Sea sickness question??

[goeasy123]

Anybody got a innovative solution?


My wife gets crippling seasickness in anything more than moderate conditions... 20kts and 1.5m.


She gets an anxiety attack and either experiences the trip as a white knuckle ride gripping the hand hold in the cockpit or lying eyes closed in the sea berth. You can imagine that after 4 or more hours of this she is exhausted and needs 2 or 3 days to recover in a marina. Thereafter she is fearful of going back out in any conditions.



We've tried all the usual chemical solutions... patched and tablets. They clearly have an effect, but don't work.

[rslifkin]

If she's scared, that'll make any seasickness she's prone to worse. That's a tough one to fix though.

Sometimes the answer is a different boat. Some people suffer more from fast, jerky motion, others more from slow, smooth motion. Personally I grew up with planing hull powerboats, so I have to be a bit more careful on most monohull sailboats than I do on just about anything else. That slow, smooth motion will sometimes get me a little off if conditions are just right.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by goeasy123

Anybody got a innovative solution?


My wife gets crippling seasickness in anything more than moderate conditions... 20kts and 1.5m.


She gets an anxiety attack and either experiences the trip as a white knuckle ride gripping the hand hold in the cockpit or lying eyes closed in the sea berth. You can imagine that after 4 or more hours of this she is exhausted and needs 2 or 3 days to recover in a marina. Thereafter she is fearful of going back out in any conditions.



We've tried all the usual chemical solutions... patched and tablets. They clearly have an effect, but don't work.

Having her eyes closed is the worst thing she can do. You need to see the motion.

Have her steer/drive the boat and take Dramamine before leaving the dock. Start on a smoother day and progress up to the rougher ones with her on the helm.

There is also a chewable Dramamine out now that works instantly.

[goeasy123]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

If she's scared, that'll make any seasickness she's prone to worse. That's a tough one to fix though.

Sometimes the answer is a different boat. Some people suffer more from fast, jerky motion, others more from slow, smooth motion. Personally I grew up with planing hull powerboats, so I have to be a bit more careful on most monohull sailboats than I do on just about anything else. That slow, smooth motion will sometimes get me a little off if conditions are just right.

... might be. We've sailed 'floaty' Bendytoes and Bavs. Also, a 38 ft cat on which everyone including the owner was sick. We have a Najad 40ft which is the best we've found so far.


I've read the other treads on the subject. They mention some behavioral aspects, which given the anxiety element might be the best route to investigate. Anyone got ideas around this?

[tkeithlu]

There are no magic bullets, but some steps may help.

Dramamine and company are largely sedatives. They may reduce nausea, but at the cost of drowsiness, as I suspect you have found.

Motion sickness is largely a matter of confusing unexpected pitches and rolls, with a pitch downward (bow drops) being the worst. Being in the cabin with no contact with the expected motion of the boat, plus the smells of a cabin (bacon, diesel...) is the worst.

Drivers don't get carsick. The same applies here. Consider having her take the helm from within calm water to the rougher stuff. I used to make my quezy students into helmsmen rather having them looking down into the pitching boat. Her keeping track of the horizon, and the boats movement relative to it, can help.

Hydration and not overheating it also a help. Plenty of water, not bundled up.

Anxiety looks like a big issue for her. Perhaps limit your off-shore for awhile while she begins to trust the boat.

Hey, she's being really game - hasn't told you to do something anatomically impossible with the boat. Celebrate that.

[thomm225]

Ginger gum is also a good thing to have as you leave the dock.

I got seasick the first time at 10 years old fishing in the ocean. We came in and I went swimming for a while and was fine.

I have a 1/2 dramamine sometimes on the first day out heading out the creek and most times that does the trick for days

Todays Dramamine doesn't make you that drowsy.

Also don't over do it on coffee before a sail.

[Northbound44]

My wife says your wife is petrified of sailing, change the captain or sell the boat!

[Phantom Jim]

Try Motioneaze, available at Walmart for about $5. It is an essential oil liquid that is applied by one drop behind each ear. It is a product developed for vertigo and is safe for children. It works even after symptoms develops.

For $5 what do you have to lose?

[goboatingnow]

You may find that this problem isn’t easily resolved. I have several women acquaintances who are violently seasick and literally nothing helps.

On this side of the pond we have Sturgeron but again I’ve found that very difficult cases don’t respond


You also describe her symptoms as anxiety attacks. This isn’t seasickness

[goboatingnow]

20kts and 1.5m is borderline “ moderate “

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goeasy123

Anybody got a innovative solution?


My wife gets crippling seasickness in anything more than moderate conditions... 20kts and 1.5m.


She gets an anxiety attack and either experiences the trip as a white knuckle ride gripping the hand hold in the cockpit or lying eyes closed in the sea berth. You can imagine that after 4 or more hours of this she is exhausted and needs 2 or 3 days to recover in a marina. Thereafter she is fearful of going back out in any conditions.



We've tried all the usual chemical solutions... patched and tablets. They clearly have an effect, but don't work.

Sounds to me like your wife is someone who suffers from the 'Tippy Tippy Syndrome'..
Slight tilting of the boat in mild conditions is tolerable and possible to 'smile' ones way through, however when the tilt increases to 10 degrees and more coupled with pitching the anxiety levels go through the roof and it becomes a fairground ride that you cannot get off after a few minutes.
Hence the Death Grip to stay on the seat..
My experience is that this never goes away.

[ChrisJHC]

What you’ve described doesn’t sound so much like sea sickness as anxiety.

It could just be nervousness about being on a boat that is leaning over and bouncing around.

There are three parts to look at: the conditions, the boat and the crew.

I’d try building up slowly to the more interesting conditions that you described.
Start on calm days and depower the sails.
As confidence builds, put more power into the sails and then build up to stronger conditions.

Some people can never adjust to life on the water so good luck!

[JPA Cate]

As a long term sufferer from mal de mer who probably knows most of the "tricks" there are, I'd like to say that being terrified and seasick is damned unpleasant. It is the fear here that is your good lady's worst enemy. Her body is telling her she's about to fall out of the tree "(when the wind blows, the cradle will rock, and down will come baby, cradle, and all"). [I still wake up with that falling feeling on long passages if it becomes rough.] It must, indeed, be exhausting.

If she wants to learn to overcome this, I'd suggest she get involved in dinghy sailing, something small like a Sabot or an El Toro, where she learns to get dumped and laugh about it, and sees and feels that she is only wet, not hurt. She will pick up her own sailing skills that will teach her about the wind, and sailing, in a safe, structured situation, and it will be a big success for her. If she is not now a swimmer, I'd check out a swim lesson deal, too, because it, too, will help her to be not afraid of the water. At the very least she'll learn to tread water, and float on her back; people are less scared if they know they can breathe.

Once all that is done, then, look at medicating, if still needed. (When she is not afraid, she may not get motion sickness. I suffered from mild motion sickness as a child, and my tendency to it has never left me.) I swear by Stugeron: it is the only thing that works consistently for me. It can be purchased online. And I know about "eyes on the horizon", and helming to change the focus, and that is what I do now, if there are only a few hours to go. But, see, I am not afraid. Fear into the mix with feeling crappy is just nasty! I am not afraid, because I am a lifelong swimmer. I started playing in the water as a toddler. I was never afraid of falling in the water. Your wife's situation is very much complicated by her fear, and it will be her decision if she wants to address that or not. She will be totally safe in a dinghy sailing class, preferably taught by someone who is empathetic to her problem.

As someone who has spent the last 36 yrs. cruising and living on the hook (with time out for travel), I wish both of you good luck with it.

Ann

PS. I would be glad to correspond with you or your wife at greater length about this. The US Air Force did a study on airsickness (basically mal de mer in the air), maybe you can find it online. I found it helpful for conceptualizing. Some people will tell you that being seasick is all in your head, and certainly the inner ear is involved, but it is not necessarily psychosomatic, as some dogs and cats suffer from it as well, although it can be psychosomatic. I was once seasick for 19 days in a row. Some of the symptoms were scary (like I felt trembly all over), but I was able to stand my watches, which was a considerable source of pride to me, because it wasn't easy at the time.

[CarlF]

If she hasn’t tried Stugeron, it might just work. Readily available over the counter except in US. You can mail order it from canadadrugsonline.com

Get the 25mg pills. My wife takes just half a pill which is closer to the 15mg size you get in the UK. Take a pill the night before the trip, when getting up, and then when first hitting seas.

https://www.canadadrugsonline.com/DrugMoreInfo5659.aspx

Experiment until she finds the best dose.

Have her be at the helm

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by CarlF

If she hasn’t tried Stugeron, it might just work. Readily available over the counter except in US. You can mail order it from canadadrugsonline.com

Get the 25mg pills. My wife takes just half a pill which is closer to the 15mg size you get in the UK. Take a pill the night before the trip, when getting up, and then when first hitting seas.

https://www.canadadrugsonline.com/DrugMoreInfo5659.aspx

Experiment until she finds the best dose.

Have her be at the helm

I can't agree with all of the above. Being on the helm helps me a lot because it helps me keep my ears parallel to the horizon. For me, keeping my ears parallel, and letting my body sway a little with the motion of the boat at the same time does help.

It is definitely okay to take one the night before, then again in the morning. It is that I prefer to not take more than recommended per time period than is written on the package. In my case, I have the 15 mg. tablets. The instructions read, "2 tablets 2 hrs. before traveling and one further tablet every 8 hrs. as required."

For me, this actually means that I can stop and see if I'm okay. Start the med back up if I need it. I have got a lot better at coping with the symptoms over the years, and do not often need it, especially just for day sails, now, but it was not always that way.

Another thing I noticed was that while I was on HRT, I was more susceptible to seasickness.

I even worked with it by affirmations: "My body is coping with seasickness better and better." There ARE many different ways of handling problems, and I like to use the whole arsenal at my disposal. Using the affirmation lets one's unconscious mind work on the problem, vs. obsessing about it.

Ann