Really, Really, Really BAD Seasickness.....

[gimmeumpqua]

Mal du Mer...Can't beat it. I'm doomed. Brand new boat, all set up for the ocean, friends' rarin' to come a with, and I can't do it. I just can't do it.

Now before all you veterans with the magic cures, mental conditioning advocations, and preventative premonitory maneuvers pipe in, I would like to say that I've heard it all, done it all, tried it all. You see, I am an Internal Medicine physician by trade and I've prescribed it all. I've researched it all.

Doomed, Doomed, Doomed.

If you get seasick, you will always get seasick. It takes about 3 to 4 days for most to get their sea legs, but 12 hours on shore and you're vomiting for another couple of days when you head back out(US Navy stats). The lucky seasickers can control it and function. The unlucky ones can rarely, if ever control it no matter what, and will likely never enjoy fishing on ocean swells.

For those of you that think it is psychological, I wish you were right. What is psychological is the fear of REexperiencing a severe episode of seasickness makes it worse when you attempt it again.....and as soon as that old Glassply with a 140 Johnson 2 stroke and concomitant blue cloud of smoke daddles by....its over the gunwale you go....talking to the Gub'nah...

Then, you finally come into port....Nausea improved, but tired and achy and sleepy and grumpy that not only your trip was a complete drag, but the "fun times promised" to your passengers culminates from pity to waste of time to coulda been somewhere else to thoughts of your puking picture in the gossip column as these friends leak the info to the public(usually makes a good story for someone).

Funny thing is, It's not the "roughness of the sea" I don't get seasick in chop, while some do. Its the gentle rolling of a 2 to 4 foot swell that does me in.

Doomed Doomed Doomed.

You'll probably see me in the bay.....
Kurt

[ 07-11-2003, 09:08 PM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Get accupuncture, I used to get pretty damn sick every trip, then I got accpuncture done and haven't had a problem in a few years (8). No it didn't hurt. I usually am not a fan of "new age or counter culture" medicine, but that at least worked for me.

[1pump]

I never used to get seasick as a teenager, but once I hit my twenties I became an accomplished chummer. In my own boat I never get sick, but in others I do. I almost Called Ralph once while on the Columbia below Bonneville! graemlins/eek13.gif
The last few times out I didn't do the "technicolor yawn", but I felt mighty crappy.
As long as the boat is moving at a good clip, I'm fine, but the pitch-and-roll-as-you-troll routine will make me hoark.
That's my biggest fear in regards to someday getting a bigger, ocean-capable boat. I won't be able to use it. graemlins/1zhelp.gif

[fishing is life]

bummer dude, i too get seasick. Than was a good description. I hope your friends dont post that pic here. Sleeping is one thing puking is another. That is why i wont ever get to Tuna town. I can handle ocean salmon in decent conditions thanks to Bonine working for me but not completely. Oh well just enjoy the inside.

[hooksetter]

In '79 worked for Coho Charters, I was laughing stock of all deck hands worked 21 days got sea sick 21 days some major long days for time we shut down to troll till coast guard station, it was a fast wack'em, notch'em, bait'em get'em out and puke and lay down wait for another customer to say FISH ON. Then clean them fish from Coast guard station to docks. Been out 3x since died every time but love to catch and puke.

[swampy]

Ginger. Not Gilligan's Ginger , but the plant kind . I take it in "candied" form ...it seems to help. Any other remedies out there ?

[BrionLutz]

gimmeumpqua,

The patch doesn't work for you?

I have a buddy who gets motion sick on planes he's so bad.

He goes for tuna and sailfish in Mexico, wears the patch and it works well.

Brion

[STGRule]

Meclazine (sp) too? I'm toast without it. Have a friend that is worse than me and now he can go over the bar and has a good day. I can even think about and actually EAT lunch.

[gottafish]

I use to get sea sick when i was a teen ager but I was on navy subs for 10 years and I got over it!! you still rock and roll below 400ft trust me. Then throw in a 20 deg emergance blow from test depth. and watch the( dink non-qual pukes) :dance: blow chunks it was fun

[drhall99]

You know... There is this medicinal plant that some people use for Glaucoma and when they are on Chemo that is supposed to REALLY good for nausea. I'd be afraid of it's effect on the judgment center when out in the big blue, though. Does anyone know if the anti-nausea properties have been distilled out into a more legal form?

[boater]

i used to get sea sick and throw up all the time , i tried all the pills and eating the correct anti sea sick way but none of it helped, what helped me cure it 100 percent was getting a good nights sleep the night before going out on the ocean. no more leave home at 2 in the am for me, i go the night before and stay in a motel. when i used to get tired out there it was all over. you sound like your in the same "boat" i was in, the lazy rollers make you tired and then you get sick.

[greenbuttskunk]

I too used to get seasick, but only in rough seas in the ocean away from the horizon.
Once I owned a boat (about 25 years ago, I guess I developed sea legs. I've been in all kinds of nasty stuff, great lakes, chicken ranch, alaska. As bad as it gets and seem to do just fine, maybe my body just gets used to it, or my mind is convinced that I won't be chumming out there. I consider myself one of the fortunate ones. Sucks when I take somebody out and they get ill, I can still remember how lousy the feeling is. Just kill me!!!! :sick: My feeling though, is there are those poor souls who will just never spend time owning a boat of spending time in water that could bring it on. Hope you're not one of them. Good luck and hope you overcome the obstacle.
GBS

[Killertraylor]

gimmeumpqua - why don't you list the remedies you have actually tried? I haven't heard of too many people who can't cure seasickness with one form or another - although I trust you have tried them all. Good old Dramamine does the trick for me, although my head is so full of cobwebs I rarely remember anything that happenned.... :sleep: graemlins/eek13.gif

Here's the one's I've heard of:

Pills (dramamine, bromine, etc.)
The Patch
Wrist Bands
Ginger (candied, ginger snaps, pure)
Look at the horizon
Get sleep
Eat big breakfast
Don't eat big breakfast
Accupuncture

[Empire]

I am definately one to blow colors, but only when on charter boats in rolling seas. I do fine in small boats, or in fresh water. Everybody told me to try this, or try that. HA! It was kind of fun puking the pink benadryl liquid I once tried.

On a trip out of Winchester bay, we were headed out to the happy fishing grounds. My friend was at the galley, drinking a beer (at 0600 hrs!). The cook gave him a raw egg, which he cracked into his beer. I saw him drink that, and my honking began!

The only thing to ever help me was ginger, took it in pill form from the health food store. My throat was tight, so I did not puke, but I still felt terrible.

I do not get sick in cars or airplanes. For me, the 100% way to keep my lunch is to not go on charters.

[Birdnest]

Empire---- :laugh:

[Sliderite]

After three times out on Tuna charters(36hrs included) these recommendations:
#1. Get plenty of sleep. Try for 8hrs.
#2. Have a plan as far as remedie.. (Transderm Scop)....Ginger...mental attitude(you Will Not be sick).
#3. When crossing the bar(usually it is pitch black)..look out to different lights and not guzzling beer.
#4. The waves are only waves....no big-deal..Huh!
#5. Alot of it at this point is "Knowing that you not going to get ill". Don't ever say sick!
#6. Doing good ... you're out there.. munch on crackers
#7. You look at the horizon(if you can) and say to yourself....... "I'm fishing now"
#8. You are cured

My eight-step ocean fishing program w/o seasickness.


Just my idea of wellness!
Roger

[fish_on]

Originally posted by boater:
i used to get sea sick and throw up all the time , i tried all the pills and eating the correct anti sea sick way but none of it helped, what helped me cure it 100 percent was getting a good nights sleep the night before going out on the ocean. no more leave home at 2 in the am for me, i go the night before and stay in a motel. when i used to get tired out there it was all over. you sound like your in the same "boat" i was in, the lazy rollers make you tired and then you get sick. <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">This also seems to be what I have to do. If I try to go on the ocean with little sleep it could be like a lake and I would blow. Rough ocean and chop I am fine, gental slow waves and watch out. The patch also works wonders, I have been thinking about one of those watch looking things that deliver a small electrical pulse to your wrist, they are supposed to be a god send.

[TH]

I feel your pain!
Ihave been there.. and there is no. way around it! I have taken everything as well... ginger, the patch, dramamine, the wristband, none works for me...
I have to "work through it" I get sick in small swells.. 3-4'

That's why you'll find me in the Rogue Bay during the summer :grin: and boy did we have a great day yesterday! :grin: :grin: :grin: much better than 5 pound coho.. :grin:

[fishchaser]

I'm sorry folks, It's not in your head graemlins/berry.gif
I can fish down at the bridge in Astoria, along the Washington side, on a windy day, and have chop all around me. I can go out to buoy 10 and have it dead calm and I STILL get sick :whazzup:

I have tried Sleep, food, crackers, Alcohol, Trans Scop, Dramamine, Bonnie, Maclazine, Valium, Phenabarbatol, Ginger, Pressure points, ELECTRICAL SHOCK THERAPY, You name it I have tried it.

AND I STILL GET SICK. graemlins/berry.gif

I can blame mine on a severe case of Meniers Dz. I get sick on land too, though. :shrug:

[ 07-12-2003, 09:17 PM: Message edited by: fishchaser ]

[jcarufo]

gimmeumpqua,
Since you are an IM, how about 4mg Zofran IV. 13 years in the ED, best anti-emetic I've ever used. Works great post anesthesia too. Sea sickness shouldn't stand a chance.

Jean

[Red]

GMU,

Zofran (ondansetron) does work well as an anti-emetic for post chemorx and anesthesia. I'm not sure if it would do well for the motion sensitive, I've wondered about that myself. I have a neurosurgeon friend that swears by a coctail that he says was developed and tested by the USN. I'm sensitive about what gets posted (prescribing on the net) e-mail me if you are interested.

[gimmeumpqua]

Thanks for all the commisuratives...
Zofran (and there are others) had piqued my interest, and could be effective....there are oral preparations too...very expensive. Believe it or not, that was my next step. I'll let you all know if it is effective.

Kurt

[devonian]

You guys make me feel so much better!!! I get sick just about every time I hit big water. The whole ride home is spent making fun of me on most trips.

Dramamine has been affective in the past but not today. I took 3 this morning 1 hour before hitting the water.

I am so happy I am not alone. Please wave and make puking noises when you see me leaning over the side chumming. I will try to do the same.

[wanafish]

Try takin the Dramamine the night before you go to bed(helps you get to sleep), then one when you get up,drive over and have a good breakfast(stay away from pancakes)then take one after you finish eating. Go fish and be positive that your not going to get sick. Has worked every time for me, even Saturday when we were rocking pretty good. By the way my 19' NR mariner handled the seas well. It got a little nasty out there. Was glad to see the entrance to Depoe Bay was calm.

[fishncliff]

Dramamine, 3 days prior to going out, 2 a day. 1 before u eat breakfast, I dont have a problem with pancakes, :shrug: and 1 after u eat. Add in the patch and u r ready to go. :dance: I takes awhile to build up in your system, thats why u start early. :cheers: stay :grin: out on deck, enjoy the wind, the spray and the view.Good luck.

[AtWorkALot]

I used to laugh at my friends when they got sea sick. I had never felt the slightest bit sick out there. I thought it was a joke... until last summer.

We were about six miles out of Newport and I slipped and fell back on a rusty needle we were using to inject herring oil in to our baits, it went through the meaty part of my thumb/palm. I thought I was okay and we had a decent day of fishing.

I ended up stopping by the emergency room when we got in as an infection was giving me some pretty good pain and swelling all the way to my elbow. They gave me a couple shots and some med's. I thought I was in the clear.

We went out the next AM and I got to experience the misery of sea-sickness first hand. I ended up on my knees, dry-heaving for the bulk of the trip. Whatever medication they gave me completely screwed me up. I could barely stand out there. Miserable. The worst part, it was my first fishing trip with my girlfriend's father.

I feel your pain...

[4Salt]

Being an M.D., have you considered Compazine?

[pdxkevin]

One of my friends is constantly getting seasick. He started taking the bromine pills 48hrs in advance of a fishing trip. Worked for him ~ though we still make sure we are up wind from him.

[Dr Strangelove]

drhall99 - Marinol ie decadronabinol is the purified form of tetrahydrocannabinal/THC. It's available for nausea/wasting illnesses (AIDS and Chemo). Don't even think about operating a boat on it. The native form may get an orange stripe painted on your (or buddy's) seized boat. I have heard a loading dose of Dilantin or other seizure medication usually works great (probably the Naval reference), but the above meds are NOT something most docs will prescribe. They are off FDA indication and involve serious potential side effects.

Compazine suppositories work remarkably well, but involve the stinky finger, worse than a banana on fishing from what I hear. The oral form is less effective because of liver pass effect, but will do the job as are other oral meds like dramamine, meclizine, Tigan. They need to be taken 2-3 hours prior to getting on the boat. The scopolamine patch works well for most, but is usually not dosed adequetly or put on the day before as is recommended to get an adequate blood level going. Zofran is exellent but costs an arm and a leg.

My final bit of advice is do not drink alcohol on the boat because it causes cerebellar dysfunction, and is caustic to the stomach lining which in turn will set off more nausea. Also fixing your gaze on the horizon, not at the water gives the inner ear a more stable reference point and helps with developing sea legs.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Originally posted by parker:
How come Spooled isn't in on this conversation? I hear he gets sea sick every time he flushes the toilet or takes a shower!

:wink: <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Dang it Parker, you beat me to this one. graemlins/1zhelp.gif Unfortunatly, Troy will not be able to defend himself. He took the family on vacation.

I always ask my crew if they get sea sick. If they say yes, then I wack them across the konk with me club. Catch their limit and revive them at the dock with a cold bucket of water and say, YOU DID GREAT OUT THERE!!!! :cheers:

All kidding aside feeling the puke ain't no fun. Bonine seems to work for everyone I have "perscribed" :wink: it too. There are just some folks are simply prone to this problem. :sick:

[ 07-14-2003, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: CATCH AND EAT ]

[parker]

How come Spooled isn't in on this conversation? I hear he gets sea sick every time he flushes the toilet or takes a shower!

:wink:

[SafetyChain]

Glad to know this fraternity is a large one. I have been in big blue twice. First time out of Depot Bay for bottom fish. Took the whole work team. All but one did the chumm. Only saving grace was I was the last one to blow chunks. Second time was for Marlin out of Honolulu. Took the dramamine. Got our fine but about an hour into it, started getting the qweezy feeling. Handed the skipper my card, told him to wake me up on the way back, went up to the top deck and took a $115 4 hour nap, :shrug: got 2nd degree sunburns. :blush: I will do just about anything to NOT ralph. It is an extremely violent situation for me. I make noises no other human on the planet can make and I have absolutely no control over any of it. graemlins/berry.gif graemlins/1zhelp.gif :sick:

My wife begged to go on a cruise for several years. I fought it off for as long as possible (mostly because she, like Spooled, gets sick in the bathtub. I have seen her blow chucks after floating in an innertube on a pond for just 10 minutes.) Anyway, I agreed to the cruise if SHE paid for it, which she did. Went last fall in between 2 hurricanes. Plus the stabilizers on the ship (900ft) didn't work. Started to feel a little qweezy, not really bad, on day 2, took the meclazine a friend had, no problem the rest of the cruise. Actually had a blast.

So I am thinking of braving big blue in a smaller boat, at least smaller than 900 ft, with the meclazine to see. Will let you know when I get the courage.

[Keeper]

Have a different sort of problem...I feel sick once I am back on land. Everything keeps moving for at least two days after fishing. Anybody have a fix for this other than stay on the boat :grin:

[Hook'd]

Capt. Kujo suggested this product and I tried it over the July 4th weekend. It worked great for me even on Sunday when it was real lumpy. Scopdex: 0.4 mg Scopolamine and 5 mg Dextroamphetamine. This is not a commercially made product but can be prepared at a compounding pharmacy. NASA used/uses this for their astronauts. If you have any question let me know.
Terry