Some weeks are just like, “Where the hell did that go?” and some seem interminable; the worst ones are a bit of both, so that when viewed in retrospect the bad parts seem to dwarf the others, like the disproportionate features of a sensory homunculus. Last week was like that, and everything this week lies in the shadow of my much-dreaded flight to Los Angeles. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure I’ll enjoy the trip just fine after I get there. But between this moment and Friday morning lies the awfulness of an airline flight, and long-time readers know how much I dread those. Really, the main purpose of this trip is to test out the new meds I’m hoping will enable me to fly without degenerating into a crying, puking crazy woman and being completely useless until the next day. To be perfectly honest, I will probably be so doped-up that I’ll still be useless until the next day, but uselessness due to being drugged into insensibility is vastly preferable to uselessness due to being sick, terrified and exhausted. Anyhow, we’ll see. If you live in the LA area and want to see me, this is last call; I might make an appointment after I get there if I can find the time, but I doubt that. I’m going to keep myself as busy as possible so I don’t have time to stress out about the flight back.
Diary #307
May 17, 2016 by Maggie McNeill
Good luck! Fly calm, collected, happy, and healthy! You’ll be missed until your return.
Thank you for the good wishes! Unfortunately, I’m already nervous NOW and the flight is still 30 hours away…
Maggie,
I came across this article about a device, a wristwatch looking thing that allegedly prevents motion sickness. It apparently delivers periodic mild “electrostimulation” to some “acupuncture point” in the wrist.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/consumer-electronics/gadgets/this-wearable-is-a-cure-for-motion-sickness-and-is-changing-my-life
I’m not vouching for it by any means. I never heard of it before. I’m skeptical about acupuncture and acupressure generally. I just read the article and I’m passing it along.
Most comments to the IEEE article ridicule the device. The first comment (by an “adolf hitler” nym) cited and linked an NIH pubmed article abstract that he claimed says it didn’t work. But the pubmed abstract actually said that it did produce a “potential delay in symptom onset”.
Somebody is manufacturing and selling the device for about a hundred bucks. So, the cost to try it out is not insanely high.
If you google the product name (disclosed in the IEEE article), you’ll find it’s widely sold from drugstores to Amazon.
It seems at least to work for some people.