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KathyGrant

Extreme motion sickness after parachute deployment

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I did my first tandem jump yesterday. I was really looking forward to it, and wasn't at all nervous, for some reason!
During the flight, I had a lovely chat with my instructor, and still felt very well. On exiting the plane, I felt slight dizziness, until we stabilised. The free fall was BRILLIANT! I was only slightly fazed by the massive jerk when the parachute opened, but still no problem. My lovely instructor started to twist and turn to navigate back to the airfield, whilst describing various landmarks. Then, the shit hit the fan. Nausea kicked in, BIG TIME! He was really kind, advising me to fix my eyes on the horizon and breathe deeply, and I managed to survive the landing.
I had to sit in the car for ten minutes, before I was well enough to do the hour-long drive home. All in all, my severe nausea lasted about two hours. It reminded me why I never go on fairground rides.
Please, can someone give me some advice on how to prevent this? I would really like to try again, but cannot face that ordeal again. I live in the UK, so any recommended drugs may not be available to me.
Thank you for your help!

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My lovely instructor started to twist and turn to navigate back to the airfield, whilst describing various landmarks.



If you get car sick easily, this can happen due to the "twist and turn" to navigate. We as instructors can make the turns aggressive or gentle. He probably didn't ask and went with the aggressive turns. Next time, just ask for gentle turns and be vocal about what you want to do for the parachute ride. Remember you are paying for it!
We're not fucking flying airplanes are we, no we're flying a glorified kite with no power and it should be flown like one! - Stratostar

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Did you eat and drink properly before the tandem? The adrenaline can make you quite nauseous especially if you didn't eat much or didn't hydrate.

Other causes may include the way the harness fits/was fitted and/or how agressive the turns under canopy were.

Next time, make sure you are well-rested and well-fed before the jump, and ask if you can steer the parachute for a while that may help.
Also, jumping yourself will most likely be symptom free ;) The harness will fit better, and YOU are steering. So, consider static-line or AFF as your next jump :)


ciel bleu,
Saskia

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Thank you for your reply. I had a large banana before setting off, so had plenty of calories on board. To be honest, I was very surprised at how calm I felt, with no expected adrenaline rush! I was totally reassured and relaxed by being tightly strapped to an experienced instructor who had over 9,000 jumps under his belt. Even when we tipped out of the plane, I only felt mild surprise and alarm, which lasted a microsecond. I loved the free fall. It was brilliant! :)

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One of my sisters-in-law had the same problem. She said that she advised the TM before her second jump, and it was much less of an issue than it had been on her first. The TM was very careful, warned her before turning, and did not try to maximize the canopy portion of the dive.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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My SIL didn't think it was going to be a problem, and didn't mention it on her first jump, either.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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KathyGrant

I was totally reassured and relaxed by being tightly strapped to an experienced instructor who had over 9,000 jumps under his belt.



I'm sure it is only a turn of phrase on your part, especially with such an experienced instructor but harnesses can be too tight.

Quote

But I DO suffer with sea sickness and also cannot go on fairground rides, so I think it was purely motion sickness, hence my desire for an effective anti-emetic.



Sounds like it, and you are moving around in 3 dimensions. The effects can be minimised but at some point you do have to turn. Did you get to help with the steering? I liken it to being a passenger in a car; people who drive often suffer from motion sickness when they are not in control due to the disconnect between what your eyes and ears are telling you, without you being the one giving the commands to have those effects take place. If you are part of the process by steering it can help your brain to understand more of whats going on. Or maybe it just distracts with something to think about. I dunno :-)

Depending on the student harness being used and how it is fitted, one other thing that can be done, is once the parachute is open, the leg straps can be shifted down (actually up, as the knee needs to be lifted to achieve it) the leg, so that you are sitting more in the harness rather than hanging. This takes the pressure off the femoral artery and allows the blood to circulate more freely which reduces sickness I find.
Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

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I haven't a clue as to what sort of harness it was, and I wasn't offered the chance to help with steering, so I guess it wasn't an option. The instructor was lovely, and did his best to reassure me and encourage me, after all, he didn't want me to vomit either!
He did loosen it a bit up top, because he thought I was being strangled a bit, but nothing was mentioned about the leg straps.
I understand they have to turn to steer, otherwise we could have ended up in another county! Lol! But you're right about being a passenger in a car. I do get car sick if I'm in the back, under certain conditions. I can definitely NEVER map-read.

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You might try a product called "Sea Bands". They are small wrist bands with a round button that presses on an acupressure point that helps to control nausea. They are used on the cruise ships a lot. We used to put them on all our passengers and it really helped a lot with the nausea. Also it has the advantage of being non-medicinal.

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If you're generally prone to motion sickness, ginger often helps. Chew some crystallized ginger beforehand as a preventative, chew some afterwards to settle your stomach.

And, as others have said, it's often unexpected movements and direction changes which trigger nausea, so having warning and being in control can both reduce the likelihood.
Anne

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I have a life long history of getting motion sickness. My first jump I noticed it under canopy the most. The second jump, the next day, was much worse. I use a precription patch and it allows me to jump and have a good time. I still have to take it easy under canopy. On hot days when there are thermals that make the ride a bit bumpy, it is somewhat unpleasnt but I can manage. The bad feelings go away much quicker with the medication. I used the full patch for a few jumps to make sure I understood what to expect and then cut back to only using half a patch. Contact me via private message if you like and I can give you more details.

If the air is calm I can jump without it now. But it has taken almost 2 years and a lot of jumps to get to that point.
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

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KathyGrant

Please, can someone give me some advice on how to prevent this? I would really like to try again, but cannot face that ordeal again. I live in the UK, so any recommended drugs may not be available to me.
Thank you for your help!



In the UK, a common drug for travel sickness is Stugeron but I find this makes me very drowsy. Sea Legs is much better - as its name suggests, it was primarily designed for sea-sickness but it works just as well for other forms of travel sickness. I have used the wrist bands before but didn't find they worked for me. I found the adult ones too loose for my slim wrists and the child ones were too tight so were uncomfortable.

Ginger works well if you like the taste

It is not necessary to spiral the canopy down fast, the turns can be very gentle so if it was the turns that made you feel ill, the tandem instructor doesn't need to do them aggressively.
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

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Thanks Pixie. I have used Stugeron when I have been sailing on choppy sea, and it wasn't too bad. I don't remember feeling sleepy, though. Stugeron was also favoured by serious sailors, so I guess I'll have to road-test both of them, to see which one works best.
Whereabouts are you in the UK? I'm in South Norfolk.

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After opening, I have the passenger grab the steering toggles and let them, with my assistance, fly the canopy. Being in control of the turns seems to help most people.

I'll also ask them before doing any big spiral turns and gauge their reaction. This gives me info on their state of mind and comfort level. Some love it, some hate it; the customer is always right. ;)

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You sound a lovely instructor! I wish I'd had you!!! However, when I look at my photos, there was nothing for me to grab hold of to help in the steering, as I was hanging quite a bit lower than the instructor. The bits to hold and steer with, are quite high up, and only reached by the instructor.
I would really like to try again, but I would make sure I had some seasickness pills on board!
Having said that, when I study my photos, and my video, there are times when I can see just how high we were (13,000 feet) and it makes my stomach churn with fear! I wasn't at all afraid at the time, as I felt completely safe, and didn't look down, apart from when the chute was open. I would be nervous of having a melt-down in the door of the plane! :o

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