Feeling Sea Sick, but Not on a Boat

Hello M.,
Do you feel like the room is spinning? There is a diorder called "vertigo" that can mimick the signs and symptoms of being sea sick. Enclosed is the National Institute of Health's info on dizziness and vertigo.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dizzinessandvertigo.html
Wishing you a quick recovery.
JW

I would look up vertigo, on google. It is an inner ear problem that makes you feel sea sick. I don't know the cause or how to get rid of it but I bet you can do some research. hope you feel better soon.

Have you been tested for diabetes or hypoglycemia? Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and can give the same symptoms as you have. I get it sometimes and I'll eat a piece of chocolate and that usually helps.

T.

I've had two separate incidents of Vertigo that sound just like what you're talking about. In fact, if I'm laying down and move, the room can spin on me. A couple years ago I went to the MD and they gave me a shot for the nausea, had me take Meclazine (sp?) for the motion sickness and eventually it went away. However, the last bout sent me over the edge and I realized it was coinciding with allergy season. I tried a prescription strength allergy med with a decongestant (psuedoephedrine) and I was better the same day. The eustachian tubes become narrowed when I have allergies and throws off my balance. This could be your situation as well. There is a maneuver that can be done if calcium deposits have lodged in the tube and have blocked fluid from moving around (this affects your equilibrium). Some physicians or therapists know the manuever and can manipulate you. Hydration is supposed to help, too. So they weren't off base on that, but other things can speed the process. I still had a few days of dizziness or a floating sensation, but that passed with time. At least I stopped throwing up! Good luck....it's an awful feeling and quite debilitating. That frustates me as a Mom...because I have THINGS TO DO!

Call the doctor back and explain to the nurse that you have vertigo (a disturbance in your middle ear that causes nausea and 'sea sickness') and ask to see an ENT. In the meantime, suck on hard candies, and take some ginger which will help a bit.

And shame on the nurse for not figuring this out!!

Good luck!

J.

Are you dizzy? You didn't say. If you are you may have a middle ear problem. The doctors can give you something if you are dizzy, that helps the sea sick feeling.

Hope your feeling better soon.

B.
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Actually I have felt the same kind of thing. I thought at first it was food poisoning, but it lasted too long. Didn't vomit a lot, just twice, then felt so nauseated for about a week-and-a-half. I thought at one point I felt like I was pregnant, but knew I couldn't be. It has cleared up now, but I was really skeptical about eating anything or taking medications worrying it would come back. I have no idea what made me so sick.

Please call your doctor's office and have him check you out right away. Do not let the appointment nurse make you wait for an appointment. Very rarely, vomiting without other symptoms can be a sign of increased pressure on the brain, so it is better to go and have your doctor check you out. It is probably just a virus or an inner ear problem, but better to know what is going on.

This can be Vertigo, which has to do with the imbalance of the tubes in your ear. Read up on it. Their is something over the counter called Meclizine. It is for vertigo and it will help. It probably will make you sleepy though. Good luck... It will go away in the next few days.

Trish

My niece suffered from these same symptoms and she was diagnosed with laberintitis, I am not sure how to spell it, but you are describing the symptoms she had. The doctors did give her medication but she said that dramamine would have help her too!

Hi M.,
symptoms of motion sickness without the motion are often related to the inner ear (as others have said). It does not even need an infection though that should be ruled out.

When I had this I kept being bumped to other MDs in the practice and they kept adding drugs and procedures. When I finally saw my own doc he gave me a set of simple exercises to reset the inner ear. I did them two or three times and all seemed well. A couple of days later it seemed to be returning but one set of the exercises and no more problems. This was after weeks of following other advice and continuing to show no improvement.

My mom had the same problem with the other ear and she did the exercises (modified to the other side) and it cleared immediately.

I wish I knew where I had put them, I'd definitely be happy to share. Any way you should not put up with these symptoms. Make an appointment and have it checked out. You don't want to miss an infection either.

Good luck
K.

It could be vertigo. I had a bout of it last year- I was nauseous, couldn't stand up without feeling sick. I am prone to migraines, but this was definitely different. After a day or so, I went to see my doc, who called it vertigo and ended up giving me shot to help with the nausea. It help a little, but mostly put me to sleep. When I woke up the next day I felt weak, but better. I would just go in to see your doctor (regardless of the advice nurse). You shouldn't have to suffer, and he/she may be able to tell you what exactly is going on and offer you treatment to get you back on track. It's not fun feeling sea sick, especially when your feet are on firm ground. Good luck. I hope you fell better soon.

Last year I had a case of virago (2x) which made me feel like motion sickness,dizzy,light headed and sick to my stomach. I was unable to drive too. I had it for about 3 days before I went to the doctor thinking I had the flu the doctor gave me some meds that made me very sleeply I took them for two days and it went away then about 4 months later I got it again.But I was told that motion sickness meds works just as well and won't make you sleepy. hope this helps!B.

Hi,
I agree that it is probably an inner ear problem. If you feel like things are spinning or you feel out of balance then it is called vertigo. Katrina mentioned some exercises you can do. Here are the exercises my doctor told me to do when I had vertigo:
"Patient moves from sitting position into half-pike (bend forward 90 degrees) position with affected ear down and remains there until dizziness subsides. Then patient moves back to upright sitting position with chin on chest and waits for dizziness to subside. Eyes may be open or closed.
This back and forth motion is repeated 5 - 10 times or less if dizziness is no longer experienced.
This should be repeated 2 - 3 times per day until there is no longer any positionally triggered dizziness.
Both ears may be affected, and exercises should be done with more symptomatic ear down first, then the less symptomatic ear." You may know which ear is affected if you hear ringing or seem to lose hearing from it. Otherwise, it may not be possible for you to tell which ear is affected. If this does not help, you could try meclizine or dramamine without a prescription (meclizine causes less drowsiness). Talk to your doctor if you need something stronger. They could prescribe a medication called phenergan. Hope you feel better soon!

Get to a doctor and have your inner ears checked for fluid build up. That can throw your balance off and create nausea.That advice doctor is not very good.

Just get to an ENT(ear, nose, and throat)doctor.

Go now and it can probably be handled quickly.

+B+

you may want to check if you have vertigo. good luck!

M.,

It sounds like your equlibrium is off balance. Go see your doctor. Hope you feel better soon.

Molly

Sounds like Vertigo. I have an aunt who has the same symptoms. Sometimes she can't walk without falling over.

I'd say vertigo or ear infection

Hi M.,

I use to get that way every month before my period for about two days. Have you had your hormone levels checked?

Have you had your ears checked? Any allergy issues that could cause blockage or extra fluid in the ears? Migraines?

Good luck getting to the root of the nausea. I hope you can get some anti-nausea meds in the meantime.

I had that feeling once and it turned out to be Vertigo, an inner ear thing that causes the imbalance and feeling of beiong on a boat. It goes away on its own and there is nothing that can be given to get rid of it . It lasted only about three weeks for me. Might be what you have.....

M.,

When you say "sea sick" what do you mean, besides the nausea? Are you feeling dizzy or off balance? You may want to make an appointment with your doctor. You could have an Inner ear infection, which can cause Vertigo. Sometimes bladder or Urinary tract infections can slip under the radar, and start with nausea and even vomiting. Advice nurses just don't seem to cut any more , everything seems to be getting to generalized. I had a sinus infection that I thought had cleared up (had no more symptoms what so ever!), but it hadn't actually. It ended up going from my sinuses into my middle ear. I was nauseas, would get dizzy, sometimes when I turned my head the room would swoop from side to side, when I layed in bed the room would spin! The advice nurse totally missed it, and I finally went to the doctor. I had to have antibiotics, and vertigo medicine. I still have this ringing in my ears that apparently is never going to go away... I'd side with caution and just get checked out! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Let me know how it fans out.

A little about me:

I am a 34 year old happily married S.A.H.M., to 4 beautiful boys ages 9,6, and twins that are 4. I love to cook, sing, hike, camp, and spend time with family and friends.

Hello M.,

I am not a Doctor, but this sounds like VERTIGO. This is a feeling of being dizzy,sometimes this happens after a bad headache. You are unable to function 100% with this feeling
occurs. Vomiting, can't stand, need to lay down, room starts turning, balance a problem.

See a Doctor as soon as you can. Keep a journal of each day,on how you are feeling, and if you can remember, what occured before this feeling began.

Good Luck

DT.

It might be your equilibrium. Ear infections can cause this. Even if your ear isn't hurting, you can still have infection. such as a fungal infection (swimmers ear)I would start by going to ENT doctor. (otolaryngology)

M., I am not a doctor, but:

Any visual problems? Light sensitivity? Could be a migraine.

Any equilibrium problems? My mother-in-law has symptoms like you describe, and was diagnosed with Meniere's.

It's probably just a virus though.

Vertigo.

My husband suffers from it quite frequently.

Take lots of anti-nausea medicine...you can find it over the counter.

Mention this to the advice nurse and see what advice she gives about vertigo, or see your Dr.

Good Luck!

I had this experience twice, both times it was diagnosed as a virus. Since it was viral I had to let it run it's course, however, the dr did prescribe a motion sickness medication. You might want to try one of the over the counter aids like bonine. Also, I would get your ears checked. The virus I had mess with the inner ear that controls balance & eventually led to a double ear infection.

have you had your suger ck it could be to high or to low and ck your blood pre

I have 2 friends with a disease of the inner ear called meniere's disease. One friend will have bouts that last a few days at a time and cause vertigo and vomitting. The other friend just has bouts of ringing ears and dizzyness. This may be way off base, but something to check into. Good luck!
A.

I had a situation in December that gave me nausea and had me running into walls. I thought it was my blood sugar or maybe an alergy. They gave me a limited sinus scan. It turned out that I had a very bad sinus infection. I had two rounds of very strong antibiotics and am doing much better.
I had probably had this a long time and didn't know until it got that bad.
J.

Dear M.,
You poor thing.
I can think of two possible reasons for your symptoms. One is an inner ear infection that can make you dizzy and off balance. The other is vertigo. All the symptoms you described lead me to lean toward that. I worked with a guy that suffered from vertigo so he obviously wasn't pregnant! But you should get checked out. There are medications they can give you when you are having a tough time with it.

Take care and let us know how you do.

I'm no doctor of course, but my husband was having similar type symptoms. He didn't vomit, but felt nauseous at all hours of the day. He would be fine when he woke up, but by 10:30am he'd have exactly what you are decribing, but No flu, no fever, etc. He finally decided to see the MD and it turned out that he had an inner ear virus which was causing him frequent bouts of vertigo. His inner ear was swollen and that was what was giving him the sea sick feeling. Being a virus, not an infection, the MD said it had to work itself out. They did give him something to lessen the symptoms that is for motion sickness (because that's what it feels like). However, the medication made him drowsy to the point of falling asleep at 6pm for the night and waking up drowsy the next day, so he didn't take anymore of that, but instead let it work itself out and it did. If I recall the MD told him that he's seen this virus alot during this spring. If it isn't getting any better, maybe you should insist that the MD check your ears.

an audiologist can give you some tests to see if you have an inner ear problem such as meineres... i don't know what this costs, but it balance and vertigo problems often fall within the scope of practice of an audiologist. good luck.

M.,
I go thru this occasionally, and have never figured out why,only that is is possibly a mild case of minears disease. I end up taking mecalizine, 1/2 of a tablet takes the edge off, and you can buy it at the pharmacy, it is like dramamine, only cheaper. It usually goes away in about a week to ten days.
W.

After thinking about this for a while, I wonder if you are not suffering from allergies. Some people get allergies so badly that they get dizzy from ear and sinus congestion and vomit from all the mucous they are swallowing. An easy test for this is to try taking some liquid Benadryl. At first, it may may you sleepy, but it's a very simple antihistamine that will calm a queasy stomach.

My most recent bouts with nausea were due to gallstones. My liver panel results were dangerously high, but it turned out the whole problem was my gall bladder. I hope that's not your problem!

This has been going around. My whole household had it, my parents had it, and it's yucky. My advice is to get yourself some dramamine. As soon as I took it, I was able to drink some water and keep it down, and that helped a lot! Good luck.

Yes, I have had this horrible symptom. It is called an inner ear disturbance. It can be treated with Meclizine like the ingredient in the carsick pills called Bonnine. See your doctor first but usually this is viral and resolves in a few days to a week. The seasick/carsick style pills like Meclizine just help with the annoying motion sick symptoms until the episode passes. That was my experience but don't do anything without checking with your Doc first.

Good luck & Best wishes!

A. W.

Yes! This happened to me two weeks ago. I woke up and literally saw the bathroom door swinging from side to side. I was vomiting every time i moved and a bit dizzy but had no other symptoms, I wasn't even nauseated...the dr. prescribed phenegrin (over the phone cuz I couldn't move) which stopped the dizziness. I went back the next day and she said I had a sinus infection caused by allergies. I have had sinus infections before and this didn't feel like that so the dr. gave me more allergy meds and it did the trick. I hope this helps and hope you feel better soon.

Since you have felt that way for a week you should call and make appointment to see your doctor. A bug should already be out of your system. I hope you feel better soon :)

M.,

I get vertigo and nausea as a result of my allergies. I do not vomit, but come close to it sometimes because of the nausea. Basically, I do NOT get a runny nose or sneezing or itchy eyes with my allergies - though I am off the charts for being allergic to every pollen and dust mites. My sinuses drain into my Eustachian tube and inner ear. The drainage going into the inner ear causes the vertigo and the drainage into the stomach causes the nausea and vomiting - and the vertigo also causes the nausea, and therefore vomiting. So, even if you do not have outward allergy symptoms, your problems might be caused by allergies. You might want to get allergy testing done. Good luck!!

It sounds like you have an inner ear problem. My mother-in-law has the same thing and has been diagnosed with "Vertigo". I would make an appointment with either an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor or a neurologist. Don't let your regular doctor "poo-poo" your symptoms!

There is a disease called Menure's. It has something to do with inner ear fluid. I know a couple people who've had it.
They took dramamine type meds for a week or so under the direction of a doctor.

Is there any change in your stress level? Anxiety can cause these symtoms as well. Years ago, after getting married and going through some "adjustments" I started to get dissy and off balance on a trip. I never knew why it happened until I started learning about anxiety disorders.

Last but not least, my son fell and hit his head playing basketball when he was about 11/12. I took him to 5 pediatricians, 2 neurologists, 1 ear/nose/throat specialist and had an MRI. He started getting dizzy and had vertigo.
He'd wake up pale and sometimes would be in the bathroom with dry heaves. Everyone concluded he was suffering from anxiety because it's common at that age. I didn't think it applied to him at that time and eventually took him to a Kinesiologist. He found the muscle that connects the mastoid bone (behind the ear) to the sternum was in spasm suggesting a whip lash type injury.
After that we went to a chiropractor that x-rayed his spine and found the top vertibrae, the ATLAS, was out by an 1/8th of a rotation. What that causes is Vertigo, ringing of the ears, visions problems, nausea and fatigue.
Once he started adjustments he started feeling and looking better within 2 weeks. He was back in school and has never had a problem since then.
Make an appointment and have your blood work done. Get someone to help with the kids and take care of yourself.
Hopefully you'll find out what you need real soon.
AC

Hi M.,
Not that I am in the medical field but you sound terribly dehydrated. I take Potassium pills that you can get at any drug store or Whole Foods. You can try emergen-C which you can also get at any drug store; Whole Foods or Trader Joes. I don't think water will totally resolve the problem, you need nutrients.
H.

Once when I had a cold, I got vertigo...dizzy. I was driving when it happened the first time, and I had to focus on the car in front of me to be sure I was going straight.
I've also heard that migraine headaches can make you dizzy and nauseous, without having "head pain" (Dr. Dean Edell on KGO). I would see a doctor about that possibility if it doesn't go away, so he can prescribe migraine meds, if that's what it is. No reason to live with it if there's a solution!

Do you mean you have the sensation of motion? That sounds like vertigo and if so I would call Advice Nurse again. Mary Ann

could be Vertigo, either an inner ear infection or your equilibrium if off kilter.
check out the symptoms of vertigo on wikipedia, hope this helps and you are well soon!

I have been feeling "off" (kind of nausiated,dizzy) for a while now. I had blood work done and the doctor checked for a bacteria in my stomach. They put me on Pepcid twice a day. Unfortunately, I still don't know what is going on with me. I also suggest having your ears checked. An inner ear infection could mess with your equalibrium. Good Luck! Hope you feel better soon.

Hi M.: Could it be an inner ear problem? You should see a Dr about this if it continues. If it isn't some kind of virus then try asking a Dr about an ear problem. It can make you nauseous and also dizzy. I am a medical assistant and see alot of patients come in with different things all day long. Ear problems are a big thing.

J.

Yup...had the exact same thing. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with benign positional vertigo. Apparently little calcium crystals get lodged in the semi-circular canals in your ear and give you the sensation that everything is moving. It's very disconcerting! I slept upright (45 degree angle) for a few days and figured that sleeping on my right side made it worse, so avoided that and it just went away. There is a procedure called The Epley's Manouever, which some chiropractors and ENT's know about, or there is a spinning chair that some use to get the crystals to move, but otherwise there is no cure and it's self-remitting, and goes away as mysteriously as it came. I hope this is what it is, and hope this helps!
J

Could be vertigo or minears disease. However it could be as simple as extreme wax build up in your ears (you can't see it or get at it, but your doctor can). My father had the same symptoms and when he went to the dr, all they had to do was clean out his ears. Problem solved! No matter what, you need to get in to see the dr, not talk to the nurse on the phone. They should run a blood serum pregnancy test too, just to be sure you are not pregnant - sometimes home tests aren't the most reliable.

Dear M.,
What's happening to you sounds a lot like what happened to me. I think you might have an inner ear problem or infection. That can cause nausea, vertigo and vomiting. Check with a Dr. or maybe call the advice nurse for advise on what to do for a suspected inner ear infection.
I'm not sure...I'm not a nurse or anything, but I hope this helps. A..

You probably have Vertigo. I had it earlier this year and the Dr. prescribed an anti-dizziness pill and an antibiotic to clear up what she thought might have been an ear infection from a few weeks back that had moved into my inner ear.

You may have an inner ear problem, called Meniere's Disease. I had it once and I had the worst nausea. You m ay also have an inner ear infection but are not showing any signs such as temp, etc. Check it out.

I suffer form allergies and My ears fill with fluid and I feel dizzy. Try an over the counter allergy medication for a few days at least. See if it clears. I hope it helps.
H.

Hello M.,
I have those exact symtoms all the time. However I have a condition called "VERTIGO", it has to do with you equlibrium and is an inner-ear thing. My sense of balance is of when I get a vertigo spell. However I have learned to live with it and somehow find balance.
The "sea-sick" feeling is the best way to describe it and I never had a single symptom until one moring I woke up "SEA-SICK". And just was vomiting over and over. I was taken to the Doctor and the Doctor sent me to Emergency. Where I waited about 5 hours until I was given a medicine called "Meclizine", This is an anti-nausea pill, Which helped dramatically.
I dont know if this will help, but Vertigo is not life threatning and you can definately live a perfectly normal life with it. So I just thought I would share this with you because a friend of mine had Vertigo and a Quack Doctor gave her anti-depresents(thinking it was some kind of anxiety disorder) and nearly destroyed her completely.
Anyway take care and it will be okay. May god bless you and your family with good health a prosperity.
-K.

HI M.~

If your head feels like it is spinning, it could be Vertigo.
Another guess of mine is food poisoning. Is that possible?
Debbie