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Advice for a Newbie


thedukeofdramamine
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Hi everyone, I am seeking advice and thought here would be a great place to ask.

I have a major phobia of roller coasters. As a kid (8 or 9) I was tricked into riding The Beast by my parents and it was a tortuous experience having only ridden one coaster before, Top Gun or The Bat as it is currently named. I enjoyed The Bat but The Beast wreaked havoc on me and I ended up throwing up all over the station when I got off the ride. Aside from Adventure Express I never rode another roller coaster again because the experience was so traumatic.

Fast forward 25 years and 4 kids later and I have decided enough is enough and I want to overcome some of these fears. Two weekends ago I went to KI late at night with my wife with the goal of riding The Bat since I had a fun experience on it when I was 8 or 9. It was definitely intense since I have basically no coaster experience, but it was fun and i had a major adrenaline rush for the rest of the night. The only problem was again I had severe nausea for about 15 or 20 minutes at least after getting off the ride. I had to sit down and drink some water to settle my stomach down. I had taken all-day relief dramamine about 5 hours before I rode The Bat because I thought I was going to go to KI earlier than I ended up going, but plans changed because of kids, etc.

 

Some questions:

1. Is there a solid method for avoiding motion sickness?

2. Is The Bat known to induce motion sickness? Just thinking of the swinging trains and quick successions of turns,

3. What coaster should I try next? I want to keep riding, and have an ultimate goal of at least riding The Beast again at some point to get over that childhood experience.

 

Thank you!

 

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Welcome to KIC!

Im sorry to hear about your traumatic experience.  Have you considered trying Dramamine? They sell it in the park, I believe. Some people swear by it to relieve motion sickness. 
 

Most traumatic experiences like this are a result of age. Perhaps you should try riding The Beast as an adult? That way you know about the safety of roller coasters and that there is no real danger. 
 

If I were you I’d work my way up. Start with  The Beastie (or whatever name it is this year), they maybe Adventure Express, Backlot Stunt Coaster, and The Bat.  Once you’ve established that you can handle the motions then consider the bigger rides. 
 

Let us know how it goes!

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One thing I have always heard to ease motion sickness is to NOT focus on something right in front of you (for example: trying to read in a car).  You want to pick a point that is farther away from you to minimize the small, quick motions your body is going through.  This can be tough on a coaster, but not impossible.  I've found looking 30-40 feet down the track helps.  Don't stare at the seat immediately in front of you, and don't close your eyes.  Given all of this, I would NOT recommend FOF.

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As one who has to pre-load with Dramamine to deal with rollercoaster motion sickness, I can tell you my experience with the "all-day" versus the "original" is literally night and day.  I must have the original in order to enjoy rides, unfortunately.  

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What works for me:  don't have a full stomach or an empty stoma ch.  Inverting coasters like Banshee, I have to sit front row, if I sit in other rows, the lack of frontal vision makes me nauseous.  Other looping coasters like Vortex (RIP), I can sit other places because it's not a wall of seats in front of me.  

Find out what coasters make you nauseous and what you can do to ride with out the nausea. I can only do Flight of Fear lights on, and if it's really hot, I have to cool off on a water ride before riding.  Keep hydrated on water/vitamin water/gatorade.  

In 2015, I was terrified to ride inverting coasters.  I was at Holiday World and just watched Thunderbird launch for about 20 cycles.  Decided to get on and havent looked back.  Don't let anyone pressure you, take your time and go for it if/when you are ready.

 

I also don't use dramamine, even the non drowsy formula makes me sleepy.  I use mecliizine.  It helps alot.

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It sounds really funny, but fighter pilots swear by squeezing your butt cheeks to slow down the flow of blood - not as good as their g-suits, but kinda the same idea of trying to keep blood flow from draining to the feet and lower body.

I laughed when my Air Force friend told me this, but in many instances it can be just enough to prevent one from getting sick or graying out.  A simple squeeze started before the loop and releasing after LOL.  Don't ask me how I know :P

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27 minutes ago, thedukeofdramamine said:

It definitely starts with dizziness, but I am not sure if my vision plays a role. I do have some vision issues and wear glasses. I get a little dizzy on the Carousel in Planet Snoopy when I ride with my kids, but it's not bad at all really.

Well yeah that’s what I’m talking about. The very small scale kiddie rides like the carousel might not do much. But anything larger will play a number on him. Makes me think that’s the problem.

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Thank you for the advice, everyone! My wife and I are going to Kings Island tonight for me to try out Mystic Timbers. She claims I should be able to make it through that one. I'll be taking original Dramamine, staying well-hydrated and well-fed, and am going to try to keep my eyes ahead. I got a new pair of glasses, so hopefully that will help some too. I guess we'll find out tonight!

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1 minute ago, thedukeofdramamine said:

Thank you for the advice, everyone! My wife and I are going to Kings Island tonight for me to try out Mystic Timbers. She claims I should be able to make it through that one. I'll be taking original Dramamine, staying well-hydrated and well-fed, and am going to try to keep my eyes ahead. I got a new pair of glasses, so hopefully that will help some too. I guess we'll find out tonight!

Let us know how it goes and enjoy your ride!

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