I don’t think I’ve shared this before but, for over a year (since July, 2024), I’ve had Disembarkment Syndrome, – a.k.a. Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS). I won’t share the medical mumbo jumbo. Here’s what it is in my own words:

The constant feeling that you’re on a rocking boat. You know how you feel for awhile after getting off a boat? Well, I’ve had that feeling non-stop for a year and a half now. And, I had not been on a boat. It just happens to some people. It’s an inner-ear disorder. Our doctor was flummoxed. She’d never heard of it. One key symptom is, when the person is moving (like in a vehicle), the feeling goes away. Once they are still again, the feeling comes back.

I can tell you it’s been a pain in the backside. However, things could have been a lot worse so I accepted my fate, and prayed that it might go away some day. After the first year, I gave up hope on that.

Interestingly, when we lived on a boat, and traveled somewhere, I’d have that “rocking on the boat” feeling for a week or two while it only lasted a few hours for other people. So, I guess I was predisposed to this somehow.

So, fast forward a year and a half. I bought plane tickets for me, Max (24), and Mason (19) so would could all fly down to visit an ailing relative. I’ve been terrified of flying since one bad business trip where the turbulence was so severe that we had to land at a different airport.

Right after our flight took off from Chattanooga, the pilot said he was leaving the seat belt sign on for the entire flight because bad turbulence was expected. There was a big weather system heading East across the country that day. And, the pilot did not disappoint! It was a pretty bumpy!!! I kept digging my fingernails into Max’s knee. He was relaxed, and just looking out the window. He was sweet, and patted my hand every few minutes.

The next flight, from Dallas to Corpus Christi, was a bit bumpy but nothing like the first one. That night, lying in bed in the hotel, I had what I call the “rocking on the boat” feeling HARD but it felt different. It felt like I was in a bouncing airplane.

The next four days were a whirlwind of family time and I was moving around quite a bit.

The flights back home weren’t as bad as the first flight. Oddly enough, it took me two days after we arrived back home to realize that my Disembarkment Syndrome was GONE! I’d had it for so long that I no longer thought about it 24/7. I haven’t felt like the entire room and floor are bouncing since that first night in the hotel!!!

Had I known a very bumpy flight could cure my problem, despite my fear of planes, I’d have bought plane tickets a year and a half ago!!!

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