Mal de Debarquement

[katie11]

Has anyone had Mal de Debarquement upon returning from a cruise.

The rocking effect of being on the ship doesn't leave you.

It has been 5 months since our last cruise and I am still rocking, mostly while standing.

I have had this before, but usually only for 2 to 3 weeks afterwards.

I would appreciate any tips on how to get rid of it.

[donaldsc]

Has anyone had Mal de Debarquement upon returning from a cruise.

The rocking effect of being on the ship doesn't leave you.

It has been 5 months since our last cruise and I am still rocking, mostly while standing.

I have had this before, but usually only for 2 to 3 weeks afterwards.

I would appreciate any tips on how to get rid of it.

 

Look it up on Google where you will find lots of useful hits.

 

DON

[A.stew12305]

The longest mine lasted was 4 or 5 days, but I'm not sure if it's actually Mal de D. I've had sinus issues that coincide with mild sea sickness. Dramamine helped me until I equalized.

[Corfe Mixture]

Has anyone had Mal de Debarquement upon returning from a cruise.

The rocking effect of being on the ship doesn't leave you.

It has been 5 months since our last cruise and I am still rocking, mostly while standing.

I have had this before, but usually only for 2 to 3 weeks afterwards.

I would appreciate any tips on how to get rid of it.

 

I'm a yachtsman and the rocking sensation is normal, particularly after a bumpy sail in a small yacht, but it normally only lasts for a maximum of one day or until you have been to sleep.

 

Your problem sounds like crystals in your inner ear.

 

My wife had something similar which was initially put down to vertigo. Then it was diagnosed as crystals having formed in the inner ear which were affecting her balance.

 

Apparently the formation of the crystals is common but they only cause trouble when they are in a certain location.

 

She was sent to the local hospital and placed on a flat tiltable table which was then manoeuvred in such a manner as the technican was able to use gravity to move the crystals and 'park' them in a place where they caused no problem.

 

The fix was instantaneous and the technician could tell when he had fixed it by the track her eye balls followed when he asked to look from one side to the other (I think he could see them follow an arc rather than a straight line as she looked from one side to the other - but, apart from the fact that he knew when he had fixed it, I can't remember for certain exactly what it was he said told him he had fixed it, but I stress the fix was instantaneous

 

Check this link.

http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorders/types-vestibular-disorders/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo

 

 

Go and discuss it with you doctor.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Corfe Mixture

[Aus Traveller]

I agree with the previous comments, that after this length of time your vertigo is unlikely to be directly connected to your cruise. Crystals in tubes in the inner ear can become lodged where they should not be and they need to be moved.

 

Check out 'Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo' (BPPV). There are manoeuvres you can do at home, but I suggest that the first time you try them you have a bucket handy :) as the manoeuvre can cause extreme nausea. It did for me, but not for my husband or my MIL. For both of them, the 'cure' happened after a few sessions of the manoeuvres, but the condition reoccurred a few months later. After nausea hit me immediately I started the manoeuvre, I gave up on it. :) Stemetil helps somewhat.

[Pushka]

I had vertigo for a few weeks. Then I went back to a gym class where there was a lot of gym ball work - head hanging over those large gym balls and so on. Fixed it! I think that was a crystal thing. I had tried stemetil and that didn't help.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Pushka

[mrs and mrs]

One of the best cures for this malady is to fire up the computer, book a cruise and get back on board, second cure is glue yourself to cruise critic, failing that go to the doctor,i suppose:eek::eek:

[mrs and mrs]

OMG I thought you were joking, then I googled it, I have felt off since febuary,sometimes ok then it coming back in waves for a week. I think I have this thing.

[lolane1]

I've had everything previously discussed-

1. Crystals in ear, formed by exposure to organic solvents which had the most severe symptoms: extreme vertigo, nausea and lasted months and months. Tried positional fix but nausea and vomiting were so severe, I gave up.

2. One day mild vertigo after a cruise

3. Seasonal vertigo usually in Spring caused by allergies and sinus involvement. Not severe like crystals but significant enough particularly when I wake up. This might be what you are feeling. My fix is usually Allegra-D as needed. The "D" component is crucial to relief of symptoms.

[Aus Traveller]

Decades ago I developed BPPV, but it was not diagnosed as such. I endured it in a moderate form for probably 20 years, then it just went away (probably 10 or more years ago). Great. It re-occurred a few months ago. What a shock. That is when I had one try at the Epley Manoeuvre with dramatic results - me yelling for a bucket. Severe nausea lasted four or five hours. I went to our doctor who put me on stemetil. It helped a bit. I was really concerned what would happen when we went on our last cruise. I was worried that the movement of the ship would add to my woes. It was amazing - no vertigo at all.... until I got home, then it started up fairly severely several hours later. Luckily for me it eased off a lot over a period of a few days.

 

Maybe 'Mrs and Mrs' is right - the only cure for me is to go on another cruise. :)

[mrs and mrs]

You guys are scaring me now, a few years after leaving the navy I was diagnosed with a minor mental disability. I have lived with this for 35 odd years, and medication helps. I have just backtracked my life and everything gets worse after I step of a ship, or plane. I never have a problem on board, in fact the rougher the better,(not that I wish that on a cruise or cruiser).Every change of season I am as crook as a dog for a week(read sinus),When its at its worse, a severe breathing, vertigo and stuttering problem, and an absolute inability to function what we would call normal,(movement,visual,cohesian and cognitive ability. Sorry about the me,me,me but the light may have gone on.

 

I used to joke with mrs 1 about how bad i would feel getting off the ship or plane,dosent seem so flippant now.:):)

[jacketwatch]

Has anyone had Mal de Debarquement upon returning from a cruise.

The rocking effect of being on the ship doesn't leave you.

It has been 5 months since our last cruise and I am still rocking, mostly while standing.

I have had this before, but usually only for 2 to 3 weeks afterwards.

I would appreciate any tips on how to get rid of it.

Call your MD.

[hpeabody]

I am a month now from the end of it. OMG, this was absolutely the worst illness I have ever experienced. I came down with what turned out to be a very bad cold (head & cough, not respiratory) on the next to last day of a 21 day cruise. It was as I call it a "sick ship" Colds and coughs everywhere on the ship from the beginning of the cruise. My very long 20 hours flying home was the next day. While on the first leg of 2 upon takeoff my hearing was almost 100% blocked. I had never experienced that ever before. This did not last and was not noticeable once I returned home. I arrived home late at night so I was able to just go right to bed. When I awoke that next morning it was as if I had been rolled over by a bulldozer. It was horrific.

 

For me I did not feel the ship rocking movement (most common, I understand) but the constant feeling of swaying movement. What I was slammed with in addition was lightheadedness/dizziness (not vertigo kind), extreme fatigue, sensitivity to light and brain fog. The cold/cough persisted for about 3 weeks (not typical for me, I usually am over a cold in less than a week) I went to my primary care doctor after 2 weeks. She found pressure being put on both ear drums and diagnosed as eustachian tube dysfunction. I was prescribed Flonase for it. I only found out about Mal de debarqument because I googled eustachian tube dysfunction and on a website there was a link to click on, I clicked and WHOA! this was what I was experiencing. On my follow up appointment I showed the doctor a printout on Mal de debarqument. She had not heard of it and kind of dismissed it. It was a 3 week ordeal for me which I never want to repeat.

 

I am so sorry you are experiencing this, but AFIK there is no specific treatment, though I think many remedies are tried. For me I just woke up on the exact 3 week day and it was gone.

 

Here is a link to a good description of Mal de debarqument

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_de_debarquement

Edited April 30, 2016 by hpeabody

[CruisinChris]

I hadn't experienced this in a long time, but I used to after each cruise. I had it again after my winter cruise on the Westerdam. I think the movement on "smaller" ships is what brings it on. It lasted 6 weeks. My docter gave me the "maneuvers" to do. They helped.

[4cats4me]

Yes, I had MDBQUT after my first two cruises For several days, but I haven't really experienced it very much for the last dozen cruises

Mal dbkmnt means "bad movement" and when you are in a moving vehicle or onboard you won't experience it until vehicle comes to a stop, then the fun really begins [emoji30]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited April 30, 2016 by 4cats4me

[vickie_bernie]

I totally can relate.

 

We both use to really suffer from mal de debarquement. This swaying, constant motion vertigo feeling would go on for a few days after we got home. But it would also happen when we went ashore in the ports. We would have the swaying feeling.

 

After a few cruises we finally went to the doctor and discussed with them. He stated that this can occur and it is caused by the constant moving from the ship. The brain swells and he advised anti inflammatory meds. At first he gave us a prescription and we used them with great success.

 

Later we just used over the counter anti inflammatory meds - Advil etc. We take only when we feel the symptoms and it helped!

 

Now I can only speak for myself but it worked.

 

I do know that Mal de debarquement is very different from motion sickness.

[Rocking Lady]

I have been living with Mal de Debarquement for 12 straight years. NOTHING helps. It has nothing to do wth ear crystals. There is information here. Mddsfoundation.org

 

Good luck. To the sailor who gets it after a ship or plane, the brain fog is real.

 

Good luck.

Rocking Lady.

MdDS from a sailing trip

[katie11]

Thank you all for your experiences of MDD and that I'm not the only one who has this. Like I said it seems to be hanging on for far too long.

I have seen my doctor, but he thinks it will pass in time. I hope so.

I have experienced vertigo in the past, but this is different. There is no associated nausea or head spinning.

From what I read, it can be caused by the motion of the ship or a long flight.

Now, that's a bit of a worry, we are doing a 35 day cruise next year.

I will try the Advil and see if it helps.

[mrs and mrs]

I have been living with Mal de Debarquement for 12 straight years. NOTHING helps. It has nothing to do wth ear crystals. There is information here. Mddsfoundation.org

 

Good luck. To the sailor who gets it after a ship or plane, the brain fog is real.

 

Good luck.

Rocking Lady.

MdDS from a sailing trip

 

Oh the brain fog is very real.

[hpeabody]

Oh the brain fog is very real.

 

Absolutely it is real! just awful.

[Host Jazzbeau]

My DW experienced this after one of our cruises, and shortly thereafter a God-incidence caused her to get a brain scan that revealed a Meningioma. Apparently they are fairly common and slow growing -- so you may have one for decades before any symptoms appear [things like seizures :eek:]. Once it was removed, subsequent cruises have not caused "land legs" [another name for this symptom]. So if the ear-crystals thing doesn't work, you might want to investigate this.

[Crystabel]

It happens every time I cruise and varies in severity and length, but it eventually lessens and then goes away. I don't do anything for it, but I may try the anti-inflamitory next time. An interesting fact is that I don't suffer with it when I drive. It's only when I'm not moving that the dizziness hits.

[mrs and mrs]

After this thread i have now self-diagnosed my self with 25 different diseases and symptons,i think ill just stick with my original illness and be done with it:rolleyes::rolleyes::cool::)

[Host Jazzbeau]

After this thread i have now self-diagnosed my self with 25 different diseases and symptons,i think ill just stick with my original illness and be done with it

 

I have noticed two things in the tear sheets with most of my prescription medicines: (1) the placebo works nearly as well as the drug; (2) there is almost always a warning about combining alcohol with the drug, and usually the effect is to increase the effectiveness of the drug. Putting (1) and (2) together, I now take a double dose of alcohol instead of the drug. It either works, or I'm not conscious of the difference! :D:D:D

[Aus Traveller]

I have noticed two things in the tear sheets with most of my prescription medicines: (1) the placebo works nearly as well as the drug; (2) there is almost always a warning about combining alcohol with the drug, and usually the effect is to increase the effectiveness of the drug. Putting (1) and (2) together, I now take a double dose of alcohol instead of the drug. It either works, or I'm not conscious of the difference! :D:D:D

I like that comment. :D