motion sickness

[summerw]

Everyone has a different health history, but I thought I'd share something that changed my very queasy life… I was always car sick and space mountain was torture as a child. As an adult I'd had severe vertigo years ago and was never the same. It started to get bad again and I went back to the ENT. Turns out it wasn't really my ears this time.

You probably already know you get your balance from 3 different places: your inner ear, your eyes and your body's muscles. My eyes and ear weren't communicating the same info so the ENT sent me to physical therapy and my life is very different. I used to get sick if someone just turned out the light quickly and it went completely dark. Now I can sit in other people's cars without having to threaten them with vomiting if they take another turn quickly. If my symptoms sound like yours, check into PT that your ENT should be able to recommend (or maybe your GP, I don't know). Soooo worth it.

They would do exercises like have me stand on a balance board while staring at a fixed spot and turning my head side to side. It got more complicated such as having to do that while looking at light coming in through the blinds or while staring at a moving pattern. They also had some fancy machine with a balance board for a floor and moving walls. I wasn't a fan, but one of the exercises was going through a grocery store, which always wore me out but I never understood why (the complexity and variance of patterns is a lot to process for someone having these kinds of problems). We go to Disneyland a lot since we live close by and many rides are so much more fun for me, although I haven't braved Star Tours yet and the last experience was so rough before the PT.

Sorry I went kinda off topic. I just know I suffered for years because I thought there was no solution as I'd been to ENTs and no one had suggested something like this. Also, everyone with motion sickness should stay REALLY REALLY hydrated. The PT pointed it out to me and I definitely notice a difference if I'm not as hydrated as I should be.

 

[Rosiemadison]

I get pretty bad motion sickness, very easily. Like the stars have to align for me to get off a rollercoaster & not feel sick to my stomach!

That being said...
Everest bothers me a bit. I usually go on first thing, after I've had breakfast and a motion sickness med, before the heat & hangriness of the afternoon hits.
Test Track doesn't bother me at all but it goes fast and there's some jerking.
7DMT does not usually bother me because the ride is very smooth.
RRC bothers me a bit, I'll sit out if I don't feel too well usually.

Tower of Terror bothers me because of the sudden drops. And I just hate the drops in general!
Soarin does not bother me AT ALL. I love it!
DINOSAUR AND SPACE MOUNTAIN ARE THE WORST. They ruin me for the rest of the day. Seriously I did Dinosaur last year a few hours after breakfast, prior to any lunch, and I had to lay down on a bench with a Sprite for an hour afterwards LOL.

I also hate anything spinny so Primeval Hurl is out, as well as the Triceratops Spin, the Teacups, and generally the carousel. I also avoid Mission Space.

Your experience sounds most like my sister's symptoms of any described here...and we leave on Friday! She usually avoids ALL of the above just to be safe, but I'm curious. Can you tolerate Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain?

 

[Lothlórien]

I get horrible motion sickness in the car when somebody else is driving for more than 20 minutes. Being on the ocean with a lot of waves makes me break out into a sweat, gives me a headache, I feel like I am going to pass out and then I end up vomiting. I cannot do a merry-go-round at the park or spin in my swivel chair more than twice.

The only rides in WDW that cause motions sickness for me are Mission: Space, Astor Orbiter and the Teacups. I have never had any issues with any others.


My daughter suffers from motion sickness more than me and she has never had any issues in Disney other than on Space Mountain.

 

[Vernie822]

Your experience sounds most like my sister's symptoms of any described here...and we leave on Friday! She usually avoids ALL of the above just to be safe, but I'm curious. Can you tolerate Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain?

I meant to include Big Thunder! I can generally do OK on that ride, unless it's hot and I've been on a lot of other stuff and am already kind of queasy. It is pretty jerky (not nearly as smooth as 7DMT) so it does throw me for a loop, but I'm usually OK 5 minutes afterwards.

Splash is my all time favorite Disney ride and gives me no problems.

Have a great trip!

 

[meljean]

Thanks everyone!!! So no SW or Mission space, I don't think either will be major loses. Has anyone started to have an issue on Soarin? Other than close your eyes is there another strategies just in case???

I get motion sick pretty easily and I did his on soarin. I found at a few parts, I would look down at my lap. I have to add that everest was rough for me. The backwards in the dark was enough to make me feel pretty queasy. I don't think I would do that one again. Dinosaur was okay.

 

[muenginerd]

I didn't get motion sickness until I was pregnant. Then it hit me bad.

Most things were ok (that I could ride, no coasters because of baby). Soarin and Mission Space (easy color- I think green?) were the two bad ones. Soarin' did me in bad....I was laying on the floor of the food court next to it for probably a good half hour trying to feel normal again....

 

[Rosiemadison]

I meant to include Big Thunder! I can generally do OK on that ride, unless it's hot and I've been on a lot of other stuff and am already kind of queasy. It is pretty jerky (not nearly as smooth as 7DMT) so it does throw me for a loop, but I'm usually OK 5 minutes afterwards.

Splash is my all time favorite Disney ride and gives me no problems.

Have a great trip!

Thanks so much!

 

[book_junkie]

My husband gets motion sickness with his meds- Star Tours screws with him because the motions don't give him enough of a cue for the motion changes, where almost all of the simulators at USF and IOA are fine for him (Simpsons is the exception, but that could be the screen).
Everest gets him as well for the backwards motion *if* we're in the front- if we're in the back or middle of the train then he's fine. He says it's because the front goes faster (seemingly) when it's going on the backward track. The Mummy at Universal wasn't a problem.
We don't do Mission Space- too enclosed. Test Track & the old Soarin' were no problem.
We don't do teacups or primeval whirl- too much spinning- and we make sure to face forward on TSMM because of the spinning there as well.
He doesn't take anything special in the parks, but on cruises and boats, he'll get a prescription patch and keep it on.

 

[SuzaBanana]

Can kids take Bonine?