Random Fact #9

I get motion sickness...............BAD.

I know a lot of people don't believe in the theory of motion sickness. They think it's a weakness or all in the person's head. Go ahead and ask my family how they feel about that theory. Because I'm here to tell you that motion sickness is a very real thing - and no, it's not all in your head.

When I'm in a car, I have to either be driving or have a clear view of the road. Especially on a windy road. If I can't see the road and the turns ahead, I can guarantee you, I will barf. My nickname growing up was "the hurl girl". My uncle once made the mistake of not believing me when I told him that he better pull over because I was feeling sick. We were on a family trip up to Coeur d' Alene, ID and even though the road up there is highway, it's windy. And my cousin, Matt, and I were riding with my aunt and uncle, in the backseat of their little Nissan car. Matt and I devoured an entire bag of Cheetos and were goofing around. Well, suddenly my stomach wasn't too happy with me and I told my uncle Rod that he needed to pull over. "Jenny", he said, "you are fine, it's all in your head." So I got quiet and tried to talk myself out of getting sick. I again warned him that he needed to pull over because I really was going to get sick. Again, he told me that I was going to be fine. Well, that bag of Cheetos came back up - all over the inside of their car, and I somehow managed to get the window open and continued throwing up as we were flying down the highway. My dad was following behind us, and his truck got splattered with bright orange junk! Needless to say, my uncle Rod never doubted me or even hesitated again when I told him I wasn't feeling well. To this day, I'm not allowed to eat Cheetos on a road trip!

And I get sick when flying too. I have become accustomed to taking Dramamine or those little patches you can put behind your ear and I do really well with those.

I know a lot of studies point to inner ear problems being directly associated with motion sickness. And I often wonder, since I was the ear infection baby, if that has something to do with my motion sickness today.