Sea Sickness

[snoozy]

We're travelling Westbound Transatlantic next month and although my husband is a good traveller, I'm a little bit worried about potential sea sickness, especially after reading about some recent very rough seas encountered on the QM2.

I've heard about an injection you can get from the medical centre on board, is it affective and does it have any side affects such as drowsiness? Does anyone know if medication such as "Sea Legs" work?

I would appreciate your comments.

Thank you,

Denise

[Sauer-kraut]

Get ginger capsules at a health food store. No side effects and is all natural.

I am pretty sure the injection is very expensive.

[snoozy]

Thank you Sauer-Kraut, I will give the ginger capsules a go.

[Thaxted]

The injection, like most seasickness remedies, is potent antihistamine that will likely make you drowsy for several hours, after which you should be perfectly fine. I would suggest taking it only as a last resort. If you are prone to motion sickness, ginger capsules may be all you need. I was very anxious myself before we made our crossings this summer, and because I'm sensitive to movement of any sort, I took meclizine, an over the counter antihistamine, as a precaution. On our westbound trip we ran into very rough seas, but I was perfectly fine. And when I went to the medical clinic for another problem and asked one of the nurses how many people had asked for the injection, she answered "Nobody"!

 

Of course everyone is different and the North Atlantic is unpredictable. The good news is that seas as roiling as those the QM2 recently experienced on its return from Quebec (and unsettling they certainly were!) are unusual. And should you encounter a storm, no ship is more stable.

 

Have a wonderful journey!

[Classiccruiser777]

Sea sick remedies work best if they are taken before the motion of the ocean affects the victim. The patch behind the ear works, too.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I believe "Sea Legs" is meclazine, which does help control motion sickness. As someone else said, take it before you feel the effects of motion or it won't be in your system long enough to help (if you get my meaning :eek:).

 

I don't usualy get seasick, but if I'm feeling a bit queasy, I swear by ginger ale and crackers. I've also heard that green apples soothe an unhappy stomach, but I've never tried that.

[KruiserKat]

Get ginger capsules at a health food store. No side effects and is all natural.

I am pretty sure the injection is very expensive.

 

Ginger is not totally side-effect free. If you take a blood thinner like Coumadin-it will interact. Check with your MD!

[eratog2]

I was on the QM sailing from the Caribbean to New York early December last year and the seas got rough - I did not feel well at all, then I realised I had packed some of the wrist bands . . . . wore those and felt much better.

[balf]

Ginger is not totally side-effect free. If you take a blood thinner like Coumadin-it will interact. Check with your MD!

 

Not just ginger, this applies to many other foods as well. Increases in alcohol consumption over the norm will also have an effect. I find that the complete changes in diet and lifestyle make a big difference during a cruise.

 

David.

[balf]

Thinking about it makes it worse.

 

David.

[Whitemarsh]

Thinking about it makes it worse.

 

David.

 

Easier said than done. As I got sick last time I am a little worried about the next voyage. I'm going to give the ginger a try this time. Someone else suggested green apples.

[Cruachan]

Easier said than done. As I got sick last time I am a little worried about the next voyage. I'm going to give the ginger a try this time. Someone else suggested green apples.

 

But, remember, for the green apples to be effective against sea sickness, they have to be picked from the tree no more than 1 minute before you eat them.

 

J

[BigMac1953]

Jimmy

 

Are they talking about bottles of ginger?

[Whitemarsh]

But, remember, for the green apples to be effective against sea sickness, they have to be picked from the tree no more than 1 minute before you eat them.

 

J

 

Not a problem, I always pack an apple tree when I go on holiday.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thinking about it makes it worse.

 

David.

 

I agree.

 

Up to a point, I think seasickness is mind over matter. If you can get to some fresh air, midships where motion is less noticable, think healthy thoughts and relax, you might be able to talk yourself out of being sick. But it can reach the point where none of that works...

[tomuk]

Not just ginger, this applies to many other foods as well. Increases in alcohol consumption over the norm will also have an effect. I find that the complete changes in diet and lifestyle make a big difference during a cruise.

 

David.

David, if you are in good health,I find that consuming large amounts of alcohol can help.

It won't stop you being sick,

you just don't care.

[3rdGenCunarder]

David, if you are in good health,I find that consuming large amounts of alcohol can help.

It won't stop you being sick,

you just don't care.

 

I'm not so sure about that. You'll care the next morning... :eek:

[The Real PM]

I agree.

 

Up to a point, I think seasickness is mind over matter. If you can get to some fresh air, midships where motion is less noticable, think healthy thoughts and relax, you might be able to talk yourself out of being sick. But it can reach the point where none of that works...

I agree. And that reminds me of our first cruise. For some reason, my husband fretted terribly before the cruise that he would get sea sick. We were on our way to Bermuda and as we crossed over the Gulf Stream where it is almost always rough, he didn't feel good at all and he was sure he was going to be sick. At the same time, I was a smoker then, I ran out of cigarettes and was unable to find any. I had a little mini fit and because of that he forgot all about feeling sick and all of a sudden felt fine. We have been on many cruises since then and he has never felt that way again.:)

 

However, I am certain that certain people or conditions may bring about seasickness. But probably not nearly as many as those who claim to be seasick.

[rgaudet]

I was a bit sick earlier this year on QM2 and bought some tablets from the purser called "avomine." I think you can get it in the UK, not North America. It was much better than anything I could get here in Canada. I felt better in about an hour...amazing.

[snoozy]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

I agree that to some extent it can be mind over matter, and I try not to let it get the better of me.

I remember on our crossing last summer, my husband and I were playing draughts along side a large window quite low in the ship, within 30 seconds we had to move as I found that being so close to the waterline on such a huge ship was making me feel very sick.

I'm conscious of not wanting to waste a minute of our voyage through feeling queasy.

 

So it's green apples, ginger capsules, antihistamines and drink lots of alcohol.

My favourite so far is taking up Tomuk's suggestion about the alcohol (does Pol Acker count or would that make me feel even worse?) :confused:

[Smee]

If you are worried about sea sickness eat plenty of oranges........:)

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

I agree that to some extent it can be mind over matter, and I try not to let it get the better of me.

I remember on our crossing last summer, my husband and I were playing draughts along side a large window quite low in the ship, within 30 seconds we had to move as I found that being so close to the waterline on such a huge ship was making me feel very sick.

I'm conscious of not wanting to waste a minute of our voyage through feeling queasy.

 

So it's green apples, ginger capsules, antihistamines and drink lots of alcohol.

My favourite so far is taking up Tomuk's suggestion about the alcohol (does Pol Acker count or would that make me feel even worse?) :confused:

 

Are you talking about the games area on QM2? I cannot sit there in good weather or bad. The water racing by is more than I can take. And I do not recommend Pol Acker as a remedy for anything.

[snoozy]

Smee, thank you for the suggestion.

 

3rdgencunarder - yes it was the games area, with seats at the windows. Even walking along that area makes my legs wobble. I've found the best place for me on slightly rough days is either taking the fresh air on the promenade deck or in Sir Samuals with a cup of tea. I was joking about the Pol Acker, I've never aquired the taste for it.

 

Fingers crossed we'll have calm-ish seas on our November 10th crossing.

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

Smee, thank you for the suggestion.

 

3rdgencunarder - yes it was the games area, with seats at the windows. Even walking along that area makes my legs wobble. I've found the best place for me on slightly rough days is either taking the fresh air on the promenade deck or in Sir Samuals with a cup of tea. I was joking about the Pol Acker, I've never aquired the taste for it.

 

Fingers crossed we'll have calm-ish seas on our November 10th crossing.

 

I used one of the chairs in that game area to video a force 9 storm last January. My only complaint was the temperature! Way too cold in that one little area.

[Mysticalmother]

Those wristband things seem to work very well for my husband who was prone to sea sickness in the past. On our recent TA he was fine with those and no pills - mind you he did put them on when we left Southampton, kept them on day and night for 7 days apart from taking them off when he had a shower!:)