motion sickness on a dirt bike ... anyone else??

stickman

Member
Jun 24, 2000
18
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I've ridden for years, the last 10 or so I've been getting motion sickness when I ride. Not always, maybe one out of five or six rides. It is really no fun!! When it happens all I can do is lay on the side of the trail for a couple hours till it passes. When I'm on a ride that I can't afford to get sick at (out of my area or with a large group or an important race) I take medication (bonine) . This seems to work, but it says on the lable note to operate machinery while taking it. When I do take it , it seems to lower my level of spunk. It also leaves me totally and I mean totally wiped out at the end of the day!! But the medication does seem to work.I'm just curious, am I the only wimp out there??and has anyone found a better way to deal with this problem?

Stickman
 

BillyWho

Sir-Breaks-Alot
Mar 22, 2001
1,828
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WOW, I have never heard that before. Have you seen a Doc about this? It really sounds like you should get this checked out, it's not a very good idea taking meds with a heavy equipment warning on them and riding on a regular basis or at all for that matter, they slow your reaction time down which could get you hurt :( . Hopefully someone else has a better answer to help, keep us posted on your situation, I hope you can get this fixed.
One more thing, does this motion sickness only happen when you ride? What about boats, planes,cars etc., any problems with any of them?
 

stickman

Member
Jun 24, 2000
18
0
Thanks for your concern Billy. Yes I do have the same problem with cars, planes, boats, ect. always have. I rode bikes for a couple decades with no problems, I guess I've become more sensitive with age . I keep getting better and faster the older I get, maybe there is just more motion in my ride than there was ten years ago!

Stickman:)
 

JohninKY

Member
Nov 18, 2000
131
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I've had a little motion sickness from riding before. Riding around in a sand pit with lots of ups and downs and quick turns. I blamed it on dehydration or maybe not eating a decent breakfast. I've had lots of inner ear problems and I think that makes me more susceptible. Especially if I have a cold. I'm not talking about throwing up or anything. Just not feeling real good for a while.
I wouldn't use any medication that warns you against operating machinery if you're going riding. A doctor visit sounds like a good idea.
 
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stickman

Member
Jun 24, 2000
18
0
Johninky, your lucky that you don't vomit, it's no fun!! I have talked to several Docs about this. They haven't dad much to offer, one suggested I take an upper to offset the downer effect of the bonine, so I took some nodose with it, that made me feel like crap. I met an eye Doc at a race awhile back, he told me of a little known thing called vision therapy he set me up with another Doc in my area and I went in for some tests.They swung a ball on a string back and forth in front of my face and had me track it with my eyes , that sort of thing. After the tests they said that I was a good candidate for treatment. they proposed three months of therapy , which would mostly be done at home with balls and strings under their supervision. It was all interesting and the people were all very nice but the cost was 1800.00, thats where I choked,I just wasn't that convinced it would work.


I really think there is an underlying cause to this,a trigger if you will,otherwise I would get sick every time wouldn't I ? So the logicle question is what is the trigger? I tend to think it could be blood sugar, sleep deprivation,allergies, hydration, stress, conditioning, something I've eaten or haven't eaten, these sort of things. I have noticed that I can often tell if I'm going to have a bad day before I ever start riding, I just feel alittle puney and off balance , not always but often.

Ideas anybody??
Stickman
 

skmcbride

Member
May 16, 2001
58
0
Stickman,
You may want to see an ENT(Ears, Nose and Throat Doctor) some go by otorhinolaryngologist (sp?). Get rule out for having a vestibular disorder and possibly some insight and treatment for your problem. Have you ever tried Scopolamine?
Good Luck, Keith.
 

Big Tuna

Member
Nov 29, 2000
460
0
When we went on a cruise a couple of years ago there was some talk of a bracelet that you would wear to combat sea sickness??Anybody else hear of something like this?
 

stickman

Member
Jun 24, 2000
18
0
Skmcbride
Ear, nose, and throat is a good idea. I have not heard of scopolamine but will track it down and ckeck it out, THANKS!

Big Tuna
I tried the bracelet thing, it was called '' sea bands", my aunt swears by them.Unfortunatly the slight tention on the wrist gave me arm pump real fast.
THANKS for the ideas, anybody have any more??

Stickman
 

CPT Jack

~SPONSOR~
Jun 27, 2000
485
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Health Issues

Stickman,

I've had problems driving and riding escalators but not so much riding. Most my problems were 2-3 yrs ago and I've only been riding a year in which time my problem has improved dramatically. I only saw one doctor and he couldn't figure out what the problem was except for being stress/depression related perhaps.

My issues were more than motion sickness though: dizziness - sometimes when just sitting, tunnel-vision, and a generally impaired feeling/sense of "awareness" - like the head fog of a hangover. I was really quite freaked but luckily I'm recoved to 90-95% "sharpness" of perception w/ very infrequent dizzy spells.

Do you have any other weird things going on? I'd be very interested in hearing what finding/solutions you come up with.
 

stickman

Member
Jun 24, 2000
18
0
CPT JACK

You asked if I'd had any other weird things going on? at the risk of starting to sound like a hypochondriac, one thing comes to mind, towards the end of a really long ride ,several times I've lost my vision, everything goes double or triple! When I would stop everything would return to normal in a few minutes but then come right back after 5 min. on the bike. whether this is related to the motion sickness or not I don't know , now that I think about it I guess it could be.
So tell me cptjack what did you do to get your problems straighted out? If anything.

You guys are really starting to make me think!

Stickman
 

stormer94

~SPONSOR~
May 30, 2001
597
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I had a similar thing for a while. Turns out I was willing to blame everything else but myself. After a lot of thought and varioius medications, I just finally figured out I was to outta shape to ride that hard. I got myself into slightly better shape and the problem becomes less and less as I develop better conditioning...

Guess I'm not 16 anymore...how did that happen??? :confused:
 

DKT735

Sponsoring Member
Mar 16, 2000
118
0
Big Tuna:
I think the item your refering to is call Sea Bands. It's an elastic band with a plastic button sewn in. You position it on your wrist according to the instrucitons enclosed with the Sea Bands. It works on the basis of accupressure. I get motion sick in cars and planes. It works for me.
I bought mine at the local drug store.
 

FLBob

Member
Jun 4, 2001
211
0
I don't know if offroadracer knows you, and/or if you are also known as twigman or if you do sniff stain in your woodshed - but, if you are into woodworking it might be something to look into. We woodworkers tend to use some pretty health hazardous solvents, etc. I've started to become real concerned, I used to be one of those wash my hands in paint thinner or gasoline kind of idiots. I'm trying to minimize my exposure now, hopefully not too late as some of these chemicals stick around and accumulate in the body. Something to think about.
 

smarttoys

Sponsoring Member
Apr 29, 2001
199
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I get motion sick once in awhile, just to the point that I don't have much fun. It's usually when I eat the wrong type of food before I ride. I know other people that have the same problem. I also notice that the better shape I'm in, the less it happens.
 

fire escape

Member
Jan 29, 2001
20
0
Motion Sickness

Unfortunately I know what you are talking about. I will even get sick if I'm not driving the car and forget riding in the back seat. Offshore fishing not a problem AFTER I take one Dramamine. DO NOT use a scopolamine patch and expect to ride-they dope you up pretty good. The only time I have a problem is when I'm practicing HS and I'm getting overheated-it is quite possible that I get pukey from heat exhaustion.I can race and ride MX without a problem besides the fact that I'm old and slow. My suggestion would be to take care of the things you can control such as fitness,hydration and diet and that would take that part out of the equation and you could start from there ( and that includes your diet and hydration the day before-I work in FL and I've seen guys come in and think that a good nights sleep can overcome fast foods and alcohol/caffeine intake the day before-they hit the wall fast ). Please don't take this the wrong way-you may already have done this-just trying to help! :)
 

slo' mo

slower than slow...
LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 5, 2000
1,425
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my wife experienced something like this but it deteriorated to the point of where she could just turn her head quickly and it would result in the "drunk bedspins". She couldn't get out of bed. Went from local MD all the way to a specialist for Meniere's (sp?) who thought the only way to clear it would be clipping the aural nerve, making her deaf in one ear.
About that time my company change health care providers and we went back to our old MD, who prescribed some allergy spray and lots of water. Turns out she has not had a reoccurrence in two years. :)
My point is - it may be something simple, but don't gamble with it. As you get older you tend to lose reaction time anyway. I can just watch a video of a rollercoaster and get sick. If I take my focus off the screen I feel better. I know you can't do that while riding, but you might be able to trick your mind by looking ahead if you are fixating on anything.
Try chewing gum or something like that to help distract your mind (not in a race though) to see if you can troubleshoot whether it might be physical versus mental thing causing the sickness.
 

CPT Jack

~SPONSOR~
Jun 27, 2000
485
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Stickman,

I kno
I didn't really do to much, just tried to reduce stress by living healthier. excercise, sleep, nutrition, etc. Actually the best thing was probably getting glasses. I think it was mostly or at least partially vision related.

at the risk of starting to sound like a hypochondriac...
Yeah I know that feeling. I used to have to look away from the screen at the movies because the camera movements were making me dizzy.

Don't know what to tell you except try to keep your spirits up & deal w/ it as best as you can. I'm not sure if these kinds of problems are well known and diagnosed in the medical community. I think the doctor pretty much thought I was nuts. Hopefully you'll find someone who can help. Good Luck.
 

Kramer

Member
Jan 19, 2000
112
0
Slo'mo gave me an idea. when you stop riding and look forward does the ground and other objects appear to move away from you, or away and drop down?

I know first hand that sleep deprivation, nutrition, allergies and hydration can have this effect on you. I haven't ever vomitted, but a few times I did have to catch myself (too dizzy to stand). I work irregular swing shift and in 5 years I'm still not used to it. Thank God it's over in 10 days!
 

stickman

Member
Jun 24, 2000
18
0
Stormer94:
I think you and some of these other people are onto something with this out of shape idea. However I think it is one small piece of a larger puzzle. I keep myself in better shape than most, I know the feeling of being sick from over exertion when you are out of shape. It's much different than motion sickness.

FLBob:
Yeah I know the Of RoadToad. My woodshop is pretty clean, I too have become concerned about solvents, gas, ect. I get more wood dust than I would like, it tends to flare of up alergies, which I suspect could be a part of the larger puzzle.

SMART TOYS:
I think foods could be another piece of the puzzle, but which foods? What makes you feel ill?

FireEscape:
Thanks for the tip on Scopolamine, I'm total agreement on the overheating idea. The hotter it is the worse my problem becomes.

Godspeedracer:
Ginger; I have heard of this, problem is I could not find information on the proper ginger form and dose. I tried fresh ginger root, never again, my stomach went nuts!! Ginger snaps? Sounds more palatable, I"ll try it.

BBBOM:
Trust me on this BBBOM, if it could happen I would be plenty pregnant by now! Mmmm......maybe this could be a piece of the puzzle also?

SLO'MO:
My wife also had problems withMeniers. This is different but possibly may have the same triggers. I think part of my wife's problem is that she is addicted to diet coke, any chance your wife is? Alergy spray and lots of water, these terms keep coming up. I think they are both part of the larger picture.

CPT JACK:
I think you could be right when you say it is vision related. I've had my eyes checked and they are perfect. I have notice, tho, when my goggles get dirty and I have to strain to see the chance of getting sick goes way up.

KRAMER:
I haven't the ground moving when I stopped riding but I will watch for this. What are you getting at here?

THANKS EVERYONE,
STICKMAN.
 

fishhead

die you sycophant !
LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 22, 2000
966
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I understand motionsickness occurs when the hairs in the inner ear sense motion in the inner ear fluid which does not jive with what the eyes see or visual points of reference are lost. I have experienced very brief episodes of vertigo when roadracing in heavy rain.

Here are some things that have helped

Ginger: Some people use a couple of pieces of candied ginger to settle the stomach. Try to avoid sweet foods like donuts and have salted peanuts, crackers, dry cheese etc. instead.

if you have a cold or congestion it could be affecting the inner ear and causing motion sickness a sudafed type cold remedy might help

keep you eyes level with the horizon.and pick specific reference points through rough terrain and corners

Bonine or the generic form meclazine wipes you out

I do quite a bit of deep sea fishing and have had people get off the boat and get sick on the dock after a rough day. I also noticed that it can affect anyone at any time. Some have handled a 12 ft swelll and 4ft chop and the next day lost breakfast with 15 minutes of exposure to a 2 ft swell and no chop. Go figure! It makes for a long day or it makes along day longer.


It really takes the fight out of a tough guy.:scream:

Hope some of this helps.
 

Kramer

Member
Jan 19, 2000
112
0
It's one of the things I've noticed on days where things are a little off. I don't know for sure why, but I suppose that it's related.

On a good day when everything just "clicks" I don't notice it. When I get more into a survival mode, there it is. I think it has to do with looking too close to the bike, instead of looking out ahead like I should.

It may be a help to concentrate on more distant objects.

And, since you mentioned about your goggles, have you tried riding with good wraparound safety glasses instead? Your goggles may distort your view.

At any rate, keep after it. The better you can understand this the less frustrating it will be.

Where's Nephron? I'd like to hear his opinion on all of this.
 

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