Thread: Seasickness after a cruise does exist....

Those of you who feel giddy and seasick for a time after getting off a ship or plane now have a medical reason for the symptoms.....

Woman's four years of seasickness

Jane Houghton was diagnosed six months after she went on holiday

A woman who went on a holiday cruise is still feeling seasick - four years after she returned home. Jane Houghton, 41, from Warrington, Cheshire, suffers a rare condition which makes her dizzy and nauseated.

The symptoms started on the cruise to Majorca in 2001, but it was six months before Mrs Houghton was diagnosed with Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS).

Mrs Houghton, who says her symptoms are "worse than ever", is raising awareness of the condition.

"I wake up and the room is see-sawing.






"It's just like being on the roughest seas imaginable in a little boat, you feel as if the ground is falling away from you."

It is not known what causes MdDS, but it is thought to be a failure of the inner ear to readapt correctly to stable ground after sea or air travel.

The symptoms appeared when Mrs Houghton, who has a teenage son, took breaks from the cruise.

She said: "In restaurants the tables would bob and weave about. I asked the others if they were experiencing the same feelings.

"They looked at me as if I was mad."

Mrs Houghton wrote to experts in the USA and was eventually diagnosed at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.

"The sensation of being on rough seas was constant, no let up, even when lying down. Everyday tasks like using a computer, ironing, vacuuming, all increased the level of motion I felt."

'No improvement'

Mrs Houghton could no longer cope with her full-time job as an office manager as much of her work involved sitting in front of a computer. Now she works two days a week.

"But, more than four years later, there is no improvement, if anything I am worse.

"I naively thought there would be some miracle cure, some tablet I could take and make it all go away. There isn't."

Now Mrs Houghton is trying to raise awareness of MdDS.

She said: "As there is no miracle cure, raising awareness is crucial in helping sufferers know that it isn't all in their head."

This is an extreme case, but obviously her trip triggered something in her inner ear for this to happen. DH needed the weekend to get his land legs back, but he also did something that I recommend he shouldn't do...

He had just replaced the seasick patch on the last day at sea. When we docked the next morning, I suggested he leave it on for the next 2 days (as they're good for 3 days) to let the medicine wear off slowly & to give him time to adjust to the land again after being on a boat for 12 days. Well, he left the patch on for the airplane, but when we got home that night, we took it off...

For the next 3 days he slept because that's all he could do to pass the dizziness he felt when he walked. After those 3 days, he was fine again, but next time, he's going to listen to me!!!

So I guess that should really be called "Land Sickness" instead of "Sea Sickness"!

I have had ear infections that made me feel awful, dizzy and sick, I can't imagine what the poor woman must be going through feeling that way for 4 yrs. I spose like everything else, some people are more suseptable than others.

My DH had all the above symptoms, plus! He went yo an ear nose and throat specialist. Turns out he had a severe case of vertigo. The doctor performed a procedure which put my husband into a severe bout of vertigo. The doctor then manipulated my husband's head in all directions. It was not pleasant, but it worked! And he has not had another bout since. Seems some tiny calcium particles broke loose and settled in the tubes of the inner ear. The doctor said he sent the "rocks" back where they belong and that DH would probably not have another vertigo episode for a long, long time. Hope this helps someone. But, be sure to find a specialist with good knowledge of this procedure. And, BTW, DH does not suffer sea sickness.

Kathy....calcium deposits??? really?? Wow...I've heard of this....that's good to know!!! Thanks!!!

Never Never Ever SEASICK .... but, LANDSICK ... Oh YES! Last for about a week after a cruise ... keep needing my floor to move!

LuLu

Gee, I wonder if she went back on a cruise if the symtom would reverse

I would think it would be worth a try.

I my self would ge this for a day or two after the first few cruises but I can honestly say I have barely felt it after the last few. I think the more I cruise the less I feel it.

Originally Posted by laffnvegas

I my self would ge this for a day or two after the first few cruises but I can honestly say I have barely felt it after the last few. I think the more I cruise the less I feel it.

I'm kinda the same way...our last cruise didn't effect me at all post-cruise...however, I've gone SCUBA diving and have gotten home and felt the screen to my laptop was "moving" for a couple of days afterwards....nothing severe, but every once in a while I guess I still get the sensation...

My after cruise 'sickness' comes mainly from no longer being at sea...