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Crossing the Irish Sea

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F

fencesitter

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
William is off to N.Ireland with his youth orchestra soon, and ever the optimist I'm worrying about the sea crossing 🙄
Probably calm as a millpond this week, but looking at the long range weather there are thunderstorms predicted next week.
He is getting a sick day rules session with his DSN before he goes. The crossing is 8 hours and he does get a bit queasy. Any recommendations? He will take travel sickness pills before he sails (Kwells maybe?) and sip flat drinks if he feels sick, keep his eye on the horizon and so on. They have a qualified nurse going with them, but I don't know how knowledgeable she is about diabetes.
If you have any other advice I would be grateful.
Luckily they are flying back to the UK :D
Catherine
 
I can't offer any advice, but hope it all goes well. If it helps your peace of mind you could give an instruction sheet to the nurse or a lit of to dos and not to dos.
 
I often go Belfast-Liverpool route and suspect that is the one you are talking about. I would suggest paying the extra ?20 for a cabin. If there are 3 others willing to chip in that is only ?5 each. Those ferries are quite stable and it is rare to feel any motion but my cure for sea sickness has always been to find somewhere to lie down.

Hope this helps and that he has a great trip.
 
Only time I ever crossed Irish Sea by ferry was Liverpool to Belfast overnight (I flew back 5 months later, because my car was stolen), on a huge ferry, used more by lorries than car or foot passengers, but I assume coaches too.

I'd suggest going up on deck, avoiding engine and kitchen smells, which usually means bow / front of ship is best, unless it's very cold and windy. Lying down on deck is usually possible - if raining, you'd need full waterproofs, which I always travel with, but then I go into hills wherever I go, rather than playing in an orchestra. Often mint sweets or ginger biscuits help to take the edge off feeling nauseous.
 
😱 to man floating across to Ireland in rubber dinghy!!
Thanks all for suggestions. Like the cabin idea, especially if it's not nice enough out on deck. W likes ginger so I'll get some in and advise him to stand upwind of the kitchen flue 🙂
 
I'm just wondering about timing of eating and insulin also. If he's injected and eaten, but is then sick it might be a problem to also keep down hypo treatments. Perhaps if he has to eat then something low carb to minimise the insulin dose might be a good idea.
 
The ferries these days are quite different and there is very limited space to be outside. Outside space is mostly used by smokers and people calming down their dogs who are kept in a kennel type place. I remember the first time I went Liverpool-Belfast it was a big old ship very popular with lorries and it was a lot different to the modern Stena ferries.

Customer Services/Reception are very good and helpful. He will be better on a ferry than the HSS things as if they sea is just a little bit choppy you feel every wave as the light hull hits it.
 
Willsmum said:
William is off to N.Ireland with his youth orchestra soon, and ever the optimist I'm worrying about the sea crossing 🙄
Probably calm as a millpond this week, but looking at the long range weather there are thunderstorms predicted next week.
He is getting a sick day rules session with his DSN before he goes. The crossing is 8 hours and he does get a bit queasy. Any recommendations? He will take travel sickness pills before he sails (Kwells maybe?) and sip flat drinks if he feels sick, keep his eye on the horizon and so on. They have a qualified nurse going with them, but I don't know how knowledgeable she is about diabetes.
If you have any other advice I would be grateful.
Luckily they are flying back to the UK :D
Catherine
Click to expand...

If you want to be really safe and to also put your mind at rest, give his GP and ring and ask if it's possible to have a prescription for anti sickness medication. As others have said ginger works very well.

As to the nurse travelling perhaps write out a quick care plan so she knows what to do if she is needed.
 
A good travel sickness tablet is sturgeron tablets can make you a little sleepy at times but I swear by them when travelling anywhere 🙂
 
Northerner said:
I'm just wondering about timing of eating and insulin also. If he's injected and eaten, but is then sick it might be a problem to also keep down hypo treatments. Perhaps if he has to eat then something low carb to minimise the insulin dose might be a good idea.
Click to expand...

Good point Alan. Also glad to have suggestion that we give nurse a special treatment plan for sea sickness.
 
Best sea sickness tablets we ever used were 'mer calm', though not sure if you can get them in the UK (picked up while in France)
 
I have been on ferries a lot of times. If you go to the persers office on a choppy day they will give you digestive bickies ! Have been on a ferry to Norway Forse 10 & 40ft waves. Loved every min. The resturant on the ship was the best waiters had a right job on. But as others have said lie down in center of boat ! By the way i spent my youth on the north sea in various boats etc. Hope son enjoys !! 😉
 
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