleepy on board - just relaxed.

Stugeron and the other antihistamine types are also effective and seem less problematic as regards side effects but as you say you have to plan ahead. I am not as organised and get queazy fairly randomly on public transport so carry the hyoscine tabs constantly and find I feel better even after only 20 mins sometimes if I haven't been able to alight from the vehicle by then**

I do also try and avoid perfume (and also glossy magazines - that ink smell ...) but not always possible if some other nearby pax has been liberally testing out the duty free... n(

** All do please at least check the leaflet before you take/buy any of these medicines - they aren't suitable for all and having to use the sick bag is preferable for all on board an aircraft to serious unwanted effects.**

HP

I am another great believer in Stugeron. I have taken virtually every other brand and it is the only one that works for me. I take two two hours before take off and sometimes one after eight hours if on a long flight. I also suck on a hard boiled sweet on take off and don't look out the window but focus on the seat belt sign towards the front of the plane. I don't read on the plane and unfortunately can't have any alcohol . When the seatbelt sign comes on to land I start sucking on a sweet again and find it better to look out the window to see where the plane is moving in daylight or again focus on the seat belt sign if it is dark. Hope this helps

Thanks all - Mrs Armstrong has purchased some Stugeron... I wont be taking them, as this would be a total waste of the Clubhouse ):

I think she may however take the Joyrides on the flight out. I do however like the idea of waking the following morning from a long haul feeling fresh - I guess that's another topic all together!

Thanks again all...

Dan