I’m writing this article as I fight a rare form of dizziness called Mal de Disembarquement Syndrome. I have been living this way for the past 15 years. There are many people out there who have a form of dizziness that has yet to be diagnosed. It took 15 years to find out what was wrong with me due to the fact that many doctors have not heard of this rare medical condition. If you are a person that lives with dizziness, and no one can tell you why, you may find this article very interesting.
Mal de Disembarquement Syndrome is a french word for land sickness. This medical condition leaves you feeling dizzy after a cruise, an airplane flight, a train ride or a long car ride. You never really feel like you have your land legs back after you get off the moving boat, plane, or train. It is an extremely rare condition, so you need to think back on when your dizziness actually started. If it was right after you were traveling, there is a chance you may have this mysterious condition. You may have a sensation of floating all the time, a feeling of pressure in your head, or a faint feeling. You will probably have trouble closing your eyes and staying balanced, have a hard time picking something up off the floor without feeling wobbly or you may have a hard time just sitting still without a swirling feeling. This condition keeps you from doing a number of activities that don’t usually bother other people. You feel uncomfortable standing up in front of people for fear of falling over, you have a hard time standing in lines because you feel faint, or you may choose to always stay home because the room is turning on you. I am here to tell you there is hope for your dizziness.
The reason I call this a mysterious condition is because doctors don’t know why this happens to the inner ear and your balance system. It is hard to diagnose and many doctors have never heard of the syndrome. I worked as a flight attendant for 16 years and was dizzy 15 of the 16 years I flew. When I was flying I felt completely normal, but when I was on the ground I felt like the room was constantly tilting on me. My land legs never came back. I went to several ENT’s and they ran tests on me and couldn’t find anything wrong. I had neurologists run MRI’s on my brain to find out if I had a brain tumor or M.S. All the tests came back negative. I finally was diagnosed with Mal de Disembarquement Sydrome at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They sent me to PEAK balance and dizzy clinic located in Skokie, Illinois. The physical therapists there began teaching me exercises along with introducing me to some medications. Clonazepam is one medication that stops dizziness dead in its tracks. It was a miracle worker for me. Once the physical therapists came up with a plan for my type of dizzines, they began to retrain my equilibrium.
You may ask, “How do you retrain your equilibrium?” Some of the therapy required me to stand on one foot for a certain length of time. I would try and walk a straight line with my eyes closed. I would move my head back and forth while focusing on a little dot on the wall. Gradually, the therapy became more and more challenging until my balance system started returning back to normal. It is very, very hard work and takes hours out of your day, every day, to accomplish your goal of normalcy. But if committed to the therapy, you will get better.
If you are interested in learning more about Mal de Disembarquement Sydrome you can find many interesting articles on line and locate balance and dizzy centers in your area. Most insurances cover the cost of the therapy. With therapy and possible medication you can have your active life back and find happiness again.
