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Ski sickness

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi, I'm 58 & have over 30 weeks skiing under my belt. My last ski trip to Pas de la Casa was quite strange, the first morning we were blasting all over the place followed by some lunch but then I stared to feel ill, very ill. I felt drunk, lightheaded, sick, sweaty & had no strength. (No alcohol involved) I somehow ended up plowing back to top of the run that overlooks Pas & it then took me 90 mins to get down what would normally have taken me about 5 mins. From lunchtime it was overcast & dull !! I ended up at the Doctors who said I had a lung infection & gave me antibiotics but also said I had SKI SICKNESS ......... what ? Never heard of it but she described my symptoms perfectly & I suffer badly from sea sickness. I also have tinnitus but that has not affected me before. Can anyone recommend a cure or help ? Thanks in advance..
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've never heard of it....Altitude Sickness - Yes; but not Ski Sickness.

I assume the symptoms were caused by the lung infection. Is it now better? Was the Doctor somehow suggesting that skiing caused the Lung Infection? Could you have picked it up on the plane?

My Father suffered similar....but it turned out he had Angina (which I assume is not the problem here).
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hi, Google ski sickness .......... it's amazing !! I'm trying to find a way to prevent it. I personally don't think I had a lung infection !!
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rjgordon0 wrote:
Hi, Google ski sickness .......... it's amazing !! I'm trying to find a way to prevent it. I personally don't think I had a lung infection !!

"Dizziness with illusionary rotatory or pendular sensations and dysequilibrium accompanied by nausea and occasionally by vomiting may appear during down-hill skiing. It is proposed that the condition is called "ski sickness". Ski sickness seems to represent a special form of motion sickness produced by unusual and contradictory sensory information between the visual, vestibular and somato-sensory system. The pathophysiology seems to be related to vestibular overstimulation from winding turns on uneven ground, insufficient visual control, specially on foggy days with reduced visibility (on so called "white days"), often in connection with minor ophthalmologic problems such as myopia or astigmatism and altered somato-sensory input due to the wearing of ski boots and skis. Psychological factors such as fear of heights, fear of mountains, high speed and falling may contribute as well as the atmospheric pressure changes in the ear when descending rapidly from high to low altitude. The symptoms of ski sickness can be relieved by vestibular suppressants. The present report indicates various characteristics of a series of 11 persons suffering from ski sickness."

https://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorders/treatment/vestibular-medication

It's certainly a new one on me.
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I experience it in poor light. Have done for 45 years.., learned to ski in Scotland. Not helpful wink
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@Old Fartbag, I've experienced the condition of almost "sea sickness" type queasyness on the few occasions when I've been in a total white out situations where you can't read the terrain and you're not sure whether you're a on downward or upward sloping piece of ground. Perhaps other sHs have too?
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Have you found a remedy for it ?
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Alastair Pink wrote:
@Old Fartbag, I've experienced the condition of almost "sea sickness" type queasyness on the few occasions when I've been in a total white out situations where you can't read the terrain and you're not sure whether you're a on downward or upward sloping piece of ground. Perhaps other sHs have too?

I have experienced disorientation in flat light and high winds, if looking down, when the snow was blowing sideways across the surface, as you were skiing downhill.....and yes, in a whiteout, where you can't tell if you are stopped or not.....but the OP seemed to be getting it in normal conditions, having never suffered it before.

It certainly sounds as if it is a type of motion sickness.


Last edited by After all it is free Go on u know u want to! on Thu 25-10-18 23:55; edited 1 time in total
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Do you wear glasses? If so has your prescription changed? My prescription causes some distortion at the edges which can be a bit disorienting, and this this has made me feel quesy at times.
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Hi, I only wear glasses for reading so they wouldn't affect me !!
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I’ve experienced the same symptoms ONCE! But only once.

I can’t be sure what it was. But my best guess had been a combination of altitude sickness exaggerated by flat light induced vertigo.

It was overcast with a bit of blowing snow, making it hard to see where I was. No reference as to whether I was moving or stopped. It was the first time I’ve encountered that so I was downright scared. It took me an hour to get down the 1000’ vertical. Shortest ski day I’ve ever done.

(I’ve been in similar situation again but without the dizziness)

The rest of the day, headache and just feeling queasy.

As I just flew in from sea level to nearly 10000’, I mostly treated the altitude sickness side of the symptoms. Lot of water and a rather fitful night (bathroom visits).

Surprisingly, the next day I was feeling perfectly fine. I took it easy for day 2, then resume my usual skiing.

Now, I pay attention to altitude on my ski trips. Take it easy on day 1. Drink lots of water, and rest. Never had the same problem again.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I get this watching GoPro footage of skiing but don't think I've had it on the slopes.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
It sounds perfectly plausible that a kind of motion sickness can affect skiers - it certainly does, for many people, in poor visibility. Might be exacerbated by the effects of even moderate altitude (especially for people who suffer from migraines who might be hyper-sensitive to even small changes in atmospheric pressure). And somebody who is not normally very physically active who spends a morning spent "blasting all over the place", especially after a poor night's sleep, might expect to feel under par.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I've had it twice, the worst was in VT when I was working for once of the ski companies, got it on the way up and mid week. Same issue both times dehydration and not enough sleep.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I've only had 5 weeks, but I've felt dodgy sometimes - disoriented and queezy, when it happens I stop and admire the view (if there is one!).

The cure for sea sickness is to keep your eyes on the horizon. If, in a windowless room, the ship pitches and rolls, your brain thinks that the world is moving and reacts accordingly (the information from your 'chalky balls' is in conflict with the information from your eyes) by looking at the horizon the brain can see that it is the vessel that is pitching and rolling, the world isn't, the conflict is resolved, and the body is ok.

When skiing, if the conditions permit, keep your head up and keep an eye on the horizon, any movement will be interpreted by the brain as a deliberate movement of the body, not the world moving, so all is well. It works for me.


Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Fri 26-10-18 11:56; edited 2 times in total
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I suffer from this as well, it's messed up a load of ski days for me. To the extent now that if it looks like there is any risk of flat light or poor visibility, I take Itinernol, a motion sickness tablet that has some caffeine in it. That's worked great for me. These symptoms are exaggerated by any trace of tiredness or a hangover, so for the OP, if you don't want to suffer, I'd go easy on the apres as well! But a strong 5* recommendation for taking some motion sickness pills, its helped me enormously with the same problem.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
you can acutally take sea sickness tablets..for many peple they work...its all in the inner ear im told
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@rjgordon0, I've had something similar in foggy conditions. Heady and woozey. On the reverse, if it is too sunny I get migraine. Why do we do it?
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I have learn a lot about this, thanks guys!
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I wonder whether it was just vertigo(bppv) as it appeared not to subside when you got down to the village.

There are simple tests for bppv. The condition is caused when salt crystals break off inside your balance system, collect with others then bounce around causing dizziness and nausea etc.

Unfortunately once you get it you are prone to repeat attacks but the solution is simple. You need to get the rogue crystals somewhere safe in the balance canals to dissolve.

I get bppv but I have never had it in the mountains.

Here is a YouTube solution that works for me:


http://youtube.com/v/bu2YurNjEV8


Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 13-01-19 19:37; edited 3 times in total
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Layne wrote:
I get this watching GoPro footage of skiing but don't think I've had it on the slopes.

I think that is just boredom. Very Happy
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
My Doctor recommended Stugeron for vertigo, which works, I carry a couple in my wallet just in case.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I take Sturgeon too. Eat lightly first day and drink loads of water. Had it in my fifties, now in sixties and seems to have disappeared. Weird!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@sarah jane, we had Sturgeon as the fish course at our wedding!
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sarah jane wrote:
I take Sturgeon too. Weird!

There is a thread for you in apres
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
My wife gets bppv every six months or do and it's obviously not nice! The exercises mentioned above work well especially when used at an early stage.
I have always suffered from astigmatism and a few years ago started to notice problems when skiing. I have been skiing for nearly fifty years but for the rirst time suffered from a level of disorientation and nausea three years ago. I clearly remember the occasion when I found myself landing on my side in a whiteout whilst convinced I was in total control.
The following summer I was told that I had a problem with my left eye and almost immediately lost the eye. I was skiing by the next season (with kind encouragement from people on this forum) and feelings of disorientation and nausea are now gone.
The brain plays some weird and wonderful tricks when the senses contradict what the mind expects but as it adapts things become 'normal' again.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I’ve just returned from a few days in Pas & I got my ski legs back !!! Firstly I had a clean bill of health..... no flu four weeks before skiing!!! I took some really good motion sickness tablets with me but never used them as we had bluebird skies all week. I also asked the local in resort pharmacy about altitude sickness tablets & they gave me a type of aspirin that can help with low to medium altitude........ one per day & only 1.50 euro, result
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I have had this, particularly in VT (could be the 2300m base altitude not helping). It’s quite unnerving. Good to know about those medications for reassurance. I thought it was just me!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Very oddly, as I get nauseous quite swiftly in flat light (if not in the trees) we've found ourselves being out where I would normally expect to find myself feeling quite sick and didn't but Mrs U who has never suffered it, did, and had to go home.

No precipitating circumstances that we could see (sic). (see what I did there, three times!).

Very bizarre.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Layne wrote:
I get this watching GoPro footage of skiing but don't think I've had it on the slopes.


That is interesting. I am not at all prone to sickness but feel very nauseous watching go pro footage for more than a few minutes and had wondered why.

I also had headaches for the first time skiing this Christmas. I put it down to the white out conditions and being in a resort with no trees. On a few occasions I had come to a standstill on my skis but felt as though I was still moving. Very odd! It was quite frustrating as the year before I had invested in some expensive Oakley goggles but I was struggling to see the slope in white out conditions, whereas my kids were wearing far cheaper goggles and not struggling much at all!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@snowymum, because they're kids and just get on with it?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
snowymum wrote:
On a few occasions I had come to a standstill on my skis but felt as though I was still moving.

I think that is different. A lot of people experience this.

snowymum wrote:
whereas my kids were wearing far cheaper goggles and not struggling much at all!

My kids have experienced the sensation above for sure.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Just stumbled across this.
I do remember skiing Stubai a few years ago in near white out conditions. When a friend announced he was suffering from ski sickness (never had it before) we quickly realised the reason. He had just had eyes laser treatment, one eye was set for distance and the other for reading! Clearly not a good decision Puzzled
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rjgordon0 wrote:
Hi, I'm 58 & have over 30 weeks skiing under my belt. My last ski trip to Pas de la Casa was quite strange, the first morning we were blasting all over the place followed by some lunch but then I stared to feel ill, very ill. I felt drunk, lightheaded, sick, sweaty & had no strength. (No alcohol involved) I somehow ended up plowing back to top of the run that overlooks Pas & it then took me 90 mins to get down what would normally have taken me about 5 mins. From lunchtime it was overcast & dull !! I ended up at the Doctors who said I had a lung infection & gave me antibiotics but also said I had SKI SICKNESS ......... what ? Never heard of it but she described my symptoms perfectly & I suffer badly from sea sickness. I also have tinnitus but that has not affected me before. Can anyone recommend a cure or help ? Thanks in advance..


Labyrinthitis
See your GP.
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