I've had car and travel sickness all my life. I've been off glutens for 5 weeks now and starting on my 6th week. Today I noticed for the first time while traveling I did not feel sick.

Is there a connection?


moldlady

There might be! Gluten can explain a LOT...
I get carsick but it hasn't gotten better since going gluten-free...it's only gotten worse as I get older. I hate it when my parents decide to take the "scenic route" of windy, hilly roads! The only way I feel better is if I am the one driving...having something else to concentrate on is helpful.

Oh HAK you made me laugh LOL

What is the scenic route for some is a nightmare for others. No one else in my family ever got car sick so they always took the scenic route and I was sick for sometimes days after arrival. I would have loved to enjoy like the rest but instead I was trying to lay down and not be sick the whole time.

ML

I've gotten car sickness for as long as I remember. For a long time I couldn't sit in the backseat without getting nauseated, but it's gotten a tad better. (And I do mean a tad!) It also depends on the driver and type of vehicle... but then it gets complicated and who wants to deal with that!! It's just easier to say get in my car, I'll drive.

HAK: About ten years ago, I went with my parents to Oregon for my cousin's wedding, and we went down into CA. The way there was fine, but on the way back, they wanted to go through wine country. Don't ask me what it looked like as I was also laying down in the backseat the WHOLE way. It was sheer torture!! Any my mom, who actually thinks the Tilt-o-Whirl is fun, laughed the whole way.

Ouch!! Yeah, it's hard to enjoy the scenery that way...My dad and I made the four hour drive from CT to upstate NY to look at colleges this weekend, and took back roads halfway there...he couldn't understand that I REALLY did not want anything to eat, and he should just stop and get whatever he wanted...lol. Thankfully a snowstorm kept us on the highway the whole way back.

I have also had car sickness for as long as I can remember, it still happens for me even off of gluten though.

I notice it is worse when I am in a really toxic state and at times when my symptoms are really flaring.

I wonder if it's possible that clearing out gluten for you was the final thing that was stressing your body?

Oh yes, I get everything-that-moves sick . I am in Mexico, and the way here was torture. First a 4 1/2 hour plane ride with turbulences in between, and turbulences on the way down. I could hardly walk after getting off the plane. And then we had a three hour bus ride across fairly rough roads after that. Needless to say, I wasn't so well for two days. And we are here for only seven days.

Tomorrow we are doing it in reverse. I hope I won't be sick again!

Julie,
I think maybe you have hit on it. I've been anti candida for 8 years and heavy metal detoxing for 2 years and just recently the non gluten thing. Maybe 3 is the charm this time!

Moldlady

Yes, maybe so! That would be exciting if gluten is that final puzzle piece for you

I'm wondering if they are 2 separate things, just holding hands. I have gotten carsick my whole life. My mom said I would get carsick as a small child and I still do sometimes. I never ride in the backseat and it is best if I am the one driving, especially to an event. I think on the way to an event, I also have some anxiety that joins the mix. I have 5 kids, 3 of them get carsick too and none think they are celiac, although, I am not so sure they aren't. I have been gluten free now for 7 1/2 yrs and I still get carsick at times, so, I think it can be 2 separate things, but the gluten certainly adds insult to injury, so to speak.

Just as a curiousity, do you feel less car sick when you are in front passenger seat?

Do you feel car sick when riding in a big bus (as compared to a shuttle sized bus)?


My sister in law, who I feel has celiac & won't get tested for it, has been complaining of car sickness for years and only can be passenger in front seat and never can ride in a bus and for years I felt she was b.s.-ing about this (other dynamics going on here but for sake of bevity I won't go into it).

Interesting....I've had car sickness ever since I can remember. When I was in first grade, my grandparents took my mom and me to Florida (a 3 day ride from Syracuse in those days). To this day, I remember feeling just awful and my grandmother giving me mint gum

Growing up, my sisters and I sat in the back seat--both parents smoking (one cigarettes and one cigars)--miserable.

There is no way I could ever read in the car, or even look at scenery for too long. I never feel it when I drive, and since going gluten-free and feeling better (after many years), the carsickness is better.

I now can ride in the passenger front seat--no problem, even the back seat if I keep my eyes on the road.

Something that darlindeb said also struck me--about anxiety being mixed in with it. I know now that this was a big part of it for me.

Hi Julie and others,
I'm going to keep testing this with long rides and not driving. Sitting in front and in back. Since no one seems to know why some people get this and others do not, it must be multifactoral! I know that my family members have fungus and heavy metals and have done nothing about it but never get car sick. I may have had this celiac thing for a long time and completely undiagnosed. I may be the only one in the family that is predisposed to celiac and therefore a triple whammy for car sickness???

I guess the ultimate test would be some amusement rides that I never liked anyway.... the zipper was one that made me sick just watching the other people and I stepped out of line and declined the ride. Boy was I glad. It was one ride that my brother decided not to encourage more movement. My husband can tolerate anything in terms of glass bottom boats and waves etc and even that ride had him wondering why he paid to go on that ride.

I'd be interested in any info anyone can find on this....

ML

oh god, the zipper *shudders* I normally can do roller coasters ok, because they're short, open air, and the forward motion doesn't bother me that much. But those rides that spin you around and around and turn you upside down...I can NOT do those!!
motion sickness is not fun! I do find that a big bus is better, but those mini buses (shuttle type) that they have outside the US are torture.
and cigarette smoke...wow, that must have been awful.

oh god, the zipper *shudders* I normally can do roller coasters ok, because they're short, open air, and the forward motion doesn't bother me that much. But those rides that spin you around and around and turn you upside down...I can NOT do those!!
motion sickness is not fun! I do find that a big bus is better, but those mini buses (shuttle type) that they have outside the US are torture.
and cigarette smoke...wow, that must have been awful.

I have a suggestion for those times when you have to be a passenger. My son gets car sick, so on those long road trips I give him Dramamine. I hate giving him meds but sometimes it is a necessary evil. He never gets sick when he takes it.

I most definitely get sicker in the back seat.

I have noticed it getting better since going gluten-free, but I think that's because my stomach is no longer in distress all the time. I rode roller coasters a lot when I was a teenager, but the last time I went on one I got nauseated. Bummer
And forget anything that spins... the teacups make me cringe. I also get sick at the movies... crazy, I know. But some of the theaters have an opening that involves a roller coaster like thing on a big screen and I can get ill from that. I always thought it had something to do with my inner sense of balance... It's just always been there.


Just the THOUGHT of a boat makes me sick...

Just out of curiousity I was wondering how many people with celiac problems also get car sick or motion sick? It seems like quite a response. It may be more than this as Julie suggested that maybe other things too.
I can't seem to find anything in terms of research on this as to the cause.....

I was given dramamine once and I slept through the whole experience. Made me very very sleepy and tired.

I take ginger now and ginger root tea and sometimes raw lemon helps. That is the only thing that seems to help me at this point.

ml

I've also used Dramimine in the past--it worked for the quesiness, but made me very drowsy. I didn't care for it.

Add me to the list of lifelong carsick guys. I don't get sick when driving but when a passenger.

I am also a boater and in the past unless I was driving an open boat and concentrating on the horizon in calm seas I would also get very seasick.

This summer after quiting gluten I went fishing well offshore for tuna. The seas built to more than six feet. I was in an enclosed boat with a diesel engine. In the past I might have simply died under this set of circumstances. Oddly enough I was the only one who did not get sick. Two guys almost fell overboard puking so hard.

There is definitely an inner ear connection. Vertigo, which I have had, is now linked to gluten intolerance.

I can't wait until all of these seemingly unrelated problems are brought together. I don't know how and I don't know why but if our immune system and digestive system is in trouble the problem will manifest itself in untold ways. Clean up your system, detox it, rest it, feed it properly, get sunshine, get exercise and most if not all of these problems miraculously go away.

What exactly does car sickness feel like for you guys? When I was younger I always got "sick" in the car and just assumed it was car sickness. It would sometimes last for hours after getting out of the car and it would always anger my parents. When asked to describe it though, my parents said it couldn't be car sickness because I didn't get nauseous. My symptoms were headache, dizziness, grogginess and sluggishness, heightened senses, and a feeling almost like vibrating inside. Never did I get nauseous though. Is this what you guys experience?

Ken,
This is what I think I'm finding out... I'm glad to hear that you also have noticed a change in this condition when going non gluten. No one that I can find is doing research on this.

Guhlia,
I never did get over nauseated but felt the grogginess that you describe and just a sick like feeling in the brain/head that made one not want to do anything. The sluggishness just general malaise throughout the head.

Jerseyangel,
Same with me. Made me too drowsy and sluggish which I felt anyway without any of the drugs.

A friend of mine that has it really really bad takes tylenol 8 hour for colds and allergies and it seems to work for her. I tried it on a long trip last year and it seemed to work but I'd rather use my naturals.

I was desperate this January (before going non gluten) and ate some triple ginger cookies that helped my car sickness but probably not too good for the fungus/candida.

ML

I have always had HORRIBLE car/motion sickness!! Come to think of it though, it has gotten slightly better since being gluten-free. I can at least sit a little further back in the bus if I had to without instantly wanting to throw up (although i prefer sitting up front if I can). I still have a lot of issues with the vehicle part of things, i usually kick everyone into the back seat even if that means them having no leg room
Maybe the fact that I have such horrible diziness from Celiac and everything else could be why i have the car sickness???

~ Lisa ~

I did get nauseous. But I also got a headache, would sometimes get dizzy- sometimes the heat made it worse and I felt almost like I was going to pass out. The nausea went away when I got out of the car, but there remained a general icky feeling. I didn't necessarily feel like I was going to be physically ill, but I also didn't want to eat anything either.

What an interesting topic!

I've always dealt with motion sickness issues.

As a matter of fact, for years... my husband has thought that I was "exaggerating" until one of my uncle's told him how AWFUL it was when I was a child.

I do just fine when I'm driving... and in most cases, I'm fine as a front seat passenger. But, to this day.... even gluten-free, I can't ride in the back seat of ANY vehicle.

I ride roller coasters, and other amusement rides, with no problems. However, I avoid ANY and EVERYTHING that spins.

I went on Tea Cups last week, at Disneyworld, with my daughter, and I thought I was going to DIE.

I've always wondered why tylenol 8 hour and ginger seemed to work. Both help with inflammation.

Could it be that our brains are inflammed for some reason? Fungus? Does wheat glutton cause inflammation in the brain as well as other areas of the body?

ML

I just did a google search and this came up on MedicineNet. Doesn't really talk about Tylenol so much, but the hypothesized (sp?) cause of motion sickness. An interesting read, anyway.

http://www.medicinenet.com/motion_sickness/article.htm

Ginger, along with being an anti-inflammatory is also a digestive aid, so it helps to calm nausea,vomiting, etc. Not sure about the Tylenol though.

lizard,
I thought that was interesting that even blind people get motion sickness. That kinda rules out the vision thing a bit....

ML

I must be the odd one. I never get car sick when I am in the back seat or the one driving. But I can in the front seat, depending on who is driving. For me I think it is partly anxiety. I tend to do the worst on roads like the freeway where we are going pretty fast. I get nauseaus if the driver goes over 65. Something in my stomach just goes off and I can always tell if they are speeding. I will look at the speedometer and sure enough, they are! I also start feeling sick if they are driving too close to the car ahead of us. In that case I just have to close my eyes. For me it is not just the motion but a visual thing as well.

Wow Julie,
You have a built in speedometer! I never thought of it that way. I guess like you said the anxiety of not knowing if the driver is taking precaution can add to the sicknesss. That would explain why we do not get this way when driving?
Maybe us sickies are really back seat drivers?
Must be a combo of things going on... but I do know fresh lemon and ginger do help.

ML

I get incredibly sick with motion sickness sometimes, but I have NEVER thrown up because of it (sometimes I wished I would, to feel better).

It is much better when driving. But if it is a drive that is more than three hours, I will still arrive feeling groggy and feel that way for up to two days. As a passenger (always in the front seat, I need to be able to look straight ahead) I get sick when turns are taken too fast especially. Usually I try to sleep on long rides, it helps with anxiety (my husband's driving makes me feel unsafe).

I have found that I don't want to take Gravol (motion sickness medication in Canada), because it puts me out for about eight hours. The only thing I can do when I take it is to sleep.

What works fairly well most of the time are sea bands. They are knitted bracelets with a plastic sort of bead, which you put on and center the bead over a specific pressure point.

They worked extremely well for sea sickness when on a cruise (as soon as I would take them off everything started spinning, I had to even keep them on in the shower, but didn't need them lying down). They usually work fine in cars and planes as well.

But this last flight to Mexico I got really sick because of turbulences. I wasn't well for a couple of days. I couldn't turn my head fast and had to move slowly in general, or would get dizzy again.

My symptoms are extreme dizziness, sometimes migraine (always headache), grogginess, general malaise, weakness (hardly be able to stand) and being very unsteady as well as not being able to think clearly.

Hey U.M.,
I've heard about those bracelets for women in the early stages of morning sickness from pregnancy.
So, if I understand you correctly, I have to wear it all the time when driving or when on a ship or flying?
I'm all for stuff that works that does not have side effects.

What really gets me is when someone is driving and they constantly accelerate and then slow down..... on the pedal and then off the pedal almost like with the beat of the music. City traffic incourages this, talking does this, .... and my head is going back and forth back and forth and getting sicker and sicker.

Sure would be nice to enjoy the scenery for once.
ML

Yes, you understand correctly. You wear those bracelets the whole time you are actually moving. But if you don't take them off soon after you stop moving, they will make you sick, strangely.

They aren't cheap (I've seen price tags from $14.95 to $19.95, which really is outrageous), but ultimately worth it. You find them in pharmacies, and they sell them on cruise ships (in the pharmacy section of their on-board store).

When on our cruise two years ago, I lost my sea-bands somehow after getting off the plane. The first two days of the cruise were fine, as we were hugging the Florida shore and it was perfectly calm.

But then when we crossed the Gulf of Mexico to get to Mexico, I got dreadfully seasick. I must have looked like I was drunk when going to the store! But as soon as I put on the sea bands (right after paying, still in the store), I was perfectly fine and had no problem walking straight when leaving!

I was joking a couple of days later, when we had the captains dinner, that on cruise ships sea bands are a part of evening attire. Fortunately, my outfit had a thin jacket, and it was light blue, while the sea bands were grey. They hardly showed.

Looking around, I wasn't the only one wearing them!

I hate city driving for the very reason you mentioned. That constant stopping and starting is about the worst thing about driving for me. I avoid city driving if I can.

Is there a way we can make these bands??? String a bead on to a rubber band link thingy?

ML

I don't think that is advisable. The way they are made is very well thought out so they actually work without restricting blood flow. Plus, they come with detailed instructions on exactly where to apply the bead for pressure. If you don't have it in the right spot, it won't work.

I''m going to try something..... if it doesn't work I'll check to see if they have them at the pharmacy.....

thanks

ml

I've also had car sickness my whole life. And when pregnant had nausea/vomiting until month 7 and had to take anti nausea meds until then just to get through a day. Since last September I've been taking cortef which is low dose hydrocortisone to treat adrenal fatigue, and a side benefit (besides being miraculously cured of excessive fatigue and irritability) is that I no longer have car sickness, at least not to any big degree as it was, I can even read as I ride the bus to grad school (i'm 42 years old just FYI--I say i'm in grad school and people think i'm 22).

So my theory is that undiagnosed celiac disease caused my adrenals to be under stress my whole life, until they finallycrashed last summer and I got onto Cortef. I also have now been diagnosed hypothyroid and am taking armour for that as well (probably also caused by celiac). Adrenal fatigue is probably present in most people with food sensitivities, but totally underdiagnosed and not treated.

Liz