Motion Sickness

As I get older, I hope I’m getter wiser. My body is getting less fit (compared to my 20-year-old self), and I seem to get dizzy easier. Growing up, I enjoyed boating. I would go with my family almost weekly, bumpy rides and white waves did not bother me. Years later, not sure when it started, I noticed the motion sickness. I was not able to stay in the main cabin for long and experienced the wobbly feeling, as if there was fluid in the back of my head rocking sideways, not in sync with the movement of the boat. Staying on the deck was better, catching the wind and breathing in fresh sea air. In order to make boating as fun of an experience as when I was a kid, I would take medicine for motion sickness.

Several years ago, my husband and I took the kids to Hershey Park. It was a very chocolatey experience. We designed our own chocolate bar wrap, bought special flavored chocolate, and spent some time in the themed amusement park. My daughter requested to go on a particular roller coaster. She loves everything in an amusement, including the super spinney rides, crazy-looped roller coasters, pirate ships in pendulum… the list goes on and on. At that time, she was not old enough to ride by herself. I decided to go on as a family.

It was our turn. We were seated in a cart, just fit the four of us. The seats were secured, safety measures checked, and off we went. The cart when forward, accelerated and made a loop, a twist and some turns. I thought to myself, I gotta hang on and don’t get sick. I was feeling alright until the cart started going backwards. The same route we went through, only backwards, and with uneven speed, interrupted rhythm. I thought I was going to die or at least pass out. I managed to finish that ride without throwing up, but I felt awful. I struggled to walk a few steps to an outdoor dining area, sat down and rested my head against a table. Although I did not feel the room spinning, that off balance feeling was so terrible that I wish I was out of my body. The about the collapse feeling was unbearable. I brought out my last few steps and managed to reach the park’s infirmary. There I rested on a stretcher. The nurse offered me a little cup of red liquid to drink. That was probably some kind of medicine. I drank some water and took an hour nap. In the meantime, my husband took our 2 young kids out, to continue their park adventure.

After the nap, I felt more like myself. At least I was able to walk standing up straight, without feeling light-headed or dizzy. Lesson learned – avoid roller coasters, can’t take them without feeling sick.

There are other ways to spend time with my family (without having to suffer like I did). I thought riding on the roller coaster, which was something my family enjoyed doing, was the way to be connected. Ah, the things I would do for my family. I will come up with more interesting things to do as a family to keep our quality time fun and meaningful.