Sudden motion sickness

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I've never had any issues with motion sickness prior to a month ago. No precipitating illness that I can think of, it just start pretty randomly a month ago. I've had motion sickness in the car like no one's business. I'm fine driving, fine looking out the window, but as soon as I look down to read, I get queasy, even if it's to check directions on my phone. Have never thrown up but feel sick.

I am also fine in the back of a commercial aircraft. Haven't flown as PIC in six weeks for various reasons, so I'm not sure about that. After the issues in the car, I'm a little concerned to look down at a chart in the plane.

What are my options as far as figuring out what's wrong? I know motion sickness isn't reportable unless medication was prescribed, but I also know most docs will prescribe it right off the bat and I want to avoid that.

Also, any ideas what could be going on here? Home (FAA approved) remedies?
 
Unregistered said:
I've never had any issues with motion sickness prior to a month ago. No precipitating illness that I can think of, it just start pretty randomly a month ago. I've had motion sickness in the car like no one's business. I'm fine driving, fine looking out the window, but as soon as I look down to read, I get queasy, even if it's to check directions on my phone. Have never thrown up but feel sick.

I am also fine in the back of a commercial aircraft. Haven't flown as PIC in six weeks for various reasons, so I'm not sure about that. After the issues in the car, I'm a little concerned to look down at a chart in the plane.

What are my options as far as figuring out what's wrong? I know motion sickness isn't reportable unless medication was prescribed, but I also know most docs will prescribe it right off the bat and I want to avoid that.

Also, any ideas what could be going on here? Home (FAA approved) remedies?
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You can get motion sickness wristbands online from Aircraft Spruce. They seem to get a good review. You can try ginger pills as well. A lot of people get sick when they aren't on the controls and they have their head buried in a map. I've flown a bunch of Army students doing terrain flight nav and generally 1 in 4 get some sort of motion sickness. If you're navigating with a chart try and look further out for your checkpoints instead of burying your head in the aircraft for an extended period of time. Generally motion sickness is overcome by simply flying more and more and your body gets used to it.
 
Unregistered said:
I've never had any issues with motion sickness prior to a month ago. No precipitating illness that I can think of, it just start pretty randomly a month ago. I've had motion sickness in the car like no one's business. I'm fine driving, fine looking out the window, but as soon as I look down to read, I get queasy, even if it's to check directions on my phone. Have never thrown up but feel sick.

I am also fine in the back of a commercial aircraft. Haven't flown as PIC in six weeks for various reasons, so I'm not sure about that. After the issues in the car, I'm a little concerned to look down at a chart in the plane.

What are my options as far as figuring out what's wrong? I know motion sickness isn't reportable unless medication was prescribed, but I also know most docs will prescribe it right off the bat and I want to avoid that.

Also, any ideas what could be going on here? Home (FAA approved) remedies?
Click to expand...

I suggest going up with another pilot and seeing if you get motion sick in the airplane.

I also suggest you get an appointment with a doc. I can think of a few things that could cause motion sickness to "suddenly" appear without any sort of fever or trauma, and some of them are seriously bad.
 
I'll try going up with someone else.

But I'm pretty sure if I go to the doctor saying I have motion sickness, he'll first try medication without considering any other solutions and then I have a reportable condition. And I'm not convinced medication is the first solution to most things.

And what else would cause motion sickness? Nausea I can think of a lot of reasons for (brain tumor comes to mind), and come to think of it, I've had a little of that as well, but it's definitely worse in the car.
 
Unregistered said:
I'll try going up with someone else.

But I'm pretty sure if I go to the doctor saying I have motion sickness, he'll first try medication without considering any other solutions and then I have a reportable condition. And I'm not convinced medication is the first solution to most things.

And what else would cause motion sickness? Nausea I can think of a lot of reasons for (brain tumor comes to mind), and come to think of it, I've had a little of that as well, but it's definitely worse in the car.
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Tell the MD that you're not comfortable with medication! Actually, it's the visit that makes it reportable, but I would say that right now you fail the "fit to fly" criteria and need to self-ground. That just means you can't ACT as PIC. Go up with another pilot and see how you do. If there are no problems, you're good to go. But follow Tim's advice and talk it over with an MD. This is the "skin" part of "skin, tin, ticket."
 
I'll call the ENT tomorrow.

I had the ear infection from hell a year ago (yes, it was reported on my last medical, no issues) and last I was told, everything was fine, but maybe something's flared up. I didn't consider it because my ENT is also my allergist and I just saw him two months ago for that and everything was fine.

I've also never gotten nausea from my ear issues, but there's a first time for everything, I guess. I'll see what he says.
 
A few years ago, I changed jobs and it was the perfect opportunity to ride the train to work again.

Made me sick. I thought I'd get over it, but didn't in spite of whatever I tried (forward, backward, reading, looking out the window, standing...). And the nausea would last several hours after getting to work or home; never threw up though.

FF to 6 months ago, I rode the train again to get to events downtown, no issues. Haven't thought about it until this thread and I'm a bit curious about the cause and remission of symptoms.
 
My girlfriend flies with me a lot, and she has intermittent inner ear issues. She got ear infections a lot as a kid and had tubes put in etc.. Been to the doc a few times, no real solution "its a virus, it will go away, just take it easy". Occasionally she has flare ups and she may have spells of vertigo and/or be very prone to motion sickness. Sounds like what you describe.
 
Well, I went to the ENT and long story short, he said my ears looked good, but suggested another issue that he couldn't confirm. I could though, and it turns out it hasn't been motion sickness, but morning sickness. Oops.

Yes, I wondered why it was only showing up in the car, but I'm guessing it was just a little more pronounced in the car for whatever reason. Makes sense, since there has't been any dizziness, just nausea.
 
Unregistered said:
Well, I went to the ENT and long story short, he said my ears looked good, but suggested another issue that he couldn't confirm. I could though, and it turns out it hasn't been motion sickness, but morning sickness. Oops.

Yes, I wondered why it was only showing up in the car, but I'm guessing it was just a little more pronounced in the car for whatever reason. Makes sense, since there has't been any dizziness, just nausea.
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Congratulations
 
Okay now that you've announced being pregnant are you ready to reveal your identity?
 
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