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cassieaf

Skydivers with a weak stomach: Does it get any better?

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Three weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went on our first tandem jump. We both had fun- I loved it so much I enrolled in AFF, and am going on my third jump in a few days! My boyfriend loved the free fall, but when the parachute deployed, he felt uneasy the whole ride down, he's always had issues with motion sickness. It's for this reason he didn't enroll in AFF (so I'm driving an hour to the dz every weekend pretty much alone, which right now is weird). He really had a great time on his first jump, and said if there were some way to overcome the motion sickness, or if it got better with experience he would also be pursuing the sport. We try motion meds and they don't work. Have any of you overcome motion sickness, or know a better way to treat it? I would love for him to be able to also do the AFF. Thanks! :)
I like planes almost as much as jumping out of them.

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Hi,
Way back when I was full time flight instructing, I had a couple of students that were prone to motion sickness.
The Med's didn't work too well for them either.

They both decided to continue. The more time they spent flying the more at ease they became. Pretty soon neither one of them was bothered with motion sickness any longer.

So, maybe with a few jumps his problem would get better.
Worth a try!

Ron
ATP B-727 B767-757 CFI-II

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I felt like puking for the first 20 jumps or so, and dizzy once I get to the ground.

I think it is from the stress. But isn't that what makes it fun? Scared feeling?

He does realize how many men will hit on you at the dz right? That should be the sole motivation factor to make him go.
Bernie Sanders for President 2016

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So I looked at your profile and their's a picture of the two of you in tandem harnesses. Tandems are notorious for making people sick at their stomic. I think their is probable more then one reason. I've heard that part of it is the way the passenger hangs in the harness. It's like you're on the out side of the turning radius. The tandem harnesses are also far less comfortable. They tend to cut into your legs and cut off the circulation. The newer ones are better but the problem is still their. This is known to cause nausea and has even caused people to pass out. On top of all this is the fact that some one else is flying. Theirs some thing about the disconnect between your motion and your lack of action. It sounds strange but if you're the one flying and you control the motion and the turns it doesn't bother you nearly as much. You're more focused on the flight of the canopy, you're looking into the direction of the turn, etc. Motion sickness is caused by the disagreement between your inner ear and your vision. When you control the motion or are focused on the motion, eg. looking at the horizon on a boat, then what your ear feels is synced up with what you see. So being the driver in a car or taking the wheel of a sail boat or in this case flying the canopy your self really helps to keep these sensory inputs locked together and you are not as prone to getting sick. If he gives AFF a try I think he will have less trouble. Small planes will be interesting. If his AFF group is last out and he can set in the right seat on the ride up that will help a lot. This could be more of an issue as the summer get's warmer so get him broken in now before it get's really thermally.

A couple of other thoughts. Do you love your boyfriend? Are you attached to him? Is he a keeper? If the answers to these questions are yes you are going to need to address this situation. It's very hard for one member of a couple to be a skydiver. It just doesn't work well and it will only get worse. You're only at the beginning. It's a small subculture and it will suck you in. Soon you will be spending all your spare time their. You will lose touch with all your wofo friends. What is a wofo? You will learn the meaning of the word when you're setting at the lunch table at work and start gushing about how you met these three guys over the weekend and did this awesome four way with them, and how you sweet talked another dude into videoing it. Do you want to see? That's about when your supervisor will drop his lunch tray and one coworker will fall over backwards in his chair and your friend will spew coffee all over her shirt. And you'll be like, "What?" Learn the hinlic maneuver.

Bottom line is that if you try to go through this with out your boyfriend you will catch AIDS. Airport Induced Divorce Syndrome. Your life will fundamentally change. If he does not go through the same evolution the odds of him being able to handle the situation are slim. It's 85% male with lot's of testosterone and it's a tight knit community. It's going to freak him out when you suddenly acquire around 300 brothers and sisters who you will become even closer to then you are with him. Few males have a strong enough ego to deal with that.

And for the record, we're cool with it how ever it turn out. Bring him along for the ride and we've got yet another playmate. Or dump his loser wofo ass and come hang with us at the drop zone. Their is always room for an new attractive young freshly single female on the drop zone. Cue the wolf whistles.

Lee
Lee
[email protected]
www.velocitysportswear.com

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Was it because someone else was controlling the chute? My first tandem for fun I definitely felt a bit weird during the canopy flight, but I was waaaay more comfortable with my own rig in AFF knowing what sort of G forces to expect in a turn and when.

ETA - Lee beat me to it and clarified more... :P

You are playing chicken with a planet - you can't dodge and planets don't blink. Act accordingly.

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My first jump was an AFF jump. I was a little sick under canopy. Second jump, throwing up a lot under canopy.

Prescription patch for motion sickness, third jump, Static Line, didn't get sick. More AFF jumps, didn't get sick. Went to half a patch, didn't get sick.

Three years later, I only feel bad when we do "go rounds" on jump run. I avoid spinning, flipping, and other things that would add to motion sickness. But YES it gets better.

A person has to want to jump really bad to deal with motion sickness as it is an instant turn off.
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

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RiggerLee

So I looked at your profile and their's a picture of the two of you in tandem harnesses. Tandems are notorious for making people sick at their stomic. I think their is probable more then one reason. I've heard that part of it is the way the passenger hangs in the harness. It's like you're on the out side of the turning radius. The tandem harnesses are also far less comfortable. They tend to cut into your legs and cut off the circulation. The newer ones are better but the problem is still their. This is known to cause nausea and has even caused people to pass out. On top of all this is the fact that some one else is flying. Theirs some thing about the disconnect between your motion and your lack of action. It sounds strange but if you're the one flying and you control the motion and the turns it doesn't bother you nearly as much. You're more focused on the flight of the canopy, you're looking into the direction of the turn, etc. Motion sickness is caused by the disagreement between your inner ear and your vision. When you control the motion or are focused on the motion, eg. looking at the horizon on a boat, then what your ear feels is synced up with what you see. So being the driver in a car or taking the wheel of a sail boat or in this case flying the canopy your self really helps to keep these sensory inputs locked together and you are not as prone to getting sick. If he gives AFF a try I think he will have less trouble. Small planes will be interesting. If his AFF group is last out and he can set in the right seat on the ride up that will help a lot. This could be more of an issue as the summer get's warmer so get him broken in now before it get's really thermally.

A couple of other thoughts. Do you love your boyfriend? Are you attached to him? Is he a keeper? If the answers to these questions are yes you are going to need to address this situation. It's very hard for one member of a couple to be a skydiver. It just doesn't work well and it will only get worse. You're only at the beginning. It's a small subculture and it will suck you in. Soon you will be spending all your spare time their. You will lose touch with all your wofo friends. What is a wofo? You will learn the meaning of the word when you're setting at the lunch table at work and start gushing about how you met these three guys over the weekend and did this awesome four way with them, and how you sweet talked another dude into videoing it. Do you want to see? That's about when your supervisor will drop his lunch tray and one coworker will fall over backwards in his chair and your friend will spew coffee all over her shirt. And you'll be like, "What?" Learn the hinlic maneuver.

Bottom line is that if you try to go through this with out your boyfriend you will catch AIDS. Airport Induced Divorce Syndrome. Your life will fundamentally change. If he does not go through the same evolution the odds of him being able to handle the situation are slim. It's 85% male with lot's of testosterone and it's a tight knit community. It's going to freak him out when you suddenly acquire around 300 brothers and sisters who you will become even closer to then you are with him. Few males have a strong enough ego to deal with that.

And for the record, we're cool with it how ever it turn out. Bring him along for the ride and we've got yet another playmate. Or dump his loser wofo ass and come hang with us at the drop zone. Their is always room for an new attractive young freshly single female on the drop zone. Cue the wolf whistles.

Lee

:)
I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

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Stress is fun.. unless its Mon-Friday corporate America stress.. Skydiving "stress" is euphoric lol. Will I still g et hit on if I put on a really mean face, use sailor language and drink like a man?
I like planes almost as much as jumping out of them.

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Don't sweat the only woman on the drop zone thing. You've got it all wrong. Skydiving is on average, it varies from drop zone to drop zone, 85% male, 14% female, and theirs a last 1% that's hard to classify. This is not some thing to be intimidated by. You're looking at it all wrong. A vagina is a precious commodity. And on a drop zone it's as rare as gold. Competition for a female is intense. It's a simple fact that their are far more men on a drop zone then women. You're not out numbered, you're the grand prize that is competed for by all the men on the drop zone. You are by definition a queen and they but commoners vieing for your favor. I'm not joking. Even a rather plane looking woman's stock goes up two full points on a scale of ten the moment she walks onto a drop zone. It goes up another when she puts a rig on. At that point a very mediocre 6 suddenly finds that she has become a 9.

If you ever, ever have any problems with a man at a drop zone becoming too... frisky, do the following. Step up on top of a table in the middle of a crowded room. Call for their attention in the traditional manner. Raise your arm and point at the offender as if he is about to be struck down by the gods, which is very close to what is about to occur, and announce in a loud clear voice that this person is annoying you. Then watch as twenty knights in shining armor come charging to your rescue and the creation who has had the audacity to offend your person is dragged from the room by the mob. You need do nothing more. They will straiten his shit out.

Your safety, at least in that since, is not some thing you need worry about at a drop zone. But it becomes a problem in other ways. Female students have a lot of trouble on drop zones. And you're already seeing it. It's happening right now. Have you noticed how... nice every one is being to you on here. Read some of the other threads to see how much shit people are normally given on this board. It's already started and it will get worse. You're going to have skydivers following you around like little puppies fawning over you. It may be a huge ego boost but it's not the best learning environment.

I could say put your trust in your instructors, and there are some very good professional ones. But some times they are the worst on the drop zone. You have to realize that one of the primary reasons to get your instructor rating is so you can get the first crack at any female that show up on the DZ. Try to find a female instructor. Find the other women at the drop zone. They are very protective sisterhood and will help guide you. And most of all learn to say NO. NO I am not ready to do a four way. NO I am not ready to do a twenty way, not even in the base. NO I am not ready to learn to free fly. Go ask around on the Women forum about this. They wont polish your ego as much but they've all been where you are now, and will be more honest with you.

Lee
Lee
[email protected]
www.velocitysportswear.com

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I will be sure to post in the women's form going forward, definitely want to get honest advice. I'm pretty mature about handling attention I've received outside of the dz, will be sure to take heed at the dz too. In other areas of life, men are intimidated and I just end up hearing or noticing, from what I've been hearing sjydivers are different. I like the whole safety factor, in fact this guy who was on his first tandem jump bumped into me so hard while I was stepping into my gear I almost fell over.. no apology or anything. Don't think he was from the US, or even spoke much English. That gesture alone made me more nervous before my jump. I didn't say anything but going forward I feel better know it will be well heard out.
I like planes almost as much as jumping out of them.

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Some people get used to the motion sickness, especially if it's anxiety or stress induced and it gets better over time/exposure. Unfortunately, some people just have better tolerances due to physiology. I've found my physiology sucks at it, banking hard in planes makes me nauseous and I prefer a hot air balloon canopy ride.

If he wants to make it a little easier on himself, there are anti-motion-sickness meds available. The patch that someone mentioned is called a Transderm Scopalamine patch. They're small, nickel-sized stickers that typically go behind your ear. They're good for 72 hours, so you'll be set for a full weekend and they're commonly prescribed for people concerned with motion sickness going on cruises. They're prescription only, so you'll need to see your doc.

Over-the-counter, there's a couple options. Dramamine is the classic, but it might make you pretty drowsy. I prefer meclizine (brand name Bonine). Taken a bit beforehand, it helps with motion sickness with less drowsiness than Dramamine and I find that it works just as well. Both are available cheaply over the counter (<$5).

If he really wants to continue, they're options.

Also, I echo the people saying to proceed with caution with a partner not as interested as you in the sport. I loved skydiving but I love my boyfriend too. If I had to choose, I'd pick him. =/

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skipsoar

Some people get used to the motion sickness, especially if it's anxiety or stress induced and it gets better over time/exposure. Unfortunately, some people just have better tolerances due to physiology. I've found my physiology sucks at it, banking hard in planes makes me nauseous and I prefer a hot air balloon canopy ride.

If he wants to make it a little easier on himself, there are anti-motion-sickness meds available. The patch that someone mentioned is called a Transderm Scopalamine patch. They're small, nickel-sized stickers that typically go behind your ear. They're good for 72 hours, so you'll be set for a full weekend and they're commonly prescribed for people concerned with motion sickness going on cruises. They're prescription only, so you'll need to see your doc.

Over-the-counter, there's a couple options. Dramamine is the classic, but it might make you pretty drowsy. I prefer meclizine (brand name Bonine). Taken a bit beforehand, it helps with motion sickness with less drowsiness than Dramamine and I find that it works just as well. Both are available cheaply over the counter (<$5).

If he really wants to continue, they're options.



My experience with Transderm Scopalamine is that it is very effective. I wore the patch on for about 20 hours without issue. I later wore one for 48 hours and felt almost sick after taking it off. I have read other accounts of this happening to people.

After that experience, I removed it after jumping and sometime as early as right before the last load of the day, as it takes about 90 minutes to get out of your system. Very soon I went to half of the patch. Half patch, I would carefully remove and use it for 3 jump days. With half the patch I had less side effects and it was still effective enough that I rarely had issues.

I almost never use it now but as you said those banking turns are not good. On a day when the uppers are low and "go rounds" are expected, I will use it then. I got sick last fall (not wearing it) when 4 jumps resulted in 5 "go rounds" on the jump run and after that I had to stand down for a while.

I have also learned the aspects of freefall and the canopy flight that contribute to motion sickness for me.

One thing that is encouraging is to listen to the famous pilot Bob Hoover describe how he got sick when he first started flying and how he got over it.
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

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1) Transdermal scopolamine is a good idea. It works very well. I've written a few prescriptions over the years and people love it. It may give you a little dry mouth, actual side effects are low but my advice is wear one for a few days NOT skydiving and make sure you feel ok with it.

2) I hear a LOT of people sick under tandem. One thing that gets a lot of people is the lack of control. I do not EVER... seriously ever... get motion sick. I was taking flight lessons and my instructor was demonstrating "steep turns" and I actually got a little queasy. He said "OK you try it" and although mine were way less coordinated (which should make you more sick) I felt fine. He took over again and same issue. I think its just aggressive maneuvers that you aren't in control of.

3) Stress can make you more succeptable to nausea. Eat a normal meal (seriously, if you don't eat you'll just have acid stomach and your stress response will make it worse) and make sure you HYDRATE well. Your inner ear works much better when you are hydrated.

That's all I have. Glad to see the both of you giving it a run. My wife won't jump so I actually have to find time to take a vacation week away to bang out my jumps. Doing it local get me "the look" ;)
You are not the contents of your wallet.

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Well i'm abit new to give any advise, only 9 months into now, but this i can handle, as i too experienced this, however, i studied up on it, and best advice i found on this site, which turned out to be accurate, was simply to push thru it, whether it was altitude issues, anxiety, stress or whatever, i always had a knot in my stomach, early on, didnt want to eat or drink. However, i had a goal and kept at it, and slowly but surely things got better. i did discover that the 360's as fun as they were under canopy, didnt help me much at all early on, that as well contributed. Sometime about or i believe jump 27, i remember looking at one of my instructors, Andy, and just saying to him with a smile, "its happening, i'm not scared, i feel good, and i cant wait to get out that door" everybody is different, but that was it for me.

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