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How to deal with car issues?

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Posted 10/6/2008 1:35 AM (GMT 0)
Well one of the problems I get with my fibro is temperature sensitivities. I'm very intolerant of heat and I'm looking forward to winter because if the cold bothers me all I need to do is put another layer of clothing on or wrap myself up in a blanket. The only thing I dread about the winter is driving. I can't stand having the heater on in the car because all that hot air up by my head just makes me feel really sick to my stomach. I usually have it set so the heat is only coming out by the foot vents, but then there comes the problem of needing to use the defrosters. Using the defrosters of course means that there is going to be a lot of hot air coming out at head level, but the defrosters are necessary to be able to see when the windows get foggy.

I've already had to use the defrosters once last week and I tried to compromise by putting the thermostat half way between hot and cold. This didn't work out so well, it didn't do nearly as good a job of keeping the windows clear and the air was still too hot and I felt sick, and it was only a 10 minute car ride. I guess I must be more sensitive to the hot air than I used to be. I'm not currently working but I am trying to find work. On the off chance that I do find something, I just can't imagine having to drive to work everyday during cold weather trying to battle the nausea.

Does anyone else here have this problem or any suggestions on how to deal with it? Are there maybe any anti-nausea medications that don't cause drowsiness?
Posted 10/6/2008 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kythe.  I have the same problem.  Except for in the dead of winter, I have to have cool air blowing out of the vents. 

 

When it is really cold and frosty, I will put warm air on my feet and on the windshield, but I will crack my window just a bit.  This seems to help clear the warm air from around my face, while still keeping my feet warm and defrosting the windshield.

 

Hope you find a solution that works for you. 

 

Austen

 

Posted 10/6/2008 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
I believe ginger is suppose to be really good for nausea
Posted 10/6/2008 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
Well I did think about opening the window but I was afraid that the defrosters wouldn't work if I had the window open, I'll have to give that a try.

I do have ginger root extract in the house that I use as a natural anti-inflammatory. Do you know if it can be used preventatively for nausea, or if it's the sort of thing that would only work once you were already feeling sick? I suppose it doesn't matter much, I wouldn't be able to afford to use it very often anyway. I already only use it very sparingly for pain because it's a bit out of my price range at the moment.
Posted 10/6/2008 10:09 PM (GMT 0)

Hi

The idea with the window open is really good.  Yeah the defroster will still work. Also if you start your car before hand let the defroster work oh high, then while you're driving, you can put it inbetween cool and hot and it will still work. :-)

Posted 10/7/2008 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hehe, you're right, didn't like that answer. I really can't use those masks, I've tried them before for other situations and the air inside the mask gets all hot and humid and I can't breathe with it on. I'm confused as to how wearing the mask would even help in this sort of situation. I also have no idea how perfume would help, but I can't do that either due to allergies/extreme sensitivity to scents.

Yeah I know I probably should start the car beforehand to get things defrosted, will just require some fore planning. Normally when I leave the house is right when I need to get going to wherever I need to be so I'll have to be ready to go a bit earlier I guess.
Posted 10/7/2008 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
Have you tried crystalized or uncrystalized ginger? If you are near a Trader Joe's, you can get it pretty cheap there. You can also get fresh ginger root and grate it and make tea. It's not very expensive (again at Trader Joe's). Both of these forms help me when my stomach goes on the warpath.
Posted 10/7/2008 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
The only thing I've ever tried is ginger root extract and I've never actually taken it for nausea before, just pain relief. What I have most people wouldn't consider very expensive, it was about $15 for 60 doses, yet this is very expensive for me since money is so tight. Anyway never heard of a Trader Joe's so the answer would be no I'm not near one. I can try the ginger that I do have, but I did ask earlier in the thread if it can be used preventatively or not for nausea and this has not been answered. If I have to wait until I actually feel sick to take it, then it's not going to do me any good since I need to prepare it in pill capsules and take it with food to prevent heartburn which is all difficult to do once I'm on the road.
Posted 10/7/2008 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
It's hard to answer if you can take it preventively. I've taken it preventively and it seemed to have worked but it's hard to say. If you take it and don't sick, did it really help because maybe you weren't going to get sick anyway. All in all, I'd have to say it does help me preventively but it's not 100%.

You may be able to buy a piece of fresh ginger at your local grocery store. I've gotten pieces for around $1.00. Your local health food store should sell crystalized ginger for a few dollars a bag, some even sell it in bulk so you can buy a few pieces to test out. I agree with you that $15.00 is expensive. I recommended Trader Joe's because their prices are very reasonable and they allow you to return items you aren't happy with. I suggest you google it and see if they have a store near you or someplace you may go, I won't ever move to a town that doesn't have one!
Posted 10/7/2008 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Well I googled Trader Joe's and there are a few in my state, but none close enough to me. I honestly don't remember ever seeing any kind of ginger in the grocery store other than powdered stuff used for cooking. The liquid extract I have I got at a natural pharmacy. I don't remember if they had it in any other forms, but I really do prefer the liquid extract because it can easily be put in pill capsules so I don't have to taste it and it's also easier to measure out doses. Unfortunately as I said, it's expensive. In the past I've only ever used it for pain relief and only when I'm in severe pain cause I'm trying to make that bottle last as long as possible. I really couldn't afford to use it every time I go out driving in cold weather. I actually have seen ginger root extract online that at first glance seemed a lot cheaper but then I looked at the dose in each pill and it was a lot lower so I'd end up having to take 2 or 3 times as much and it would end up costing more in the long run, so I guess compared to other products out there, the stuff I have is a good deal.
Posted 10/7/2008 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
do you have any stop&shop grocery stores where you live? if so, they definitely should have big chunks of ginger root in their produce aisles.....next to snow peas i think. i found relief from nausea while pregnant by grating the root into boiling water and steeping it like tea, i would add a bit of honey, as the taste is strong. i could make a big batch and it was great first thing in the am. also i find that some scents alleviate my nausea.......bergamot (in earl grey tea) and grapefruit helped a lot. i think that is where i was going with the whole mask/scarf fragrance thing ;) i mistakenly thought breathing in the hot air made you nauseus.
krista
ps ginger never helped me after the fact.....it was a preventative.
Posted 10/8/2008 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Yes breathing in the hot air does make me nauseous, that was really the whole idea of the post, lol. Using a mask or a scarf would just make things worse considering that all of the hot air that I'd breathe out would be trapped, not to mention the humidity from my breath building up would make it really hard for me to breathe. Any aroma therapy type things I really need to stay away from because I'm so sensitive to scents, even natural scents are a problem for me. Never heard of stop&shop so there aren't any near me. As I've said before, I would prefer to use ginger root extract to fresh ginger because I won't have to taste or smell it because I put it in empty pill capsules. Also if I use the extract, I know exactly how much I'm getting in each dose and I'd have no way to know that if I prepared it myself from fresh ginger. *sighs* It's just too expensive to use the ginger on a regular basis the way I prefer it. I'm just going to have to try to do what others have suggested and try keeping the window open a bit.
Posted 10/8/2008 2:45 AM (GMT 0)
i find that warming up the car before i get into it to help the most.... whenever i am going any distance i carry peppermint gum with me so that if i do get sick to my stomach i can chew it and helps settle my stomach.. i am on a budget too and find that it works well... and using the defrost on the lowest setting helps

if you google nausea and ginger it should let you know if it can be used preventively but don't think so..
Posted 10/8/2008 6:12 AM (GMT 0)
You really don't have to worry about dosage when you make a ginger tea from fresh ginger or when you eat crystalized ginger. Either form has a hot, spicy flavor. The crystalized ginger is sweetened. You drink a cup made to taste or you eat a few pieces of the crystalized ginger. You don't need a therapeutic dose, as when treating inflamation, you just need enough to feel better.
Posted 10/8/2008 7:27 PM (GMT 0)
kythe,
i have asthma as well.....i am going to take one more stab at this. OK, my theory is that the hot air makes you feel sick because your lungs seize up going from warm house to cold outside to hot again in the car....this results in anxiety and nausea associated with the fear reaction which would be normal if your air supply is "threatened". if you wear a mask or scarf it doesn't change the air temp as much, its a "barrier between the switches in temperature. have you seen dumbo anytime lately? his magic feather is why he thinks he can fly. when push comes to shove he realizes that he has flown in front of everyone because he thinks he has his feather and only realizes upon landfall that he does not even have it with him. i was offering you a feather, a scarf...please feel better.... hugs :)
very sincerely
krista

edited because i found a conversion chart for ginger: 1/4 cup crystalized ginger = 1/8 cup finely chopped=2 1/2 teaspoons ground dried ginger =1/2 teaspoon ginger extract

Post Edited (blushladybug) : 10/8/2008 1:37:19 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/8/2008 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
I've always had a problem with hot air ever since I was little, before I even had asthma, it's always made me feel sick to my stomach. As for the mask/scarf I really can't breathe with them covering my face, I have used masks in other situations and the humidity and heat from my own breath building up made it too hard for me to breathe. I also can't breathe from the humidity and heat building up if I try to sleep with the blanket covering my head. This really has nothing to do with anxiety or sudden temperature changes.
Posted 10/8/2008 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
kythe,
do you ever say 'thank you' when people offer their sincere advice, over and over? im a bit baffled.
sincerely,
krista
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