Poll of the Week: Travel Ailments

[SarahS]

Which of these common travel maladies have you suffered from? Vote in our poll!

[travelmel]

I don't usually get sick or jet lagged, but I have on more than one occasion had horrific allergic reactions to mosquito bites abroad. My most vivid memory of visiting Bulgaria is stumbling into a tiny pharmacy where someone thankfully translated well enough for me to score the local version of Benadryl, the instructions for which I could not read (lovely cyrillic alphabet). Now, I bring bug spray everywhere I go!

[LSKahn]

I have a history of occasional colitis and almost always get an attack on a longer holiday. The cause is eating stuff I should not eat. I always carry medication to resolve. I always get jet lag if the time change is more than 2-3 hours. I am flying home from Australia in a week. Talk about jet lag. . . .

[jocap]

As I've got older, I've started to suffer from jet lag after overnight flights- the last being from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which landed in Manchester at 6am- but of course, I was ready for bed with a midnight clock! We reached home around 11am, and fell into bed.....and our dog sitter arrived an hour later with two excited dogs! She stayed for a long chat, during which time my OH managed to tip a mug of coffee all down my newly painted walls...
I've been struck with homesickness in some poverty stricken countries; I find it difficult to accept the misfortunes of some others, and, unable to do anything nor discuss it, find myself longing for my own country.

[soliteyah]

All but altitude sickness and heatstroke -- just give me a few more trips, right?

[JennK]

I didn't even know it existed until I did some searching ... but I get what I call reverse sea-sickness. I am fine while on a cruise ship, but a few hours after disembarking I am dizzy and a bit off kilter. It usually lasts for about 5 days. I think the medical term is mal de debarquement.

[jocap]

I didn't even know it existed until I did some searching ... but I get what I call reverse sea-sickness. I am fine while on a cruise ship, but a few hours after disembarking I am dizzy and a bit off kilter. It usually lasts for about 5 days. I think the medical term is mal de debarquement.

I had it just the once, Jenn....I lurched into the bathroom in the middle of the night and sent everything flying- glass bottles, cans- the lot! I don't know what was different about that cruise, but it took me 2 or 3 days to recover properly.

[soliteyah]

I have actually had something similar to that post-cruise unsteadiness after a really long plane flight -- I often feel like I'm still moving.

It's never lasted more than a few hours though. Is there anything that helps the condition when it lasts so many days? Maybe something for motion sickness?

[jocap]

I believe that some doctors prescribe something similar to sea sickness pills if it's long lasting- in a few, rare cases it continues for weeks and even longer.
I feel it more after long car or train journeys, but it's never lasted for longer than a day or two.

[JennK]

I have heard people use seasick meds for it but I just deal. It never really effects me badly enough so that I can't get through my day.