Persistent SeaSickness - Discouraging

[barnakiel]

My advice is to NOT take any medicine nor drink any ginger (...)-it.

In our boat (me and my first mate) we take Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge on the first two days and then the bottle seems empty and the seasickness seems gone.

Go out for a WEEK (not weekend) sail, see what happens on the third, fourth day. Do not go below and sleep. Stay in the cockpit and breathe, look at the horizon and keep watch like all crew. One can sleep in the cockpit too, harnessed and snug on sailbags and coiled lines.

Most of us get seasick and nearly everyone forgets about it after a couple of days out to sea. I can virtually not go down below the early 48 hrs into any passage that we take after any longer break (say after 6 mths at the dock ...).

Few, very few people get permanently seasick. These people should find themselves another sport.

If it is a miserable experience, why insist on doing it?

Go out to sea for a week, see if I were perhaps right.

PS If I were, you owe me a bottle of Cordon Rouge!!! ;-)

b.

[jdragon]

My husband and I cruised nearly 3 years on a I.P. 380, a very stable boat. We went to Bahamas a couple of times and up and down coast. We just jumped into this lifestyle. Read, and took appropiate courses etc and away we went.
I suffered sea sickness throughout, at various times. I never wanted to take meds unless I had too. Usually if we were going out on ocean, I would give thought to meds. I tried the electric wrist thing, I tried Bonnine, I tried Sturgeron, I even tried the $ patches ! And I have gotten sick with most of them. Big time vomiting... I taken helm too. Bonnine takes my brain away, and I sit there and have no decision making ability ... I've read a lot online and there are so many ideas. I am bothered by some articles that say, it's all in ur head 😡 It's right up there with childbirth ... Good luck, keep trying 😄 It was one of the reasons we chose to become landlubbers again.

[JPA Cate]

First, let me say, I feel for you.

Let's see, I tried, bonine, meclizine, ear patches, wrist bands, and stugeron. Actually, the scopalamine in the ear patches makes some people feel nauseated, so you should try it first on dry land and see if you hallucinate or feel nauseous.

The ear patch worked okay for me, but I really didn't like the dry mouth side effect. Meclizine worked some, still felt yucky, did not throw up. Wrist bands, pretty much the same. Stugeron, now, makes it okay. And I don't need to take it more than 3 days, unless it gets really rough again, and I will need, then, to start back up. I also used to fall asleep in the car, as a child, a manifestation of early motion sickness, so there's a history there. By the way, we know a guy who takes the stugeron 3 days before leaving, keeping it going on the day of departure, and using it that way keeps him good.

Most people are able to overcome mal de mer. Things that help besides Stugeron. Move to a slightly rolly anchorage the night before you depart on a journey. The fluid in your inner ears starts getting stirred up while you're asleep. Something that I did that is sort of weird was to say an affirmation to myself, "My body is coping better and better with seasickness". It kind of focuses your unconscious mind on taking charge and making you feel better. If your self talk is all about how horrible you feel, your body continues to feel horrid.

On our trip back from Hawaii in the 30 footer, I was seasick for 17 days of a 21 day passage, it was pretty miserable, but I was able to stand my watches. Didn't actually throw up, but fairly miserable. My situation has improved with age, was worst when on hormone replacement therapy. I still take stugeron the first 3 days, usually I am feeling totally normal after that.

Avoid any behaviors that might give you a lingering upset stomach before you leave; make an effort above decks to keep your eyes focused way out on the horizon (do NOT try to read fine print!); at the tiller or wheel, try to keep your ears parallel to the horizon. All of that will help a little.

The U.S. Air Force did some studies about motion sickness: read up on it, getting a clear understanding of how it happens will help you work out what you need to do. I think the ones who upchuck are the luckier, they seem to generally feel okay, after, not nauseated, but some of us just have the nausea, and it can get worse, with additional symptoms.

My recommendation is to try the Stugeron; I have been told it is available on line from Canada.
For me, the only side effect is a little drowsiness the first half hour--it does not zonk you out like dramamine. If necessary, start it the night before you leave. I hope it comes right for you.

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for being seasick. There is a psychosomatic component to it for some people, but nobody ever intentionally sets out to be miserable. Furthermore, if you're emotionally miserable, it will make the seasickness even harder to overcome.

Ann

On edit: the feeling that the shower is reeling around you when you've come back from a sail eventually went away for me. It's just the fluid in your inner ears sloshing around that makes it happen.

[jdragon]

P.S. I found MY seasickness. Was dependent on particular type of sea most of time that caused the boat to roll or hobby horse. I even got nauseous one time at anchor !

[Wanderlust]

Conniecat, your detailed explanation of the symptoms you experience suggests that you can overcome this. I used to get carsick as a kid and would get seasick from the ripples in a bathtub. In later years I still could not read in a bus. Now, my stomach just feals a little uneasy on the first day of a trip. If the wind is likely to be 20 knots or more I would probably take a Stugeron, but after that first day would be OK in normal conditions.

If you find the side effects of the Scopolamine patches too great, you could try the same medication in tablet form (Kwells, Travelcalm) where you can better regulate the dose. But as noted by others, people react differently to different drugs. Many sailors recommend Stugeron as the best compromise between effectiveness and side effects.

My advice would be to start the medication the night before, sleep on board, and if possible, gradually introduce exposure. Avoid fatty foods from the night before, small breakfast and have light snacks at hand while on board. Drink plenty of water, sipping it if you feel queasy. If you do feel nauseous, my preference is to get rid of it, although some find this is best avoided.

Keeping busy helps, like steering and concentrating on how accurately you can keep a set course (gets your mind off your stomach). If not at the helm, choose a position onboard with the least movement, and with the least part of the boat in your field of view ... maybe sitting midships and looking out to sea. Avoid sitting low down facing forwards where most of your vision is the boat. You may find standing up better, as your legs can then move a little with the boat motion and reduce movement on your upper body. Avoid going inside.

Most people find that their nausea reduces as the day progresses and your mind accepts the fact that the motion is OK.

If all this fails, then lie down with your eyes closed and try again in a couple of hours.

[mrohr]

Well, there are two stages:

1. You think you are gonna die.

2.You are afraid you won't

.................................luv you all..................mike......................... ....

[Mirage35]

Much good advice above. I return to your comment that you've never been out more than a few hours - you really need to grit your teeth and try a longer period to find out.

Under any moderately rolly conditions I get pretty queasy when I go below on the first day. A couple of days later I feel nothing.

Don't induce vomiting - it won't help. When you're really seasick (been there, done that) you vomit until your stomach is empty, and then just keep trying. It's more unpleasant when there's nothing left to come up.

[Mirage35]

Originally Posted by mrohr

Well, there are two stages:

1. You think you are gonna die.

2.You are afraid you won't

.................................luv you all..................mike......................... ....

Oh yeah, I can relate.

[SV DestinyAscen]

For me... I've found luck with salty foods such as crisps, crackers? Dry foods such as biscuits, toast. Avoid cooking smells and eat/drink very slowly. Drinking from a straw helps, and ginger/peppermint tea also sometimes work.

When I was a young lad it used to hit me harder - until one work assignment required me to ride in a blacked out bus 6 days a week for a year - 90 minutes each day into the mountains in Formosa. After a year of that we all came out dulled.

[denverd0n]

First day out I get sick almost every time. I am lucky in that it does not incapacitate me. I throw up, wipe off my chin, and get back to work. Meclizine seems to help some, but mostly it just takes a little time. Sometimes a day, sometimes a little more.

Get out there. Spend more than a few hours. Experiment. Find out what works for you. I'm sure you can work through to a satisfactory solution.

[Roniszoro]

Stugeron 15mg.

It is the off shore sailor's friend. I know of some captains that require that all sailors have taken it on land to be sure that they can take it at sea. No side affects...no sleepiness like Dramamine. I swear by it after many miles off shore in weather. I take it as the weather comes up just to be sure, as I single hand a lot and can't be "down". You can buy it in England and in most Commonwealth countries.

Don't leave port without it!

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Steve Bean

There's a product called Boarding Ring, that you wear like goggles. It has tubes with colored fluid around the edges, that act like a water-hose level, trying to keep your brain in touch with the horizon. The idea is that seasickness results when your body senses the motion but your brain is getting conflicting signals from your eyes. I have no experience with the goggles. They're available from Marinechandlery.com. Their website has more explanation.
Also, there is a good article in Latitude 38. Go to Latitude38.com and search for "seasickness."
Most people do get over it after a few days.

Have a friend in our marina who uses these goggles. They look funny but seem to help her in San Francisco bay.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Scorpius]

Scopolomine. Ginger root (like they serve with sushi), and steer. Stay on deck and watch the horizon, not the boat. Otherwise stay in your bunk, midships or aft, and keep your eyes closed.

I occasionally get sick and it's no fun. Be well rested and, if at all possible, relaxed before you go out.

Some people almost never get seasick, most, when they do get over it reasonably quickly (within three days at sea), a few NEVER get over it and really can't go on a boat.

[Symphony]

Sturgeon is not available in the USA. a physician told me this is because the manufacturer does not find it profitable to run the FDA required test studies - the drug is cheap (little profit margin) and already has a huge market in the rest of the world.
Ebay is your friend in this....

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by conniecat

Hi all,

Looking for some more tips and tricks for seasickness - and perhaps some encouraging words to keep at it. I really want to be able to sail. My significant other really wants to go sailing around the world and I think it sounds like so much fun and I would like to be able to do it with him. But I've been pretty miserable each of the times I've tried it.

I've been out 4 times now - once on a cruise ship, and 3 times on a 32-35ft sail boat (monohull).

On the cruise ship I wore the patch and got sick on the day there were slightly rougher seas.

First time out on the sailboat I wore the wrist straps and drank ginger ale
Very sick, no vomiting though

Second time out I took the pure meclizine
There was very little wind, but I felt fine other than feeling like I was drunk and high at the same time. If someone had fallen in, probably would've waved and jumped in too.

3rd time out took Bonine 4 hrs prior to the start.
Did really well for the first hour, then got sick again. Closing my eyes and trying to sleep helped.

Does sleeping for a few hours on the boat help? My experience with the Bonine suggests it might but I'm not sure. Should I try taking a nap for the first 2 hours?

I've never actually thrown up - just felt like I would all the time. Should I just try and make myself throw up when that happens? (Syrup or another method?) Will it go away after this?

I've tried steering the boat - helps for a little bit. Ginger ale helps when my stomach is only feeling moderately bad - but there comes a point where it does not help.

I don't know what else to do. This is like a life goal and I would really love to accomplish it. I don't want to give up. There must be something out there that will work for me.

Also - does the seasickness really go away after the first day? I've never been out longer than a few hours.

Thanks for the advice.

My wife was long suffering. I'm not sure there is an answer. She would drop an Dramamean (sp?) and the standing joke was Mom went below that's the last we will see of her. Best of luck. I'm not sure it isn't using your legs like a gimbal?