The "puke chair": a family experience

This weekend the girls and I got to take Matt for a spin, and try out the Barany chair for ourselves.  With his "dollar ride" (first flight, nicknamed such because the students joking "tip" their instructor a dollar when it's done--although they often "jazz it up" a bit [at IFS, Matt drew a picture of his flight instructor as a superhero superimposed over George Washington's face--he does great likenesses]).

Matt definitely seems to be getting better at both taming "flare ups" (mostly by diaphragmatic breathing) and recovering after the spins.  He was passed out in his recliner and burping all evening his first day, and on Saturday he was his usual self within a few hours, and today, after he went with one of our neighbors, I would have never guessed he'd spun at all.  Then again, the Giants also pulled off a big win this afternoon, which undoubtably bolstered his mood a bit as well!  :o)

For the spin sessions, Matt is supposed to do at least 3 reps of 10min/ea every time he rides the chair.  He warned me before we went in that he may try to talk me out of a 3rd spin after he is 2 in, and sure enough, that is what happened!  But he stuck it out and performed fantastically.  While spinning, Matt can simulate dives, climbs, and turns by positioning his head at different angles.  A major key to calming motion sickness is to keep his head as steady as possible.  Apparently, after 20 seconds at a constant pace, the fluid in his ears stabilizes, allowing him to proceed comfortably, provided his head does not move too much.  This definitely helps explain why turbulence causes his symptoms to flare up dramatically.

Spinning (first pic is simulated ascent; second is normal flight position):

Here he is, post-spin, recovering:

The girls and I also got to go for a little spin.  I got [slightly] nauseous almost immediately, but both girls described it as "fun".  The chair is set up in a small fitness room, complete with a TV/DVD player, so the girls were in heaven.  Although they enjoyed testing out a few workout machines faaaar more than Phineas and Ferb (otherwise a favorite).

Checking out the room:

Going for a ride!:

All in all, a fun and educational afternoon and I was glad we were able to help Matt out a bit.  I definitely need to give the girls more credit.  They are probably about 2 years younger in my head than in real life, and it is sometimes easy to forget how much they can handle/how patient they are.  They have also been doing an awesome job in church service lately too (and traditional Catholic, not contemporary, to boot!).