Mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS) Tried and True Tips?

[RenaeInCA]

Hi Cruisers,

We are coming up on our 5th cruise and each time before I've experienced what I had called post-cruise vertigo which I now understand is called Mal de debarquement syndrome (or MdDS). I experience it for 2-4 weeks after the cruise :eek:. There is also Land Sickness that one can experience after being at sea, but it lasts less than a week. After reading info about it online, I'm going to see my doctor about it before our cruise, but I thought I would turn to my trusty CCs for their tips on it, too. (BTW, I am totally fine during the cruise, this is strictly post-cruise).

 

If you have experienced this (lasting at least one week post-cruise) do you have any tips that you could share that have helped you? Have you ever been to the doctor pre-cruise for this malady? Did they seem even remotely knowledgable about it?

 

Apparently since this is more common in women, ages 40-50, they believe that there may be a hormonal connection :confused: but then I read that there's a belief that your brain gets used to the movement and has to rebalance itself. Anyway, now that I am 51, and no longer dealing with hormone issues, I am hopeful that I might escape it this time. I sure hope so. It really puts a damper on the post-cruise relaxation.

 

TIA for your help! Renae

[martincath]

I've suffered from it since about 2006 - mildly, for a few days after every cruise longer than 3 days but for over a month once. Not just 'land legs' as I was already used to that. After some research and trial and error (lots of vague info out there even on good medical sites) I found that the simplest way to get temporary relief was by just moving my head around a bit - using a rocking chair or even just unlocking my desk chair and leaning back & forward for a couple of minutes. Even driving or riding a bus I didn't notice the symptoms at all. Drugs that help vertigo/seasickness will also mask the problem - but not cure it.

 

There seems to be insufficient research to determine if it's actually a genuinely different malady or simply a form of vertigo - thanks to my wife having a bout of that, entirely unrelated to cruising, we recently discovered the Epley Maneuver and Brandt-Daroff exercises. While doctors can do them, they are trivially easy to do at home on your own bed. WebMD has a page with these and other at-home methods to try, but just with text descriptions - Google the terms and you'll find videos of how to do them that may make it clearer. Next time we cruise I'm going to see if these cut back on the duration of my symptoms.

[SuiteTraveler]

Make sure your cabin is midship or midship forward. I find it is the aft area of the ship which causes trouble and I generally avoid that part of the ship. Only cruise in areas where there is likely to be little motion like the Caribbean out of Miami, Tampa or Ft Lauderdale or NOLA or the Med from Barcelona. Alternatively try river cruising in Europe as you never get that weird weightless feeling on those ship.

 

http://www.menieres.org.uk/information-and-support/symptoms-and-conditions/mal-de-debarquement

 

 

I want to make you aware that some people get Mal debarquement and NEVER get over it. Think very carefully about if you want to put yourself at risk and speak to your doctor.

[RenaeInCA]

Thanks for the tips, Martincath. I read that doing a vigorous workout the day before you dock is supposed to be helpful. On our last cruise, I did do some of the strange exercises recommended. It did help but then a day later we did a water taxi around FLL and it set me back to square one. Lesson learned!

 

Unfortunately for me, our cabin location hasn't made a difference. I didn't notice a difference between our first cruise down the Pacific to Mexico or our Caribbean cruises, either.

[cherylandtk]

Thanks for the tips, Martincath. I read that doing a vigorous workout the day before you dock is supposed to be helpful. On our last cruise, I did do some of the strange exercises recommended. It did help but then a day later we did a water taxi around FLL and it set me back to square one. Lesson learned!

 

Unfortunately for me, our cabin location hasn't made a difference. I didn't notice a difference between our first cruise down the Pacific to Mexico or our Caribbean cruises, either.

Perhaps the 'vigorous exercise' remedy moves your head around enough to re-balance the inner ear? FWIW, I'm with the above poster on the rocking chair...or swingset, or any other similar back and forth motion. Seems to work for us.

[Jasalth]

I don't know if this might or could be helpful but it works for us.

 

My youngest DS has always had this after a cruise for a good month or more. Our first cruise he was so dizzy from it he vomited for 3 days, he was also only 2 1/2 at the time so he had a hard time understanding what was happening and why he felt so odd and sick. 2nd time pretty much the same thing but he was 5, so he was able to get a grasp on it more. His 3rd+ cruise, he was able to get by with feeling just a "little off" for 1-2 months afterwards. There was one cruise though he was really bad from after that though.

 

Turns out, his major way to get "over" it and start getting back to more normal is how we were traveling to/from our cruises. 1st, 2nd and 5th for him, we flew. The rest we have driven for 6 to 22 hours to get from. He has always been an odd one and just stares out the window whenever we drive. We figure this gives his brain/body time to readjust to moving, but without the rocking sensations which gets him started on the way back to land. Flying doesn't give his brain the opportunity to do that it seems since staring out the window of a plane doesn't give the same sensations to the brain/body because nothing is really moving out there.

 

I know driving to port isn't practical for everyone, especially since there is no way to be sure this would work for anyone else and you would need to have someone else who could drive the whole way while you gaze around. It does work for us though. I have thought that if we do have to fly him for a cruise again, I will be spending at least 1 day doing a bus or other type tour in the city we are in to see if that helps him. It does seem the longer we drive, the better off he is though so say a cruise from Miami will affect him for a shorter time (22 hr drive) while Baltimore (5ish hour drive) left him feeling not as well. Working in Pharmacy, I am hesitant to want to put him on anything, especially since he already take maintenance meds for conditions far worse than what a cruise would cause him.

 

Good luck in your search for what would work best for you! From what I could find when I started looking into it, though that was 12+ years ago and I am sure there is much more out there, is that there isn't a single thing that works for everyone and it can be a lot of trial and error.